 We at 2WF have used many different types of mounts over the years; Home Depot specials, duct tape, rubber tubes, those 3 suction cup jobbies. Recently though we picked-up a new camera to try out and we wanted a mount that would really work well, be flexible in where it could be positioned, and be cheap. The last part being of utmost importance.
I first came across the Panavise 809 on Amazon.com and thought that it might be exactly what we were looking for. (Word of warning: yes you can find “Panavise 809’s” very cheap on Amazon but there seems to be a rumor that some of them may be cheap knock-offs and not actually Panavise 809’s at all….just a word of caution). I decided to send an email to Panavise to see about getting an 809 to review and use.
While waiting for a response back, I stumbled across the Delkin Fat Gecko Mini. Hmmm……I thought, that looks a lot like the Panavise 809, I wonder what the differences are. Of course I decided to email Delkin as well as they seemed to market their products towards a sports-minded market.
 I figured that one of them wouldn’t respond and we’d get either the Delkin or the Panavise. In the off chance that both companies did respond, well, then we’d do a head to head comparo; which should be interesting as both mounts looked so similar.
Turns out that Delkin was immediately on board while Panavise had some reservations since they didn’t feel their product would attach itself firmly enough to a motorcycle fairing; something that Delkin wasn’t concerned with apparently. Heck, Delkin even markets their product to motorcyclists. Quote from their website; “The Fat Gecko Mini mount is a powerful locking suction cup mount that makes unique video and photography capture possible from almost any smooth surface; surfboards, motorcycles……”
The Panavise 809 arrived first and I quickly took it out to see how well it would stick. It stuck firmly to the top of the gas tank, the sides of the gas tank, the sides of the fairings, and the front of the fairing. It seemed to stick anywhere I wanted it to. Well this was promising.
 The next day the Fat Gecko Mini arrived and eagerly opened the box to see what the differences were. Here are the differences; (ready for this?) On the Panavise 809, it says “Panavise” and on the Delkin Fat Gecko Mini it says “Delkin”. Yep, those are the differences between the mounts. They are identical right down to the patent numbers. The only difference between the two is that Delkin includes a 3" extension that you can attach where Panavise doesn’t.
How in the heck am I supposed to do a comparo between the Delkin and the Panavise when they are the exact same product? Obviously I can’t.
So instead we’ll just look at how they work with the understanding that everything applies to both the Fat Gecko Mini and the 809.
(NOTE: All the pictures from this point on show the Panavise 809. This is not to say that it is better or to imply any favoritism it's just that; A) they were practically identical so I didn't think about swapping them out for the pics, and B) even if I had thought about it I couldn't have done it as a friend absconded off with the Fat Gecko Mini to try on his own bike while I shot photos.)
 The heart of the mount is a large 3.4” suction cup that, with the flip of a small lever, locks down onto the smooth surface it’s placed on. Basically, you put the mount where you want it, press down on the central plunger (it says “PRESS” on it in case you aren’t sure what to do), lift up on the locking lever, and you’re done. I don’t know exactly how much suction they have but I can tell you that I was able to lift a 36” glass and metal patio table, which weighs about 25 pounds, off the ground using just one of the mounts as a handle. I feel confident that a 1 pound or less camera isn’t going to overload the mount if it’s firmly attached to your motorcycle.
The mounts are plastic everywhere except for the ball-head joint anchor (or whatever you call that part that holds the ball-head in place) but they are a  very heavy plastic. With both an adjustment point down by the base, and the swivel ball-head adjuster at the top, you can get the camera mounted at almost any angle you’d want. For those tech minded Freaks out there the specs are such: 210 degrees tilt, 360 degrees turn and 360 degrees rotation. The camera mount is a ¼-20 stud (standard size for the majority of cameras) with a metal lock-ring.
Basically it comes down to this; the Delkin product is marketed towards sports-minded customers while Panavise markets their 809 as a security camera mount. Delkin also includes a 3” extension with their Fat Gecko Mini while Panavise offers the 809 without an extension (Panavise does not offer one at the time this article was published). One thing to keep in mind is that with the extension attached, there will be a bit more movement at the end of the arm than without it at some angles.
Either way you can’t go wrong with one of these and they make a cleaner looking camera mount that anything you can build at Home Depot…..or duct tape…..they’re cleaner than that too.
Panavise 809: $25.99 (No extension included)
More information at www.Panavise.com
Delkin Fat Gecko Mini: $39.99 (includes 3” extension arm)
More info at www.Delkin.com
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We at 2WF have used many different types of mounts over the years; Home Depot specials, duct tape, rubber tubes, those 3 suction cup jobbies. Recently though we picked-up a new camera to try out and we wanted a mount that would really work well, be flexible in where it could be positioned, and be cheap. The last part being of utmost importance. 
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