Garmin Portable Friction Mount
by Garmin
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List Price: Our Price: $17.69 You Save: $22.30 (56%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $17.68 (click here) Category: GPS or Navigation System See more product details |
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Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Garmin Portable Friction Mount
Customer Review: This is the one you need for a Nuvi--complete & works well
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this friction mount for my Nuvi 350, and used both on a recent driving vacation. Both worked even better than expected!
Amazon's listings are a little confusing--If you have a Nuvi, don't buy the one that says "for Garmin GPS". Get this one instead. With this one, you don't need to purchase anything else, just use the little bracket that comes with the Nuvi unit. (Put the bracket onto the mount without the GPS in it--it takes some pressure or a little twisting to get the bracket to snap onto the ball of the mount. But once it's on, you won't need to take the bracket off the mount. The GPS snaps into and out of the bracket easily--the bracket and mount stay together as one piece.)
The literature with the GPS unit said that the dash mount adhesive is hard to remove, so I didn't want that on my car's dash. Some reviews said the windshield mount could melt to the glass and I didn't want that, either. Also, some say that thieves will break into your car even if they can only see the windshield mount, assuming the GPS is in the car somewhere. So, I wanted the friction mount. It was about $28 at amazon.
After using it, I like it even better than I thought I would. It holds VERY well; I never had a problem with it slipping even once. It's easy to reposition, for example if the sun is hitting it the wrong way, and it's easy to put into the console when you park so that nothing shows to tempt theives. Also, it can just stay plugged in to the car's power outlet. The cord plugs into the bracket on the mount instead of directly into the Nuvi, which is convenient. The Nuvi unit itself easily releases from the mount, with no cords to unplug, and is easy to take with you.
The only disadvantages I can come up with are that it is a separate purchase (but is complete), and it's not beautiful (but neither are the other mounts, I guess).
If you can't or don't want to use the windshield or permanent dash mounts, try this one. I'm glad I bought it.
A suggestion to amazon would be to describe all these mounts & other accessories a little better--lots of postings say they bought the wrong mount or bought accessories that were already included with the GPS unit, because they were listed on the product page with the GPS unit.
By the way, I love the Nuvi 350!
Customer Review: MOBILITY, FLEXIBILITY, PORTABILITY, ADAPTABILITY = UTILITY
Summary: 5 Stars
We have heard about some frustrations about fitting/using attachments to the Garmin GPS machines. We ourselves finally found we were missing some critical mental parts that Garmin do not slip into the package, so we share them on Amazon - which itself is a 'magical' technology Jeff Bezos: Business Executive And Founder Of Amazon.com (Ferguson Career Biographies)
In Clarke-ian terms Childhood's End 'magic' is anything that works for you - but you don't really understand how it works.
1 At One Big Idea Consulting Limited NZ we have come to believe that when we are investing in 'magic', which the Garmin GPS product range now is, we invest much more than just cash. We are investing in extending our sensory-motor system... and it is really worth disconnecting our hurry-scurry-worry reactions and instead peacefully climb the inevitable Learning-curve with a sense of wonder.
2. The docking devices are a small part of the puzzle... but small things make a big difference... so we tell our clients - treat yourself as priceless vehicle cargo ...and buy two or three different kinds and give your motor-sensory system a chance to grasp the complete experience of GPS before you get too frustrated with a small part of the 'miracle' when it becomes a temporary puzzle. Embrace is as the opportunity to learn more GPS overall, as we learned how to do.
Each docking device has its own charm and its own 'maybe'.
3. In time, like us and our clients, you will say a heartfelt prayer of thanksgiving every time your faithfull driving 'guide' (we use a plug into the vehicle sound) drives you in elegant English as smooth a satin around and about ... and smoothly gets you back on track when a turning 'oopsie' derails you, or/and when the docking device responds at a fingertip and adjusts the external glare from the screen map or otherwise treats you like a queen/king.
4. As owners of nuvi systems, we consider ourselves, some of the luckiest persons in human history to be able to move around the way we can with the GPS at our finger/lip tips.
Blanckenberg & Blanckenberg
Customer Review: Garmin Mount vs. Bracketron Mat
Summary: 5 Stars
Before finding this product, using Nuvi always was a drag as I usually took the suction cup off the windshield when not in use (to divert attention), or it fell off for some reason, or it left marks on the windshield. Plus I hated having to aim for a spot on the windshield just to find that its blocking my view, and having to re-stick this thing cup again.
After getting this product, using my Nuvi is a snap, I just throw the mat ANYWHERE on the dashboard and the Nuvi is good to go. Most importantly, it really sticks well, and I NEVER had my Nuvi slide from its place (keep in mind that I'm an aggressive driver, and I sometimes take very sharp quick turns)
Things to note if you are comparing this item to the Bracketron mat. I think this product is better than its rival (Bracketron UFM-100BL Nav-Mat GPS Friction Dash Pad) which I also own, for the following reasons
1. its lighter
2. its significantly smaller and occupies less area on the dashboard
3. the nuvi mounting hook is already there (with the Bracketron mat you have to stick your suction cup to the mat) which might fall off sometimes, less flexible, and you have to live with trying to stick and un-stick the damn cup to the mat every time you take it out of place. (Keep in mind this product is more expensive than the other mat since it includes the hook, with the other mat you have to provide your own hook, or you can't use it
4. it has an octopus shape (4 independent sides) which is very flexible and sticks really well on tilted or uneven surfaces, unlike the other mat, which is round and inflexible.
5. the pre-attached hook, provide so much more flexibility in adjusting the view of your nuvi, It just moves in every direction you can think of. it also rotate 360 degrees once you slide the un-locking button, which gives even more flexibility.
Although its double the price of the other mat, I believe its well worth it, and I will gladly buy an additional one to keep as spare, thats how much I like it.
Customer Review: Just the right mount for a Garmin Nuvi (works with all Nuvis)
Summary: 5 Stars
The first time I tried this mount was in a rental car for a Garmin C530, and I never thought it would stay on the slightly sloping dash of the Pontiac Grand Prix but it held firm going up and down San Francisco's hilly roads. That prompted me to buy one for my car. Essentially this mount is a bean bag with a mouse pad like rubber base but its engineered to stay where you put it and not slide around unless you move it. The good thing is that it stays put even if you brake suddenly, and if you drive in bumper to bumper rush hour traffic like me every day you'll appreciate this even more!
The advantages are:
- No sticking on windshield. This is a BIG advantage as the windshield mount starts to come off easily after a year of usage, less if you leave it in your car while it's parked in the sun. There is nothing worse than your GPS sliding off while you're driving round a tricky bend, especially if you are new to the area. Sometimes it can be downright dangerous.
- The windshield mount also alerts thieves that a GPS is in the car. A friction mount can be placed down under the car seat when you leave the car without needing to disconnect anything so that you're ready to go quickly when you come back to the car.
- The other big advantage is the ability to move it around to the position you want it. If a passenger is sitting in your car you can just slide it to their side and they can input the information while you are driving. It also makes it easy to slide it closer to yourself. Since I have the Nuvi 660 I often make calls with the bluetooth feature while driving, it is easy to slide it towards me when I am speaking to someone in order to get better voice reception.
This mount works for all Nuvis as they have the "snap the ball in the joint". If you buy any model of Nuvi then this is all you need, no other adapter parts are needed. It's also easy to switch this mount between cars or move it to a rental car when you travel. It has been the best and most useful accessory I could buy for my Nuvi 660.
Customer Review: Great option for dash mounting our Garmin
Summary: 5 Stars
Although there are already well over 2000 reviews, I wanted to add my own in response to some of the negative comments. I hesitated before purchasing this mount because it looked huge in the picture. However, we did not want to deal with sticky mounts and wanted to be able to use whatever solution we had in two different vehicles. For security, we also wanted to be able to quickly remove the GPS unit itself.
After watching the video review posted by another person here, the size of the mount was easy to see and we decided to give it a try. We have been extremely happy with the purchase. The mount is made of high quality materials, stays in place without any issues, and works flawlessly with our Garmin.
Several reviewers complained about the size in relation to the mount being too bulky to store in the glove box or other locations. I was baffled by these comments, personally, because we leave the mount in the car all the time. We do not feel it is necessary to "secure" the mount itself, only the GPS unit. We simply remove the GPS unit with one hand and store it away or tuck it in our pocket/bag after putting it in a protective case.
Other comments pertained to the mount sliding around after a while, and hypothesized it was due to prolonged exposure to heat and/or cold. Since we have purchasd the mount, we have been in temperatures between 25 and 100 degrees and experienced no residual issues. Our dashes tend to get very dusty, especially during the Spring, but that did not cause our mount to slide around or move out of place.
I have been in vehicles with very awkward hand/or small dash space, so if your dash is very small/awkward or your car extremely small, this mount will probably not meet your needs. However, even a window mounted GPS unit by itself would be a problem in a very small car. Overall, we highly recommend this for use with the compatible Garmin GPS units.