Initial impression
STORY TIME
First I want to say that I received this cupholder for free ... well actually, for sending my console to Brad so he could design the cupholder to fit properly. So other than my time boxing up the console ( he paid shipping both ways ), I have no actual investment in the cupholder, it's success or lack thereof.
I had a chance this evening to unbox the cupholder he sent. While I haven't had a chance to install the whole console in my truck yet to actually use it — my initial impression of the cupholder itself is very good.
First thing I notice is the color. The color is a very close match to the brown 99 console it will be attached to. So it definitely blends in well and has an OEM look/feel. However, I'm sure these things would be a snap to paint however you may want ... you know if you are like one of those weirdos who want to pretend you drive a giant banana ... you could like ... paint it yellow ... to match...
( ... sound of bong gurgling softly in the background... )
So anyhow, the design itself really looks good. I don't see any weak spots or any areas that have unneeded/excess material. No glaring issues to my untrained eye were found.
I confess to not knowing squat about 3D printing, however, I do have Brad's front cupholder installed already, and this new rear cupholder feels every bit as solid and well designed as the first one — actually even better as this one feels smoother — more refined.
Since the cupholder inserts into and attaches to the same spot as the old cupholder, the holder has to reach back into that space to meet up with the factory screw holes. This makes for a very solid setup as you can see in the pics.
Since the factory cupholder ( or the Queens cupholder as I've come to call it ) is attached to the inner console via two screws — Brads "manly" cupholder has two drilled out holes ( proper length screws are provided ) as well as what I assume is 3M adhesive tape — to attach this holder to the console.
While I haven't attached it to the console yet, I did test the fit — and it fits very solid. In fact, it kinda clicks right into place via a wedge shaped thingy on the bottom that locks it behind the lip of the console. It is snug enough that you could certainly get away with not even attaching it with the screws or tape he supplies. If you did use the screws AND adhesive tape together ... nothing will ever break that thing off.
Now for anyone wondering why would you need this — here are
my reasons:
I have little kids. They absolutely delight in destroying things. Specifically, my things. My OCD does not like when that happens.
The OEM cupholders are dainty. I've seen plastic forks that have more tensile strength than the arms of an OEM cupholder. A direct result of that daintiness is the working OEM cupholders break so often they are now seemingly rare ... well ok not quite rare — but they're getting there. Finding one in good shape at the junkyard is on par with finding a unicorn. Not quite but many of you know what I'm talking about.
As such, 3rd gen cupholders fetch a premium. eBay knows what's up, that's why 3rd gen cupholders (front or rear) run anywhere from $30 to $100. And unless your only passenger is the Queen of England with a fresh cup of tea — your rear cupholder will probably break sooner rather than later, if it hasn't already. Until now, it really sucked to have to replace it with another one that will probably break too.
It's for that reason I never let anyone use the rear factory cupholder, especially my kids ... it's literally too delicate to use because if it breaks, my OCD will bug me until I fix it. And I don't like fixing shit I don't have to. With this cupholder I don't have to worry anymore and my kids can have some cupholders that they can't break.
I suspect that even if a small kid used it as a step to climb into the front seat, it would probably be fine. If anything, the console would probably break before the cupholder would.
Needless to say — no drink you could possibly fit into the holder could ever cause it to break. I don't care how hard you off-road or how big a pothole you hit. Your super-duper-extra-massive-mega-mocha-frappuccino isn't going to break it.
So bottom line is that this thing is solid as can be and honestly seems a perfect match to the console.
I'll report later on its actual functionality and any problems I may find once I have a chance to really use and abuse it ... (kids of course).
