EleMount is a premium device mount like no other (hands-on)
More than $110,000 past its Kickstarter funding goal, the EleMount does double duty, holding your device for viewing and for shooting pictures and video.
- More than two decades experience writing about PCs and accessories, and 15 years writing about cameras of all kinds.
The EleMount is one of those Kickstarter projects that seems a little too good to be true.
Yes, it's just a universal mount that holds your smartphone or tablet, and that alone isn't hard to believe. But unlike the clamps and claws and suction cups used for most universal mounts, the EleMount uses supersticky proprietary polyurethane pads. Pads that can cling tightly to your device and mounting surfaces, but also release easily with no residue left behind.
Also, because it doesn't secure your device or attach to the mounting surface using those usual methods, it can be stuck to just about any clean, flat surface or mobile device -- regardless of size.
And it's strong. So strong that it doesn't take much pressure to secure it to your dashboard or windshield or desk or door (though the harder you press, the better it sticks), and simply placing a smartphone on the pad is enough for it to grab on and not let go. Yet, I had no problems peeling it from anything it stuck to. (However, if you have a bare device with an easily removable back, such as the Galaxy S4, you have to be careful because it will hold onto the back.)
The mount consists of two pieces of CNC-machined aluminum. The palindromic design and ball-and-socket joint mean you can quickly slap it down without much thought to placement. The joint moves smoothly, but is still tight enough that it doesn't slip out of place, even when you're driving over some very bumpy roads. Worth mentioning, too, is that the pads stay relatively sticky use after use. But, if they pick up some dust or lint, a quick rinse with water restores their stickiness.
For smartphone (or tablet) photographers, one of the EleMount's bases unscrews and has a 1/4-inch threaded mount, so you can attach it to a tripod. It works well and, again, because it can be used with anything with a flat surface, it doesn't matter what device you have. The only thing it doesn't do is bend to a 90-degree angle, so you'll have to have a ball head on your tripod or a flexible tripod like a Joby GorillaPod to get straight landscape or portrait shots.
Set to start shipping in January 2014, the EleMount's Kickstarter campaign is well past being completely funded. However, you have until October 3 at 9 p.m. PT to add to the funding and be among the first to get one. It's not cheap, though: available in black or silver, the EleMount is $69 for backers. There's also a Mini version for $60, which is just the part of the EleMount used for attaching to a tripod (what you see on the tripod in the picture above).