The Gadgeteer has reviewed a variety of mounting solutions for the iPad. Most of them were designed specifically to hold the original iPad, so there are a lot of redesigned accessories coming on the market after the iPad 2 was released. TouCoul makes accessories for both the original and the new iPads. They sent us a CoulVue iPad 2 Headrest Mounting System for review. Let’s give it a look.
The CoulVue iPad 2 Headrest Mounting System is made of black plastic. The interior of the iPad 2 snap-on holder is coated with a soft, rubbery layer that should prevent scratches to the back of the iPad 2. This holder is a very snug fit on the naked iPad 2. It won’t work if your device is in any cover. It did work with my iPad 2, which was covered with the ZAGG invisibleShield back skin. The photo on the box shows the Smart Cover is attached to the iPad 2, but I found it was difficult to snap the iPad 2 into the holder while the Smart Cover was on. The holder snaps over all four corners of the iPad and holds it very securely. All the ports and controls are uncovered and accessible.
You attach the CoulVue to the metal legs of the car’s front seat headrest. It will install on either the driver or passenger seat. Unlike a headrest mount I reviewed earlier, I didn’t have to remove the headrest from the seat to attach the mounting system. The CoulVue comes with an Allen wrench for installation. Use the Allen wrench to open the two screws on the mounting bar.
Simply sandwich the metal legs of the headrest between the two sides of the mounting bar, and then tighten the screws. The installation is probably best described as semi-permanent. You can easily remove the CoulVue with the Allen wrench, but it’s not something your kid will be able to quickly install/remove whenever he wants to watch a video or play a game as you’re driving down the road.
The arm has 4 ball-and-socket-type joints. It is very flexible and adjustable. The arm attaches to the back of the holder with a joint that that rotates 360 degrees. All these joints and the rotation point means you can put the iPad 2 into landscape or portrait orientation, and you can adjust it in a variety of angles and locations relative to the backseat passengers.
As you can see in the pictures, the CoulVue folds back against the headrest, but it doesn’t fold completely away or fit flush against the seat back. As some readers noted on an earlier headrest mount review, hard devices like this intruding in the passenger area can pose a danger.
It’s easy enough to snap the iPad 2 into the holder, even when the mount is installed in the car. Just make sure each corner snaps into place, and the iPad 2 will be held tightly enough that it won’t fall out even on bumpy roads.
Once the iPad 2 is in place, you can tilt it up and down to find the correct viewing angle. You can pull it close to you for playing games, surfing, or checking email. You can push it against the back of the front seat for watching movies.
If you have multiple backseat passengers who need to share an iPad 2, you’ll like the Share Mode. You can extend the flexible arm to position the iPad 2 near the midpoint between the two seats.
The CoulVue iPad 2 Headrest Mounting System is easy to install. Its adjustability makes it easy to use in a variety of ways for a single person or multiple people. Because it can’t be easily popped on and off the seat, it will always be intruding into the passenger area. You’ll have to make up your own mind about the safety risks, but you’ll find the CoulVue a convenient way to hold your iPad 2 for movies or for hands-free surfing/gaming in the car.
Product Information
| Price: | $79.99 |
| Manufacturer: | TouCoul |
| Retailer: | TouCoul |
| Requirements: |
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| Pros: |
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To say that this “may pose a threat to passenger safety” is like saying “a nuclear explosion may tan your skin”. This idea of mounting big hard shatter-able equipment infront of passengers faces in a car going 100mph down the freeway is stupid and irresponsible.
In a high speed accident, even a seatbelt will not be enough to prevent your face from smashing into it. Seatbelts save lives, but cannot prevent injuries. This particular design is even worse since it puts the ipad even closer to the passengers.
I was once in an accident at 50mph in a brand new Ford Contour, and one rear seat passenger suffered trauma to her face from smashing into the headrest despite wearing a seatbelt.
I hope the next guy that get’s his face mangled by broken glass in an accident sue the manufacturers out of business.
I agree. Bad design all the way around, and a terrible concept. I can’t believe companies even make products like this, but what is more unbelievable is that there are people dumb enough to buy them.
Janet, thanks for the review. Since there are a bunch of accessories needed to properly use the iPad in your car, such as Bluetooth headphones, charger, etc… Is there any that you tested or recommend? Also, I’m not sure if we can use two Bluetooth stereo headphones with one ipad2. Please advice. Miguel
First..chriszzz is extremely correct. I am not aware of any product on the market that would be considered safe outside of overhead built in monitors. Most of us (including myself) overlook the many dangers in our vehicles….loose phones or GPS’s fly around during accidents, etc…We are all fortunate each and every day we manage to arrive home safely at the end of the day. With that said, we all push the envelope on safety in everything we do. As for our situation, I would be willing to purchase and use this coulvue as I’m reading the reviews now. Our children are smaller and given the motion path of their body/head, I daresay they would not strick the unit. It looks like a quality unit
This review is a failure because the writer more or less states all the obvious features of the mount (glorified repeat of the press release?), but didn’t report how stable it is while the car is in motion.
I am taking into consideration the concerns on some of the reviews as it pertains to safety. I plan on installing two of these in a 2011 Armada for my two girls (5&6) who love using their ipads while we are traveling. My thought is if you are involved in a head on collision viloent enough, there will be injuries reguardless if you have this device or headrest monitors, strap on DVD players, etc.. But I would like to see some crash test with different devices installed including this one. For now I still plan on purchasing them until I am convienced that they pose a destinctive threat to my children.
Do not recommend…I had this for about 60 days and it’s broke….the bracket that connects the arm to the mount for the headrest cracked…cheap product!
The second time I used it the arm that holds it in place vertically gave way. Expensive product using cheap materials. Save your money…
This comment is correct. Great product, expensive BUT fails to hold the iPad
Customer service is great…they have to be because i returned the product 5 times! I got a replacement each time, but the joint breaks after a day of use. Go with the Joby Gorillapad. There’s less ability to maneuver it, but the joints are much more solidly built.
I actually purchased this product…it does protrude quite a bit from the headrest. It also swings out of the way easily. It worked great for 5 months and then, as soon as the temperature dropped, it broke. The swing-away joint is hinged on a small pin and plastic on plastic. Basically, the plastic on the hinge cracked on fell apart.
CoulVue is the most flexible and most engineered iPad headrest mount currently on the market. Some units from our initial inventory had manufacturing issues. We acknowledged the problem and contacted our first customers immediately with replacements or 100% refund. The root cause of the failure was the plastic glue used. The glue was slowing attacking CoulVue high grade plastic resulting in the failures described above. Nothing to do with the ambient temperature. We stand by this product and offer 1 Year warranty. We will replace the product or refund 100% of your order if you are not satisfied for any reason, no questions asked. Please feel free to contact us at
su*****@to*****.com
. We thrive for 100% customer satisfaction.
Before I bought the Coulvue, I saw online reviews stating that the arm would break very easily. Coulvue responded by saying that those people received a product that was produced with a bad batch of plastic and that the problem was taken care of. I decided to buy it because I liked the arm and different positions that can be used. I purchased it on February 4th 2012 and it took 2 weeks to arrive. This is after I contacted them to see what was going on because ten days after I placed my order…I still had not received a tracking number. I used the Coulvue whenever we went on long road trips for my daughter. She can’t reach the Coulvue and I was the only one moving it and placing it into position for her. In September of 2012, I got in the car, put the iPad in the Coulvue, moved the arm…heard a snap and the Coulvue had broken off the at one of the elbow joints.
Another issue that I noticed was that it bounces around a lot as you drive.
Don’t waste your money.
Thank you for being a customer. I feel obliged to add to your comments:
1- Looks like you are located oversees. Our standard shipping is 3 to 5 business day for all US and 10 to 15 day for international locations based. We have a world class customer service and never give up until we get to the bottom of an issue.
2- “Your daughter can’t reach the CoulVue”. Younger kid may have difficulties in reaching the iPad. CoulVue provides you with enough flexibility and versatility to position the iPad for optimal viewing experience. Apparently you did just that.
3- “The arm snap”. This is clearly a product failure after having it for 8 months. I feel for you, this is not normal. We stand behind this product. We will assist, understand all the variables of your situation, replace the unit when the warranty applies or refund your order if we cannot help the case.
4- “The unit bounces a lot around as you drive”: vibrations from the road or car engine propagate to the car chassis, then to the seats. This is car make dependent. CoulVue is attached to the seat and will absorb some vibrations energy. As a result the iPad screen could shake but not to a point to affect the viewing experience. If the iPad is totally bouncing and rotating as you are driving, there is a problem with your unit. Our support team should be able to diagnose precisely the problem.
Last but not least… “Don’t waste your money”. Clearly an emotionally charged statement. I prefer to answer we have thousand of happy customers on the other side. I am not saying my product is perfect and defects free. No product has zero failure rate. We are continuously working on improving CoulVue. We thrive for 100% customer satisfaction. CoulVue comes with 1-Year Limited warranty. Your unit is likely still under warranty based on information you provided. You should contact
su*****@to*****.com
Hello Tete,
1. No, I am in the same state as your headquarters. California. So no reason why the shipping should have taken that long.
2. I don’t want my daughter to reach the iPad. That statement was added so that the breaking of the CoulVue would not be attributed to her handling the device.
3. Yes, I agree. The product is defective and I guess the customer is out of luck after the warranty.
4. Bouncing should be expected and a user can just hold it with their hand to stop the bouncing. My car is a 2010 Rough bought brand new in the middle of 2011 so the shocks are in great condition. It’s a smooth ride, not as good as a town car but it’s not rattling down the road. The comment about the bouncing is just another thing that customers should consider about this product.
Last but not least… “Don’t waste your money”. No, it’s not an emotionally charged comment. It is a statement of fact. Read the comments above mine. If a product does not work…why would one buy it? You said you have thousands of happy customers. I can’t take your word for it. This is not the only site that I’ve seen customers unhappy with the CoulVue. And after I get my replacement, only to have it break again at some point and time after the warranty is expired…what then? Wouldn’t you consider that a waste of money, especially when it’s hardly used?
We have to 2 both broke. The only thing they did right was the clasp to hold the ipad. The arm and head rest clamp are no good.
Hi Ines,
Sorry to hear that. I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience. Are your units still under warranty? If so please email me at
sa***@to*****.com
with your order information. This is only to respect and protect your privacy.
To your credit, you may have already emailed
su*****@to*****.com
. I am sorry if you have not received a reply. We have stopped 99% of our operations to keep the company afloat and continue to stand behind CoulVue whenever needed.
We have been working very hard on new products and will be coming back very soon with new iPad accessories. We have learned the hard way!
Supporting our customers is very important to us and we look forward to assisting
you with your case.
Sincerely,
Max