The Mohu Blade TV Antenna is a unique looking indoor antenna somewhat reminiscent of a soundbar. It can be wall mounted, but also features a kickstand of sorts that makes using it in a tabletop position easier. It performed very well in my tests in an urban environment, making it a strong contender for city dwellers.
Design: Fairly generic
Most of the best TV antennas on the market feature roughly the same design: a flat rectangle designed to adhere to the wall or a similar surface. The Mohu Blade isn’t exactly breaking new ground here, but the design does at least stand out somewhat. The 18x5x0.7-inch design is both wider and shorter than most indoor antennas, which could prove helpful if you have more horizontal space than you do vertical space. The surface of the device itself is somewhat plastic-y feeling, and I wouldn’t want to drop it too hard. The build quality is acceptable enough though given the device is unlikely to see much physical harm.
Setup: Simple and easy
Setup of the Mohu Blade TV Antenna isn’t overly complicated, but there are a few more steps due to the fact that you have to connect the power in addition to the coaxial cables. I tried using the antenna both on the wall and in a tabletop performance and eventually settled on the tabletop position because it worked better with my home theater configuration. Mohu also provides a manual to assist with setup, and while the instructions are helpful, this manual contains instructions for every antenna that Mohu makes. Make sure you’re looking at the right instructions, or the setup steps won’t make any sense.
Performance: Near the top
The Mohu Blade TV Antenna gave me some of the best results I saw among the antennas I tested. After installation, I was able to acquire an average of 69 channels across the tests I performed. As for the competition, the worst antenna managed just 47, and the best, 76.
Range: Middle of the pack
The Mohu Blade TV Antenna is rated for up to 40 miles of range. This is about the average advertised range that I saw from similarly priced antennas of this type. Unfortunately, I live a lot closer than 40 miles from any source, so I can only speak to the performance within a city.
Price: Excellent for the performance
The Mohu Blade TV Antenna lands at an MSRP of $40, which is pretty close in price to most of the other powered TV antennas. This is very impressive when you consider that the next highest performing antenna is four times larger and costs twice as much.
Mohu Blade TV Antenna vs Mohu Leaf TV Antenna
Mohu also makes a more familiar flat rectangular TV antenna, the Mohu Leaf. The Leaf costs a little bit less at $32 and doesn’t require a power outlet, which might be a plus to some. In my channel acquisition test, however, the Leaf only picked up 56 channels, as compared to the Blade’s 69. If you only need a few basic channels, you might be able to get away with the Mohu Leaf inside of a city, but it’s a matter of preference.
