First Impression: Stewart Luxus Deluxe FireHawk Screen
Unpacking & Assembly
Out of the three screens that arrived, the Stewart screen was certainly the most "hefty" both in construction and shipping materials. When it came to moving the container into the house I actually needed some assistance!
As with the previously discussed screens, the Stewart was packed with 4 side rails, screen material (in its own industrial tube), a bag of hardware and some mounting brackets. There were no "assembly" instructions; however there were instructions on how to "repack" the box. In Stewart's defense I believe this screen was sent out as a "demo" model since it came with all of the options available (Leg stands etc.). Having just utilized two nearly identical mounting systems, I was a bit confused as to how this screen was supposed to be hung on the wall.
Since I had already assembled two screens at this point, I plodded forward without instructions. Just like the other samples, the Stewart rails were all labeled to aid with matching up the correct pieces. The Stewart frame quality is by far the nicest of the samples we received. It is very rigid and very heavy duty.
As with the other two I began to layout the pieces for assembly. The corners fit very tightly and appeared almost seamless when joined. It was at this point that I became unsure as to how the mounting system worked. A quick phone call to Stewart quickly clarified the methodology. Apparently the brackets used for mounting this screen must be attached to some nuts that slide within a channel of the frame. To utilize the correct mounting procedure I had to disassemble the frame in order to slide in the retaining nuts into the slots. In a real-world situation this would have been clear as instructions are typically provided.
Concerning the "New and improved" Mounting System
According to Stewart, their mounting system was designed as a new and improved system for mounting the screen. Pictured to the right is the bracket from which you would hang the screen onto the wall (preferably some screws or lags secured into some studs). The difficult part is aligning two of these brackets at the top of the screen and two of these brackets at the bottom of the screen. While it may be a bit difficult to visualize, you are essentially trying to align these brackets with the already secured screws (blindly). The screen is already snapped into position from the back, so there is no way to see exactly what you are doing while you hang the screen. Imagine hanging a heavy 96" picture frame with two single-hole hangers on the back and you'll get the idea. While accurate measuring can help, it won't eliminate the struggle entirely. The entire experience was frustrating and a tremendous let-down after the installation ease of the Da-Lite and Carada. Still, it is doubtful you will install this screen more than once in a several year span, so this negative can only be taken so far. We point it out in the hope that Stewart will upgrade future screens to a more user-friendly solution.
