Thanks to user blackout720 and his contest, I won a free case from Verus and chose the Iron Bumper in clear/titanium silver.
First off, this things looks and feels fantastic. I love that it doesn't change the overall appearance of the phone that much, but I think that the titanium silver bumper looks even better than the shiny silver of the phone. I'm using it in combination with front and back skins from Skinomi, and my phone is no longer a smudgy mess, but still looks true to its roots.
I will say, as others have reported, that the unyielding aluminum is INCREDIBLY difficult to get on. My fingers hurt by the end, and I was honestly worried that I was going to damage my phone. I don't know if I'll ever get the thing back off again without cutting it, as some have done.
The buttons feel great, but I wish they were just a touch lower in profile.
The lip on the front is minimal, but enough to hold the screen off of a flat surface. It doesn't feel "in the way" when using the edge of the screen of the home button like the Otterbox Commuter did. Small feet at the corners hold your camera up when that side is down.
I get some weak signals both at work and at home normally, so I can't yet speak to the claims of the aluminum bumper degrading signal strength. I don't have any trouble with GPS, though, as I navigated my way through Cincinnati with it on yesterday with no trouble. I'll continue to keep an eye on signal, GPS and battery over the next few days, though.
Hey,flu. Are the buttons mushy or clicky?
I'm not 100% sure of the difference, but I'd consider them clicky.
Thanks for the review.. You stumble on this via Slickdeals? Haha
I ordered mine the other day, still waiting for it. I did the Iron Shield version though.
No, blackout720 posted here that Verus was having a contest through him for 5 people to win a free case. I was one of the winners.
I can't say that I've seen any problems with signal with the Iron Bumper case on my phone. I would imagine that the surest sign of signal issues would be failed weather updates and increased battery usage, but everything is going smoothly, and when I'm not actively using the phone, it continues to drain a steady 1-2% per hour.
My experience
I also picked up this case from a slickdeals post.
Strangely I didn't have too much difficulty installing or removing the case, just had to line it all up correctly and sqeeze like crazy. I did have a huge drop in signal strength. I measured the dB before and after installing the case about 5 times at different locations and every time was the exact same result. I believe it was a -15 or -20db decrease, which equated to 1-2 bars of strength. My other complaint was with the lack of grip the case provided.
Overall it was a beautiful case that offered good protection for it's size. Unfortunately I had to return it because of the signal loss issue.
Related
Got my EXOSkin from XGear around two weeks ago and I thought I'd give a review about it in case anyone was wondering about whether it was good or not. Two weeks also seemed like a reasonable amount of time for me as well since it wouldn't be justified to review it's quality without using it. Furthermore, to make this review clean and simple, I will split it into sections with some comments and a score in the end out of 6.
Durability:
As far as I'm concerned, the durability of the skin is quite astonishing, although to be honest its been in my pocket for these past two weeks and I do have a bumper case too. To be specific, it's still holding up well and not peeling off like those cheap knockoff skins you find from Chinese manufacturers. I even reapplied the skin over 10 times because I'm the type of guy who hates it when things aren't perfect lol.
Overall score 6/6
Quality:
Not as good as I thought it would be, the rear and side skins for me was between satisfactory and excellent. The back skin; however, was completely atrocious and it was just cut wrong. Camera and flash cut out was intended to be a square but sides weren't perpendicular. Speaker ports on bottom right was also cut a tad bit high and finally it did not cover my back completely. At the bottom, you can see that 0.3cm of space is left unprotected... Anyways, I have already contacted their customer support and they recently sent me a replacement, so I guess I was unlucky or it's a common problem.
Overall score 4/6
Feel of the Skin:
I got the carbon skin, and it's just plain smooth with a certain degree of that "carbon" feel to it. I would however put a case on as well because it's slippery with hardly any grip.
Overall score 5/6
Aesthetics:
It looks awesome if you minus the atrociously cut out back skin. I would recommend you to put on a bumper case as well, as it just completes the look in my opinion. However though, a word of warning, do not for the love of god install the side skin if you plan on using a bumper case because once you put on the bumper, it AINT coming off...You'll have to use all your strength to pry the case off if you do, a mistake on my part. I also attached the images so, if you want to see it just click on it and it should enlarge.
Overall score 5/6
So what about DBrand, is it better than XGear?
I don't know, never bought a DBrand, but they're probably on par with one another after seeing some YouTube reviews.
That concludes my review and yeah....
Thanks for the review!
Found this case on Aliexpress.com that promises no signal loss because slots are cut out where each antennae strips are on the phone. Looks amazing. Also says it has a liner on the inside to cushion the phone if dropped.
S6 Edge
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/For-...e-Case-For-Samsung-Galaxy-S6/32328021917.html
S6
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/S6-2...inum-Bumper-Case-For-Samsung/32328655797.html
I am ordering one but does anyone ordered have any reviews of this case?
Unfortunately that isn't how it works. Those plastic slots aren't really there for the antenna to radiate through. Either they are merely aesthetic, or they are there to break up the metal sides so that they are the right length to actually be part of the antenna themselves. So this case really is going to do nothing to stop any signal degradation.
Oh No, it's our friend Lucky Garden again pushing more China junk.
I do plan to order something like this one, as I was searching for it yesterday. Please give us review, when you get it.
Aww crap, I was hoping it would be a great case. Well I bought one but the good thing is it was only $2.99. When it gets here I will let you know what I think.
It came!!
So the case came today, took about 2 weeks to get it. Not bad I guess with the free shipping.
Things I like about it:
Fits snug, no movement or jiggling in the case
No signal loss, no wifi interference at all
Looks pretty slick, doesn't add bulk, can see the phones beauty
Buttons are very responsive and clicky. Metal buttons, not plastic.
Most cut outs are cut perfectly.
Things I don't like about it:
Minimal lay on the table protection on the front
Back of case presses against glass of phone creating an oil slick effect as seen in my pic below (nothing a matte screen protector can't fix)
Makes phone kind of slippery, feels almost like there isn't a case on the phone.
Headphone jack cutout it very narrow so anything other than original earphones probably won't fit.
All in all I like the case and will use it for work, not bad for a $3.00 case! I am really glad it isn't causing any problems with cell signal or wifi signal. I will probably order other colors in a few days!
BlessedTalent said:
So the case came today, took about 2 weeks to get it. Not bad I guess with the free shipping.
Things I like about it:
Fits snug, no movement or jiggling in the case
No signal loss, no wifi interference at all
Looks pretty slick, doesn't add bulk, can see the phones beauty
Buttons are very responsive and clicky. Metal buttons, not plastic.
Most cut outs are cut perfectly.
Things I don't like about it:
Minimal lay on the table protection on the front
Back of case presses against glass of phone creating an oil slick effect as seen in my pic below (nothing a matte screen protector can't fix)
Makes phone kind of slippery, feels almost like there isn't a case on the phone.
Headphone jack cutout it very narrow so anything other than original earphones probably won't fit.
All in all I like the case and will use it for work, not bad for a $3.00 case! I am really glad it isn't causing any problems with cell signal or wifi signal. I will probably order other colors in a few days!
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I ordered one I think a day or two after you did. So it should be here soon. what about the GPS? Is the signal on that affected much?
---------- Post added at 11:56 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:53 PM ----------
Oh, and as far as the slipperiness goes. I did this with my clear case and it worked pretty well. Most of the time that slipperiness is a combination of the slick plastic and the release agent they used. I started with 2000 grit sandpaper. Then I wet sanded it with 2000 grit. Then I 5000 grits sanded it. Then I used mothers plastic polish. Same thing you use on headlights. And it's much more comfortable to hold without getting that greasy slippery feeling and remaining crystal clear
Nice, I'll do that to help with the feel. My GPS seems to be unaffected as well. Seems like a win on this one to me.
One thing I will say is that the back cover is a pain to get off, doesn't slide off as easy as it goes on. Not a deal breaker but if you like to change your cases often this might be a problem for you.
looks similar to this http://www.ebay.com/itm/Luxury-Alum...Domain_0&var=470724516067&hash=item27feab9f65
I tried to find it on ali website but couldn't
[email protected] said:
looks similar to this http://www.ebay.com/itm/Luxury-Alum...Domain_0&var=470724516067&hash=item27feab9f65
I tried to find it on ali website but couldn't
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Click to collapse
I found it for the S6 Edge http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Luxu...e-For-Samsung-Galaxy-S6-Edge/32340065184.html
It actually looks way better than that one I bought. I might have to look for it for the regular S6.
BlessedTalent said:
I found it for the S6 Edge http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Luxu...e-For-Samsung-Galaxy-S6-Edge/32340065184.html
It actually looks way better than that one I bought. I might have to look for it for the regular S6.
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please post if you find it for us.
[email protected] said:
please post if you find it for us.
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Here it is for the S6
http://www.aliexpress.com/store/pro...For-Samsung-Galaxy-S6/419092_32334833286.html
I might have to order this one!! I wonder how this acts with the cell signal and reception because the one I bought doesnt cause any problems.
BlessedTalent said:
Here it is for the S6
http://www.aliexpress.com/store/pro...For-Samsung-Galaxy-S6/419092_32334833286.html
I might have to order this one!! I wonder how this acts with the cell signal and reception because the one I bought doesnt cause any problems.
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If you want me to guineepig I will lol. I have no experience with this website is it better/more reliaable than ebay?
That's cool, yeah I don't want to put out $20 to find out it doesn't work as well as planned. I have purchased 5 cases over the past 6 years and have never had a problem. The money goes in escrow until you confirm you got your order in satisfactory condition and time. If not the money goes back to you. I pay with my credit card but others use Paypal. I hate Paypal so I don't use them. I thinks it's safe and will continue to order from Aliexpress. Others on this forum have also ordered, they may have some reviews on their experiences.
Ill buy it tonight. I am debating on black on black or back and silver
I just installed a after s reel protector on he back of my phone and the removal of the back of the case is super easy to remove now. I guess that moisture between the glass and the plastic was creating a suction keeping the back of the case stuck to the phone. Not a problem now though.
Really liking how this case feels and looks, most people don't even notice that a case is in my phone which is the whole point of me buying it.
I got this case via eBay and I am very pleased with it. Just what I wanted. I'll make a thread and take pictures later.
And they come with a free glass screen protector!
http://www.twdevilcase.com/en/index.php?menu=prod_detail&mid=1&did=1&pid=5110&list=class
UPDATE 11/16: They seem to have taken down the page from the store, which is unfortunate as I already ordered and paid for my bumper Will post updates on shipping and/or cancellation status
UPDATE 2: It's back up
UPDATE 3: Check your spam for shipping confirmation!
UPDATE 4 : This case absolutely destroyed my signal strength, it will be going on eBay tonight. I personally do not recommend this case despite the looks/protection it offers
Thanks for heads up, preordered just in time - offer on for 1 more day only
Update: my order has shipped
Redonkulous said:
Update: my order has shipped
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Wow, really? Which color did you get? I ordered green right before I created this thread and haven't gotten a shipping email yet
Hi, I ordered silver
Hi friend ,
We've sent your order out on Nov 19 afternoon (GMT+8), the EMS tracking number is Exxxxxxxxxx
Redonkulous said:
Hi, I ordered silver
Hi friend ,
We've sent your order out on Nov 19 afternoon (GMT+8), the EMS tracking number is Exxxxxxxxxx
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Nice, let me know how you like it! Never used one of these before but they look amazing.
Yes, I had a Kewers on my Z1c last year which looks pretty similar and would recommend in case your pre order falls through, they are also about to release for Z5. Similarly I've seen Deff Japan bring out an exquisite frame recently for the Z5, but the cost factored in with Japanese export cost makes it a little prohibitive. Looks very nice all the same
Ordered a GRAPHITE black. Hopefully it doesn't block signal and hopefully the fingerprint will still work.
I did also get a back matte glass screen protectors.
Just saw my shipping confirmation email, if you guys haven't gotten it yet, check your spam mail--all their emails to me went straight to spam.
Just got mine in today. First time I've ever owned one of these cases and liking the look so far. Just put it on so can't say anything for signal loss.
Got the front glass screen protector, which sadly does not come with a cut out for the front-facing camera.
Volume rocker can be a bit of a struggle and will definitely take me some getting used to but camera button works great and the cut out for the power button/fingerprint sensor is spacious, allowing you to unlock it with little fuss.
blakestimac said:
Just got mine in today. First time I've ever owned one of these cases and liking the look so far. Just put it on so can't say anything for signal loss.
Got the front glass screen protector, which sadly does not come with a cut out for the front-facing camera.
Volume rocker can be a bit of a struggle and will definitely take me some getting used to but camera button works great and the cut out for the power button/fingerprint sensor is spacious, allowing you to unlock it with little fuss.
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Thanks for posting pictures, I might buy one of these for myself. What is the cutout at the top of the device for? Or is that there to save material?
Not sure, actually. Possible material saving, possibly for signal loss. You're guess is as good as mine.
Had the graphite black one... I find it really hard to use the power button and fingerprint scanner... Anyone else?
I'm thinking of returning it.
ml2514 said:
Had the graphite black one... I find it really hard to use the power button and fingerprint scanner... Anyone else?
I'm thinking of returning it.
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Not having any trouble getting my fingerprint to register, but the initial power button press does require a little adjustment. Still, not a dealbreaker for me.
received mine today, very impressed - not having issues with fingerprint scanner, I use my right thumb and it's small enough to squidge in between the raised area Not put on tempered yet, still using Sony provided protector
Got mine last night, green on green so I won't post duplicate pictures.
Signal quality has taken a noticeable hit. I am no longer able to make calls or texts in my bedroom whereas before I had low signal that would only occasionally drop. Now I have absolutely nothing unless I stand by the window. TWS has gone up, but I haven't been paying enough attention to what it was before to say how much. I just know it wasn't in the high 30% range like it is now.
I can't decide if I like the green on green look--as you can see from the other pictures, the greens clearly do not match. It's a nice green, just not the same as the phone. Would look sexy on a white phone imo, but I don't think I'm going to be keeping it on mine. I'm either going to go with graphite black or just wait for rubber bumper cases. The signal hit is so much stronger than I anticipated I don't think it's worth it for me.
With that said, I will give it a week or two to see if things settle down. It is a beautiful case, fits very well, and will definitely protect during even a disastrous drop. Fingerprint reader is way easier to access than with my tudia case.
The back screen protector is extremely precisely cut and combined with the bumper it was almost a brainless install. Matte finish is not perfect in some areas but I don't mind. Not great if you have ocd, but I'm fairly particular and it doesn't bother me. It's like they sprayed the finish on too thick in one or two spots around the camera.
Overall I would definitely recommend the case/company, but there's some inherent problems with using metal that can be extremely problematic
After a full day of failed texts, battery drain, dropped signals, and maybe missed calls (who knows?) I can say for certain that I would not recommend this case to anyone. My messages were failing with 2 and 3 bars of service; I walked out of my office at work and got hit with 7 texts yesterday despite having moderate signal the whole time. I am really hoping this is somehow a fluke, but it seems like the aluminum is just too much. Hopefully the rest of you are having a better experience.
I was going to buy one of these, since i'm nearly to buy a Z5, to change my oldie Z1, I have the bumper for the Z1 and have not problem at all, reading these I see it has a lot of problems so is a shame I love this devilcase, anyone with a good review or its just not worth it to buy one of these?
I got mine just two days ago, it is dark green color. The bumper is really really awesome. Perfectly match with my dark green Sumire
About the losing signal issue, I am seemingly facing the same but it is rarely happened. Just once or twice if I am not mistaken. I wonder if it is really because of the bumper case.
Posted mine here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=64403556
https://www.toastmade.com/products/essential-phone.html
curious, has anyone tried one? I like the look of these, but with the phone being pretty heavy already I wonder how much more weight wood would add to it
Just ordered! Will let you know once it arrives
Someone on Reddit shared this last month. I later asked about the 360 camera with this and they were unaware of the accessory. They said they would try to make a version with a cutout. Not sure yet where they are with that. Just a heads up though.
That looks amazing.
I go to the gym quite often and go inside the sauna after. I wonder how this will hold up to that?
Got mine last week!!
I got mine last week. I wanted to have it on for a little while before posting a recommendation. First and foremost, I ordered a custom design version, with a logo remove option. Its drift wood with gold inlay. It has held up quite well. This is skin, not a case btw. No peeling off anywhere, and it's very thin considering it's a "faux" (I think it's faux) wood laminate. I have a magnet on the back of my phone under the skin, and it still holds my phone in a horizontal position on its cradle, although it has definitly lost some pull. Install was very easy and cutout alignment is top notch. But a word of warning: the adhesive on this is SUPER strong (which is a good thing); once it stick you have to heat it up loosen it. So take a deep breathe and align things correctly before letting the adhesive touch the phone.
I wanted to talk about Toast customer service as well. They're very friendly and patient. I had close to 20 emails sent back and forth between me and the design team until I was happy with the overall look. No attitude, no fuss. The design came out perfect with excellent detail. They even sent me extra "snake eyes" In case it falls off since it's so small, but it has held up well. I highly recommend this product as of now. I'll get back to you guys if it's starts to peel off or break, but judging by how it's held up until now, I have confidence in it. Only thing that bugs me a bit is that the skin can pick up color staining from clothing, but I've managed to clean it easily with isopropyl alcohol. I leave mine in the front pocket of my scrubs, and it has picked up the dark blue color a few times, especially when I was sweating. Again, it wipes clean, even after a day of setting in. It might not even be an issue with the darker color woods.
Overall extremely happy with the purchase. Highly recommended!!!
Thanks for the review! I've been debating pulling the plug on one due to the price but i think i am now.
Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. This post will likely end up long and meandering so here are some pictures to help you decide if you are interested in reading on.
Gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/3jjlabcpm/
Those that have come across my waffle in this forum or elsewhere before will know that I was (and am) a total convert to ruggedized handsets. I work as a forester, as well as being a keen mountain biker, motorbike rider, kayaker and alcoholic.
To those ends, the S7 Active was the best device I've ever owned by a huge margin. The things that it survived with zero added protection beyond a glass screen protector were out of this world. It is still in daily use in my family. The battery has seen better days but overall the physical condition and functionality of the phone are near perfect.
Why on earth would I trade that device for one constructed almost entirely from glass? Well, I'm not sure. I still have massive reservations about the decision but at the end of the day: no mainstream manufacturer is currently producing a top-tier ruggedized device, and I wanted an unlocked bootloader and glorious custom roms back in my life which ruled out a couple of slightly older options.
I almost went with the AGM X3 but the lack of OIS in the camera, and the unknown quality of manufacture made the now obscene price tag just a little bit too much of a gamble.
Anyway: once the Note 9 arrived I realised just how fragile this thing was. I was filled with regret to the point that I actually considered just putting it on ebay; so sure was I that it would be smashed to pieces in a matter of days.
After installing Dr Ketan's rom, I changed my tune. I committed myself to finding a functional protection solution that would work for me without interrupting wireless charging and without turning it into a brick (it is heavy enough as it comes!).
My office is presently littered with poor purchase decisions; cases that promised the world and delivered a ham sandwich.
I also struggled because there was only 1 case that would match up with the relatively expensive handlebar mounts I already have on all my gear, but that case did not quite meet my requirements on a few fronts.
I tried to find the largest genuine leather wallet case that I could find, with initial plans to simply swap cases to my quadlock case when I wanted to go out for a ride. Unfortunately, I found that the quad lock case was so god damn well-constructed that the mere act of inserting and removing the phone felt like I was eventually going to do some damage. This is not your everyday sleeve case! it is constructed from some sort of hybrid, rubberised material with a massive amount of retained stiffness. It is absolutely tough as nails and has very little flex once the phone is inserted....it is an absolute nightmare to remove once it is on there, which is fantastic to give you a bit of peace of mind once you hit 200km/h!
It also has a little bit of screen protection due to the large protrusions top and bottom which mean that the screen does not contact the surface you lay it on face down. Still, no face protection.
I have no wish to join the legion of people walking around with a cracked screen, and the curved screens that samsung insist on using are well prone to easy breakage...I needed more coverage!
I ordered a hand made 2-part, magnetic, genuine leather BEMFEY wallet case from Turkey. It was not cheap, but the workmanship on the wallet portion is top notch. It also fits cash without having to fold notes, holds 4 cards and will absolutely outlast the device it was built for.
Unfortunately, the leather sleeve portion was an absolute piece of junk: brown epoxy gack everywhere, screen sat flush with absolutely zero protection, thin, no button cutouts: just overall a terrible idea if you had any plans of protecting your investment. Probably ok for desk workers.
Long story short: I did what any good forester would do and started thinking outside the box. Attached a thin iron plate to the rear of my quad lock case with epoxy, and am now using this as an insert into the BEMFEY wallet case. Results so far are impressive.
The magnets in the bemfey case are strong as hell, and though I will probably add another tiny iron plate on the top side I have never once come close to the phone coming away from the case accidentally. Even if it did, the Quad lock case is tough as hell and I have a bit of faith in it on it's own.
Together though, I doubt anyone else has got this level of functionality or protection on their Note 9. I've dropped it numerous times already: in the bush, on a plane, onto a tiled floor. Zero problem.
When it's time to ride, I peel the phone out of the wallet, securely lock it to my bars and pop the wallet it my pocket. Winning on all fronts.
It cost me a pretty penny to get there but I think I'm keeping this setup! In the grand scheme of things, it is worth investing 10% of your phone cost to make sure that it doesn't die an early death. If anyone wants to replicate, you can find quadlock on google and BEMFEY can be tracked down on their Etsy store. They will custom make to order including laser engraving if that is your thing.
Hey how good are the Quad Lock cases? Why I’m asking I’m fairly active, and i don’t want my Note 9 falling off my arm! I’m interested the arm band i been waiting for Supcase as they had a awesome Armband case for the S8+!
On that the band would feed behind the case it had a slit cut out so no matter what one would do jump run mountain biking etc. no way is the S8+ falling out! The supcase come in 2 parts soft tpu rubber and hard plastic the plastic as a lip, so when you put in the phone the tpu rubber would wrap around the hard plastic so it locks the phone in
i have been looking at other armbands, but they got a lock system and they kind of suck! i was planning on gluing the lock into the armband this is a supcase one Ive seen , but now i just saw your post and just found out about Quad lock! Could you please let me know, how reliable the lock is or would I need to glue it locked??? Thanks
As stated above, their build quality is epic.
I can't guarantee anything on the armband as I don't use one but it appears to have the exact same mounting hardware as the motorbike mount including the release switch. I can tell you right now, there is no way in hell it will come off if the hardware is the same.
I have crashed my motorbike offroad at speed, bruising myself up fairly impressively and this thing didn't go anywhere.
My gf is getting into running again and I plan to get her one of the quadlock armbands soon. You pay a bit, but you can keep the mount parts for your next phone. Even if you buy something exotic, you can just grab the universal mount or pry it off your old one and epoxy it on to a case.