Good friend Stephen gave me this for a Xmas present and I got around to installing it. Made in Germany of all places, I didn’t think the Germans encouraged drinking and driving.
I didn’t have the guts to try it with a liquid that would be a pain to clean up, so water it was, in a short trip around the farm.
shooftie 
#1 by Rob on February 10, 2013 - 5:00 pm
My big test of a cup holder is always the right turn into traffic from complete stop. If it’s going to go it’s going to do it there….
#2 by albell on February 10, 2013 - 5:07 pm
ok, I’ll try it… with water
ab
#3 by oldfussbudget on February 10, 2013 - 6:18 pm
Yes, that’s when the arms of the one on the passenger seat pedestal open up and drop a quart of lemonade on the floor between the seats…
#4 by albell on February 10, 2013 - 9:06 pm
It only happens with sugary drinks, a law of nature.
Or milkshakes…
ab
#5 by oldfussbudget on February 10, 2013 - 6:16 pm
For some reason I’m reminded of the video of the pilot pouring himself a glass of water from a pitcher while he does a loop…’cept I bet he had to practice a lot more.
You need a plank in the bucket (or some ice in the glass) to dampen the wave action. And don’t forget your radio’s right under there, as well as the heater control wires. My replacement radio (belongs in a ’98 Jetta fancy sound setup, I think) is practically open to the sky under the ash tray.
#6 by albell on February 10, 2013 - 9:05 pm
Oh yeah, for sure it is asking for trouble having a drink up there. I’m trying to think of other uses for it. It is fascinating to see how the glass tilts, distracting even.
ab
#7 by oldfussbudget on February 10, 2013 - 6:20 pm
We trust there will be an engineering report on the alleged gyro mechanism? Does it spin, or is it made of sliced meatstoffe with yoghourt sauce?
#8 by albell on February 10, 2013 - 9:07 pm
I tried to get inside it, no luck, and the illustration on the box is not clear. I don’t understand the gyro reference it makes, it is more of an oil dampened counterweight. Well that is what it feels like. No spinning involved, no need to plug it in 🙂
ab
#9 by Angus on February 10, 2013 - 7:18 pm
Mr. Fussbudget, just for the record the pilot is Bob Hoover, the drink iced tea, and the maneuver a barrel roll. But we all know what you meant. 🙂
#10 by oldfussbudget on February 10, 2013 - 7:37 pm
Shucks, anybody could do it in a barrel roll. You’ve probably done it yourself!
That was a pretty slick maneuver, though. I’ll have to go find it again. Thanks, Angus. Did he also have the engine(s) not running at the time, or was that something else?
#11 by Angus on February 10, 2013 - 8:56 pm
Don’t recall offhand, it’s been a long time and I don’t have time to find it now. Hoover’s routine in the Shrike Commander did include a dead stick portion.
#12 by Angus on February 10, 2013 - 9:00 pm
…and I seldom pour my drink into a glass. In an airplane it’d be more like “Hold my beer and watch this!”
#13 by oldfussbudget on February 11, 2013 - 2:43 am
Oh, Angus, are you pulling that fake beer stunt to scare the passengers again? Be good, or I’ll send Andrew after you.
#14 by peterpilz on February 10, 2013 - 9:32 pm
correct, in Germany and Austria they don´t encourage drinking/driving. and drinking laws are rather stringent. currently we have carneval season and it serves the yellow press with explicit pictures of horror car accidents. most of the time these dismembered (bodies) people were drunk. gas stations always have little backroom bars. just about anybody can buy alcohol in gas stations. the legal drinking age is 18, but ID´s are hardly ever checked for validity. people who drive while drinking probably wont display their favorite beer brand on the dashboard, but the european attitude towards alcohol might have encouraged this (ingenious) invention.somewhat.
servus, peter
#15 by albell on February 10, 2013 - 9:57 pm
The funny thing is the package shows a brown liquid in a glass – I immediately thought “rum and coke”. “For Happy Drivers” tag line does not help matters. I mean, who pours a straight coke into a glass like that? And the image on box does show a BMW? with the holder mounted on dash.
strange little thing eh?
ab
#16 by John Rodgers on February 11, 2013 - 8:27 am
Dunno about any gyroscopes, but it looks to work like a fluid-damped ships(or aircraft) compass mounted on gimbals.
#17 by albell on February 11, 2013 - 8:57 am
Yes, the gyro claim is dubious, but it is not like a gimballed compass either. It is oil dampened, but rather than gimbals, the support surface is above the counterweight and supported by ball bearings. Hard to explain, and the box diagram is less than clear.
cheers
ab
#18 by Andrew M on February 18, 2013 - 3:53 pm
Any idea where this product is sold and for how much? This might bring my love of tea to the road…
#19 by albell on February 18, 2013 - 5:17 pm
Andrew,
I can’t tell you where it came from right now. My friend who gave it to me is in the tropics, when he gets back I’ll ask. I tried searching on the web, surprisingly few hits and no vendor source.
cheers
alistair
#20 by Tom V on March 7, 2015 - 7:50 am
Found a couple on eBay and one on etsy.
#21 by albell on March 23, 2015 - 7:45 pm
Hi,
Hey really” and have you tired it out? What do you think about it?
Alistair
#22 by Tom V on March 25, 2015 - 6:43 pm
Not yet, planning to try it out this weekend
#23 by albell on March 25, 2015 - 7:01 pm
I’d recommend water in the test containers first. 🙂
Ab
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