There are a lot of options for mounting your iPhone in your car. I’ve relied on the highly-rated Kensington suction cup windshield car mount for a few years without too much incident. However, I’ve never been too pleased about how it blocks a bit of my driving view and requires a non-elegant wire to go up my dashboard.
Today I’m looking at the Fuse Chicken Une Bobine (pictured above) and MONTAR by WinnerGear…
The $35 Fuse Chicken Une Bobine (which began as a popular Kickstarter) isn’t just a car mount. It is a bendable Lightning cable with super-strong metal reinforcement like what you’d find in a public payphone cord. At one end is a normal USB plug. On the other is a Lightning connector with a mount that fits iPhones of all shapes and sizes. The docking portion has also morphed since Kickstarter for more side to side and back reinforcement. What’s interesting here is that with the cable being pliable but rigid and the lightning cable able to hold the iPhone firmly in place, you can make a great charging car mount out of it.
To be clear, this won’t stay in one place during rapid acceleration and braking, but a quick readjustment during driving is easy and it is nice to be able to bring it close when you need it for navigating and then moving it out of the way when it is playing music from a playlist or charging. I’ve found that it works even better as a passenger seat car mount because it is so easy to manipulate. Keep in mind that the cable isn’t strong enough to keep the iPhone aloft alone, it will need to be leveraged or wrapped around something.
Bobine also advertises it for use with a MacBook quite prominently. I’m a little bit afraid of what the iPhone’s weight/leverage might do to my MacBook’s USB port but after a lot of use, I haven’t had any issues. The Une Bobine is a pretty great charging cable/mount that goes from the house to the car easily.
If you are looking for something more rigid, the MONTAR by WinnerGear is a suction cup and sticky surface mount in one that actually allows you to mount it to your dash. I tried dash mounting with the Kensington above but it kept falling off. The MONTAR sticks because of the combination of adhesive and strong suction on the bottom.
There’s not much else to say on this one. It is really strong and doesn’t budge. I also tried it on glass (below) and as the video shows, it isn’t budging.
The Montar is an easy buy for $30.
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The Garmin Active mount for iPhone is great. Works great for iPhone 5 and both iPhone 6’s. The 6+ necessitates removing the little rubber bumpers on the arms I f using a protective case.
https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/shop-by-accessories/mounts/iphone-5-active-mount/prod146492.html
Why is no one mentioning the Mountek? It’s clearly the best car mount I’ve ever used – I hop in the car, and just slap the phone onto the magnetic base which sticks out of my CD player (which I never use).
If you don’t like suction mounts try one of these http://www.breffo.com/pages/spiderpodium
Found one or two that could fit into your cup holder rather than attach to the dash board somehow. It’s a good idea for us who use SUVs and crossovers and the dash is a bit of a reach for us shorties.
That Montar seems very well designed.
If you really want the best car mounts ever created, check out ProClipUSA’s selections.
I’ve been using ProClipUSA’s mounts for years. I think they are a bit pricey for what you get, but for stability and an unobtrusive look, they can’t be beat.
100% agreed. Amazing that so many folks don’t even know about ProClip. It is by far bar none the best car mounting option. I don’t even consider anyone else anymore.
I’m looking to buy a mount and my research suggests that the ProClip mounts are the best. However, my problem is you have to buy both a custom mount for your car, and a custom case to hold your phone. The reason this is a problem is because my wife and I both have different size phones, so I’d have to manually adjust the width (with screw driver) every time one of us drives. I wish they had universal phone holders for their mounts that weren’t magnetic. I’m scared to go the magnetic route cause I’ve read that it’s messed up people’s phones.
Agreed. I’ve used proclips in three cars with two iPhone models and an iPad mini. They even have models with a clip in lightning cable holder at the bottom so you slide the iOS device into the holder then down and it’s connected. What could be better?
Yup! I ONLY use ProClipUSA! The mounts are SO much sturdier than anything else. I have always used car mounts and spent about $120 over a about a year as my various $30-40 mounts kept breaking… Finally.. I broke down and got one of these! Best decision ever… Will never buy anything else.
I’m looking to buy a mount and my research suggests that the ProClip mounts are the best. However, my problem is you have to buy both a custom mount for your car, and a custom case to hold your phone. The reason this is a problem is because my wife and I both have different size phones, so I’d have to manually adjust the width (with screw driver) every time one of us drives. I wish they had universal phone holders for their mounts that weren’t magnetic. I’m scared to go the magnetic route cause I’ve read that it’s messed up people’s phones.
As above, ProClip/Brodit is a great if expensive choice.
I really don’t see how you could rate the Fuse Chicken Une Bone as one of the best car mounting options if the thing moves out of place when the car accelerates or decelerates. It hardly seems fit for purpose if you have to adjust it when the car changes speed, something a car does frequently.
the tradeoff though is that you can move it around as you drive which is certainly nice, especially for passengers
Might be handy. The ProClip one I mentioned above can swivel too though and for my car the mounts on the dash between the driver and passenger, which allows either to operate the phone. Absolutely love those devices assuming you can tolerate the cost outlay. They also aren’t especially portable between cars since they have car model specific components.
I’m not 100% sure, but I have a suspicion that it wouldn’t actually be legal to ‘adjust’ the Fuse here in Australia while the car was running if it was to move. We have some pretty stringent laws regarding the handling of phones while driving. Certainly you can’t operate the phone, but even moving it around from memory may not be allowed. Perhaps it can be adjusted if it isn’t being operated, but if a GPS app was running for example and you were caught with the device in your hand while adjusting the mount it may be a hard sell to the officer.
We also offer it as a dedicated Auto version that allows the positioning to remain fixed and very stable with the addition of 2 small dash mounts. You can see photos of this on fusechicken.com
– Jon@fusechicken
the best ever is the RAM Xgrip!! it amazing
These are two of the best you’ve tried? The Koomus CD Eco really seems like a better mount (assuming you have a CD slot equipped stereo). After doing a lot of research for a good mount, I pulled the trigger on that one and couldn’t be happier. The first one seems like it wouldn’t work if you have a case on your phone that has a protected bottom…
thanks for the heads up. I’ve been trying to find a CD slot mount, but there are so many with reveiws all over the place. The Koomus Eco and Air both seem to get good reviews.
The Montar just copied the Breffo Spiderpodium but on a less aggressive off road track: http://youtu.be/89OnZCb6Ock the Spiderpdium is much better vent mount and works with all smartphones including the iPhone 6 & 6 Plus.
Look at the dates when WinnerGear uploaded their MONTAR video and when BREFFO did …
Seems BREFFO copied from WinnerGear ;)
I’ve been looking at a device like this for years it seems..something simple..finally found it:
http://www.kenu.com/products/airframe-plus
(And yes, you need to have the vent you are using for the phone OFF)
Amazingly simple, fits iPhone 6 Plus perfectly, and clips right on your vent securely, rotates, works in vertical or horizontal. They also have a smaller one for iPhone 6. $30 on Amazon. Carry it in your pocket.
It’s simple and elegant, almost seems like something Apple would produce.
Highly recommended.
Arduro U-GRIP PLUS is literally a $15 version of the Montar and can stick to drywall if absolutely necessary.
I’ve actually got hit up twice at red lights asking what brand it is.
You can’t stick it to drywall.. You can’t stick any dash mount to drywall. It will fall after a few days. It just takes some time for the air to pull through.. Still agree it’s a good product though. Bracketron, and Tackform have the exact same thing. Tackform’s has a different base but same suction cup with the same patent number on it, but close enough. If I was picking U-Grip vs Montar, I’m with you. I would definitely go with U-Grip for $15 less.. but I would rather just spend $20 and get a Tackform Ultra Grip. More feature packed.. Custom grip is the best. http://www.amazon.com/Tackform-Solutions-Ultra-Grip-Packaging/dp/B00MR8BJZI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417639915&sr=8-1&keywords=tackform+ultra+grip
Montar isn’t even close. I see that on every blog… Best Mount Ever.. It doesn’t fit large devices. It doesn’t have any adjustments. Not to mention that’s just an off the shelf mount that a bunch of guys private label…If you want unique and quality.. Check out iOttie or check out the Tackform Ultra Grip.. Those are by far my two favorites. Without a doubt. But that’s not to say that there aren’t a bunch of other nice ones out there.
https://tackform.com/ultra-grip-phone-mount/
I’ve been looking for the best iPhone 6 Holder lately. Any recommendations? I’ve tried using Montar but it didn’t work out for me. I want to have a simple holder that can be installed easily but is durable enough for long travels.
Thanks.
I highly recommend Strike Alpha Cradle for iPhone 6. Installation is quite easy. Just plug and play. Additionally, it has internal charger and a mount that works perfectly on my iPhone 6 plus. It’s a bit pricey tho. You can check them out here.
http://www.strike.com.au/products/Strike-Alpha-Car-Cradles/Strike-Alpha-Apple-iPhone-6-Cradle
I’m using a Strike Alpha Cradle and it works great! I’ve been using it for couple of months now. Suction cap works really well, and the mount is versatile and quite durable. It also has a charging capability for long drives.. The only downside is the price which is around AU$149.
But overall, I think it’s worth it.