Sharkfin (radio reception) for 2010 or newer models?

I have a 2010 Prius. My antenna broke off and I'm considering getting a Sharkfin.

I've seen a number of posts regarding the bad FM radio reception on the sharkfin, but most of them are from 2009 and older. So I did a google search and came across this sharkfin vendor (visual Garage) online that boasts "a built-in fractal antenna to allow for AM/FM radio reception."

Anyone know anything about this fractal antenna? Has anyone purchased from this vendor? Is there another Sharkfin vendor you'd recommend? Thanks ahead of time for your suggestions.

 

UPDATE: Since posting the message above, I've purchased the VG Sharkfin. You can read my review of their product on the next page... about 15 posts down.

 

Hi Joe, What vendor did you purchase your sharkfin from? Do you have a photo of it? Thanks.

R.

 

To everyone, Thanks for your comments. I'm curious to know where everyone ordered their sharkfins from. Any thoughts about the different brands and designs offered? Any photos to share?

 

Joe, Thanks for your feedback.

Does anyone know what the dimensions (height, width, and length) are of the Sharkfin sold in the pc shop here is vs the one sold by Visual Garage? It's hard to tell from the photos. I sent them an email yesterday and I haven't heard back.

Also, do you suppose they had to increase the size of the sharkfin for the 2010 Prius antenna base, which appears larger than the previous gen antenna base?

 

Mac, Thanks for the information.

 

My Visual Garage Sharkfin Review (from a visual perspective)

I ordered the sharkfin from the Visual Garage website. It arrived quickly but unfortunately the overall appearance is a big disappointment for me, not to mention VG's customer service leaves a lot to be desired. For one, my product arrived with a small paint blemish, and after a dozen emails (yes one dozen!) back/forth along with two sets of pics (the first set they claimed were not clear), they still want me to send their product back to them for a closer inspection.

Aside from the paint blemish, the biggest disappointment for me is the black 3m tape they use to attach the product to the car; it's very visible as it protrudes around the bottom edges. In all fairness, this may not be a problem for some (especially if you have a dark color vehicle); however the black tape juxtaposed against my Classic Silver paint color makes the product look cheap and tacky, imho. I will state I am very picky about aesthetics... and I think just about anything that looks taped on looks cheap and tacky.

I asked the VG rep why they don't use a lighter color (i.e. grey for example) adhesive tape to blend in better with the lighter paint colors... and their response was "We use black colored tape for all our shark fins." Given this, I think the photos at their website are not indicative of what the product looks like when attached. I will also add that considering the cost of their Sharkfin, I don't think it's unreasonable to expect the adhesive tape to blend a little better with the paint color.

Bottom line: this is not the same Sharkfin we're seeing on the Lexus or other high end vehicles. Not even close.

 

To Kmkremer, re: beat sonic.

I emailed beat sonic for dimensions and specs. Their sharkfin is a little larger (approximately 8" in length) compared to the VG sharkfin (approxomately 7" inches in length). They also told me they use a grey adhesive tape, which they said will blend in better with lighter paint colors. Other than that, I don't know much else.