I first used MagBak years ago on my iPad. Being able to magnetically place my iPad anywhere that I needed to was priceless.

Fast forward about ten years. Ever since I purchased my first iPhone, I’ve used it in my car for one reason or another. Nowadays, I stream Music whenever I drive. I also use Maps from time-to-time but primarily I listen to music.

Unfortunately, I have never been able to find a quality mount. I’ve tried some of the usual suspects but found that they failed over a period of usually two or so years. Principally, even though I could get the device to mount securely, the clamping mechanism would inevitably loose its strength and ability to hold the iPhone in place.

Result? The iPhone would break free of the mount and crash to the floor whenever I would drive over a rough patch of road. That made for an unhappy camper

While scouring for another mount to replace the last disappointment, I happened to receive an email from Kickstarter that was soliciting capital for the 2nd generation of MagBak for iPhone.

Upon first look, I was intrigued at the concept but wasn’t sure that it would work. Instead of a clamping solution, MagBak proposed to have my iPhone mounted securely to a MagStick; a thin, unobtrusive magnetic strip. How could this small magnet possibly hold my iPhone steadfastly to my dash?

Their pitch made sense, so I decided to give it a bash having experienced success with their iPad mount. It also didn’t hurt that the price was very reasonable.

I’m happy to report that MagBak for iPhone has surpassed my wildest expectations.

The whole system consists of two pieces: a MagStick and the case. The MagStick can be adhered to many surfaces such as wood, painted walls, fabric leather, glass, and aluminum. The MagStick adheres to all of these surfaces , in either portrait or landscape mode, thanks to a 3M adhesive backing which “Is designed to withstand extreme temperatures while providing strong and lasting adhesion.”

Before you adhere the MagStick to your desired spot, you first must make sure the surface is clean. (My kit came with a small tube that you squeezed to release a fluid to wipe the surface clean. It didn’t say what it was but I would imagine that it was something along the lines of rubbing alcohol. Mind you this was on a hard surface. I’m not familiar with the procedure for fabric.)

The case is a sleek, minimalist design and comes in four different colors: black, gray, blue, and red.  As there are magnets molded into the case itself, you can place it on your refrigerator and other metallic objects without using a MagStick.

You place your iPhone into the case and that’s all there is to it.

As to how it holds up on fabric and leather surfaces I can’t say. But I have never had a problem with their products thus far, so I imagine you’ll do just fine.

After installing everything, I went to my van to give it a test. I was immediately impressed by how strong the magnets were. I could feel the magnetism of the MagStick tugging  at the case from my hand. Orientating and switching between portrait and landscape mode was effortless.

Now for the test. I drove down several country roads that jostled the van a fair amount. Surprisingly, the iPhone didn’t move a nanometer! It was as if the iPhone was bolted in place.

The unit has been tested to ensure that it doesn’t interfere with LTE ,GPS, WiFi, Bluetooth, ApplePay, or your compass. And it’s credit card safe!

As an aside, when you receive your MagBak for iPhone, you’ll note that the packaging would make Apple proud. Opening it up was akin to unboxing a MacBook, albeit a lot less expensive.

Once opened, you’ll find the MagBak iPhone case and 2 MagSticks with 3M backing. Directions for mounting the MagSticks and inserting your iPhone into the case are printed on the back of the package.

MagBak for iPhone is designed for iPhone 6 and 6S, iPhone 6 Plus and 6S Plus, iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. Each costs $39.00 USD. And if you require more MagSticks, you can buy a 3-pack for$19.00 USD. The MagBak for iPhone comes with a one year warranty (including free replacement parts) and a 30 day money back guarantee.

Try it. I think you will be pleasantly surprised. I swear that it’s magic!

©2017 Frank Petrie