Product Review: New Burly Magnetic Mount Smart Device Enclosure Options
Product review by Scott Damman You may already be familiar with the Fit Grip magnetic mounts to secure your iPad to the power rack. A lot of these have been purchased for the weight room to be used with sport tech products. We showcase the Fit Grip PRO option with our Bar Sensei educational videos, with this product design being the most secure and versatile option on the market, by far. The team at Solve-It, who manufactures these robust mounts, recently shuffled up their product line-up a bit. We wanted to let you know what is new, how it may effect your purchase options, and offer an opinion on the changes.
Side-by-side, the new Mob Armor T3 (left) next to the Fit Grip PRO (now branded as the Mob Armor T2). The outermost dimensions of the two options are the same, 27cm L x 20cm W
The #1 aspect to understand is that the Fit Grip / Fit Grip PRO name goes away, replaced by the brand name Mob Armor. This change consolidates the Solve-It branding of their professional line (like the sport performance segment) with their consumer line. Mob Armor has been the choice smart device mount for many rugged adventures such as the Baja 1000 and off-road jeeping like we have near the Assess2Perform office in Montrose, Colorado. With the branding change, your new recommended purchase options are the Mob Armor T2 & the Mob Armor T3 enclosure systems.
Investing in a quality smart device rack attachment should always be a priority when using any VBT sport tech tool. #1 you protect your investment in a harsh training environment, and #2 the magnetic option allows for placement flexibility to meet the lift protocol and lifter height
Now, I have to say the branding change roll-out was a bit confusing, because instead of buying a full enclosure system (i.e. Fit Grip PRO), there are numerous "piece" options the buyer can select...different magnets or adhesive plates that match with different enclosures. It would be very easy to end up with something that is not compatible and have to re-do the order. To simply for the customer, we have cleaned up that aspect for you by selling the pieces as a full enclosure system, just like you see paired with our Bar Sensei or Ballistic Ball YouTube video guides. So, when you order a Mob Armor T2 or a T3, you get everything out of the box to secure your iPad and go to work with your Velocity-Based Training (VBT).
T2 and T3, what does this mean? For starters and some perspective, the Fit Grip PRO sold for $190. Not a cheap option, but like with most purchases, quality counts and pays itself back typically very quickly. The new pricing offers a value option at $160 (T3) and a premium option at $210 (T2). The more expensive T2 is essentially a direct re-branding of the Fit Grip PRO, while the T3 offers a fresh logical design that allowed the Solve-It team to trim some material and cost for the buyer.
Comparing the profiles: top is the $210 Mob Armor T2 (twin of the Fit Grip PRO), the iPad "sits in" the sandwich assembly with a design that offers a full enclosure. The bottom is the $160 Mob Armor T3, this sandwich assembly uses less material and exposes the sides & top of the iPad. The magnetic mount & magnetic power is the same for both options.
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We offer 3 enclosure options manufactured by Solve-It. Aside from the T2 & T3 there is the adjustable Mob Armor TAB Mount Magnetic ($99), the same TAB product that has been available for a few years. You may view all of the product details, see more photos, and purchase directly from our on-line store, or email us with a purchase order.
Please visit the Assess2Perform products page to purchase
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Some assembly required. When you receive your T2 or T3 enclosure system it will be in 3 pieces, the 2-piece enclosure and the magnetic mount attachment. In the past (Fit Grip PRO) the magnetic mount was machine rivet secured to the back of the enclosure. Today, putting a full enclosure together with the iPad takes the handy man work of using the included Allen wrench/hex key with 8 screws, fully assembled in 3-5 minutes. You know how it goes, the 1st assembly always takes longer! I like the new detachable magnetic mount design for a couple of reasons, #1 if the ball-joint fails or gets too loose (under warranty or after of few years of heavy use) you can simply swap out that part without sending back the full enclosure. #2, if your iPad size changes down the road you can modify by only purchasing the enclosure "1/2" the system. And, for shipment sake, the 3 piece packing really streamlines the packaging, as the previous pre-attached magnetic mount was bulky when it came to shipping multiple units. Lastly, if you travel around with this set-up like I do, by quickly detaching the magnetic mount everything fits nicely in the carry-on bag with the iPad still protected.
This is the sandwich assembly of the Mob Armor T3. 4 hex screws secure the metal plates together. The magnetic mount (not shown in this photo) is secured to the plate plate with 4 hex screws as well. Simple & solid.
The Mob Armor TAB mount magnetic does offer the flexibility of being adjustable and comes in at the lowest price of $99. But I am leery of the device protection it provides within the sport performance setting. The adjustable screws to set the arm lengths can get loose, the device is fully exposed -- which all add up to bad accident potential. The TAB option is better suited for a low impact environment, a good option for personal use.
My recommendation for sport performance training. The new Mob Armor T3 at the lower price of $160 gets the job done very well in the typical sport performance training environment. It is secure, it is tough, and that makes the T3 the best value and my recommendation. Solve-it made the right call with the re-brand and lower cost option, that is a win for sport performance buyers. Sure, the T2 is fully enclosed to increase moisture, dirt, and dust protection, but at $50 more per unit I think the T2 option is more Baja than weight room.
