This is a cradle can be used for smartphones and GPS devices. This isn’t one of those cradles made to operate with one hand. You will need two hands to open and close due as this is a cradle made to keep a tight grip on your device. The sides of the grips are padded to prevent marking and opens up to four inches. That’s a large and sizable opening for a spring loaded cradle. To put it into perspective, an Apple iPhone 6 Plus is 3.06 inches wide, a Samsung Note 5 is 3.00 inches wide and a Garmin Nuvi 65LM is 3.7 inches wide (and that is a 6″ diagonal screen GPS). So we are looking at a cradle that has the potential to grip the largest smartphone and even a decent sized GPS. Most phones are going to fit with or without a case or skin.
In my opinion, this is one of the best for motorcycle use. On a motorcycle, you want a cradle that closes tightly around your device and doesn’t get in the way of buttons or the display. You also need to avoid the rear camera if that’s important.
That’s what the TechGripper does best. The tight clamp can provide a grip that’s more secure than the mounts that come with some GPS models. When closed, this cradle provides a very strong hold on your device. The back of this cradle has a socket which snaps onto the 17mm ball that is part of most Techmount mounting kits. The 17mm ball design is a common mounting pattern used by several manufacturers including Garmin for their Nuvi and Drive GPS line.
There are some unique features about this cradle that others do not possess. For example, this one doesn’t get in the way of your camera. The cradle grips your phone from the sides so the camera lens will not be obstructed making it easier to record a video of your ride. Just set it up prior to your ride, make any mount adjustments and you are all set.
Techmount smartly bundles this cradle with some of their motorcycle mounting bases. The TechGripper Handlebar Mount Kit combines the TechGripper cradle with a metal handlebar mount. The mount is metal and coated in black. It fits handlebar diameters from 7/8 to 1.25 inches so it covers the majority of motorcycle models that can accommodate a handlebar mount. The mount itself will take up .75 inches of handlebar real estate and the phone sits almost flush to the handlebar.
Installation of the mount is completed with a small hex wrench which Techmount includes so don’t lose it after installation or it’s off to a hardware store. This is a nice feature that helps prevent theft of the mount since most thieves aren’t walking around with a set of hex wrenches. Installation is easy and you should be able to do this yourself.
A nice part about the TechGripper is the ability to remove the cradle from the mount. The Techmount motorcycle line is mostly low profile and unobtrusive so leaving it installed when not using it to mount a phone or GPS will barely be noticeable. The cradle installs by simply twisting the rear tightening ring which fits over the 17mm ball on the mount. Removal is a simple matter of turning the ring to loosen the gripper.
The Techmount TechGripper Universal Smartphone Gripper is one of the best smartphone or GPS cradles for a motorcycle. The cradle is an excellent compliment to one of Techmount’s metal motorcycle mounts.