Phone mount arm comparisons RAM vs 67D vs Bulletpoint

[mx5red]

I went further down the rabbit hole of comparing device mounting arms.
RAM by far has the most extensive variety of mounting solutions across different vehicles and devices, including motorcycle, wheelchair, kayak, etc. they mostly use a 1” ball system, though 9/16” and 1.5” and 2.25” balls are available.

almost all other manufacturers seem to focus on 20mm balls, some offer 1” arms or conversion 1” ends to fit on their arms. So pay attention what brands/sizes you’re mixing.

RAM arms are cheaper but can not swivel the ends, as where I think all the comparable 20mm style arms can, giving you more adjustment. Upon doing more research, RAM does sell swivel arms for a couple more dollars but I’ve never seen anyone mention them, so I thought it would be helpful to show them.

couple things of note. I’ll compare ~4” arms with 1” balls as that’s what I’ve used for my grab bar and dash mounts.
67D claims to be only USA majority brand. They seem to be most expensive, prototypical style.

Mini (4.9”)matte arm $29 composite/CF
Nano (3.5”) Pro arm $32 aluminum/carbon fiber

Bulletpoint very similar design
Fewer 1” ball options but sell clamp ends you can swap into their arms for 8.99
4 inch aluminum arm $20.99

Vector Off-Road - no 1” stuff
3.5” arm 20mm ball $27.99 aluminum

Tackform mostly 20mm stuff, but they offer a cheaper 1” elbow arm

7.5” elbow joint

RAM is probably the cheapest option, outside of Amazon 20mm options.I had already started with a RAM mount for my phone years ago so have stuck with it, though used a Bulletpoint mount and that was good as well.
I have had no issues with my x-grip phone mounts but I don’t think they’re as highly regarded as these other options.
I have a couple composite medium arms that are 3.73” and $12.99.

Those extend far enough from the dash mount that they clear the front of the dash/radio. I do wish the grab bar mount was a little longer so my arm could reach it without lifting off the armrest. I just don’t like how the ends limit the ball placement since there is no swivel.

Come to find out they make arms that do.

6.25” double socket arm $25.99
Also shorter swivel arm

3.69” swivel arm $17.49

im going to try a couple of these other arms to see if any aren’t worth using. At this point I bet they all do the job, though I would like a little more adjustment than the straight RAM arms provide.

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[Glad Jeeper]

We love our 67D mounts. I use it in my JTM for phones and gopro. Never have had an issue. I purchased a 67D system for my brother in law's JL, he uses it for his phones, ipad mini and gopro.
I like this setup that I purchased another 67D for my work truck F350. Never a complaint and would buy again.

 

[WILDHOBO]

Ram mounts are fantastic. I have their JT/JL rail as well. In my opinion, bulletpoint should be boycotted. Their marketing strategy in today’s mass shooting climate is abhorrent. I’ll never give companies like that a single penny.

 

[CMac]

Ram mounts are fantastic. I have their JT/JL rail as well. In my opinion, bulletpoint should be boycotted. Their marketing strategy in today’s mass shooting climate is abhorrent. I’ll never give companies like that a single penny.

I agree about RAM mounts…zero issues and all sorts of options.

What is the marketing strategy of Bulletpoint? I’m asking because i honestly do not know.

 

[WILDHOBO]

I agree about RAM mounts…zero issues and all sorts of options.

What is the marketing strategy of Bulletpoint? I’m asking because i honestly do not know.

It’s named what it is, and the products are decorated with etchings of rifle rounds. They need to read the room, so to speak, in my opinion.

 

[HankB]

I have used Ram mounts on our boats to hold up some pretty heavy (Raymarine GPS/radar/plotter displays, 4-5 pounds) devices and had no problems with anything coming loose, or being unreadable when underway. In the JT, I have a Bulletpoint arm for my iPhone. It works fine, but the setup would never be adequate for anything heavier, like say an iPad.

I’ll also mention a third possible candidate. On our current boat we are using a Scanstrut ROKK mount for holding an iPad on the helm. The iPad is used as a backup navigation weather radar device. Scanstrut is known in the boating world for building antenna and radar array mounts. The ROKK product line is similar in size to Bulletpoint, but as far as I can tell provides a more stable base.

 

[smlobx]

I guess it boils down to which family you want; those that use the 1 inch ball and those that use the 20mm ball. Then just go from there.
Bulletpoint’s name doesn’t bother me. To each their own…

 

[Volksparts]

I'm running the expedition essentials mount which is far superior to the bullet point mounts for strength and image. I, however, run the bullet point arms and holders as I like their designs far better than the RAM mounts I ran on other trucks I've had. RAM mounts just don't look as "clean" as bullet points carbon fiber look.

 

[Badunit]

Ram mounts are fantastic. I have their JT/JL rail as well. In my opinion, bulletpoint should be boycotted. Their marketing strategy in today’s mass shooting climate is abhorrent. I’ll never give companies like that a single penny.

Their name (Bulletpoint) and their logo (bullets arranged like the American flag) are silly reasons to boycott them. Ever heard of hunting? Ever heard of self protection and protecting your family? Go boycott Cabelas if you are against guns and bullets. They actually sell those things.

 

[WILDHOBO]

Their name (Bulletpoint) and their logo (bullets arranged like the American flag) are silly reasons to boycott them. Ever heard of hunting? Ever heard of self protection and protecting your family? Go boycott Cabelas if you are against guns and bullets. They actually sell those things.

I do actually. You’ve got a nice attitude after yesterday in Maine. Very American.

 

[Silverator]

I LOOOOVE Bulletpoint. I've used RAM extensively in the past. They make solid stuff. With the Gladiator I wanted something different. Bulletpoint was the best option I found.

As for their "logo"..... Sigh..... It is what it is. Get over it or buy RAM. I have no problems with their logos.

As for Maine....that's way more about mental illness than a bullet is. Way more.

 

[Badunit]

Seriously, what does the mass murder in Maine have to do with phone holders in Jeeps? You are projecting your anger/frustration at a company that has nothing to do with the problem you think we have with guns. Guns have been around a long time. Mass murders, whether by guns, bombs, airplanes, or meat cleavers are a recent problem for the most part. The problem these days is mental illness and severely reduced morality, not company names and logos.

 

[mx5red]

Moving on here…
Ordered the 67D mini pro arm 4.9”, the Bulletpoint 4” aluminum arm,
And the Tackform 7.5” elbow arm. Already had a ram medium 3.73” arm.

they do all have their pros and cons besides price.
The Ram arm is less adjustable because you can’t rotate the ball mount, so there is less lateral adjustment. This can be a big issue, like on a dash mount you have to align the slot vertically so you can angle the arm down level, but then you can’t horizontally angle your device very far.
Ram does sell that 3.69” swivel arm that’d probably do the trick.
I was actually surprised the Ram arm can adjust to a little more extreme angle than the 67D arm.

Though they are similar/copies, there is a little functional difference between the BP and 67D arms due to the length of the slots and length of the adjustment screws.
Note: the 1” sockets for the BP arms appear different than their 20mm sockets, so I don’t know if the same would be true for them.
But, the 1” Bulletpoint arms are more adjustable than the 67D ones.
The slots are longer so you can angle the arms more if necessary.
And, as I learned while trying to mount/adjust the 67D arm while driving in a group, the adjustment screw is pretty short so you have to completely unscrew the socket to get the ball inside, which is nigh impossible to do with two hands while trying to drive down a trail!
The bulletpoint 1” sockets have longer screws, so you can fit a ball inside without having to completely unscrew the socket and send parts flying all over the dashboard. I did this once with the spring loaded Ram arm so this is something to consider.

67D top, BP middle, Ram bottom. Knobs are unscrewed as far as possible without coming off. See how much narrower the 67D socket is.

As you can see the 67D arm can’t even get to horizontal, while the BP arm can go past. Ram is about level.

Out of morbid curiosity I think I’m gonna order the Ram swivel to see how that compares.

Oh, and I love that cheap Tackform elbow arm. Perfect length and adjustment for my grab bar phone mount.

 

[GOCAMPN]

From OP's first post, I think you were in our old thread about this too. I still love my Rugged Ridge Dash Bar ( Dash Bar | Rugged Ridge )

Just for the bar though, the phone and tablet mounts they offer don't fit a very large selection. I've got my phone, GoPro, and tablet all on my bar. And my wife loved it so much she added one to hers, and has a phone and baby camera monitor on hers. They are nice bars, and simple, all tube mount / bar mount / bicycle handlebar mount etc all work on it. I bought an accessory pack on Amazon with multiple different ball sizes and bar adapters to fit all our stuff. No more suction cups on the glass!

But the RR phone and tablet mounts are too small, I just measured what I needed and purchased on Amazon.

The other thread has the photos I took, can't access them from my phone right now.

 

[HankB]

Boy this discussion deteriorated fast after I last posted. Here are some pictures of the various mounts I mentioned in a boat environment.

The first is our old boat with the Ram mount. We had the boat for 12 years and over that time we used the same Ram mount with a variety of displays. The last was a Raymarine C80.

The next picture is the current boat (old electronics) showing the iPad mount while in service. This is the Scanstrut ROKK mount.

This picture was taken after the electronics were installed and shows the ROKK mount itself. It’s been in service now four years and about 600 hours of operation. All of that has been in the Atlantic between Cape Cod and Down East Maine (Bar Harbor was farthest north). Haven’t lost the iPad and have had some bumpy rides. The worst was in 5 ft seas running into a 9 knot head wind between Portland and Boston. So this is well up to the task of off roading.

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