Holy Crap, I ordered the Dango Design Gripper Mount way back in November 2018. I’m still using the same one today, with a few small part updates (more on that later). That alone should tell you the quality of this full-face action camera mount. The icing on the cake is that y’all know how much I crash, so that takes their quality up another notch.
What The Gripper Mount Does Well
The majority of the time that I’ve had the Gripper Mount, I’ve had it holding my GoPro Hero 9 Black. Before that, it was my Hero 7 Black. The mounting prongs that allow you to mount your camera are snug and do their job. After many years of usage, the nut in the prongs has loosened and you need to keep an eye on it. It can get pressed out, causing mass chaos as you quickly jump around looking for where it stopped bouncing around. GoPro solved this a few years ago, and I’d like to see that same evolution make its way to the Gripper Mount.
With some other action camera mounts, you need to fiddle for a while to get a mounting placement that works. With the Gripper Mount, you open the jaws and release them on the chin bar of your helmet (whatever helmet you have). Finding the right angle to keep your camera at on the Gripper Mount may take some time. A lot of this depends on riding position and camera settings. After many years of playing with this, I have a few different angles I know work for the type of riding I do and the type of footage I want to capture.
Switching between these angles is quite simple due to the pivot post the Gripper Mount utilizes. You push the post in, or camera if mounted to the post, and rotate. From there, you have 90 degree locking points. If you’re looking for a bit more security, have the camera sit in a position where the post is underneath the camera. If you want more of your bars in the shot, have the camera hang from the post (your camera should adjust the footage to be ‘right side up’).
What The Gripper Mount Does Extremely Well
I’m calling the Gripper Mount the most versatile action camera mount because you can easily attach it to any full-face helmet, or any object you can squeeze the jaws around. I’ve used the Gripper Mount while filming many Seat Time videos. It attaches to almost anything, I rotate the pivot pole if needed, and then adjust the camera angle. I can also easily take the Gripper Mount off and toss it to a riding buddy on the trail. This allows me to deepen our riding story by having multiple angles of different riders, from different perspectives. What’s been even cooler than tossing it to a riding buddy has been attaching it to tree limbs for third person shots. That way no one has to stand there and hold it, possibly getting run over by a bike with a chainsaw.
The Gripper Mount is made by Dango Designs, and Dango has GREAT customer service! I smashed my face into my handlebars on the Grinduro Extreme Ride one year, breaking the pivot pole. I found the pieces, sent some pics, and they sent a replacement out ASAP. The Gripper Mount is built in such a simple way (simple doesn’t mean cheap) that I was able to get the new pivot pole, spring and c-clip setup in a matter of seconds.
Where The Gripper Mount Needs Improvement
Being a racer, and someone who looks at a lot of footage, the Gripper Mount could still use some improvement. The jaws can only be so tight, due to this, the Gripper Mount can jostle around a little bit. Now that we have the ever evolving HyperSmooth on the GoPro’s and RockSteady on the Osmo’s, it’s not nearly as noticeable in the footage, but it’s still there.
If you’re looking to capture more of your handlebars in the shot, you’re probably hanging your camera underneath the Gripper Mount. This causes a lot more leverage, allowing the Gripper Mount more opportunities to shimmy its way down the jaw of your helmet. When in this position, you can’t see the camera anymore. If you forget your leash a lot like I do, it’s a constant battle of remembering to check if the camera is still dangling.
To combat this during a race, I zip-tie the mount to my helmet. The Gripper Mount has such a great vantage point, it’s still worth using over other more secure mounts. This creates more stable footage, more security, but less versatility. I can no longer unhook the mount to vlog at the camera. For someone who talks to the camera a lot to get voice over, this gets annoying over a long 200 mile race weekend.
I’ve mentioned the idea to Dango Designs about a “Pro” Version of the Gripper Mount. It would have a little less versatility, but more security. Their ecosystem has grown around the current Gripper Mount, so I’m not sure this will come to fruition; fingers crossed. I’ve also thought of creating an expandable, lockable rod to place in the mount, between the squeezable grips. You’d still need to run a leash for those hard handlebar hits, but the extra security would be great.
Final Thoughts
The Dango Designs Gripper Mount is an epic piece of equipment. It has taken MANY beatings from me and it keeps on going. It gives you more angle options than most of us know what to do with. Now that they added an attachable light for the Gripper Mount, I’m excited to see what other offerings they bring to market.
You will not find a more versatile full-face helmet action camera mount.
Other Action Camera Mounting Options
Here are a few other action camera full-face mounts I have tried. I have always gone back to the Gripper Mount.
SoPro Mount
I’ve seen a lot of riders use this mount over the years, but I didn’t like the setup. I had to duct tape the clasps because they kept opening up on me. I feel if they used higher quality parts, the entire product would be a better option.
WannaBes Chin Mount
Helmet specific chin mounts that are more stable and secure. I also like that they have a tilt indicator on some of them.
Shop WannaBes Chin Mount Collection on Amazon
To Try : QKOO Motorcycle Chin Strap
Of course I was served the QKOO as an Amazon ad, but it looks like the updated SoPro I’ve been thinking of. I’ll need to give it a try and see how it goes. If you’ve tried it, let us know how it went.
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