Bracketron UFM-100BL Nav-Mat GPS Friction Dash Pad
by Bracketron
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List Price: Our Price: Calculated in a shopping cart Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: GPS or Navigation System See more product details |
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Customers in the UK,
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for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Bracketron UFM-100BL Nav-Mat GPS Friction Dash Pad
Customer Review: A helpful accessory to our GPS
Summary: 3 Stars
To avoid sticking our TomTom to our windshield via suction cup, we purchased this friction dash pad, which seems to be essentially a very heavy bag filled with sand perhaps, that sits on your dashboard. The inner circle connects to your GPS via a twist and lock suction, and holds it secure.
It certainly seems strong enough for the job, although we had a bit of a hard time initially getting our GPS to secure properly - there seems to be no rhyme or reason to whether or not it will stick, although my husband has had more success than I have. It's possible that we'll eventually figure out our problem and feel silly for having the issue at all, but who knows?
My biggest problem with this unit is that it's a bit big, and I'm never sure where to put it when we get out of the car. I feel like leaving it on the dashboard is not much better than the "suction ring" on the windshield we were trying to avoid (to prevent break ins). We've tried leaving it on the floor, out of sight, but like most cars the floor of our car is a bit dirty and I worry that getting bits of sand attached to it might scratch our dashboard or else make it not stick as well, etc. However, we do like the pad a lot and continue to use it, we're just still deciding exactly how we want to store it. No big deal.
Customer Review: Not ideal for TOMTOM One (3rd Edition) - Try Arkon Travel MiniMount Instead
Summary: 2 Stars
As others have conveyed, the Bracketron Nav-Mat and TOMTOM One do not play well together. For starters, the TOMTOM's default suction shape and height combine with the Nav-Mat for a mount impossible to tilt/rotate, likewise susceptible to frequent - and dramatic - leaps off the mat itself. Almost weekly - if not daily - my wife and my were assaulted by a plunging TOMTOM off its Nav-Mat base.
Moreover, the footprint on the Nav-Mat is friggin' enormous. Unless you possess a car with a long - and wide - flat dashboard top, the Nav-Mat will not stay up for very long. While weighted, it doesn't hug surfaces. A close second to failed suction cup launches was the Nav-Mat sliding right off into my automatic transmission adjuster. Definitely not recommended for safety purposes nor the feint of heart.
Related, avoid the vent mounts; the TOMTOM One is simply too bulky to support them. I finally encountered mount happiness in the Arkon swivel mount (http://www.amazon.com/GN014-SPH-APTTO-Windshield-Swivel-head-Tightening/dp/B001307ZVI/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1249904402&sr=8-8), amazingly the cheapest of the bunch. The double suction (moisture + press) - mirroring Garmin's - plus tightening bolts (prevent the TOMTOM grooves from sliding out of the mount) work well for this device.
Customer Review: This is a great mount and pretty much universal=)
Summary: 5 Stars
I purchased this mount for a Magellan GPS system and it worked great. I mounted it with no problems at all. It's just a matter of suctioning your GPS system to the mount, so it doesn't take a rocket scientist. This one is larger than the Garmin brand one my husband uses for his Garmin gps, but it still works just as well, and this one is cheaper=) It didn't move at all on my dash board, so I was completely happy with it. I will post pictures of this one compared to the Garmin brand one soon. Just so that you see the differences for yourself. I love that this one can be used on almost anything with a suction cup and the Garmin doesn't work for anything but Garmin gps systems.
UPDATE: I just tried this mount with a Tom Tom XL 340-S w/4.3" screen, and it doesn't fit properly. I finally got the gps to attach, but it was facing the roof, and that won't work. I know that it fits the Magellan and the Garmin, but the Tom Tom doesn't fit. The problem is that the arm that goes from the suction cup to the gps is too short. I hope this helps any Tom Tom owners thinking of purchasing this mount.
ANOTHER UPDATE: I purchased the Tom Tom brand dash pad sold on here and it worked perfectly for the Tom Tom system, so if you own a Tom Tom, you should probably consider it instead.
Customer Review: Not A Great Fit For The TomTom One XL's Mounting Bracket
Summary: 4 Stars
Bracketron UFM-100BL Nav-Mat GPS Friction Dash Pad
I'm using the Bracketron UFM-100BL Nav-Mat GPS Friction Dash Pad with my TomTom One XL. Even with it's drawbacks it's still better than sticking the TomTom-supplied suction cup bracket to the windshield.
Pros: (1) The Nav-Mat stays put, even on a slippery dashboard while taking sharp turns; (2) It's easily concealable; slide it under the seat and it's out of sight; (3) You can't beat the price.
Cons: The TomTom XL's mounting bracket arm is too short for easy use with the Nav-Mat. The Nav-Mat is in the shape of a donut. Unfortunately, the center of the donut, where the GPS suction cup attaches, is too deep to easily accommodate the TomTom XL's relatively short mounting bracket arm. The bottom of the TomTom barely reaches the lip of the Nav-Mat resulting in: (a) the suction cup detaching from the Nav-Mat; (b) an awkward viewing angle; and (c) the power cord occasionally disconnecting from the TomTom.
All the cons could be eliminated if the Nav-Mat was made in the shape of a "C," rather than a donut.
I would have given the Nav-Mat 3-1/2 stars, if that were an option.
Customer Review: Works great, except...
Summary: 3 Stars
The mat works very well as intended, providing a stable platform to attach your GPS's suction cup mount to. The two issues I have with it are:
1. It's big - it needs a pretty large flat surface. Most dashboards will work fine, but be aware that it does take up a lot of space. I was hoping to be able to use it down on the center console, but it's too big. This also makes it slightly awkward to hide when parking the car.
2. I have a TomTom GO 730 and the bracket that came with it is just barely long enough to work with this mat. Because the "bean bag" around the edge of the mat is pretty thick, the GPS ends up resting partially on that rather than being completely held by the bracket. I have to keep the GPS tilted farther than I'd like so that it will clear the bean bag, making the TomTom's glare problem even worse. It's secure enough, but this does make it difficult to attach and remove the GPS from the bracket sometimes. Also, you can't access the power connector on the bottom of the 730 without removing it from the mount (although this is trivial to do - reattaching it is harder and sometimes takes two hands and a few tries to get everything to line up).
I suspect that most of these issues are specific to the 730's bracket.