If you plan to use this as a mobile-device mount for your bicycle, you might want to carry some replacement insurance on your device. If you are considering the Lynx to hold your e-book on an indoor bicycle trainer, you might want to consider some dramamine (motion sickness pills) as part of the system. Granted, those are not the advertised uses, but the limitations this device presents on a stationary bicycle expose some overall limits of the Octa system.
This product performs as advertised in typical circumstances. It's somewhat attractive, if you look at it from the right angle. If elegant means pretty, it's that. If elegant means simple, it's none of that.
Four stars from me are mostly to go along with the crowd. I would give it 3.5E -- with the E for effort, but there is no 3.5E score available in the five-star rating system.
The Lynx costs three times as much as similar devices that do more or less the same thing. That price difference could encourage exaggeration of the advantages compared to similar products - a familiar psychological element of luxury item consumption.
On the upside, the Octa system offers the appeal of attractive gadgetry that is very Web what-point-O. And there's the satisfaction of owning a crowd-funded product, but that also carries the weight of going along with the crowd.
Speaking of carrying the weight, that's where we get down to the nitty-gritty. A treadmill or a heavy stationary cycling machine might provide a very stable platform. A bicycle mounted on an indoor trainer is a different matter.
Any movement in the moment arm between the clamp and the mounted mobile device amplifies the inherent motion of the indoor cycling trainer. Live loading exposes limitations of the gooseneck "Bridge" component, of the clamp when gripping smaller rounded surfaces (1 inch handlebars) and of the couplings between the three Lynx kit components.
Let's consider those limitations one at a time.
The components of the Octa system are joined by an arguably secure keyway coupling in where one face is pushed upward by a radial group of one-ended leaf springs and the other is held downward by a twisting lock mechanism. Without measuring, I would estimate the assembly allows maybe one or two degrees of movement perpendicular to the two planes comprising the opposite faces of the coupling.
That slight wobble is insignificant if the Octa is mounted on a table top. It allows for significant movement, though, at the other end of the 5 inch Bridge clamped to a lively surface. Even 1/64th of an inch of compressive movement at the edge of the coupled faces can allow maybe 1/8th of an inch movement at the other end of the Bridge arm, perpendicular to the coupling.
Movement in the coupling could probably be virtually eliminated with an o-ring or other compressive gasket, but I found an easier way to stabilize the TabletTail. I tied it down. More about that later.
Next we have the gooseneck itself - aka the "Bridge." The short gooseneck appears to hold the mere 1 pound weight of a 10.1 inch tablet most of the time. If the tablet is cantilevered a little, however, gripped closer to one end than the other and the Lynx is clamped to something at a skewed angle, the flexible but usually stiff gooseneck can try to bend contrary to a user's preference.
Loose rotation locks can complicate that unwanted movement. Be sure both rotation locks are pulled outward (toward the length of the Bridge, away from the coupling) but it's easy to push those touchy fasteners back in when fidgeting with a slip-sliding mount. Even with the rotation locks secure, at some angles the gooseneck wanted to keep drooping after I nudged the tablet back to the preferred place.
Remember -- it's not drooping under stationary weight. It's whiplashing the weight of a live load, amplified by some wobble in the coupling and accentuated by a cantilevered load on the Spider, mounted at an awkward angle on a sloping, smallish tube.
So now, dealing with a drooping tablet, we get to test the claim that the Lynx "clamps to any surface - flat, round, or irregular-up to 2 inches thick." That can't be true. We have an "up to" limit but what about at least? There has to be a minimum.
Can it clamp to a 3/4 inch round tube? A 1/4 inch tube? A 1/8 inch tube? Really?
A live load on a 1 inch tube (ISO standard bicycle handlebar) presented problems when the load was unbalanced. A bolt-on mechanism would provide a more reliable attachment for the Bridge and Spider in this configuration, but I didn't want to wait for the next generation of Octa products. And as I've explained, the clamp was not the only problem.
Realizing the Octa Lynx would not be stable on the up-bent section of the monkey bars on this very upright cruiser bicycle, I moved it in closer to the rotational axis of the handlebars. I relocated an existing handlebar-mounted water-bottle bracket as close as possible to the stem (aka bicycle handlebar gooseneck). Then I tied the "Bridge" to the water bottle bracket with a elastic quick-loop. (see attached picture).
In that configuration, any remaining motion was almost entirely limited to inertia inherent to the handlebars of a bicycle mounted on an indoor trainer. No more whiplash at the end of the "Bridge."
Still, a bicycle on a trainer moves more than one might suspect. Even that motion is a bit distracting when reading text on a screen fastened to handlebars.
A system like the proposed NoShake by Rahmati Shepard and Zhong ({rahmati, cws, lzhong}@rice.edu) might help with the impact of that motion when viewing a shaky mobile device, but that's not an Octa problem. All the same, some kind of screen stabilization might also improve user experience at the long end of Octa's MonkeyTail setup resting on cushioned furniture, which tends to get jostled when the user shifts, wiggles and fidgets.
Bottom line with Lynx, it seems stable in a stationary situation. The clamp has plenty of grip for most surfaces, but documentation does not suggest minimum diameters of round surfaces to which the no-slip grip clamp can hold.
Under a live load, any movement in the system is amplified. Movement exposes opportunities for a mobile device to whiplash at the end of the "Bridge" or for the clamp to slip when mounted to smaller tubes.
Whether the plastic ratcheted clamping mechanism, the sensitive rotation locks or the twist-lock coupling fasteners resist wear, tear and repeated mishaps among a growing number of users remains to be seen.
Like any grip-the-edges mobile device holder, slight mistakes during repeated use can allow for slippage, leading to dropped devices -- and device breakage. That problem is not unique to Octa's Spider, however, and the flexible no-slip grips may be superior to those in some other systems.
Whether the Lynx is worth the higher price compared to similar products is more of a personal consideration. We would expect mass production and competition to push pricing downward if the system enjoys broad acceptance. I would not have paid as much for a clamp to hold a tablet to my table or desk, but don't begrudge Octa's entrepreneurs for the limitations I exposed in my edge-case application.
I would not recommend the Lynx as a back-of-the-headrest mount for 10 inch tablets in a rugged SUV, but it might do okay under a larger smart phone in a well-suspended sedan on smooth roadways.
To balance a somewhat critical review, I'll conclude by saying Lynx probably works fine clamped to the seat tray of a commercial aircraft, as advertised. On most flights, air turbulence tends have a less abrupt motion as compared to off-road driving or hitting a pothole at 70mph -- unless you fly military combat aircraft or have a penchant for aerobatics - in which case your pilot training and experience will inform against potentially loose items in the cockpit.
On the typical business flight, the Lynx is sure to impress four out of five fellow travelers, even atop the somewhat Rupe Goldbergish clamp. Plus, there's a bonus. Unbrand the durable packaging box by wrapping it in your favorite color duct tape and you'll have a compact, durable storage container for your unique, fancy - and pricey - mobile device holder.
| Brand | OCTA |
|---|---|
| Series | FBA_OLYK001 |
| Item model number | OLYK-001 |
| Item Weight | 13 ounces |
| Product Dimensions | 9.65 x 4.02 x 3.74 inches |
| Item Dimensions LxWxH | 9.65 x 4.02 x 3.74 inches |
| Color | Black and Silver |
| Manufacturer | OCTA |
| ASIN | B00K35LW9A |
| Country of Origin | China |
| Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
| Date First Available | November 21, 2014 |
