Verdict
The Kenu Airframe has a number of plus points but for £20, we think there are better out there.
Pros
It grips mobile devices well
Cons
It has quite a limited size range
Positional adjustment is poor
We all know how important it is to pack your sat-nav when you set off on your motorhome holidays. No more arguments about whether to turn left or right, before checking you’re holding the map the right way up, sat-nav systems have made finding your way on tour easier than ever.
However, an increasing number of us are no longer buying dedicated sat-nav devices. Instead, we are using our smartphones and tablets. And why not? After all, we’re likely to have them on us when we need them, it gives us a good excuse to charge them when on the road, plus why buy a separate unit when you have just what you need built into your phone already?
Despite this, not many mobile phones and tablets are sold with vehicle mounts, meaning aftermarket accessory mounts are now must-have motorhome accessories. With this in mind, here at Practical Motorhome we have performed an accessory mount group product test to help you find the best holders to keep your sat-nav devices safe and secure on the road.
We applied the same criteria to every product reviewed to ensure comparable results. Firstly, we measured the size range of mobile devices each accessory holder could cope with. Next, we appraised how quick and easy, or otherwise, it was to insert a mobile phone into and remove it from each mount we were testing. After all, you’d not like to leave a brand-new smartphone in full view when you pop out for a few minutes (for example at a motorway services or a petrol station), but neither should you have to remove the mount every time, or need to fight to get your phone or tablet out of the mount’s clutches.
We also assessed how easy each mount was to fix into place securely and how simple it was to aim it in the desired direction. If an accessory holder can be mounted on the dashboard and the windscreen, even better, as it gives users more choice.
Lastly, we tested each mount to see how it performed out on the road – and all were set up and taken down a pretty bumpy road, to assess how securely they held the device.
In this case, we were testing the Kenu Airframe. Does it really cost a whole £20 for a tiny piece of plastic like this? Surely somebody’s made a mistake? Well, no. But, granted, this is small.
But the Kenu Airframe is also an object lesson in clever design and using exactly the right materials. Four tough, rubbery fingers are designed to grab into practically any type of ventilation grille, and they did an admirable job on the several different styles we tried.
Then there’s the sliding main grip. Although the slide’s spring is punchy, it’s the almost sticky-feeling rubber grips that really do the business. Unfortunately, the limited 5.2–7.4cm size range and lack of positional adjustment rather spoil the concept. Our testers awarded it two stars.
So, what other products did we review? Our group test winner was the Ram Mount X-Grip RAM-HOL-UN7B-KT, while the impressive Polco Universal Smart Phone Holder POLC23 also received a five out of five rating. We also reviewed the Belkin Window Mount, the Sakura SS4609 Universal Rotating Mobile Phone Holder and the Olixar Omniholder.
It is an object lesson in clever design and using exactly the right materials