Monster Pod tripod Review

Monster Pod mouldable camera tripod claims to eliminate the use for a regular tripod by sticking to almost any surface, anywhere, by use of a ViscoElastic polymer base. Rebecca Bradley puts it to the test.

The Monster Pod in its protective cover.

The benefits of the Monster Pod are that it allows you to take a picture almost anywhere, by attaching to a tree, a wall, a car, and many places where use of a normal tripod may not be possible, or convenient. Monster pod is compact and convenient, and with an adjustable swivel head, allows pictures to be taken at almost any angle. After testing it on a variety of surfaces, I found it really does stick to almost anything you wish to stick it to, but for how long is questionable.

The tripod itself is circular in shape, waterproof, and extremely lightweight, suitable for use with cameras of up to 566 grams in weight. At a compact 130mm in diameter it would easily fit into most camera bags. While use is recommended with most compact digital cameras, use with SLR cameras is not advisable because of the weight of the camera and also the size of the lens may make it tip over.

Monster Pod used on the side of a car.

After using the product on a variety of different surfaces including trees, cars, walls, and lamp posts, I found that it did actually stick to anything I wanted to stick it to, but did become rather grubby after one or two uses and, consequently, needed cleaning. To do this, firstly any foreign objects such as stones and tree bark had to be removed, which can be done either manual or by placing under running water. Alternatively, if this all the above fails, the dirt or grit can be massaged into the goo, although long-term, this may affect the product's performance.

To actually attach the camera to the tripod in the first instance is fairly easy, but to affix the tripod to the required surface can be a bit tricky. Once attached, though, the product does seem to stay put for quite a while in most cases, although on some other less sticky surfaces it did come unglued after a couple of minutes.

Monster Pod can also be affixed to trees.

Overall
An interesting idea, and while Monster Pod may be useful in some situations, (for instance on self-timer mode), I can't see it replacing the traditional tripod just yet.



Plus points:
Compact and lightweight
Sticks to anything
Reusable

Minus points:
Sticks to some surfaces for longer than others
Gets dirty easily

Rating