SANUS In-Wall Cable Management Kit (Open Box)

Bought this in conjunction with the Sanus sound bar bracket that’s supposed to go with the Sonos Arc. Figured they made these to all work with each other… “I’ve got a pretty standard drywall construction wall to install it on that already has a TV mounted so I know where the studs are roughly — how hard could it be?” Very. That’s how hard. Cutting the holes was the easy part… sorta. First thing I did was run into a vertical stud - but that’s easy, just move the hole over half an inch and keep cutting. Boom. Second thing I run into is fiberglass insulation - which is a slight hassle but whatever. I’ll just be a little itchy while I watch The Notebook… no worries. I’ve got my fish tape handy, I’m bumping it down into the hole to see where it pops out on the bottom aaaaannndd I run into a horizontal stud. For those who read the instructions - which I did - this is where you are advised to seek professional help. Slight rewind - I would describe myself as very handy. I’ve worked as a “handyman” in the past. I’ve worked in commercial renovations and private home remodeling. I know what the inside of a wall looks like because I’ve been the person who did the framing, drilled the holes in 2x4s for the Romex, put up the dry wall, taped and sanded the seams, wired up the outlets… I’m not going out to hire somebody who’s gonna to a worse job than me just because we bump into a little 2x4. So with a 1 3/8” paddle bit on the end of a 16” extension and some creative use of the drywall saw included in the package and we’ve got one hole for TV power and HDMI from my Apple TV And for two days this was enough. I was still waiting on the sound bar bracket in the mail and one little HDMI cable sending eARC signal from the TV to the sound bar wasn’t bothering anybody. Then the sound bar bracket came and things started falling apart. Up until now I’d been reasonably proud of myself for not going crazy at the Best Buy. I’ve got plenty of HDMI cables and tools etc. at home so I didn’t let myself fall for the hundred dollar 3% pure silver (WTF does that mean, by the way? 3% pure? Is that like “50% of the time it works every time?” Anyway…) So I’d been happy about showing some restraint - and I even had a little forethought. As in; “Hey, maybe one of these days I’m gonna want to replace these cords with newer, fancier cords - how about I get some plastic tubing to act as a conduit, so I can run that though the holes in the wood that I drilled and I’ll be able to pull out an old cable and run though a new one, easy-peasy.” Not exactly. First of all I had to drill the second hole for the sound bar power and HDMI, which popped out right on top of one of my neighbors outlet boxes, inside the wall. (Sorry, Paul) When I was finally able to fish the cables though the HDMI it was too short by about 2 feet. And of course by now it’s well past time for Best Buy to be closed. I happened to find an HDMI splitter and thought I’d been saved but it only functioned one way (and not the way I needed it to.) By the grace of God my neighbor runs an eBay store where he collects and resells assorted electronics and keeps weird hours - so he’s not surprised in the least when I knock on his door at 11pm asking if he’s got any spare HDMI cables. He’s got one and I’m saved. So now after taking the entire thing apart (probably the third / fourth time now - I forget) and putting I back together it comes to hanging the sound bar bracket on top of the outlet for it… You might say this portion belongs in the review for the bracket but I say no. It’s advertised as a complementary system, sold by the same company… So I go to center the bracket over the outlet and, low, it doesn’t sit flush against the wall with the outlet bulging out. So out comes the table saw (12:30am… sorry Paul) to cut some scrap polycarbonate into spacers and with a little bit of double stick tape we’re back in business. Sorta. The drywall anchors provided in the kit, while better than mow, aren’t super forgiving. Not to mention the require a “1cm” ( 13/32nds?) pilot hole. How about a dimension that a normal person might have? I got by with 3/8ths and kind of wobbling it around… but in the end only three fit because of the width of the plug trim. This review is long enough; it’s high time I get to the meat of the matter; all things considered I’m happy with my purchase. In this box is, ostensibly, everything you need to run wires to and from a TV and a sound bar without having them show on top of the wall. however, what is not in the box is the knowledge, experience and at least one extra HDMI cable that you’re going to need if your installation goes even slightly awry. I haven’t the foggiest idea how this would be supposed to work on brick or concrete. A final note - and this might be plus or a minus in your column depending on what kind of person you are, but this $100 pre assembled “item” is definitely something that a reasonably intelligent person could cobble together from the Home Depot electrical aisle. Maybe for a little less, maybe with a little less fit and finish… but if you’ve got 10 feet of Romex and a couple 4 plastic gang boxes you’re half way there. I’m happy now that it’s installed but it was a JOURNEY getting there… and it cost $100.