Reviewed: Bracketron Universal Nav-Mat 2

Darren

Most satnav owners will, at one time or another, have looked at alternative options for mounting their device in-car.

The manufacturer supplied windscreen mounts work well but they don't suit every car. People carriers with their steeply raked windscreens often place devices out of reach and there are also security considerations. We are constantly reminded that we should remove all evidence of a satnav when leaving a car unattended and window suction mounts leave a tell tale circle mark on the glass.

There are a myriad of third party mounts to choose from but most are semi-permanent in nature. Solutions that allow you to mount your satnav on the dashboard without having to drill holes for mounting brackets or use self adhesive tape are less common.

Bracketron, manufactures of the solution we are reviewing here, have some expertise in this area. Their first design, the Nav-Mat, used a weighted bean bag solution to provide a stable mounting base and because it was simple and worked well it sold in the thousands.

And so they have developed a second generation version, the 'Universal Nav-Mat 2' which uses an entirely new design, that is less bulky and equally as, if not more, stable than the first.

Read our review here.

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Darren Griffin

tigerbear · Occasional Visitor Joined: May 18, 2005 Posts: 28

Hi All

just took a peek at the main website.. seems this is only 10 ozs.. what a difference it would be to my heavy bulky mat i have now.. maybe Pocket should have a comp to give some away.. stir some interest. Laughing Out Loud

Steve

Darren · Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2011 2:33 pm Post subject:

I'll see if we can persuade the manufacturer to sponsor a comp. It's really a very clever and neat solution. Looks good, works well and doesn't way a ton. Also more resilient to sliding across the dash than the weighted bean-bag variety.
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Darren Griffin

Anita · Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2011 2:55 pm Post subject:

I've just ordered one from bmcdigital for £19.95 with free delivery.

Just hope it will work on my ultra-curvy Ford KA dashboard, otherwise my son will get another early Christmas present, like the bean bag mount that didn't work!
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Anita
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Wazza_G · Posted: Sun Jul 24, 2011 12:15 pm Post subject:

I've got the original Nav-Mat. It's unused now because it's attached to my TomTom, which again is unused, sick & tired of its awful mapping. And stupid zonal mapping. Evil or Very Mad

However when I did use it I found it very good, albeit a little heavy & of course you have the advantage of not leaving the "ring" on the windscreen. Smile

The Garmin I have has the official Garmin bean bag mount which is brilliant.

The only thing that I have a problem with is that it blocks the dashboard tray lid on my car, so it's scrunched up on the bottom righthand side of the dash & it still works perfectly OK.
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Madrilleno · Occasional Visitor Joined: Feb 28, 2006 Posts: 1

The link for the Nav-Mat 2 (http://www.bmcdigital.co.uk/catalog/view/bracketron-navmat-2-universal-gps-dashboard-mount#) listing the price at 19.95 now shows as £21.95. However, if you search on ebay, you could still get it for £20.95. And guess who the seller is...? Yep, BMCDigital.

Madrilleno

Trev501 · Posted: Fri Jul 29, 2011 10:35 am Post subject:

Presumably you need to remove the mat when not in use for the same reason as not leaving a ring. In which case, do you need to be careful how it is stored in view of the tacky undersurface to prevent it picking up grit/dirt etc?

Darren · Posted: Fri Jul 29, 2011 10:55 am Post subject:

I just chuck mine in the glovebox and it hasn't picked up any fluff. But yes, you do need to be careful where you store it to avoid the underneath collecting fluff.

If it does though, a quick rinse under the tap is all that is required to restore the tackiness and remove the detritus.
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Darren Griffin

AlHos · Lifetime Member Joined: Sep 19, 2006 Posts: 9

Hey Darren, I presume that it would not work on a cloth based dash like a Smart car?

Darren · Posted: Fri Jul 29, 2011 11:04 am Post subject:

navtrav · Posted: Fri Jul 29, 2011 4:34 pm Post subject:

What makes this one so special to be more than double the price of TomTom's own mat of exactly the same design? £9.99 on ebay for the dashboard sat nav friction mat.

Darren · Posted: Fri Jul 29, 2011 5:06 pm Post subject:

Wazza_G · Posted: Fri Jul 29, 2011 7:43 pm Post subject:

One thing to consider is that if your car has a dashboard with a lidded compartment on it, such as mine (Skoda Octavia), then this isn't really for you as it obviously stops access to the compartment, but it can cause a problem with the spring loaded catch on the lid, so it would be better to use a standard bean bag mount for vehicles like this.
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Be alert.. This country needs more lerts.

Apple · Occasional Visitor Joined: Nov 19, 2003 Posts: 31

Hi Darren,

Have you any experience on how they work with stiff suspension and rough roads as the local council doesn't like to patch them up for years if it doesn't have to Sad

and the STi suspension isn't the most forgiving ;)

I'm fed up of my pogo alert chopping out every few seconds due to a bad connection (known pogo problem) and a tomtom that drops off the screen but it'd be nice to have a decent holding solution that potentially isolated it from the jarring.

On another point, I generally put my devices on the RHS - between the binnacle and the A-pillar - how are they for multiple surface angle changes as I don't like having stuff in the middle of the dash?

Not too much to ask I hope ;)

Cheers, Andy.

Darren · Posted: Fri Jul 29, 2011 10:24 pm Post subject:

It will be at least as sturdy as a windscreen mount.
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Darren Griffin

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