Purchased this recently for use as iPad holder on the job site—my use case is unusual, I'm a mural painter and wanted to have a way to mount an iPad for easy reference of my artwork when plotting big walls that require a lift to access. The arm itself is bomber: all-metal, sturdy, and mostly rock solid when in use. The mega clamp is awesome. Wish I'd purchased this two weeks ago.
Couple things that could be improved:
1) I love that the ball joints are metal. However, it would be nice if there was a mild textured surface to help prevent slippage—Inserting or removing my iPad, causes the arm to shift even when tightened.
2) The weakest part of this system is the cradle. I don't care if it's "high impact auto grade" plastic, it's still plastic. I don't care that the ball connector is metal, it's screwing into metal threads on the back side of the cradle that are embedded in plastic. The most important part of the system, which holds my $2000 tablet is made of plastic. Plastic degrades and breaks. Springs weaken over time. Sooner or later, this cradle will fail and potentially send my iPad crashing to the ground.
Here's the rub, this cradle is an aftermarket plastic part that has been branded with Tackform's logo—You can find the exact same plastic cradle included with a half dozen other similar iPad holder arms on Amazon. How do I know? I ordered a cheap arm (promptly returned) to compare and sure enough, it's the same cradle. I don't care about the spring loading feature. I don't need a locking mechanism. I want a guaranteed-never-to-fail cradle I can trust to hold my super-expensive iPad. The arm itself seems bomb-proof, so should be the cradle. I'd happily pay more for a simple metal cradle for use with the 20mm ball, just like I was happy pay twice as much for an all-metal arm with an all-metal mega clamp.
Great company, fast delivery, and will recommend. Overall, excellent product that can be improved.