Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I did a lot of research before buying a dash mount for my iPhone 6 (well technically I didn't buy it but I put it in my Amazon wishlist for my sister to get me for Christmas since she drew my name). I drive a brand new Mazda CX-5 grand touring edition with beautiful black leather interior. It's a sexy car and I wanted something that would fit the look of my car and not be too big or clunky and destroy the clean lines of the dash and console. I loved this idea and was really excited to receive it for Christmas and try it out! Unfortunately it wasn't quite what I hoped initially. Allow me to explain. I had picked out the perfect spot where I wanted to put this on the dash, which is a very smooth, yet somewhat textured (to look like leather) firm rubbery surface (see pics). It says right on the package, "Mounts to textured surfaces" so I thought it would be no problem as this surface is relatively flat and is BARELY textured. I followed the instructions to the letter, but the mount wouldn't stick to the dash well enough to hold it's own weight for 10 seconds let alone the weight of my phone! It fell off immediately. I tried again, holding it down for like 3 minutes this time and still, wouldn't even stick for 2 seconds. I wrote to the company and they sent me a replacement mount to try. When it arrived, I tried it again, once more following the steps to the letter. Additionally, after pressing firmly for a few minutes, I left the mount alone for several hours before I tried putting my phone on it. When I came back to my car I was delighted to see that it was still stuck! I put my phone on it and drove home from work. However, within 15 minutes (and a few speed bumps and pot holes later) it had fallen off... :( I was officially frustrated at this point but decided to try sticking it to a hard and completely smooth plastic surface just below where I had been trying to mount it before and it stuck quite well and held my phone, but because I had already stuck it to the other surface, it had lost some of its tack and wasn't going to hold forever, so I wrote to the company AGAIN explaining my problem and they sent me a 3rd mount to try. This time I just went straight for that hard, smooth plastic surface (even though it isn't where I wanted to put it because it blocks one of the air vents a little) and it is AWESOME! I really have debated what rating to give this product because now that it's stuck, it works like a dream and I LOVE LOVE LOVE it! I truly think it's the ideal mounting system for phones and tablets, but man what a PAIN getting to this point! And their promise that it would stick to textured surfaces proved to be very much untrue for me. If I had stuck it to that hard plastic surface from the start I would've given it 5 stars for sure!! Here's what I wish I had known about this from the beginning but learned through much trial and error: - If you're mounting it on a vertical surface (see my pictures) it really has to be completely smooth. - I wish the instructions had given more information about which magnetic plate to use for which devices. I started by putting the large plate on my iPhone 6 but that was NOT necessary. The tiny plate has more than enough magnetic strength to hold an iPhone 6 in a slim case even when plugged in. - Even though this is advertised to usable immediately, I HIGHLY recommend you stick it per the instructions and then WAIT OVER NIGHT before allowing it to bear weight. - Based on a few trials, I find that the best placement for the metal plate is at the bottom of the phone (see pics) with the long side horizontal. I tried at the center and with the plate's long side pointing up and down vertically and I like the way this sits much better. I have mine stuck to the back of my clear plastic case. - Customer service was very helpful and prompt, so if it doesn't work for you for some reason, don't give up and write a bad review before talking to them about it because I promise once you get it to work you will LOVE it!! Other things I love about it: - Sleek, sexy, minimal design - STRONG magnets but not so strong that you have trouble pulling the device off with one hand - The options this gives you for degrees of rotation are limitless! LOVE that! - Magnetic plate that attaches to the device is SO THIN I barely notice it at all. It doesn't get in the way of slipping it in and out of pockets, purses, backpacks etc., and doesn't look completely obnoxious. In summary, I think this mount is probably the best dash mount out there, but unfortunately it didn't quite live up to its advertising for me. I was going to give it 3 stars, but decided on 4 because customer service was so great and because in the end, even after all the headache and disappointment I really really love it! I hope this helps someone else in the market! I did NOT receive this item for free or at a discount.