After using an iPad Pro for four moths, I would never want to go back to the smaller 9.4″ iPad because the larger screen is so much nicer for working with documents. But the iPad Pro is heavier than other iPads, and this makes it more awkward to hold. One way to make the iPad Pro easier to hold is to add some sort of a handle to it. For the past few weeks, I’ve been trying out two products sold by LapWorks that add a handle (and also a kickstand) to an iPad Pro: The Tablet Handler Pro and the Gripzilla Pro. (LapWorks sent me free samples to review.) These two products take different approaches, and have different advantages and disadvantages.
Gripzilla Pro
The Gripzilla Pro is a long, sturdy brace that has spring-loaded brackets at each end. Both the flat surface of the brace and the brackets are covered with rubber so they won’t scratch the iPad Pro.
Attaching the Gripzilla Pro is fast and easy. Place one bracket on one corner, then pull the other bracket to reach the other corner. That’s it. The whole process just takes a few seconds. Springs in the brackets keep a very firm grip on the iPad Pro so it is not going to fall out of the Gripzilla Pro.
A soft Neoprene holder in the middle of the brace has Velcro so that you can adjust the size of the holder to fit your hand. And that holder spins 360º so you can hold your iPad Pro in any position, portrait or landscape.
If you press two buttons on the side of the holder, it converts into a kickstand. It can hold the iPad in either a portrait or landscape position. Unfortunately, the bracket that is on one corner of one side means that the iPad Pro isn’t perfectly level. I found that to be more annoying in portrait position than in landscape position.
While I love how easy it is to attach the Gripzilla Pro, there are a few things that I don’t like about this product. First, the brace is so large and prominent that it gets in the way. And as you can see in the above picture, it sits back quite a bit from the back of the iPad Pro. As a result, I didn’t find it very comfortable to keep my hand in the Neoprene holder for long stretches of time. Instead, I often found myself just griping the holder instead of using it with my hand inside. To be fair, if I need to hold my iPad Pro for a long period of time, I’d rather do so with the Gripzilla Pro than with nothing at all. I just found myself wishing for an option that was more comfortable to use.
A related problem is that the Gripzilla Pro seems heavy. It weighs 8.1 ounces, and that number doesn’t seem much higher than the Tablet Handler Pro, which I measured at 5.7 ounces. But in actual use, it seemed to noticeably add to the weight of the iPad Pro.
Another drawback to the Gripzilla Pro is that the large size makes it awkward to carry with you. Attached to the iPad, it considerably increases the size of the iPad Pro. And even if you carry it on its own, because it doesn’t fold up or come apart in any way, it takes up significant space in a briefcase, and I suspect that it won’t fit at all in many purses. If you intend to keep the Gripzilla Pro at your desk all the time, this is no big deal. But I wouldn’t want to have to carry this around very often.
Tablet Handler Pro
The Tablet Handler Pro solves all of the problems of the Gripzlla Pro. The Tablet Handler Pro is lighter, it doesn’t add an awkward brace to the back of your iPad, and it comes apart in a way that makes it much smaller and easier to carry. Unfortunately, it introduces new problems: it is difficult to attach to the iPad Pro, and once attached you need to be very careful about its placement in relation to the buttons on the side of an iPad Pro.
To attach the Tablet Handler Pro, you first need to attach the four silicone loops to the hub. In theory those could stay attached to the hub when the device is not in use, but the loops come off so easily (when not attached to the iPad Pro) that I found that I had to reattach at least three of the loops every time I went to use the Tablet Handler Pro. Doing so is not difficult, just line up the notch on one end of the loop to the hole on the hub, but it is a task that you need to do.
Next, you stretch the end of one loop to one corner, then stretch another loop to the opposite corner. Sometimes when you do so, one loop or the other will pop off, so you need to be careful. Then you attach the third and finally the fourth corner, again trying to stop them from coming off as you attach them.
I usually save for last the corner of the iPad Pro which has the power button on one side and the volume up button on the other side because that one is tricky. You need to place the silicone loop in a location where it will grip the corner but not cover a button. Otherwise, the loop will hold down on the button. It is possible to get it in the right place, but it takes some time to do. And invariably when I am done, my iPad Pro is asking me if I want to shut it down because the loop always seems to end up holding down the power button for a few seconds while I try to get it into place.
The good news is that once all four loops are attached, in my tests they have always stayed in place. I was worried about loops slipping off and shooting like rubber bands across the room, but that has never happened. Each loop has a small tab on it that keeps it in place. The tab doesn’t look like much, but it seems to do the job.
Once the Tablet Handler Pro is attached, it works quite well. There is no obnoxious brace. Yes, there is a hub in the middle that holds the four loops, but it has such a low profile that it has never bothered me. Likewise, the loops are so close to the back surface of the iPad Pro that they never get in my way. And I never noticed the iPad being heavier with the Tablet Handler Pro attached.
Just like the Gripzilla Pro, The Tablet Handler Pro has a Neoprene holder on the hub which spins 360º and which you can wrap around your hand. I don’t find it terribly comfortable to put my entire hand in the holder, but I frequently put my left thumb in the holder and grip the holder with my left hand, which works well.
Also just like the Gripzilla Pro, you can press two buttons to turn the holder into a kickstand. It works great as a kickstand, and there are two reasons that it works better than the Gripzilla Pro. First, you don’t have to worry about the slight angle that results from having one side a little higher than the other. Second, the silicone loops at the bottom act like feet that don’t slide on a desk. I could see someone buying Tablet Handler Pro just to serve as a really good kickstand.
One downside of the Tablet Handler Pro is that it isn’t very attractive to see the silicone loops on all four corners of the iPad Pro. They don’t cover the screen portion so they won’t get in the way of you tapping in the corner of the iPad screen, but aesthetically it is not the best look. It wasn’t a huge turnoff for me, but maybe it would be for some of you.
The Tablet Handler Pro is sold to work with a variety of larger tablets, not just the iPad Pro. I wish that this device was designed only for the iPad Pro, and instead of loops used something else that better matched the corners of the iPad Pro. Perhaps this would make it easier to attach to the four corners, plus would make it look more attractive.
When you are finished using the Tablet Handler Pro, the loops remove easily. The hub and the four loops (once removed) take up very little space so you can easily carry them in a purse or briefcase, or perhaps even in a large pocket.
Conclusion
Both of these holders do make it easier to hold an iPad Pro for a long period of time. I love that the Gripzilla Pro is so quick and easy to attach, and I really dislike how cumbersome it is to attach the Tablet Handler Pro. But once attached, I prefer the feel of the Tablet Handler Pro so that is the one that I recommend. The Tablet Handler Pro doesn’t seem like the perfect solution, so I will be on the lookout for other options from other companies — especially if they are designed specifically for the iPad Pro. Having said that, there is a lot to like about the Tablet Handler Pro, and the fact that I find myself wanting to use it almost every day is about the best praise that I can give this product.
Hello
So it is nov 2017 what are your latest comments on the Gripzilla Pro and Tablet Handler pro
Have you found any other products that are as good and do you still like the Tablet Handler pro more
then the Gripzilla pro
Thanks
Tony
A year later, I still prefer the Tablet Handler Pro. However, both products still seem like they could be less awkward. I remain on the lookout for a better solution.
-Jeff