Jukebox Machines

Keeley says:

My car has a vertical lighter socket. It works ok when using one outlet. But everytime I use both the outlets, the nozzle loosens out slowly with road bumps in my volvo s40 and I end up readjusting it fair number of times. Will not recommend to anyone…may work with another car. I donot know what will work the best but definitely not this.

Ibrahim says:

Item fits my 2005 Mazda 3s, does what is advertised. I use it to run my Valentine One radar detector and a Griffin iTrip FM transmitter for my MP3 player. No problems with it in the first week since I got it. The only minor annoyance is it slips out of my the cigarette lighter socket a few millimeters but has not worked it’s way out nor lost electrical connection. The unit is a bit bulky but not really much more than competing products. Seems well built and unlike units in the auto parts stores it’s a low-key black, and not silver or silver with LED-lit blue flames.

As some reviewers have mentioned the product does not look like the picture here. It looks exactly like this Amazon product page image:

Two-Way 12V DC Car Charger Cigar Cigarette Lighter Double Power Adapter Socket Splitter, Black / DUAL SPLITTER / UNIVERSAL for suitable for cell phone, GPS, iPod, and PDA (ALL Cell Phone Models

And as noted earlier, do limit the load on this adapter to 2.5 Amps or less (preferably less). The unit does have the 2.5A maximum warning label on the unit and on the box.

Eldridge says:

I received this item fast and I installed it in about 5 minutes. It came with double sticky tape and 4 screws so you can choose which method is best for you. I chose the screws because I wanted a more secure installation. I drilled the holes and mounted the bracket and the unit attached easily. I plugged it in and hooked up my key fob charger, phone charger and radio transmitter and had all 3 operating without a hitch. The unit is sturdy and mounted with the screws I had no problems plugging and unplugging my devices. The only thing I can complain about is that the item I received was not the same as the picture so they must have substituted. I have no problem with that as the substitution in my opinion is better looking and it works awesome. I would buy another if I owned another vehicle. I recommend this to everyone.
I uploaded 4 pictures also so you can see the unit installed.

Haste says:

Works great, allows me to plug in my radar detector, satelite radio, cell phone and converter to run my computer.

Acevedo says:

I purchased this for a long car trip. With two kids, three Nintendo DSi Matte – Black, two DVD players, one cell phone with GPS and a Griffin iTrip Auto FM Transmitter and Auto Charger for iPod (Black) for our iPod to play through the radio, we definitely needed more than two outlets up front.

Even thought there are four ports shown, only three are working, unless you still use a cigarette lighter. The fourth port is for cigarette lighters only.

We never had three things plugged in at once but definitely had two plugged in for long periods at a time. It got a little warm but never hot and it held up with all devices working properly.
It appears sturdy but as with all electronics that get left in a car on hot and cold days, I’m sure it has a limited functionality. I’m hoping to get a few years out of it. I’ll update down the road.

Loving says:

This one is sturdier and better designed than others I have had, but unfortunately it died after a month. It would cost as much to send it back and accept 85% of the value, so I’ll just drop another $15 ’cause it’s very useful.

Dewitt says:

This little gadget works very well with my Garmin. It’s easy to install, position, adjust angle, mount and dismount the gps. Most importantly, it keeps the telltale “come steal my GPS” suction circle off of the windshield, and the GPS from slip-sliding around on the dashboard.

It would not work in all cars (or it would have gotten 5 stars) – the location of your lighter socket could be a problem, so take a good look at where and how the articulations are on this before you buy. Note that this does not give you an extra socket per se: you’ll need to switch off if you are also running a radar detector or charging a cellphone.

I’m pleased with the price and quality as well.

Beri says:

I’m not sure what product the guy who complains about it not working with Garmin GPS units got. This has the standard ball mount and works great with my Garmin Nuvi 855. It works fantastically actually. The only concern I have is the little wire they use for the socket. It’s slightly troubling after reading another review mentioning that as being a problem area and I think I’ll use a zip-tie to hold the socket against the arm. That should take any pressure off the wire and prolong it’s life. That said, it looks like with a little work the socket could be pretty easily replaced and you could solder a new one in. Now, I’d like to mention why this mount is superior to the USB version that is also available from Arkon…At least with the 855 and possibly with any of the newer Garmin GPS models.
I originally bought the Arkon GN097-USB thinking it would be nice to not have to use the cigarette socket power cable that came with my Nuvi. Eliminate clutter, simplify connection, etc. Well, it works, with one major caveat. When running on USB power alone, the Nuvi 855 backlight is DISABLED. This cannot be changed in software and after some research I discovered this is because of the higher power demands of the chipset used in the 855. In order to have enough power to function on USB, the backlight is disabled. This makes if VERY hard to see when driving.
So, to conclude I highly recommend this mount. It works well, is reasonably well constructed (my only concern being the thin wire used for the socket), and it’s really the only good option I’ve been able to find to mount the GPS in the cigarette lighter socket…So, if that sounds good to you, buy it. I’d highly recommend it.

Also of note, I gave it five stars to help offset the incorrect review written by Charles Hunt.

Albine says:

The item came quickly. I would not have had to buy this if the gps description would have been better. The gps came with this. Now I have a spare unit.