Garmin Portable Friction Mount Review

Garmin Portable Friction Mount
Garmin Portable Friction Mount
Brand : Garmin Model : 010-10908-00

Overall Rating :
From : 2,575 Reviews
Color : / Size :



Technical Details
  • Vehicle Dash Mount For Use On Any Stable Surface
  • Securely Holds Nuvi In Vehicle
  • Does Not Slide Or Detach While Vehicle Is In Motion
  • Adjustable To Position Nuvi In Variety Of Angles

Product Description


Portable dashboard mount for your Garmin StreetPilot or nuvi navigator. It does not slide Or detach while vehicle is in motion. It is Adjustable To Position Nuvi In Variety Of Angles.


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Garmin Portable Friction Mount [Amazon Frustration-Free Packaging] 

Customer Reviews (see all-reviews)


Marie ( New York )
This item is great, at least no one will know if you have a navagation in your car. I had my stolen and it was not even one that you hide, it was permanent one in my car and they stole the screen. So this is the best idea no more more marks on windshield or dash.
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Todd ( Glen Rock, PA )
I bought this product because of the awesome reviews. It worked great for the first few months. But after months of picking up a little dust from the dash the friction mount no longer holds. When I accelerate or go around a sharp turn the GPS and friction mount go flying. I don't recommend this product.
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Michael J. Casey
Easy to use. Stays put on dashboard. I've purchased two already and love it.
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shinnda
The mount is so much better than the standard suction cup. You can setup your Nuvi in a jiffy, and when you're done w/it just toss it on the passenger floor.
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Jonathan Evatt ( Earth / Global )
I am using this mount with a Nuvi 855.
Overall I think it is fantastic. I have used a friends car often in which there is a GPS (TomTom) stuck with a suction cup to the circular disc mounted to the dash. I found her GPS would often fall off when I was touching the screen. I would resort to taking it off and fiddling with it on my lap whilst drive. Not such a safe way to go. Also, with that kind of mount it was not easy for the passenger (my beloved co-pilot) to access the GPS or move it around or take it into her hands for full control (an important manoeuvre for full co-piloting).

It was because of the experience with my friends mount that I bought this one at the same time as my Nuvi 855. I am very happy with this mount.

PROS - Things I really like about it:
- It is SUPER grippy. It has an incredible surface on the underside which makes it not slide at all. Even if I try to nudge it 8as a test), it is hard to move it. Excellent. There is certainly NO movement whilst driving, even when I am driving fast into a tight bend. And yet, if I want to reposition it, or my passenger/co-pilot wants to change the position, it's so easy. Just lift it a little (as in, just a slight upward motion whilst pushing it to a different position) and move it.

- The Nuvi rotates well in all directions. It rotates from side-to-side, pivoting where the mount arm goes into the mount base. Very nice. Makes it real easy for my co-pilot to view it and take control when I am hectic with busy traffic. It also pivots where the bracket joins the mount arm, which is a ball-and-socket connection. I can see that the fixed dash/windscreen mount that comes with the 855 uses a ball-and-socket connection too, so nothing extra gained in that regard.

- When put away, NOTHING remains on the window or the dash. No round disk stuck to the dash. No circular mark left on the windscreen. Both of these are giveaways that a GPS may be hanging out someone in the vehicle... and is something savvy potential GPS thieves know to look out for.

- When it comes time to put it away, the Nuvi easy detaches from the bracket. Requires pushing a button as you grab it. One relatively easy manoeuvre. Then putting the mount away, is as simple as picking it up and sticking it somewhere. Couldn't be easier. (See Bulky issue below)

CONS:
-It is a little bulky. I can't, for instance, stick it under the seat without first detaching the connector arm from it. This makes for an additional step when getting in and out of the car. I then have two objects to store/hide... a mount base and an arm with a bracket stuck to it. I find this a little inconvenient, though not a major issue.

- It is relatively heavy. I travel (internationally) a fair bit, and I'll be taking this GPS and the mount with me. It is on the heavy side compared to other mounting solutions, beacuse it has four little "sand bags" on it. But if you are primarily just using this in your home car... I don't think this will be an issue at all.

- Ball and socket system: I do actually prefer the way the TomTom connected to its mount. It would just slide down onto the mount. No buttons, no bracket, and no bracket based DC power system (this last point may be specific to my Nuvi 855). This means more parts to wear out and/or break. This, to me, appears to be the weakest part in the over all design. The Nuvi is solid. The mount is super solid. But this additional bracket that connects the Nuvi to the mount arm has clips, and spring loaded buttons... relatively weak compared to the other parts.

I prefer the way the TomTom attaches to its mount. There are some slots build into the moulded rear panel on the TomTom. I can see, however, that this potentially is what makes the TomTom thicker than my Nuvo 855.
So, this attaching system on the Nuvi is something I can easily live with... as I like how thin it is.

CONCLUSION:
The cons I have mentioned, are purely to be thorough in my review. I don't consider them an issue for myself. I think this mount simply rocks. I have researched all the mount solutions available on Amazon and the Garmin site, and I think this one is the best one available.

What's more, it's a great price here on Amazon.
Bottom line? Get one with your Nuvi order!!

TIPS AND TRICKS
- Getting the bracket on and off of the ball on the arm can seem hard to do. The trick is that you need do it on the side of the ball (any side, top, left, right, bottom). Just stick the ball into the bracket with the arm itself touching the bracket (as a result of it going in at an angle rather than straight on). Then it pops in and out easily.
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