BALMOST Car Seat Gap Filler Organizer w/Cup Holder, Multifunctional Front Seat Side Pocket Catcher for Cars Lack Console Storage, Helps Reduce Distracted Driving & Holds Cellphone, Card, Coin| Black

BALMOST Car Seat Gap Filler Organizer w/Cup HolderDoes as Advertised, but It’s Like Putting Lipstick on a Pig.Yes, I will rate it 5 stars. And that’s because it does what is advertised. It has a cup holder (more on this later). It feels durable. This product perfectly matches my car’s interior (2014 BMW 335i) with its black “dakota” leather seats accented with red threading. Best of all, it is reversable. All this for $11 and change (I purchased this on sale). Why the heck not?Let’s talk about this reversible aspect a little more. The “base” and the tray snaps apart and can be reattached 180 degrees, allowing this organizer the ability to be placed both between the driver seat and the console as well as between the passenger seat and the console (it doesn’t matter if you have a LHD vehicle here in the US or a RHD vehicle in London). And, that’s a nifty benefit because it seems that all other similar products that I’ve seen on Amazon are manufactured as a one-piece. I live/drive in the US and I specifically wanted to have an organizer between the passenger seat and the console, but it was very hard to find one (as most organizers that I saw only fit between the driver’s seat and the console OR you would need to purchase both left- and right-side organizers as a set). Anyway, the two pieces (base and tray) firmly stay connected under normal driving conditions. Moreover, I find that the base fits snugly enough between my car’s seat and the center console. Yet, there is also additional padding (included but which I did not need to use) that you can insert onto the base to “thicken” it. This may better help to secure the organizer in place due to the base’s increased girth and due to the additional friction from the padding (of course, YMWV). The attached pic shows the tray, base, and padded inserts (all separated). Once you’ve secured the organizer in place though, be careful when you try to remove it. It’s best to put your hands under the top part of the base (where the base meets the tray) and to wiggle the organizer upwards to free it. If you decide to just grab the tray by pinching it with your fingers and then just pull it up, that approach will likely cause the tray to separate from the base. And while other reviewers note that the base and the tray come apart somewhat easily, you really just need to be a little patient in terms of setting it up. Once it is set up (as I said above), the tray/base remains connected during normal driving conditions.Here's the better question though. What if I were asked to rate its utilitarian value? Then, I’d give it 2 stars out of 5.CUP HOLDER –The cup holder is small but serviceable. The diameter is just under 2¾” (7cm). That means that drinks in cylindrical cans/bottles can drop into place without a problem, including:- a 12oz soda can (and, it would seem, any beverage bottle/can that is less than 12 oz will drop in without issue).- a 16’ish - 18’ish ounce bottled beverage like Honest Tea or Bai or Aquafina or Snapple or Vitamin Water or Trimino.What about drink cups that you get through a drive-thru (i.e.: McDonald’s; Starbucks; etc…)? It should be noted that these types of cups won’t effortlessly drop in because the diameter of the top of these cups is greater than the diameter of the bottom of these cups. But, the cup holder itself flexes somewhat, so these types of cups (as long as they are 20 oz or less) will fit, albeit quite snugly. However, I find myself worrying that I will accidentally pop off the lid and cause a minor spill if I don’t lift the cup out of the cupholder just right (my tendency is to pick up the cup out of the cupholder like a hydraulic claw crane (like the one seen at the end of Toy Story 3)). So, I think it would be better to just caution everyone against using this cup holder for beverage cups you get at a drive-thru.Everything else probably won’t fit:- anything over 20 fluid ounces just won’t fit (larger bottles; larger disposable cups; Big Gulp cups; most personal water bottles).- "normal-sized" 20 oz Gatorade bottles are too wide to fit.- Uniquely -shaped bottles over 12 oz won’t fit (e.g.: Coke that comes in plastic bottles; Pure Leaf Iced Tea drinks; Fiji water that exceeds 11.5 oz.).Also, I do want to mention that in my case (again, with a 2014 335i BMW), I cannot push the organizer in place to where it will be perfectly level. It will suffer slightly from the “Leaning Tower of Pisa” effect as the cup/bottle will tilt just a tad.THE TRAY –I find that the tray / holding area to be pretty small. It’s barely 2-3/8” (6cm) deep. With a top-down view, I measure the height to be 2-1/4” (5.5cm) and the width to be 7-1/2” (18.5 cm).You may want to ask yourself: what can I ably store in this organizer that might make more sense than putting it in the glove compartment or the center console storage area or in the driver side map pocket (or in the cubby hole under the headlights/fog lights switch if you own a BMW like mine)? Whatever it might be, it would be something that would be relatively small and something that one could see the logic in having easy access (otherwise, it could just as well be stored somewhere else like the glove compartment or center console storage area or driver side map pocket). For me, I have decided to put my keys into this organizer instead of leaving it in my front pants pocket (when driving) as I sometimes feel that the keys will poke me when driving. Also when driving, I see the benefit of leaving my debit card in this as well because I tend to roll through at least one drive-thru daily (darn you, Dunkin Donuts!), so I now have easy access to my debit card instead of having to contort my body to unbuckle myself and then to find and pull out my wallet from my back pocket.LIPSTICK ON A PIG -Ultimately though, it’s like Lipstick on a Pig. You’ve heard that term right? If you Google it, it says something to the effect that you’re “making cosmetic changes in a futile effort to disguise fundamental failings”. What that means is that if you’re thinking about looking into adding an organizer like this in your car, you are probably already dealing with a clutter problem. And this organizer is too small to be of much help (unless you really like the idea that I shared of depositing your keys and debit card in it). Even if you are a professional whose car is your office, this tiny accessory won’t really add much to your productivity (in which case you would be better off looking at built-to-really-organize options from Peak Design or Red Oxx).ACTUALLY, PROBABLY WORKS BETTER AS A DESK ORGANIZER -However, where I actually think I get the most value out of this is by hanging this on the back edge of my desk (at home). It’s a great storage device for things I like having at my fingertips, including: my checkbook; pens; medicine; hand sanitizer spritzer; post-it note packs; and a bottle of my favorite drink.

I bought two of these for my car because there is very little console space and I thought these would solve that problem. They really don't, much.Each comes in two pieces that come apart too easily to trust an open drink in it. The top section occasionally disconnects from the base that inserts between the console and seat, so that section and anything in it would go tumbling around the car. Not ideal.And when inserted, it blocks the seatbelt clicker. So I have to push it forward, buckle my seatbelt, then pull it back into place. While doing this, sometimes it comes apart. You don't want to put a drink in this unless it's in a bottle with a tight cap and isn't carbonated. I suppose it could be super glued but it really shouldn't have to be fixed right out of the package.The storage space also didn't really meet my expectations. It's awkward for most of the items I might want to put in it, like fries or a snack item, or even my phone. To small a space for some things, too shallow, and too big for a phone. I mean, a phone fits in the space but it's just awkward.The hole for threading a charging cord through is useless because that cord would have to go between the seats, around the "keel" of this thing, and back up the other side to even go through that hole, which is in the bottom of the top piece. Once there, it's either stuck so that it's hard to maneuver the wire the normal way you'd need to just to plug in a device or if you somehow manage to get it not to be stuck, it will just fall right out into that tight space between seat and console unless currently attached to a device.All in all, a disappointment. It might work for some people's needs, especially with super glue if yours comes apart like mine (one of the two holds together better than the other). For me, it's just meh.

Just what I needed to fill that gap between the arm rest and the seat! I was using a book to fill the gap before. Now the gap is filled and I have extra storage AND a cup holder that’s easily accessible.Update: the downside is that the piece comes in two parts and there are times when I guess it gets shifted and the parts detach. Then I’m left with my items sprawled across the floor or in the passenger seat. So, fyi, it’s helpful, but it can be annoying at times if it’s not secured at all times. I’ve gotten in the habit of checking it before putting any beverages in it because the last thing I need is for that thing to go flying when I turn a corner lol.

I really like this, it’s just right for the space in my car. It has a place for your phone to stand up so you can grab it quick and a handy spot for the cord to come up through the bottom so you can charge it without the cord draping over the sides of the container. The thing I didn’t like, is that the portion that goes down between the seats is separate from the tray That you put your items in. It sits into a little groove, but if you tap it it’s out. I made it work because I taped it together. If that was not the issue this would be five stars.

The snap together feature is a nice idea, but not tight or secure, it comes apart to easily, even when trying to pull a bottle out of the cup holder. If you don't mind that, it is a good product to have.

It does fine for short driving around town but it will not stay together because it is 2 pieces. I usually hit it when trying to buckle the seat belt and it comes apart.The owner of the company emailed me because he was concerned about my review. He even offered me a full refund and keep the item. After reading about the gap fillers on Amazon it might be my car....it just does not fit