Best car holder/mount for tablets

[Klaidonis]

I have searched a lot about car holders, especially for tablet ones. The problem is that it's hard to find good reviews on the internet and it's even harder to find out how stable or shaky the given holder is while driving, which is exactly the most important thing to me, also it should be universal. Here are some variants:

1. Exogear Exomount Tablet 3rd Generation Dashboard Mount iPad & Samsung Note 10.1 | eBay
2. XENOMIX SHG-FX1000 ON-Dash Universal CAR MOUNT Holder for 7 to 10" Tablet GPS | eBay
3. Car Dashboard Mount Holder for iPad / Tablet (IKHD12)
4. iOttie Easy Grip Universal Dashboard Car Mount Holder for iPad Tablet
5. Quick-release Dashboard Mount for Tablets

I assume that in any case I will add some kind of shock absorbing material at needed places to reduce vibrations. I would appreciate any opinion from others, maybe someone has got an experience on these things?

Some reviews:

Exogear/XENOMIX/Kropsson:
exomount tablet edition - univeral car dash mount for tablets - YouTube
Car holder of tablets Kropsson HR-N750FTP - YouTube
EXOGEAR Exomount Tablet S /
Me using Waze and Dashcommand on my Nexus 7 - YouTube

Iottie/Ikross:
Review - iOttie Easy Grip Tablet PC Car Mount - YouTube

Arkon:
Samsung Galaxy Note Car Mount - Arkon Slim-Grip [SM578] - YouTube
Arkon Car Mount Dash Mount Review - Galaxy S3, iPhone 5, any Android phone - YouTube​

Arkon has really specialized equipment. Of course a full dock holder type is the best, but those are either expensive or not universal.

 

[twister6]

Ok, I'm gonna add my 2 cents to this

First of all, checkout reviews I put together in AF: http://androidforums.com/samsung-galaxy-note-2/708384-twister-reviews-accessories-gadgets.html - scroll down to mounts/stands/grips section and also Nexus 7 section for tablet mounts.

I test and review a lot of accessories, and can tell you that pretty much all the top ones are very similar in operation principle. You get a grip/holder for your phone or tablet, and a mount which attaches to either dashboard or windshield. The latest trend everybody follows is gel-base suction cup that attaches easily to textured dashboard. Those have amazing grips, and as you can see from my reviews, I even tried it vertically mounted at home on a wall, a door, and even upside down attached to a kitchen island. To minimize the shake in a car you are better off with dashboard mount rather then windshield mount, especially for heavier/larger tablets. So everything comes down to the grip/holder.

I'm personally a big fan of Arkon. No matter which one I try, I always come back to those and been using it for 3+ years. Its a material quality, gotta keep it in mind because inside of the car year around you will go from single digits to triple digits temperature, and also quality of spring loaded grip mechanism that doesn't fail. Plus 2 year warranty. Not sure which tablet you are using, but Slim Grip Ultra has a flexibility to fit anything from a phone up to Note2/Note3 size and 7"/8" tablets of Nexus/Note8/Kindle/iPad Mini size. For bigger tablets, you have a different mount, but of an equal quality.

Try different ones, see which one works better for you, but keep in mind that quality of material and construction is important because if you are driving and the mount cracks in the middle of the road you will not be in control which way your tablet ends up flying

 

[Klaidonis]

My previous holder broke some weeks ago, it actually was a total Chinese crap though it lasted for a few years. So I need one holder for "general" smartphones and one for my tablet which display is 10.1 inches (ASUS TF300T).

I really like ExoGear ExoMount 2 but it has only one rotatable point thus you can't choose angle and height independently. Because of that I would like to choose this one from Arkon:
Slim-Grip

 

[twister6]

You narrowed it down to two good choices, and I had a chance to test both of them. Suction is identical, both use sticky gel base designed for textured surface (horizontal, vertical, and even upside down as I tested it). Here is a weird thing about ExoGear - the clip spring is weak. I have another similar one, a popular ebay copy with a similar clip design, and the spring in there is much better (but the suction cup is a cheap pos). ExoGear pays great details to the design, but they over-engineer it. I haven't tested their iPad mount but I did the one for 7"/8" tablets and it had so many different controls - it was insane. It's all great and I appreciated the effort they put into design, but it was very unpractical because that mounting solution wasn't exactly universal for every car. Arkon (Slim-Grip Ultra) uses spring loaded plate design for one-hand operation and 2 sets of replaceable grips, and that design works with any big/average/small smartphone and 7"/8" tablets. Also, the mounting arm is more flexible in terms of adjustable angles which going to help you with any type of car dashboard or windshield. Not sure why you don't want to look into Slim Grip Ultra to future-proof your purchase?

If in doubt, order both from amazon for hassle free return, try it out, and come back with your impression on which one you decided to keep. More opinions are always welcome to benefit other forum members who are in the same boat as you are

 

[Klaidonis]

Then I will take a holder from Arkon for smartphones.
Yet I have to take a look if ExoGear's holder for large tablets would fit my cars but it seems to have more support points and so than Arkon's holder. Tablets are large and heavy, I want to use a holder which doesn't allow much vibrations, in favor of comfortable viewing while driving, for example, using navigation.
Have you tried any Arkon's holder for tablets when driving a car?

 

[twister6]

Then I will take a holder from Arkon for smartphones.
Yet I have to take a look if ExoGear's holder for large tablets would fit my cars but it seems to have more support points and so than Arkon's holder. Tablets are large and heavy, I want to use a holder which doesn't allow much vibrations, in favor of comfortable viewing while driving, for example, using navigation.
Have you tried any Arkon's holder for tablets when driving a car?

I can only speak for Slim Grip Ultra which is a lifesaver for us when we on the road and my 2 kids watching movies on their Nexus 7. I have a headrest extension (the one pictured in my review) which extends to the middle so they can both share the same screen sitting on the back. We typically take my wife's Highlander while traveling, and while it's not off-road still going over the bumps, potholes, etc. I never had an issues with tablet not staying in place or when they fight in the back pocking the screen to fast forward or change the volume. But keep in mind, that was 7" tablet. With a bigger one, I don't have an experience but assume the weight distribution is taken in to account for stability.

ExoGear tablet mount is really cool looking with all the adjustments, and the design for smaller and bigger tablets is the same so you can reference my review of their 7"/8" tablet mount. But it was really on a bulky side because of all the parts and it would definitely be a challenge to place it in some cars. Everything looks good photoshoped in the pictures. You need to get hands'on with a mount and try it in your car. That is why often narrowing it down to a few choices and trying them both is the only way. Also, you have to keep in mind how will it work with and without a case. For example, kids Nexus 7 tablets have flip covers for home use, but while traveling I use ACTIVE case for it and that fits great with Slim Grip, while flip cover (I used Poetic) won't. Some other mounts might work with both. In a car you never know, nothing is perfect and tablet might fall down, so case will be a must.

 

[extremejj]

I got some RAM Mounts a while back from this website https://www.mounts.net.au/.

So far, it's a pretty sturdy mount. My gadgets are still firmly in place even when I drive on rough bumpy roads. They're also pretty convenient since you can interchange the parts and accessories.

 

[Unforgiven]

Wow, kind of an old thread!!!