The difference between the authentic and fakes is that the authentic is anodized aluminum and the fakes are painted. The difference in quality finish clearly shows.
LoL that's for the base.... knock it up to the block ops and you're paying $200 No thanks, I'll take mine for $35. I do hope they come out with one of the wood ones.The real shame is that Element charges $140 for BUMPERS.
Does the paint chip off easily over time?
So my Sector 5 just arrived today. I removed the my VaporPro bumper case to compare the two.
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First of all, I can say that the fit is better on this "Sector 5" out of the box compared to the VaporPro that needed to be bent a little to be flush with the phone.
However the headphone jack opening is even deeper on this Sector 5 than on the VaporPro making the headphone selection even more limited. Also the bottom opening is divided into three separate sections whereas it was wide open on the VaporPro design.
As far as a signal reception test using field test mode:
iPhone 5 without case: -96 on desk (-110 in hand)
iPhone 5 in Sector 5 case: -97 on desk (-111 in hand)
iPhone 5 in VaporPro case: -97 on desk (-111 in hand)
So as you can see the impact on the signal is negligble with both the Sector 5 and VaporPro.
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One negative that I noticed is that this Sector 5 is not a "lay on the table" design as the front edge of the case is flush with the front glass. If you set the phone face down, the front glass will touch the surface of the table. The VaporPro case on the other hand had a slightly raised front edge that kept the glass from touching the table/desk/counter.
As far as the overall finish I see a slight asymmetry in the machining of the front bevel and my case came with a tiny dent in the back edge. The edges dont seem quite as sharp as they were on the VaporPro which in my eyes is a good thing as I keep my iPhone 5 in the same pocket as my work iPhone 4. The back of my iPhone 4 case was getting quite scratched up by the sharp edges of the VaporPro on my iPhone 5.
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Overall, I'm reasonably happy with this Sector 5 case. It improves on several of the issues that I had with the VaporPro including initial fit and edge sharpness. Based on my testing, neither case significantly impacts cellular signal strength as compared to a bare phone. The drawbacks however, are not being a "lay on table" safe design, deep/narrow headphone jack opening, and slight asymmetry in machining.
I've had mine around 3 weeks... Dropped it off my nightstand a couple times and no paint chips or anything. Holding up well
black..
Can you take a close up of the black finish pwetty please? Does it feel ultra smooth or rough?
black..
Amazing combination! Is that a skin on top of your aluminum home button?
Can you please give us the low down on what you have? The skin and the home button setup!
We need to make a rule:
When ever anyone posts a pic of their phone, list the components of the case please. So i don't have to ask...
Hey budd, what is your set up?
So my Sector 5 just arrived today. I removed the my VaporPro bumper case to compare the two.
Image
Image
First of all, I can say that the fit is better on this "Sector 5" out of the box compared to the VaporPro that needed to be bent a little to be flush with the phone.
However the headphone jack opening is even deeper on this Sector 5 than on the VaporPro making the headphone selection even more limited. Also the bottom opening is divided into three separate sections whereas it was wide open on the VaporPro design.
As far as a signal reception test using field test mode:
iPhone 5 without case: -96 on desk (-110 in hand)
iPhone 5 in Sector 5 case: -97 on desk (-111 in hand)
iPhone 5 in VaporPro case: -97 on desk (-111 in hand)
So as you can see the impact on the signal is negligble with both the Sector 5 and VaporPro.
Image
One negative that I noticed is that this Sector 5 is not a "lay on the table" design as the front edge of the case is flush with the front glass. If you set the phone face down, the front glass will touch the surface of the table. The VaporPro case on the other hand had a slightly raised front edge that kept the glass from touching the table/desk/counter.
As far as the overall finish I see a slight asymmetry in the machining of the front bevel and my case came with a tiny dent in the back edge. The edges dont seem quite as sharp as they were on the VaporPro which in my eyes is a good thing as I keep my iPhone 5 in the same pocket as my work iPhone 4. The back of my iPhone 4 case was getting quite scratched up by the sharp edges of the VaporPro on my iPhone 5.
Image
Overall, I'm reasonably happy with this Sector 5 case. It improves on several of the issues that I had with the VaporPro including initial fit and edge sharpness. Based on my testing, neither case significantly impacts cellular signal strength as compared to a bare phone. The drawbacks however, are not being a "lay on table" safe design, deep/narrow headphone jack opening, and slight asymmetry in machining.
For anyone who has ordered off of caseswill. How long did it take for you to receive your case?