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heelsbigc

macrumors member
Jan 13, 2011
74
1
Wilmington, NC
got my replacement case today. It fits perfectly. No clicking, no flexing. It just fits. :)

Big thumbs up to Element on a quick turn around and good customer service.
 

Swayzee

macrumors member
Jul 18, 2012
78
0
got my replacement case today. It fits perfectly. No clicking, no flexing. It just fits. :)

Big thumbs up to Element on a quick turn around and good customer service.

how long did you wait? they received my case about 5-6 (business) days ago. just wondering how long i should expect to wait to get my replacement shipped out to me.
 

v3rn

macrumors regular
Mar 16, 2010
180
0
I got my replacement Black Ops version instead of the FE I originally had. I had them send me out a new Black Ops the same time I sent back my bad FE and they said they would just credit my account back once they received the FE. I did that because I know shipping is very slow to and from them and wanted to case ASAP.

My replacement Black Ops case is amazing, much happier with it than my FE case. And the fit is perfect. Lets hope this one doesn't loosen up now.
 

DanUC6

macrumors 6502a
Feb 6, 2007
714
273
Been on the fence with this case numerous times. My "almost" recent purchased was stopped when I heard many complaints of the fitment of the case loosening up over time. What are everyones thoughts so far? Especially those that have had it for quite some time? What are your overall impressions.
 

MatthewStorm

macrumors 6502a
Oct 19, 2003
923
511
Chapel Hill
Been on the fence with this case numerous times. My "almost" recent purchased was stopped when I heard many complaints of the fitment of the case loosening up over time. What are everyones thoughts so far? Especially those that have had it for quite some time? What are your overall impressions.

I'm sorry I spent the money I did on this. The case is loosening in the same place others are. Element Case customer service is a joke. Sent then multiple emails about this issue. No response. I'm gonna contact my bank and initiate a chargeback.

Never will I spend money with this company again.
 

DanUC6

macrumors 6502a
Feb 6, 2007
714
273
I'm sorry I spent the money I did on this. The case is loosening in the same place others are. Element Case customer service is a joke. Sent then multiple emails about this issue. No response. I'm gonna contact my bank and initiate a chargeback.

Never will I spend money with this company again.

I have been hearing this more and more.
 

archrider

macrumors 6502a
Feb 10, 2008
814
98
Been on the fence with this case numerous times. My "almost" recent purchased was stopped when I heard many complaints of the fitment of the case loosening up over time. What are everyones thoughts so far? Especially those that have had it for quite some time? What are your overall impressions.

I've had an FE case from the first order group and later two other SE cases. Not one sign of any loosening at all. Are you sure you bought the genuine Element case from their site. Excuse me for asking.
 

DanUC6

macrumors 6502a
Feb 6, 2007
714
273
I've had an FE case from the first order group and later two other SE cases. Not one sign of any loosening at all. Are you sure you bought the genuine Element case from their site. Excuse me for asking.

I have not purchased one yet. I am asking about the quality. You seem to to think the quality has been great. Thanks for letting me know.
 

Swayzee

macrumors member
Jul 18, 2012
78
0
For those who have the black ops sector 5 case. Does anyone notice signal loss using the black ops back plate?
 

bloodninj4

macrumors member
Apr 6, 2010
91
0
two month sector 5 review

Original post

Writing a quick review of the sector 5 after two and a half months of use and one accidental drop "test".

Design: B+
Design is a tough one because its purely based on opinion. I haven't had anyone tell me they disliked it or thought it was ugly. Asking to look at my phone is a common occurrence so I gave it a B+. I enjoy the look of it- if you purchased the case you probably do to.

Construction: C+
The aluminum siding is well crafted and feels/looks great. The best part of the aluminum sides is the grip it gives you. Using the phone in landscape feels great. It feels like you are holding something designed to be in landscape like a psp or something. The plastic corners are made of very weak plastic. The padding that lines the inside of case gets worn out over time and squishes down. This eventually makes the grip around the phone feel lose. Its not as firm as it use to feel when it was new. The plastic corners and padding are in need of an upgrade. Element has to use better material for these pieces.
JD7g7aS.jpg


Protection: D-
Look, if your phone drops face down on a hard uneven surface its very likely going to shatter the screen. If you aren't using the rear stick on felt they provide, its going to get scuffed up on an uneven surface. If you are not using some sort of sticker/wrap to protect the back of the phone or part of the front.. its going to get scratched on an uneven surface. The bumper is very light and thin. The aluminum its self is very weak because ...its aluminum. I dropped my phone during mardi gras on the sidewalk from pocket height and you can see the results below.
t1Tdlu9.jpg

GuWk4Sw.jpg


Price: D-
This should probably be an F but we can only blame our selves for spending 140$+ on a cell phone case that is less then 10 grams of material lol.


Overall I still really enjoy the case. I don't see my self changing it any time soon. I wish element would improve upon the plastic corners and the padding lining the inside or a significant reduction in price. I feel like the material you receive is not consistent with the price of the case. The case offers very little protection. You end up spending additional monies on wraps and glass screen protectors to get more protection.
 
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fskywalker

macrumors 65816
Nov 6, 2009
1,223
3
The grey color finish of my black ops is quickly deteriorating with normal use, the grey aluminum color is already showing on the top side of the case (borders). I guess the silver color version was better in that respect.....

So much for the "special" stronger coating....

Grade: C-
 
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bloodninj4

macrumors member
Apr 6, 2010
91
0
The grey color finish of my black ops is quickly deteriorating with normal use, the grey aluminum color is already showing on the top side of the case (borders). I guess the silver color version was better in that respect.....

So much for the "special" stronger coating....

Grade: C-

"aircraft grade"
"hard anodized black finish"
"type 3 anodizing"
"tactical CNC g10 back plate"

its purely marketing
 

bwerner25

macrumors member
Aug 14, 2012
56
0
Texas
I've had mine now for almost 3 months. It hasn't loosened at all. I'm pretty rough on my cases. I've dropped this one probably 5-7 times from 3+ feet onto hard surfaces. The annodizing has held up much better than I had expected and other than a few small spots it looks good as new. I had a pretty good customer service experience when I ordered my case. They emailed me back within 24 hours. I've always had Otterbox cases on my phones before the 5 and this Element Case is by far worth the extra $80.
 

bloodninj4

macrumors member
Apr 6, 2010
91
0
I've had mine now for almost 3 months. It hasn't loosened at all. I'm pretty rough on my cases. I've dropped this one probably 5-7 times from 3+ feet onto hard surfaces. The annodizing has held up much better than I had expected and other than a few small spots it looks good as new. I had a pretty good customer service experience when I ordered my case. They emailed me back within 24 hours. I've always had Otterbox cases on my phones before the 5 and this Element Case is by far worth the extra $80.

There is absolutely no way you can compare the otterbox to the sector 5

I don't even believe otterbox makes a bumper case so the comparison is fubar

5-7 times? on carpet maybe. If I drop my phone 2-3 times I'm confident the sector 5 plastic corners would shatter or the phone screen would be damaged.
 

bwerner25

macrumors member
Aug 14, 2012
56
0
Texas
There is absolutely no way you can compare the otterbox to the sector 5

I don't even believe otterbox makes a bumper case so the comparison is fubar

5-7 times? on carpet maybe. If I drop my phone 2-3 times I'm confident the sector 5 plastic corners would shatter or the phone screen would be damaged.

I never made a comparison. I just like the sector 5 better than the Otterbox. Sure, the Otterbox acts like a tank. But it looks and feels like one too. And it rubs against the phone and should include rash guards to prevent it.

And I've dropped it 5-7 times on concrete mostly. I keep my phone in my lap when I drive and I occasionally forget to grab it before I jump out of my truck. I have a Pure on my screen too so that helps a lot.

The plastic connectors seem pretty sturdy to me. I don't see how they would break from a fall. I think the case is very sturdy. It's not going to protect the phone if it falls in water or if someone steps on it. But I'm not worried about that happening because it's never happened before.
 

BoomstickMafia

macrumors member
Nov 12, 2012
73
0
Just ordered my CF backplate! Can't wait for it to arrive. Originally bought the FE S5 because of the included CF. was quite disappointed when it arrived without it.

IMO, this one looks so much better too!
 

archrider

macrumors 6502a
Feb 10, 2008
814
98
Just ordered my CF backplate! Can't wait for it to arrive. Originally bought the FE S5 because of the included CF. was quite disappointed when it arrived without it.

IMO, this one looks so much better too!

I returned my original Cf back plate because of signal issues. Since this version is TPU over the top and bottom glass, therefore over the antennas, the problem is solved. I like it.
 

BoomstickMafia

macrumors member
Nov 12, 2012
73
0
I returned my original Cf back plate because of signal issues. Since this version is TPU over the top and bottom glass, therefore over the antennas, the problem is solved. I like it.

No doubt!

I think I'm gonna call customer service though. My iPhone is loose in the case. Thought it was normal, until just now. Been away from here for awhile and just looked over the last few pages. Seems like I'm not alone with my case not fitting snug. Case is FE, but since it's not available any longer, I'll see about switching into the new CF edition. I really like that it says Sector 5 on the side.

I'll report back after I speak with them.
 

BoomstickMafia

macrumors member
Nov 12, 2012
73
0
Spoke with customer service this afternoon. No fuss customer service. I simply explained that my case does not fit snug. She then told me they would replace it. I then questioned replacement simply because it was a FE model and no longer available. She said they could make another one as a replacement - that is very good customer service in my book! I then inquired about replacing my FE with the CF which was released today and was told that would not be a problem at all. They will simply refund the cost of the FE once it is returned. She even stopped the order for my CF backplate and within 5 minutes of hanging up the phone, I had an email from EC with instructions on how to return the FE.
 

Munkypoo7

macrumors 6502
Oct 24, 2011
449
71
Hanover, MD
Spoke with customer service this afternoon. No fuss customer service. I simply explained that my case does not fit snug. She then told me they would replace it. I then questioned replacement simply because it was a FE model and no longer available. She said they could make another one as a replacement - that is very good customer service in my book! I then inquired about replacing my FE with the CF which was released today and was told that would not be a problem at all. They will simply refund the cost of the FE once it is returned. She even stopped the order for my CF backplate and within 5 minutes of hanging up the phone, I had an email from EC with instructions on how to return the FE.

It's CS like this that helps me justify the cost of my Sector5 FE as well. That's awesome :)
 
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