Garmin Friction Mount (EG10352) Review

Overall 5.00 of 5 view all 2 reviews

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bkovacs
Annandale, VA

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Excellent inexpensive mount

a driver, a GPS user, a gadget geek, value conscious

Pros

inexpensive, stays in place, non-reflective finish, doesn't mark up the dash

Cons

can bounce off on bumpy roads

SEP

2008

I recently bought a Garmin nuvi 680 GPS receiver. I like the receiver a lot and enjoy using it in the car, but mounting it is a concern. Although the nuvi 680 came with a decent-quality suction cup mount, I didn't want to use it for a couple of reasons. One, the suction cup mount can suddenly and unexpectedly give way, and drop the GPS receiver to the floor of the car. That's a bad thing. Two, the suction cup leaves a telltale ring on the windshield that thieves can spot. I've had my car broken into in the past and it's not fun.

Therefore, I got the Garmin Friction Mount from Amazon for about $25 and it works great.

What it is

The Garmin Friction Mount consists of four little cloth sandbags attached to a plastic mount. The bottom of the sandbags is a sticky-feeling plastic, a kind of plastic that tends to stay in one place when you put it there. In the center of the sandbags is a mounting assembly, culminating in a ball mount that fits into a socket on the back of the nuvi 680's power assembly. It's a little hard to explain but it all works together simply and without fuss. The Friction Mount weighs perhaps a pound and there is a quick-release mechanism that can separate the mount arm from the sandbag assembly.

The Garmin Friction Mount seems very well made, considering its reasonable cost. Everything is a matte black finish, which prevents any unwanted reflections.

Using it

The Garmin Friction Mount sits on the dashboard of my car and holds the nuvi 680 very well. With this mount, it's simple to position the nuvi 680 GPS receiver where ever it is easiest to see. I've used the mount and GPS receiver in three different cars and it worked well in all of them. The only problem was when I went up a steep, bumpy dirt road, which caused the Garmin Friction Mount to vibrate off the dashboard and take the GPS receiver with it. It was easily caught before it toppled too far and now we know to keep an eye on it when we're on steep, bumpy roads.

Otherwise, the nuvi 680 GPS receiver stays exactly where it is placed during any normal driving on Interstates and twisty back roads. Other than a steep, bumpy hill, I've never seen it slide around from any driving forces.

Summary

I think the Garmin Friction Mount is a great thing to have for my GPS receiver. It is the only mount we use in the car and we've probably driven more than 2,000 miles with this thing. I highly recommend the Garmin Friction Mount.