4th Design Tripod Grip 5787 Mount Review
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The Glif's minimalist design and easy-to-use functionality made it one of our all-time favorite iPhone 4/S and iPhone 5 tripod mounts. While it continues on to dominate the smartphone tripod mount market, it's severely limited by its compatibilities. There's an underrated tripod mount that we've finally got our hands on after being available for quite some time now. 4th Design is widely known for producing aluminum bumper cases for the iPhone, but what it also has up its CNC machined sleeve is the Tripod Grip 5787. It's a highly versatile tripod mount that isn't anyone's fanboy. How it stacks up against existing tripod mounts? Find out down below!
Like we've mentioned earlier, 4th Design's Tripod Grip 5787 has no preference in Android, iOS or Windows Phone devices. It plays along with every device so long as it's not wider than 87mm (3.42-inch). Popular devices of all shapes and sizes such as the extremely thin iPhone 5, extremely tubby Galaxy Note 2, Galaxy S3, Lumia 920 and others - will fit into the Tripod Grip as if it were custom designed to fit all the above. Got a protective case on your smartphone that you'd never think about removing? No problem either. The Tripod Grip 5787 will shamelessly fit in it anything up to 0.47-inch in thickness, and then some.
4th Design's Tripod Grip 5787 carries a costly price tag compared to some of the tripod mount adapters we've seen at $48. That said, like all good things, you do end up getting what you pay for. And it just so happens the Tripod Grip 5787 is a case in point.
With the Tripod Grip you're essentially future-proofing yourself in the event a new device is released that's designed with different proportions. Take the Glif for example. It's only designed to tightly fit one device as it is an injection molded piece with no moving parts or adjustment features to enable it to accommodate other devices. The Capta was one of the more versatile and accommodating tripod mount solutions which we've also reviewed. The only negative was its sticky adhesive mounting pad, which we thought wasn't the most secure and universally accepted means of mounting a device.
In practice, the Tripod Grip literally triumphs other mounts including the Capta with its industrial-grade and adjustable neck design that allows it to extend and contract, all by a simple twist. Turn the the knob located at the top counter clockwise, and the Tripod Grip will start to slide open until you reach the desired width that'll fit your device. Then turn it clockwise until it clamps down and securely grabs hold of your device without applying too much pressure. It cannot be more straightforward than that. One thing to note is that the sliding mechanism isn't lubricated or greased at all, which causes some annoying squeaking noise when turning the knob. Nothing more than a minor gripe thought that shouldn't in anyway affect the performance.
There are a number of rather thick rubber pads that cover the top and bottom of the Tripod Grip ensuring that the aluminum will not damage the finish of your smartphone whilst also applying the necessary pressure to keep it gripped in place.
4th Design's Tripod Grip is so well designed I think it could easily be used as a professional rig for commercial and industrial applications. The Tripod Grip is portable enough to comfortably fit your pocket, yet it's entirely CNC machined out a solid block of aluminum so it feels and looks like a quality piece of kit. And it really comes to no surprise given the fact that 4th Design along with Tiger Design have both extensive experience in machining precision aluminum parts.
Are you into mobile photography, or simply need to mount your smartphone onto your bike's handlebars all via a tripod head? The Tripod Grip 5787 is just the tool for the job. A tripod mount adapter like this enables you to attach your smartphone or phablet to any mounting accessory that uses a standard 1/4-20-thread tripod socket like the Arkon handlebar mount. The Tripod Grip even has two different useful points of mounting to best suit your need. There's a traditional bottom facing thread for use with tripods, and a convenient back facing thread which can be used for when you mount your device vertically on a bike to be used as a GPS navigation and data display.
This is the most secure, most versatile and easy to use tripod mount we've ever used. And if you're in the market for such a universally compatible contraption, we whole heartedly recommend that you pick up 4th Design's amazing Tripod Grip 5787. It's a shame how underrated it is. We cannot fault it in any way, and because of that we think it deserves a near perfect score. Using the Tripod Grip for shooting stable videos, long-exposures using third party apps and turning your smartphone into a smart GPS navigator is an easy feat.
