I'm very satisfied with this product, been using it for about 2 months now. I wanted it primarily because of the vent clip, which works well enough except it didn't put it where I wanted it in relation to my steering wheel. Instead I used the suction cup. This suction cup is phenomenal. I set it once and its stuck since. Its done so in hot to below-freezing temps and is solid enough that I can make orientation adjustments without fear of popping it off.
The actual grip for this phone is well thought out. The grip itself is a padded foam, so it will conform to the shape of your phone. Over only a few uses it retained that shape... not sure if my next phone will suffer from a loose fit, but my current one is very thin, so it shouldn't matter. I'd rather the foam be sturdy like this stuff than flimsy because without the foam the phone would fall out.
The alignments are very versatile however they are all stepped, so you can't adjust it to whatever you want. There is a bit of an adjustment experimentation phase you'll want to go through. You'll want to make sure you orient it the way you want it before you use the suction cup, because the orientation of the suction cup is the "fine tuning" between steps of the adjustable alignments. The adjustable alignments are made via easy to operate knobs that lock it into position. Spend some time doing this, its not a twist-twist-done situation unless you don't care what angle you phone will be at once its set up.
The coolest thing about this is that after all the adjustments are made you can reorient the phone landscape or portrait without messing up your other adjustments. The actual grip portion rotates on a disc so you can turn your phone around.
The grip release is spring loaded and looks like its powered which is a cool thing to show off. When you put the phone in, you rest it on the fold-out "ledges" and then squeeze the two grips together so it holds your phone. I'm able to do it with one hand but if you orient yours down, so the phone falls forward with gravity, this will be more cumbersome. Personally I have no complaints with this part of the device. If they tried to do anything to make it easier to do with one hand it would be more complicated than needed.
Speaking of more complicated... the device is well made. Its not just held together with glue. The pieces are crafted so they fit together. I know this because early on when I was experimenting with arrangements, I bumped it while getting out of my car and it fell and broke the left grip assembly. I was able to reassemble it thanks to the tongue-and-groove design and superglue it back together. Works perfectly. I appreciate designs that I can maintain if they get damaged instead of having to buy a brand new one!
One last word about the suction cup, there's somewhat of a trick to it. First of all, *make sure the suction cup AND the surface you're applying it to is very clean, and very dry*. Second, you DON'T want to push the device as hard as you can against your window. Instead, you want to hold the suction lever down so it doesn't draw the suction cup into itself while you press. At the same time, only press hard enough that you're firmly applying even pressure to the suction cup pad. When this is done you should see the pad turn transparent around the edges, showing you that there is no air between the glass and the plastic. The more transparent you see the better the seal. NOW you want to push the lever down so it draws the suction cup into itself. This will maintain the pressure and therefore the vacuum seal the suction cup creates. If you do it right you'll have a solid connection.
I wanted to rate the Skiva mount higher but just couldn't. It seems to be a very popular device and most rate it very high. The high ratings definitely influenced my purchase. My main problem is that it rattles. A lot. Whether my iPhone is mounted in it or not. The part that holds the phone (as opposed to the part that mounts to the windshield) vibrates excessively, which appears to cause something inside the assembly to rattle to the point that if I don't have my iPhone attached I must take it down and store it. I mean, it really makes a lot of irritating noise. Even when the phone is mounted it rattles, but not so much that I can't ignore the rattling and listen to music. But the rattling is still there. I suspect, but am not positive, that the LED lighting system (see next paragraph below) may be the culprit. I'll fiddle with it and hopefully find a way to silence the rattling, but short of somehow cracking it open and finding what's vibrating, I don't expect to be successful. I didn't read that anyone else complained about excessive and irritating rattling noise (I read all of the lower rating reviews) so must conclude that there is something wrong with the one mailed to me.
I also had to turn off (thanks for the switch) the LED lighting system that's supposed to flash when a call comes in. The lights flicker on and off at odd times, often just by mounting the phone (without a call coming through). Other reviewers seem to have a similar problem. The instruction sheet is very brief and does explain how the lighting system is supposed to work.
My effort to find a decent iPhone car mount system is obviously not over.
Note: I have a 2003 Toyota Tacoma Double Cab truck, which is well tuned and does not have excessive engine vibration.
Buy Skiva StrongMount M1 Universal Car Holder/Mount for iPhone 5, 4, 4S, 3G & 3Gs, BlackBerry Torch, HT Now
I bought this for my van where I spend a lot of time driving. The price made me wonder if it could be as good as the 30-40 dollar phone holders.
This phone holder surpassed my expectations and for the price, I have to give it a 5 stars!
EDIT: I have now bought three of these! I have them in every car!
Thanks for an inexpensive product that does the job well!
Read Best Reviews of Skiva StrongMount M1 Universal Car Holder/Mount for iPhone 5, 4, 4S, 3G & 3Gs, BlackBerry Torch, HT Here
Pros:
Price. You can't really go wrong with this mount for under $30.
Holds the phone steady, but still easily rotates between portrait and landscape mode.
High quality suction cup. I've had no problems with the suction cup failing so far.
Does not force my phone into car dock mode. I hated car dock mode so I'm happy that I can easily use the default mode of my phone while in this dock.
Do not have to remove my phone case to put it into the dock. HUGE Plus. Makes this dock much more convenient than the phone-specific docks that I have used in the past.
Cons:
No ball head. Can make it somewhat awkward to find a good place to mount. It worked out for me but if I put it where I had my old motorola mount, it wouldn't have extended at the correct angle.
LED's don't work correctly. They randomly go on and off plus they don't always blink when receiving a call. When they do, they typically blink throughout the entire call and for a while after. Fortunately, they are easily turned off.
BIG side clamps. They keep the phone secure but the either block the volume down button or the usb port or my bionic. Not a big deal since the lower pegs can be turned in so I can position the phone correctly. If I didn't have a case on my phone the clamps may keep the volume down button pushed in.
Overall: I'm very happy with the dock. While not perfect, it does the job.
Want Skiva StrongMount M1 Universal Car Holder/Mount for iPhone 5, 4, 4S, 3G & 3Gs, BlackBerry Torch, HT Discount?
I recently purchased this item to hold my Galaxy Nexus. I actually really like this holder. It includes three different ways to mount it: windshield suction cup, AC clamp, and a sticky pad to mount on your dashboard. In addition, the two arms at the bottom of the phone individually swivel back underneath the mount, which proved invaluable when I needed to access a earphone port hole, which would have otherwise been covered up.
I have not tested the LED lights, but I didn't really need them anyhow.
My only negative is that, with using the Galaxy Nexus, the clamps are right over the volume button. If you have the clamps where they aren't SUPER tight, then you're fine, but one time in getting it set up I did manage to have it push my volume down to vibrate. That only happened during the initial setup and hasn't happened when it is in use, or when putting my phone in, or taking it out of the holder later.
Save 75% Off
After several missteps I finally got it right and my Garmin Street Pilot C330 is working perfectly. This is an excellent product, but you need to be aware of a couple of things. First of all, you need a soldering iron, otherwise forget it. The item description doesn't mention it, but you have to use a soldering iron to take out the old battery and connect the new one. Secondly, you need to watch the video (comes with the package) very closely as to the placement of a metal piece that comes dangling after you open up the Garmin. I don't know the function of this metal piece which is connected to the GPS thru several small wires. If this is not correctly placed in the bottom slot of the Garmin, it will not be able to pick up satellite signals. I learned it the hard way. I thought somehow I fried my Garmin!
