Pad Grip Stand Review

Video Review

First Impressions / Setting up

Made by Solve-It! from California, the stand comes with a few different options for fitting. It’s heavy (2lbs) and has a strong magnet (rated at 60lbs) located at the base. If you are somewhere with a metallic surface, the Pad Grip should remain firmly in place using the magnet alone. The Pad Grip houses a large ball and socket joint at the top which connects to a model-specific bracket.

It’s worth noting that the Pad Grip can hold any of the iPad models as well as the Kindle Fire and Galaxy tablets – although there are no DJ apps worthy of note on anything but iPad at the moment!

In Use

Due to the ball and socket joint, the Pad Grip can rotate the iPad to nearly any position (360° rotation with a tilt up to 70°) making it incredibly flexible to use. Don’t worry if there’s no metallic surface available to you, as there are other options. A suction-cup accessory, cutely named “Gecko”, can mount the Pad Grip to any non-porous surface.

I found this to be the most useful fitting for a DJ, as it’s non-permanent, portable and would work on most surfaces. In fact, the Gecko has been demonstrated vertically secured to glass, dashboards and walls – perhaps something for those braver than me!

The more permanent option is the “Atlas” accessory which can be secured (through three screws) to wall or wood surfaces. You secure the flat Atlas plate in place and drop the Pad Grip onto the Atlas plate for a robust magnetic iPad position. Regardless of your fitting option, the iPad clips neatly into the bracket without feeling too tight, and all external controls remain accessible.

The Pad Grip stand is more expensive than the previously reviewed lightweight iKlip Studio fold-flat stand. However, it is considerably cheaper than the Arktis Medusa and Gooseneck Stands. The build quality feels great, mainly due to its weight, finish and the strength of the magnet.

My main concern for the Pad Grip’s use by a DJ is the strong magnet. Although the iPad isn’t affected by the magnet, there is a recommendation on the Solve-It! website to keep the Pad Grip at least eight inches away from laptops and anything else that strong magnetism could damage.

For a DJ you might wish to include mixers, CD decks, direct drive turntables, USB sticks and external hard drives here! In fact, you could unwittingly affect nearly every working piece of kit in the booth by waving the Pad Grip around! OK, so eight inches maybe a bit excessive and you may find that it affects nothing if used closer – but would you risk it, with other people’s DJs equipment?

The team at Solve-It have confirmed that the eight-inch boundary is more of a precaution and they estimate it would take a magnet six times more powerful than the one in the stand to adversely affect a laptop. Even so, they do produce a non-magnet stand (the Pad Grip Pro) which features a heavy aluminium base. Interestingly, the Pro version also has a Kensington lock connector so you could secure the stand to the booth during use. In which case, the Pro model would certainly be better suited for a DJ booth environment.

Conclusion

The Pad Grip is a great iPad stand, the mounting options making it a good choice for bigger DJ booths, art installations, home studios and anywhere you can arrange things to suit. It’s well made, holds the iPad very firmly, and will last well.

Although the eight inches parameter may be advisable rather than mandatory on the Pad Grip stand, the Pro model with the heavy base instead of a magnet would be perfect for any DJ booth. If you’re going to opt for the magnet version, just be sure you know where you’re going to fit it before buying and make your judgement accordingly.