If you are a photographer or have been around the industry for any period of time you will know the name BlackRapid. The company built a name for itself by producing some of the best-loved camera straps on the market, and now it is turning its attention to the ever-growing ranks of serious mobile photographers. The WandeR is BlackRapid’s new tether designed specifically to help prevent phone drops that plague the mobile photography community.
The WandeR is a simple concept — it involves attaching a tether from your belt or bag to your phone, so in the event you lose your grip on the phone, it will fall harmlessly to your side, rather than on the hard cement or dirty ground.
To its credit, BlackRapid didn’t try to make this more complicated than it needs to be, either. According to the announcement, BlackRapid claims that the WandeR will be compatible and work with almost all phone -and-case combinations, a huge advantage over its competition, which requires a specific model for certain phone and camera combinations, or other products that try to lock you into their system by requiring a proprietary case or connector.
The tether itself is comprised of a TPU-coated nylon tether tab which is designed to lie flat between your phone and your case toward the bottom-rear of your device. It exits the case through the hole at the bottom for the charging port. The tether strap is then connected to the tab and can be attached to a bag or belt with the included 10-20mm carabiner. It can also be wrapped around the user’s wrist, in any manner that you choose to use it, the idea is to prevent any unexpected drops from damaging the device.
And the BlackRapid WandeR isn’t just for those with money to blow. At only $20 the entire kit is quite affordable and accessible to virtually all smartphone photographers and videographers who need a solution to help them avoid damage to their phone. The WandeR is available now at BlackRapid retailers and partners across the country as well as from BlackRapid directly on its website.
