Today we are taking a closer look at the Andobil Car Air Vent Mount. There is a good chance you never heard of the brand name but don’t let that dissuade you from considering this well made mount.
We appreciate an air vent mount that attaches to vertical and horizontal vents so we took some time this week to evaluate this mount and were happy with the outcome. Here’s the details.
What’s in the Box
The Andobil Car Air Vent Mount comes professionally packaged in a heavy retail box that reminded me of something purchased at the Apple Store. The weight of the mount is much greater than your typical vent mount. The composition of the mount itself is a combination of metal and plastic.
Unlike what’s usually included with a phone, a thorough instruction pamphlet is included in the box. The pamphlet tells you how to attach the cradle to the mount then to your air vent.
This mount carries a 2-year manufacturer warranty.
Installing the Andobil Car Air Vent Mount
A unique part of this mount is the way it attaches to a car air vent. Start your installation with three parts disassembled. So you have the vent mount, the cradle and the tightening ring.
There is a clamp with two claws on the back of the mount. That claws are inserted around a vent slat. You need two hands to do this. Once the claws are centered around the vent slat, turn the flywheel to tighten them around the slat to get a tight grip. Now attach the cradle’s tightening ring to the round ball and then place the cradle over that same ball. Tighten the ring.
As you can see from the photo, the mount has a stabilizer plate built into the back where the clamp is attached.
First Impressions of the Andobil Car Air Vent Mount.
The included cradle is well made. A typical cradle that expands using a button on the side. The holder expands up to 3.75 inches. That’s wide enough to hold most large phones even with a thick case. Each side of the cradle arms are padded to get a good grip on the device. The support legs at the bottom are widely spaced to permit a power cable to plug into the bottom of a phone.
The cradle has a socket on the back and the mount has a ball. This enables the cradle to tilt and swivel 360 degrees. The mount held my phone securely in landscape position which is what many prefer when using a GPS application.
Magsafe Version
The Andobil MagSafe Vent Mount has the same mounting base but instead of a cradle has a magnetic adapter that pairs perfectly with an iPhone that has the MagSafe feature. It’s a nice way to mount your phone if you have that available.
Bonus Feature
The Andobil Car Air Vent Mount can be used to hold most smartphones or a Garmin GPS. The majority of Garmin vehicular GPS devices made over the past ten years include a custom cradle that has a 17mm socket on the back. Remove the cradle from the mount and you have a 17mm ball. Just snap the Garmin cradle onto the vent mount without the cradle and your GPS can be mounted to the air vent.
Thumbs Up
The Andobil Car Air Vent Mount is a great mount for attachment to practically any vehicle. It’s possibly the best made air vent mount we have tried yet. The attachment mechanism is extraordinarily sturdy and the cradle is well made to hold your expensive phone securely. If you’re in the market for a vent mount for your phone, this is the one you want.