Bulletpoint vs Tackform phone mount side by side comparison

[etoften]

20 June - Intro
About a month ago I was part of a forum discussing different phone mounts. I have been running a Bulletpoint drivers side only mount for about a year. I offered to do a side by side comparison if @Tackform sent me something. The only condition was that I wouldn't sugar coat the results. Sure enough Nick from @Tackform sent me a comparable setup. I have been running the Tackform mount for about 6 weeks now. I will do a few tests. Post some side by side comparison. And share my thoughts. I plan to do all the posts as edits to this one if the forum allows it. I will try to keep everything objective and note opinions accordingly. These aren't going to be very scientific tests. Nothing will be tested to failure as at the end of the day its my mount being tested. More to come.

Edit - Ran into difficulties trying to add updates as edits to the original. Almost acted like a character limit. Updates will be unique posts going foward.

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[Megawatt]

Bulletpoint for me, and zero regrets for last 3 years. Also got a radio cradle from them that doubles as sunglass holder.

 

[etoften]

Initial thoughts - the bulletpoint kit came with a 6" arm. The @Tackform kit came with a 3.5" arm. This is important. The longer bulletpoint mount has to be angles to the driver a little to keep the holder close to the dash but not touching it. I learned early on that my phone got much hotter due to heat transfer from the dash if they touched. I also learned that turning the phone towards the floor about 10* kept the sun from baking on the screen when the top is off. You can't do either with the shorter arm. I am using the bulletpoint driverside only mount for all the comparisons. I have looked at the @Tackform single mount. The ball location appears to be identical. That being said it appears the 3.5" mount world work in either company's rail system on the front rail. Both companies offer a mix of lengths so no winner here. Just something to keep in mind when building your mount.

The bulletpoint hardware is all flat black. The black carbon fiber has a hint of blue in it that only shows up in the sunlight. The @Tackform hardware is gloss black. The 3.5" mount doesn't have any carbon fiber. So I can't compare.

The two companies take different approaches to accent color. Bulletpoint offers different color carbon fiber. @Tackform offers billet aluminum replacement knobs and rings. These are nice. The stock knobs on both mounts are plastic with threaded brass inserts. Personally, I hate colored carbon fiber. It always looks gaudy to me. To each thier own though. I am going to give the win to @Tackform for a definite upgrade in materials and personal dislike for colored carbon fiber.

The spring tension is noticeably different on the two mounts. I will test that later.

The mount to ball connection is solid on both. I will test this later too.

The design of the actual phone holders are pretty muuch the same. @Tackform does have a noticeable difference though and it may be important. The holder has a little trough in the sides. This creates a small 3/32 or so gap between the phone and the holder that would seem to allow for airflow and heat dissipation. We will test this later also.

More to come

 

[etoften]

Correction to previous post. The arm angles inward toward the passenger seat. This allows a small gap behind the phone. It also allows the phone to rotate slightly towards the driver for less glare.
Phone forced to angle up with 3.5" mount.

Longer 7" arm and different geometry.

Again, both companies offer different lengths. So no winner.

I dissambled both parts. The Tackform knuckles feel much more robust than the Bulletpoint. I almost want to say the Bulletpoint feel like they are cast monkey metal and the Tackform are billet aluminum. Of i was doing this professionally, i would dive into the metallurgy and actually weigh them. Neither party is paying for my time so trust when I say the Tackform is more robust and the difference is significant. I will put a magnet on them next time I am in the garage just to see if they're is steel in there any where. But again +1 to Tackform on construction.

Tackform 1
Bulletpoint 0

Comparisons to be done:
Magnet
Holder retention strength
Ball and socket retention
Thermal transfer

 

[Tackform]

Thanks for all the feedback!

2 Minor things to touch on that most aren't aware of.

We offer our cradle in two different spring strength options.

One is called the 20LITE which most vehicle kits ship with. This is more tuned for vehicle use making it easier to get the phone in and out with one hand without having to worry about the arm slipping at the ball joint.

We also have one called the 20MAXX primarily for Motorcycle. These both have the exact same form factor.

As far as arm length - We have 2", 3.5", then 5" through 12" at 1" increments.

When you get the 3.5" arm that you are using, if bundled with our dash kit, the phone would have another .5" or so of clearance on the dash.

The Ball in the competor kit sits a bit closer to the windshield, where our kit pushes it a tad forward..

Not to say one is better or worse, but it has an affect on the fixed length arms.

 

[etoften]

Magnet Check
Wanted to do the heat transfer test today. It was 96 and clear skies. Life got in the way and by the time I got home my yard was in full shade. Thought about doing the pull tests but it was 126* in the shop. I did suffer in the inferno long enough to put a magnet on all the parts.

There was a very slight attraction to the @Tackform bolts. Not much though. Makes me think these are a lesser stainless, which you want in a bolt. Everything else appears to be stainless, brass, or aluminum.

The Bulletpoint parts had a significant attraction at the bolts as well as the extendable arm attachment points. Both of these are painted black. I am guessing they are regular carbon steel.

Did this really matter? Probably not too most people. Definitely not if you live in Arizona. Here in the Atlantic coast where most jeeps are beach jeep and a lot go topless all summer long it is something to consider. The humid salty air here works on carbon steel.

I do product comparisons for aboat manufacturer for a living. One of the tools I have available at work is a temperature and humidity controlled salt bath. I would be willing to bet the hardware on the Bulletpoint product would dissolve in my test tank. I won't be doing this as i have to have usable parts to put back on my Jeep at the end of all this.

Another point on construction to Tackform.

Bulletpoint - 0
Tackform - 2

May try to get the heat transfer test done tomorrow. It's supposed to be 93 and sunny.

 

[etoften]

Cradle spring tension test

So which device does a better job of holding your phone? For the test I used a dead galaxy s21 I had laying around. The phone is in a Speck case. The phone was placed in the cradle to the first nub on case before every pull.

Each device was held about two inches off my work bench. Each was pulled from the same spot on the articulating side of the cradle using a Wheeler trigger gauge.

The @Tackform cradle released the phone at exactly 2 pounds on all the pulls. The Bulletpoint cradle released at 4.1, 3.8, and 4.2 pounds.

So the days says the Bulletpoint mount wins. But for there are two considerations that need to be addressed. Nick from Tackform mentioned earlier they have two versions of cradle. There is the lighter 20Lite and the firmer 20Max. The component tested was the 20Lite. The 20Max may have come closer to the Bulletpoint. But that's not what I have. So the data says the Bulletpoint mount wins.

But, numbers aren't the only factor to consider. There is also a real world consideration. I have used my Bulletpoint mount for about a year now on a 7 inch arm. You cannot open the cradle and remove the phone with one hand. The arm moves before the cradle opens no matter how much I tighten the sockets.

Io have used the Tackform cradle for about two or three months. The lighter spring Tackform cradle can be opened with one hand when mounted on the same arm. The phone has never moved inadvertently in that time. Now I don't rock crawler or off road to any degree. The jeep has seen some back county unpaved and dirt roads. That's about it.

So what does that mean? If you put the mount in a daily driver and would like to grab your phone quickly and go, the Tackform mount may meet your needs better. If you want a holder that's going to keep the most secured grip on your phone for extreme conditions the Bulletpoint is the winner over the Tackform 20Lite.

Tackform - 2
Bulletpoint - 1

I was going to do a test on the tension at the socket ends. I realized in switching around components for the last two tests that it doesn't really make a difference. The grip on the ball for both devices is much less a real world factor in holding strength than the combination of cradle spring tension and length of the arm. I think that test is moot.

That does leave the heat transfer test. I will get that done soon.

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