Ergotron makes good solid products. If you don't need 5 monitors, they have a 4 monitor stand...maybe if you went to 21" monitors you'd have the same amount of real estate. Or you could buy a 3 monitor stand and a 2 monitor stand and stack the latter on top of the former (if that will work.)
all the monitor arms I have seen come with a post/pole/column/pillar and the arm(s). say for this http://www.thanko.jp/lcdarm/marmgus18s.html I wanna have two arms on the same pole/column, can I purchase the arm individually?
It was on sale for $160. You obviously missed it. New Egg even has the 920NW "Open Box" for $140.82 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824001100R&Tpk=Samsung 920NW Again, your "buddys" outfit is a RIP-OFF!