Mounts & Stands

A mount is judged on the end nobody photographs: not the cradle that holds the device, but the attachment that holds the mount. A suction cup releases when the surface cools or when the plasticiser in a dashboard migrates, an adhesive pad is a one-time fitting that fails at a temperature, a vent clip loads a plastic louvre that was never designed to carry anything, and a screw fixing needs access somebody has to have. That attachment is where a mount actually fails, and it is the part specified in a single word. So ask what the attachment is rated for, at what temperature, and on what surface it was tested — and for adhesive, ask which brand of tape and whether it is the temperature-rated grade. Then ask about the cradle: the thickness range it accepts including a case, and whether it holds by tension, by a latch or by magnets, since only one of those survives a rough road.