PowerSupport Bumper for the iPhone 5

[JNGold]

Originally Posted by Thekidtorres

Dis you have the clear caze??

I have Clear, Silver, and Black. The first clear I received was so bad I had to return it. Caze sent me a replacement which was better but still a little "creaky".

[Thekidtorres]

Hopefully I will get the perfect Caze jejejejej

[JNGold]

Just in case (no pun intended) anyone is interested, I have my Blue bumper for sale: http://forums.macrumors.com/showthre...8#post16858818 for 35 bucks, which includes shipping.

US Only, Paypal preferred.

Thanks.

[rwilliams]

I got my bumper yesterday, and I absolutely love it. I hate most cases and bumpers, and had been carrying my phone in a Sena leather pouch (which is also great). But this bumper is well worth the money. I've used their crystal film for years, so I am glad to have that included in the package. And shipping was fast - I ordered it on Tuesday with standard shipping and it arrived on Saturday.

If you can afford it, get it.

[bsquarewi]

I received both a Caze ThinEdge and the PowerSupport Flat in the mail yesterday. While the PowerSupport is very very nice and more substantial. It didn't give me the "wow" factor that the ThinEdge did. The ThinEdge is sooo thin, it really feels just like holding the naked iPhone 5 with just a rubbery band around it. Now, that said, the ThinEdge with the recessed Power and Volume buttons is not nearly as easy to use as the PowerSupport.

Before I received these I had the Spigen Linear EX Thin Metalic. So to compare the PowerSupport to this one, I'd say the PowerSupport is similar to the Spigen LinearEX with much better quality and more "features." I compare them because the size (width/height) and slippery feel are slightly similar. The cutout and depth of the ringer/vibrate switch on the PowerSupport is similar to the Spigen as is the color of the black/grey plastic to match the iPhone 5. The PowerSupport is obviously much better in that it is a one piece and has the rubber edges which off-set the slippery of the plastic band and provide a decent amount of grip. The volume buttons on the PowerSupport are solid and do not have a rattle of the inserts like many cases have. The Spigen's volume insert does rattle. As has been covered in this thread, the power button on the Flat is pretty bad. Even when playing with the provided inserts and eventually going to just a thin strip of electrical tape directly on the power button, the "Click" feed-back is there, but you have to really be paying attention to actually feel it. It's pretty numb. The Spigen LinearEX provides a good solid click.

Word of warning! When taking the Flat bumper off the phone, do NOT try to pull the corner with your finger nail. The rubber lip is thin. I already have a nick out of the corner of the raised rubber lip which I caught with my fingernail. Just use the pad of your thumbs and push or pull it off.

All in all, I would say that this is a very great bumper case. It is the one I'll be continuing to use, for sure. The feeling of opening it was a "yeah, this is very nice" but not a WOW factor. The ThinEdge won the wow factor for me today. However, the PowerSupport then wins, hands down on the functionality factor. From the three I have here, I'd rank them as this:

1. 2. Caze ThinEdge
- It's a great minimal alternative and provides noticable grip which the other 2 don't have. And while I used a Griffin Reveal Frame on my 4S which had open cut-outs for volume and power, this one just seems harder to connect through the open cut-outs, probably a factor of smaller button on the iPhone 5.
- Edit: After a few days of using the Power Support Flat, I've switched to the ThinEdge. The power button issue on the PowerSupport ended up being just too much to tolerate every day. After a few days of usage of this ThinEdge, the issue of getting my fingers into the cut-outs I don't even notice anymore. I guess after several days of bad feedback from the PowerSupport Bumper, this one now feels right.
Holding this one feels as close to holding the bare iPhone as possible. It retains the 5's thin, light form factor and retains the "wow" factor of holding something so small and light.


2. 1. Power Support Flat Bumper
- Great color match which off-sets the slippery plastic with the rubber lip. The poor feedback on the power button is the only factor that makes this comparison even close. One downside of the "flat around" feeling I have found is that when fumbling for the phone in the middle of night looking for the feel of the power button on the top is gone and the numb feed-back on pushing the power button doesn't help the situation. Another annoyance.
- Edit: Upon further review... for the price of this, I would want a better power button design. I used the included stickers, electrical tape and never achieved a level of feedback on the power button which I was comfortable with. Holding this bumper in your hand feels great, but I simply got tired of screwing with the power button. I'll keep it around should I decide to give it another try, but upon further reflection, the power button is too much of a factor to recommend this at the price.

3. Spigen LinearEX Thin Metalic
- A decent bumper. But for around $20 it's pretty basic. It would be nice to see it have a little better quality on the volume buttons to remove the rattle and somehow to provide better grip with a rubber lip like the PowerSupport and still maintain the $20 price. Then it could jump to the top based on value alone. But as it is, it's just slippery, but nicely colored, piece of plastic.


- Edit after several days of usage of the PowerSupport, it's traded places with the Caze.

[MyLS460]

Originally Posted by MyLS460

Both arrived safe and sound in record time (Japan - Texas)! Haven't had time to install . . .

- Shipped on 01/15/13 at 6:54pm (Japan time)
- Delivered to my house on 01/17/13 at 9:33am (Texas time)


Attachment 390869
Attachment 390870

I finally got through with (1) attaching my black/slate flat bumper from Power Support, (2) protective back sticker from Sticker Boy, metallic slate color, and (3) making a custom minimalist leather case for the iPhone5 myself(therapeutic :-). The case has 2 pockets and surprisingly, with the case inside any of the outer pockets (1st picture in the 3rd slide), the person on the other end can hear me clearly. The outer pockets can also store credit cards, cash, etc. It's simple and does what I need it to do.

[iEnvy]

Originally Posted by bsquarewi

Edit: After several days of usage with the PowerSupport, it traded places with the Caze. FTFY

You'll be back once it starts to discolor.

[theturtle]

Originally Posted by iEnvy

You'll be back once it starts to discolor.

So if the caze didn't discolor, is the caze better than the PS?

[JNGold]

Originally Posted by theturtle

So if the caze didn't discolor, is the caze better than the PS?

No. I left the Caze because of the button cutouts and it didn't work with the 30pin dock connector cable. Not too mention the pot luck you get with "creaking". I have 3 of them sitting in my desk drawer.

[bananataffy]

the button cutouts, logo, and nazi red armband design of the Caze kills it for me. i'm also not a fan of the perforated, non-precise speaker holes. they almost nailed it though...

[bsquarewi]

Originally Posted by JNGold

... I have 3 of them sitting in my desk drawer.

Which, depending on where you get the PS Flat bumper from, cumulatively cost about the same as the 1 PS Flat.

I have no intention of getting rid of the PS Flat, I think it's an amazing looking case. If you can hit that sweet-spot of finding the right amount of padding to tuck into the power button, it's probably just right. I just couldn't personally. At one point I had too much "padding" and found that the slightest touch would turn the phone on/off. I pulled the phone out of my pocket and it was waiting in turn-off mode. The power button had been depressed in my pocket.

And yeah, based on the feel of the Caze (the finish) I can see how handling this thing over time will lead to dulling of the rubberish finish and discoloring. I doesn't feel like the other 2 PS Flat and Spiegen Linear would have the same issue based on their finish.

[Enforce]

Originally Posted by iEnvy

You'll be back once it starts to discolor.

All plastic colored cases will eventually discolor over time due to wear & tear. its just a matter of time. what we should focus on is the durability of the Flat bumper

[iEnvy]

Originally Posted by Enforce

All plastic colored cases will eventually discolor over time due to wear & tear. its just a matter of time. what we should focus on is the durability of the Flat bumper

Not true at all.
If we're talking durability, then there's no argument for me. There's a reason I bought a PS bumper after using the Caze for a while.

[ebs530]

Anyone tried the black PS with a white iPhone 5? I'm looking for a black bumper because I like the look of a black bumper on an iPhone 5.

Also, how is grip on this phone? I'm looking for a bumper because I find the phone naked pretty slippery.

[Derek87]

thanks for the updated review. i have had a rough time pulling the trigger on this nearly $50 bumper due to the comments like yours that talk about a less than optimal power button response.

still haven't found the perfect case. for kicks, this week, i'm sporting a cheap monoprice bumper which i "toss into the cart" while ordering a bunch of other things from the back in December. for the price, it works amazingly well. my only small complaint is the flimsiness of the bottom cutout (which they chose to offer better functionality with different cables/accessories)

i still may end up picking up one of these at some point though. how is SZ Electronics Return policy (through Amazon)?

Originally Posted by bsquarewi

I received both a Caze ThinEdge and the PowerSupport Flat in the mail yesterday. While the PowerSupport is very very nice and more substantial. It didn't give me the "wow" factor that the ThinEdge did. The ThinEdge is sooo thin, it really feels just like holding the naked iPhone 5 with just a rubbery band around it. Now, that said, the ThinEdge with the recessed Power and Volume buttons is not nearly as easy to use as the PowerSupport.

Before I received these I had the Spigen Linear EX Thin Metalic. So to compare the PowerSupport to this one, I'd say the PowerSupport is similar to the Spigen LinearEX with much better quality and more "features." I compare them because the size (width/height) and slippery feel are slightly similar. The cutout and depth of the ringer/vibrate switch on the PowerSupport is similar to the Spigen as is the color of the black/grey plastic to match the iPhone 5. The PowerSupport is obviously much better in that it is a one piece and has the rubber edges which off-set the slippery of the plastic band and provide a decent amount of grip. The volume buttons on the PowerSupport are solid and do not have a rattle of the inserts like many cases have. The Spigen's volume insert does rattle. As has been covered in this thread, the power button on the Flat is pretty bad. Even when playing with the provided inserts and eventually going to just a thin strip of electrical tape directly on the power button, the "Click" feed-back is there, but you have to really be paying attention to actually feel it. It's pretty numb. The Spigen LinearEX provides a good solid click.

Word of warning! When taking the Flat bumper off the phone, do NOT try to pull the corner with your finger nail. The rubber lip is thin. I already have a nick out of the corner of the raised rubber lip which I caught with my fingernail. Just use the pad of your thumbs and push or pull it off.

All in all, I would say that this is a very great bumper case. It is the one I'll be continuing to use, for sure. The feeling of opening it was a "yeah, this is very nice" but not a WOW factor. The ThinEdge won the wow factor for me today. However, the PowerSupport then wins, hands down on the functionality factor. From the three I have here, I'd rank them as this:

1. 2. Caze ThinEdge
- It's a great minimal alternative and provides noticable grip which the other 2 don't have. And while I used a Griffin Reveal Frame on my 4S which had open cut-outs for volume and power, this one just seems harder to connect through the open cut-outs, probably a factor of smaller button on the iPhone 5.
- Edit: After a few days of using the Power Support Flat, I've switched to the ThinEdge. The power button issue on the PowerSupport ended up being just too much to tolerate every day. After a few days of usage of this ThinEdge, the issue of getting my fingers into the cut-outs I don't even notice anymore. I guess after several days of bad feedback from the PowerSupport Bumper, this one now feels right.
Holding this one feels as close to holding the bare iPhone as possible. It retains the 5's thin, light form factor and retains the "wow" factor of holding something so small and light.


2. 1. Power Support Flat Bumper
- Great color match which off-sets the slippery plastic with the rubber lip. The poor feedback on the power button is the only factor that makes this comparison even close. One downside of the "flat around" feeling I have found is that when fumbling for the phone in the middle of night looking for the feel of the power button on the top is gone and the numb feed-back on pushing the power button doesn't help the situation. Another annoyance.
- Edit: Upon further review... for the price of this, I would want a better power button design. I used the included stickers, electrical tape and never achieved a level of feedback on the power button which I was comfortable with. Holding this bumper in your hand feels great, but I simply got tired of screwing with the power button. I'll keep it around should I decide to give it another try, but upon further reflection, the power button is too much of a factor to recommend this at the price.

3. Spigen LinearEX Thin Metalic
- A decent bumper. But for around $20 it's pretty basic. It would be nice to see it have a little better quality on the volume buttons to remove the rattle and somehow to provide better grip with a rubber lip like the PowerSupport and still maintain the $20 price. Then it could jump to the top based on value alone. But as it is, it's just slippery, but nicely colored, piece of plastic.


- Edit after several days of usage of the PowerSupport, it's traded places with the Caze.

[Thekidtorres]

After a long time today i received the caze thinedge, for me, much better than the PS, and it fits perfect, it has no give, and fits very tight, i am very happy with it

[jonxwilliams]

Originally Posted by Thekidtorres

After a long time today i received the caze thinedge, for me, much better than the PS, and it fits perfect, it has no give, and fits very tight, i am very happy with it

Are you using it with a skin/protector on sides the phone? What's interior of the bumper, hard plastic?

I'm curious to know if anyone using the Caze for a while has gotten their edge scratched from it if it's hard plastic.

[Thekidtorres]

Originally Posted by jonxwilliams

Are you using it with a skin/protector on sides the phone? What's interior of the bumper, hard plastic?

I'm curious to know if anyone using the Caze for a while has gotten their edge scratched from it if it's hard plastic.

No, i am not using any side skin, the inside of the case is like the inside of the power support bumper, its kind a TPU or something like that, and I think it will not scratch the phone, the fitment is really tight and there is no move in the inside.

----------

Sorry, I forgot to post the photos

[bigpika]

Hi, i got this bumper a few days ago, i had it on for a few hours and i took it off to find the power button loose and now rattles? anyone else had this problem?

[katai]

My power button always had some play.

[Thekidtorres]

I had loose on the left side and on the bottom, very expensive for that quality, now I am using the thinedge and fits perfect, and this weekend i will have a black air jacket, hopefully is better quality than the PS bumper jeje

[JNGold]

Originally Posted by Thekidtorres

I had loose on the left side and on the bottom, very expensive for that quality, now I am using the thinedge and fits perfect, and this weekend i will have a black air jacket, hopefully is better quality than the PS bumper jeje

I had no such issues with 2 PS bumpers so it's probably a bit unfair to judge the entire product line. It would be like me saying I have 3 ThinEdges' (which I do) and 2 out of the three suffer from "creaks" (which they do), so therefor they are crappy quality.

[Thekidtorres]

Originally Posted by JNGold

I had no such issues with 2 PS bumpers so it's probably a bit unfair to judge the entire product line. It would be like me saying I have 3 ThinEdges' (which I do) and 2 out of the three suffer from "creaks" (which they do), so therefor they are crappy quality.

Yes, I am sure that I was unlucky, but the PS is more expensive that the caze, just the double. So thats because I am angry jaja. Overall Ididnt like at all the design of the PS, its a strange design that I didnt like it.

[ARSkemp]

Like many I have purchased both the thinedge and the powersupport. I ended with the powersupport being my main case and the thinedge a backup. Although I loved the thinedge while I was using it, I really wanted buttons and a larger lay on table design for the front.

My only complaint for the PS is the tactile feel of the power button (a common issue). I've been able to adjust it to the point where in "most" of the time I can feel when I have pressed it and have a solid "click" noise. The time it bothers me most and I lose the tactile feel is while the phone is sitting screen up, on my desk, and I want to press the power button without lifting the phone (thumb at bottom of the phone and middle finger pressing the power button).

[Zantherr]

Anyone here have the SGP Glas.TR and PS flat bumper set-up? I had recently just put in an order for both along with the SGP aluminum home buttons. I guess I should of inquired before I had placed my orders. But for you guys who might have the same set-up, how is it looking for you guys? I'm really trying to go for a slick looking phone without having to compromise the safety of my screen so I had went ahead and bought the SGP Glas.TR but I'm feeling just a tad iffy on how bulky it might make the front of my phone look. Any insights?