Accessories Bracketron Grip-iT Car Mount

[jrstinkfish]

I purchased this yesterday at Radio Shack ($19.99, it's in the iPod accessory section):

Bracketron™ Grip-iT Mobile Device Holder - RadioShack.com

So far, it's a pretty nice mount. Took about 30 seconds to install in my A/C vent, and another minute to loosen and tighten the 360-degree swivel part a few times to get it at the right angle. I'll try to get a photo of the Evo in it later today so you can see if it's right for you, but it's the perfect height and angle for my purposes. The fit is snug, and it's easy to release. I haven't taken it over bumpy terrain yet, but on my commute, it holds in place just fine.

The picture in the Radio Shack listing is NOT the one sold in the store, not sure why that is. It actually is this one (which btw, is cheaper on Amazon, but I preferred to buy it somewhere I could just take it back to in case it was garbage):

Amazon.com: Bracketron PHV-200-BL Grip-iT Mobile Device Holder (Black): Electronics

Hope this helps someone out. It really is nice now to not have to Evo riding in the passenger seat, having to look down to change songs or whatever. I also found out that when the audio cable is plugged in, the microphone still works, so you can use it as a speakerphone while driving (my Pre didn't do that), so it's good to have the phone at mouth level with this thing.

 

[Doyer]

Sorry to rain on your thread, but I'm not a fan of Bracketron's holders for a few reasons.

First, you need to pump the lever on the side to open the grip arms. Second, the legs on the bottom aren't completely adjustable, they just flip out. Third, they're just plain ugly. Compared to other universal mounts like Arkon's Mega Grip mounts that pop open with one touch and have adjustable legs, it's an inferior product, imo. And the Arkon mount isn't as clunky.

But let's have people see for themselves:
YouTube - Motorola Droid X Mount | Arkon Mega Grip Car Mounts and Holder for Droid X

YouTube - Bracketron's Grip-iT Car Vent Mount -- Features & Installation

 

[jrstinkfish]

Well ugly is subjective It's not a work of art, but I think it looks fine. But as for the pumping, I don't have to do that to put it in and take it out -- I press the button and it snaps open enough to pull it out. Then when I stick it back in, I just squeeze the sides. I only ever had to pump it the first time I used it.

As for the legs, you are right, they only swivel in or out. I don't have a problem with that -- when I have the Evo sitting vertically, the bottom rests on the legs with room for the charger port to be exposed, and the clamp still exposes the volume buttons on the side.

But to each his own -- just letting people know my experience. I've only made a few trips with it, but so far it's great. The only thing I don't like about it is clipping it to the vent. But it does what I asked it to do -- holds my Evo in my car for me with a 360-degree swivel that allows me to point it towards me.

 

[Doyer]

That's cool, thanks for being civil. I hope your mount works out for you.

 

[joelkirzner]

Wow, that is one clunky and fugly mount!

 

[watzone69]

Wow, that is one clunky and fugly mount!

...but it does the job and it does it well. Every other car mount I have tried has ended up in the trash.

 

[jrstinkfish]

Honestly, it's not clunky at all -- you set it in the mount and squeeze it shut. You press a button and pull it back out. There's not a lot that can go wrong with opening a clamp and then closing it. I just stumbled on this one at Radio Shack, it filled a need I had, and so far I'm happy with it. Plus, it's got an insane amount of padding.

The fact that some of you find it ugly makes me like it more haha Poor mount ...

 

[kixs]

Tnx for posting jrstinkfish, I think this one will work well for me now that I'm using an extended battery from china.

 

[J03]

Way too clunky and fugly.

 

[dbpaddler]

I know I'm biased, but I've bought many cheap adjustables, and none really work well, and 90% of them look like crap. The Bracketron is barely ok. It's cheap, flimsy and the phone sits deep into the holder.

If you're looking for one to stand the test of time, you should check out the ProClip adjustable. You don't even know it's an adjustable once it's adjusted for your phone. It's a touch pricey, but for many that own them, they can attest they outlast quite a few phones which easily pays for itself. Especially when you see people trying and buying about 2-3 different holders at an average of $7-10 a pop. It adds up.

And if I'm going cheap, I'm going the clip on one that's on ebay for $8.

...but it does the job and it does it well. Every other car mount I have tried has ended up in the trash.

 

[jrstinkfish]

It can actually sit further up in the mount -- I believe this was made to be as universal as possible, which is why there's so much room. I like to cram it further back because I feel it's a little safer

That ProClip does look pretty sweet though. I'm still in the process of getting used to having one of my vents covered, which is pretty rough during a Memphis summer, so I may need a different mounting solution. I just hate to stick an adhesive on my dash, and there's no way I'm mounting this phone on the windshield. But I need it as close to eye-level as possible.

 

[dbpaddler]

No adhesive with proclip. And panavise has options too if you don't mind some minor effort.

I could never get my thinner phones to sit anywhere firmly but deep within the bracketron holder.

 

[CRPercodani]

I know I'm biased, but I've bought many cheap adjustables, and none really work well, and 90% of them look like crap. The Bracketron is barely ok. It's cheap, flimsy and the phone sits deep into the holder.

If you're looking for one to stand the test of time, you should check out the ProClip adjustable. You don't even know it's an adjustable once it's adjusted for your phone. It's a touch pricey, but for many that own them, they can attest they outlast quite a few phones which easily pays for itself. Especially when you see people trying and buying about 2-3 different holders at an average of $7-10 a pop. It adds up.

And if I'm going cheap, I'm going the clip on one that's on ebay for $8.

I can't find the Evo on proclip's website. Did you use a HD2 holder?

 

[dbpaddler]

Those pics are the adjustable holder originally designed for the iphone but now listed on its own in the other holders section. Those pictures are actually the adjustable holder, but you'd never know it by looking at it. For me and a few others, that's been one of the big selling points. Works great with Panavise mounts without the tilt swivel giving it a nice low profile. And many custom Panavise mounts can be found on ebay for less than $20. If you don't mind loosening up the center dash and replacing one screw, they are great mounts and great locations as shown in my pics.

The dedicated Evo holders are made and on their way to ProClip. I posted them in another thread, but like with all dedicated holders, they are only for bare phones. The HD2 is thinner than the Evo and not a fit for anything Evo.

I can't find the Evo on proclip's website. Did you use a HD2 holder?

 

[tracerit]

can we see what it looks like inside the bottom of the adjustable holder of the proclip?

i'm curious if it'll only hold the bottom portion of the phone or if i can slide it down further to hold the phone in the middle.

is the adjustable holder able to hold the phone securely in the horizontal position?

does proclip have a vent mount?



i've been disappointed looking for a vent mount for my EVO. i thought i had a good one in the Mobi Universal GPS vent mount but the damn vent clips don't clamp securely and the whole thing flops around during turns and bumps. i think i'm ready to get a higher quality holder and keep them for future phones as well, but i'm not sure about the proclip because i may be changing cars in the future and a vent mount will help imo.

 

[dbpaddler]

The only "vent mount" they make are custom ones that, depending on your vehicle, might clip above and below the vent.

the rails the phone slide into do bottom out. it's not a squeeze grip kind of holder. you have it loose, slide your phone in and give a gentle squeeze. when you're happy with the fit you tighten the thumbscrews on the back and you're done. if you want it for horizontal use you can make the grip tighter so there is more friction. that works even better if you're using some sort of gripped case too.

 

[zombdroid]

$13.32 shipped from Amazon? In for 2. Thanks for the tip!

 

[jrstinkfish]

Glad I could help! I actually stuffed my iPod into it yesterday, so I kind of dig the universal nature of it, even if it's ugly

 

[shandroid]

hmm i like the vehicle specific nature of the pro-clips if only they had the Evo on it, maybe i'll try the universal..hmmm


edit:

http://www.proclipusa.com/default.a...d=&parent_category=4&d_pcat=13722&d_cat=18252

 

[dbpaddler]

I just updated the proclip thread about the Evo specific ones shipping. I'm still in favor of the adjustable though, especially if you're using a case of some sort.

tracerit: if you're thinking about switching vehicles, I'd go with a suction cup mount for temporary use. ProClip's has the AMPS hole pattern as do some others if you have an old gps lying around. It's something you could use when traveling or for rental cars and such.

 

[jrstinkfish]

Meant to post this a few days ago, but finally got around to taping this. Nothing special, just showing the overall "clunkiness" of putting the Evo in and removing it from this mount. It's actually much smoother using one hand for the Evo and the other to squeeze the bracket or push the button, but since this was a one-man production, I had to make do with ol' lefty.

Working the iGrip

So far, I still like it, other than the blocking an A/C vent bit. Ain't the prettiest, but it's functional