Sat Nav holder review

[FirebladeRuss]

I bought one of these the other day, as it seemed it'd be useful for both work and social purposes.

I looked at quite a few but settled on this one, which appeared to be a brand of sorts, rather than a generic thing.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/190839752522?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649

eBay seller "freebitsuk"

It has a load of different size foam bits to pad out the phone, and the case is the perfect size and a nice snug fit without being too tight. The touchscreen can also be operated through the plastic - not particulary handy when you have motorbike gloves on, but there we go!

A friend bought a slightly cheaper one and has said he discovered it wasn't as "rain proof" as the ad made out. The one I have, I must admit, the plastic screen cover looks tightly stitched to the rest of the case, and the zips also look like they'd do a good job of keeping rain out, as they're coated in that rubbery coating that effectively seals the zip when it's done up.

I got it because it came with 2 brackets, and I was thinking it'd also be useful on my mountainbike or road bike. One bracket is a shorter, thumbsrcrew and clamp fixing - the other is a longer and larger quick release clamp. Turns out the smaller mounting bracket fitted the Fazer handlebars well, and being shorted, means the phone's not hanging out miles from the bike. The rubber strip supplied was a bit to thin, but I had some other rubber that I cut down to size and that helped it clamp that little bit tighter.

Tried it for the first time today on the bike:

https://i603.photobucket.com/albums/tt115/russ528/Fazer%20FZS1000/image.jpeg

https://i603.photobucket.com/albums/tt115/russ528/Fazer%20FZS1000/image1.jpeg

https://i603.photobucket.com/albums/tt115/russ528/Fazer%20FZS1000/image2.jpeg

It works really well. It holds it nice and tight, even on Surrey’s wonderfully smooth roads , it didn’t look in danger of being launched off. The only problems I found were I had is that the auto-screen rotation was going bonkers at times. Solved that by installing a free app that allows you to manually set portrait or landscape called "Rotation Locker".

The other downside is that it does cane through the battery. Did about 20% in 30 mins or so, so hooking up a lighter socket or something somewhere under the faring is going to be a must. I've ordered a waterproof usb charging socket from this place. The selection on ebay looked a bit crap, so I figured I may as well get a half decent waterproof fused socket that would be fairly flexible in terms of mounting options.

https://www.powerlinkproducts.co.uk/usbcharger.html

I'll fit that when it arrives in a few days.

Anyway, seeing as there's quite a selection on eBay and elsewhere, I thought a review and some pictures of one I found to be pretty good may be useful.
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[Marmaduke]

I have something similar and it may aswell not be there if there's even the slightest bit of sunlight. The screen on it isn't solid so however it's orientated it always manages to reflect the sun at my face!
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Current: '03 Tuono RSV1000, '05 Van Van, '91 Zephyr 550
Previous: Multistrada 620,Bandit 600,Kawsaki ER-5, BMW K-75

[FirebladeRuss]

Yeah, I did wonder about reflections, but it was pretty bright (almost sunny at times....check that shit out, anyone would think it's summer time!) on the way in to work today, and it was alright to be honest.

A few times when it was difficult to see the screen, but 95% of the time I glanced down at it I could see it fine.

I suppose it also depends on the phone, as the S3 screen is pretty bright when it needs to be.
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[recman]

I have to say, the sturdiness of these things is quite impressive.
I'm using this holder with a Tomtom XXL, its a bit comedy large but its the only sat nav I have.
There's no wind protection for it on my bike but even at higher speeds there's no sign of any wobble, etc.
Mine hasn't been out in the rain yet so I can't comment on its waterproofing properties.
For the dosh, its very good.

[Rogue_Shadow]

https://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu324/Rogue-_-Shadow/9C976D1E-41EC-4C5D-9064-DFCE69FEEAEF-2246-00000287EB1FAEF8.jpg

Mine holds up well with Ram mounts
The screen glare really is the only downside, the only thing you can do is try and position it so your body blocks the sun.
Not ideal, but you can always listen if you cannot see it I guess

[Marmaduke]

Does the 'sun peak' and longer arm justify the price premium on this?
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Current: '03 Tuono RSV1000, '05 Van Van, '91 Zephyr 550
Previous: Multistrada 620,Bandit 600,Kawsaki ER-5, BMW K-75

[cb1rocket]

I have what rogue shadow has, best kit I ever bought! Used on a long trip to Wales with no problems
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