Guide to the Best Smartphone Strap (Grip) and Stand

If you think that you can just pick any old phone grip or strap that you want just because it looks good, you are underestimating the gravity of the situation. We mean that literally because gravity is no joke and has been at fault for an unlimited number of phone deaths. Actually that number isn’t exactly unlimited but it is in fact very high. In the United States, Americans break about two smart phone screens every single second adding up to over $3 billion a year in damages.

That means in the time it took you to read this paragraph there are some poor saps out there that have already broken their screen and hopefully you are not one of them, because if you are, we apologize for calling you a sap. We are not here to claim that all of the broken screens are due to drops, as the statistics say this is around 74% of the total. We are also not here to say that all of the drops are due to poor quality phone grips, however, there is certainly quite a few that are.

All that said, we are here today to help you avoid those expensive mistakes by analyzing three grips and letting you know which one is the best! For that we have to cover the basics, from material and design to the strength of the adhesive and the multi-use functionality.

Material

Our first contender is the Phone Ring by Lamicall. Out of the three grips we will be reviewing today this is the only one of them that is made out of stainless steel and a zinc alloy. The metal is a solid choice (pun intended) simply because it pulls evenly on the adhesive instead other more malleable materials that can wear the adhesive down unevenly.

The Zinc allow is a great choice because it has good ductility and abrasion resistance. The ductility of a metal is its ability to withstand tensile stress which just means that it can be pulled in opposite directions without becoming weaker or brittle in the process. Abrasion resistance refers to the materials ability to resist damage caused by scraping or wearing away.

The option to go with steel also has a psychological impact as you tend to put more confidence in it. This is a double edged sword though since resting easy and trusting your grip is good for avoiding a nervous breakdown but can lead you to pushing the grip’s limits more often and farther than you would if you did not have that confidence. Here however we are not going to try and review the potentially poor decisions you might make with your grip and instead stick to the cold hard facts. And yes the puns will continue throughout this review.

Up next is our first challenger, the Monet Slim Wallet Grip. This grip is made out of different plastics of varying hardness as well as a cloth material on the inside. The Plastic exterior is almost a leathery material though it is firm enough to apply evenly across the back of your phone. The stand on the Monet Slim Wallet doubles as the grip loop and is also made of plastic, but a bit thicker and more elastic plastic than the rest of it.

Visually the material does look decent and the softer material for the grip is a bit more comfortable on your finger for long durations of usage. However the button grip design of the Monet does leave some potential for grip malfunctions which increases the risk of dropping your phone over a more sturdy design.

The final challenger today is the goStrap Finger strap, and yes that is its actual name. The goStrap is by far the most simplistic of the three grips being compared. It is made with two separate interlocking materials. For the base that is adhered to your phone it is a hard rubberized plastic material and the band is a woven elastic strap. The base being firm is a big plus as it applies evenly with the adhesive and allows for a distributed pull to avoid weakening one area. The elastic strap is by far the most comfortable of the three competitors as it is both firm enough for the grip and malleable enough to bend around your finger perfectly.

The issue arises over time with slowly increasing abrasions on the elastic band that cause it to fray. This can be delayed if you always set your phone face down, however for the sake of this review we will assume everyone is going to lay their phone down on the grip.

For the sake of consistency the winner for this category is going to be based on functionality and reliability not comfort since your phones life is on the line. So when it comes to the materials used in these grips the clear winner is the Ring by Lamicall as it is the most durable of the three and can continue to perform its function much longer and in harsher conditions.

Design & Multi-Use Functionality

Going in the same order as the previous section we will start with the Ring by Lamicall. As the name implies this grip is a circular shape and has a ring on a hinge that pulls out. Your finger would of course go through the ring in order to perform its function as a grip. Due to the choice of going with the steel material, the Ring acts as a very reliable kickstand for a phone. The ring is also able to rotate 360 degrees around the base so that you can get the angle you want for the most natural grip possible. The ability to rotate the ring also makes it an even more functional kickstand.

With regard to multiple functions, due to the metal loop extending out from the base you can use it as a secondary reinforcement bar for magnetic phone stands in your car. The only issue with the ring is the potential for the hinge to lose resistance and cause the ring to dangle freely. Though this would not affect your ability to use it as a grip it still might cause an annoyance and impact its ability to function as a stand. We didn’t have this issue ourselves but it has been reported by others.

Up next is of course the Monet Slim Wallet Grip. This grip is designed to be both a grip, a stand and a wallet as is implied by its name. The Monet Slim Wallet has 2 pockets that firmly hold onto any credit cards or IDs you place into it. The pockets even reliably hold onto folded cash or business cards as well. It is incredibly convenient to combine phone and wallet in order to save on pocket space. The harder rubbery strap pulls through a pocket to create a loop that acts as the kickstand.

Considering the third competitor is the goStrap Finger strap and it has no functionality outside of being a phone grip, we can just cut to the chase and let you know that the Monet Slim Wallet Grip is the obvious winner when it comes to multi-use functionality and design. Though the Ring by Lamicall does come close in terms of the aesthetic appeal of their design, the Ring protrudes out of the phone farther and does not have any wallet feature. That being said, if you have no desire or use for a wallet feature then this is a dead tie for functionality though the Monet Slim Wallet Grip still slides in and out of the pocket more easily with its slimmer design.

Adhesive

Now we are getting to the truly important factor. If you walk away having forgotten everything else mentioned, this is the one section that should stick in your mind. We don’t mean to sound clingy here but please stick with us till the end. Keep your eyes glued on the screen and we will guide you to a grip you can rely on. Ok, now that we got that out of our system we can move on to the adhesive and please bear with us because it is going to get sticky.

Once again starting with the Ring by Fortfit we have an adhesive that is two parts. First you have to apply the transparent film to the back of your phone and then peel off the cover over the adhesive on the back of the Ring and apply it to the film. The adhesive used on the Ring is 3M VHB tape. VHB stands for ‘Very High Bond” and as the name implies it is an industrial strength adhesive. VHB is often used as a replacement for screws for hanging things on your wall so it is definitely reliable as a phone grip adhesive. VHB can handle all types of weather and heat without wearing down or deteriorating. Fortfit also claims that the 3M VHB tape on the Ring can support phones up to 5kg which is crazy strong.

The Monet Slim Wallet Grip is a little more complicated to review as they do not list the exact type of adhesive used so we will be discussing our anecdotal experience as well as the communities experience. The adhesive used here has a lot more surface area than on the Ring so that is a major plus. More surface area means more adhesive to ensure it remains securely attached to your phone. An issue arose with the irresistible urge to fidget and pick at the edge of the grip. Within a few days the corner was peeling off which causes serious structural integrity issues concerning the adhesive because as everyone knows once you get a corner up the rest is only a matter of time. Though the majority of the community did not have the same issue there were a few reports of adhesive only lasting around 4 to 6 months.

With the goStrap Finger strap they decided to go with 3M again but instead of the VHB tape they went with the standard double sided tape. Though the adhesive here is also temperature resistant and rated to stick to most surfaces, it isn’t quite as good as VHB. Despite its inferiority to VHB the adhesive was very strong on all but a silicone surface. So if you have a silicone case you will not want to use this strap.

Alright, this fight put us in a very sticky situation because we love all three of these grips. But when it comes to the adhesive battle the winner is the Ring by Fortfit. The decision to go with 3m VHB tape was a powerful choice and the other two competitors were KO’d being unable to hold on after such a tenacious opponent.

Warranty

As far as the warranty goes you can rest assured that we are going to power through this section. The Ring by Lamicall comes with a 30-day money back guarantee along with a 180-day free replacement promise. They have 24-7 customer support as well so if you happen to summon up the strength to snap your steel Ring grip at 2AM, you can give the nice people over at Fortfit a call and they will help you out.

The Monet Slim Wallet comes with a 30 day money back guarantee as well however they go no further with any replacement deals beyond the 30 days.

The goStrap Fringer Strap only has a 30 day defect warranty. They will replace or refund your product assuming the issue is a legitimate defect or manufacturing issue. They also require that you send them a photo of your product to ensure that it is a genuine goStrap.

And The Winner Is…

This was a well fought battle but the bell has been rung and the winner is the Ring by Fortfit. From the build quality, to the monster grip the goStrap just couldn’t hang in this league and the Monet Slim Wallet despite putting up an impressive and valiant fight, fell flat.