Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Vapor Pro iPhone 5 :)
- Thread starter Minhthien
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Just placed my order for the silver. IMHO the bare aluminum is the nicest looking, especially after a few months of handling.
For those ordering from Caseswill, there's a 10% off coupon, "caseswill10". I forgot how I found that but it's been working for several months now.
For those ordering from Caseswill, there's a 10% off coupon, "caseswill10". I forgot how I found that but it's been working for several months now.
Wahoo! Best deal I've seen on the "sector 5" case so far. It's only like $37! I am tempted to try it 
Link: http://www.aliexpress.com/item/2013...um-Bumper-Case-for-iPhone-5-5G/693549733.html
Link: http://www.aliexpress.com/item/2013...um-Bumper-Case-for-iPhone-5-5G/693549733.html
I ordered on Oct 28th. Shipped on the Nov 2.
Arrived in NY a couple of days ago. and took one day to get to the CA one city away from me. Still sitting there.
So from order date to now, it has been 24 days. From ship to now it has been 21 days.
No updates between China and NY.
I ordered on the 3rd of November and still says its in China, its been 20 days now so its getting kind of annoying.
Just got an email that my case has been sent by registered air mail and I can track it online in 3-5 days.
Its been over a month since i ordered mine but still haven't show any tracking on my local tracking website(canadapost).
That's lame, I emailed cases will and never got a response, if I don't get it ill just do a Paypal claim and get my money back
This is my 3rd order from them, the first two were great! I contacted caseswill and they told me they'll send a replacement if my items still haven't arrive in the end of this month.
Mine arrived today. I ordered the silver version.
![8221420891_66eeb42be0.jpg]()
![8222496916_3c6b7ece8d.jpg]()
The packaging is very nice with the outer black box and inner neoprene zippered case that contains the VaporPro and a small bag with the wrench, keyring, and two extra allen screws. My iPhone 5 is pictured in the Monoprice Bumper case (Note: there are 2 bars on my iPhone 5's meter in the Monoprice bumper).
There is a "Certificate of Authenticity" inside the box. I cannot verify the validity of this but the consensus in this thread is that this case is an homage and not the genuine article since the Vapor Pro for iPhone 5 was never actually released by Element...
![8221421577_2b3c9899b8.jpg]()
As far as the Vapor Pro itself, the first thing that I noticed is that it has a bead blasted matte silver finish. I was hoping for more of a brushed metal appearance but it's not bad.
![8222498096_f2c4d6c649.jpg]()
One issue that immediately came to my attention was that some of the rubber insulating "pads" that are placed around the inside of the bumper had fallen off and that one in particular was in the wrong location. The small piece should actually be closer to the bottom left of the case. This was very easy to fix though as it just required peeling it off of the double sided tape and sticking it down in the right location. The loose pieces, similarly, just stuck down into the double sided tape that was already on the bumper. I would imagine that they just fell off during shipping.
![8222499220_c87dff4ca6.jpg]()
This shows the case on the phone. Attachment was simple using the included tool. Just unscrew the four screws, separate the bumper, insert the phone, and reassemble. Note that in this photo the reception remains at 2 bars just the same as my old Monoprice bumper.
![8221440635_2e97b8788e.jpg]()
The case is a "lay-on-the-table" design and does provide some separation of both the front and back faces of the phone when lying on a flat surface in either orientation.
My particular VaporPro did not fit quite flush along the midportion on the left side. It seemed to "bulge" out about 1mm just above the clear plastic area. However, I was able to "fix" this by taking it apart and physically bending the bumper slightly along this side. Since the outer packaging was completely undamaged, it would appear that this defect was due to a quality control problem from the factory.
![8221440103_5d3cf4b665.jpg]()
Also at the top right corner the pieces did not align completely flush. I did try to loosen and reassemble the screws here but ended up with the same result every time.
![8221440843_f0e3c0395c.jpg]()
The volume and lock buttons remain very accessible along the side.
![8221441125_2345bd30c2.jpg]()
The power button is chrome plated, slightly raised, and integrated into the case. It produces a satisfying "click" when depressed and has a piece of insulating rubber underneath to protect the phone.
![8221441423_bb6a6c6312.jpg]()
As far as accessibility along the bottom of the phone for the lightning connector and headphones the VaporPro does have a very deep slot.
It does fit the 1/8" stereo headphone jack on my Philips headphones.
![8222524960_6d9c650b74.jpg]()
But it doesnt fit the headphone jack on my 1/8" to stereo RCA cable
![8221450047_79fa3d04a4.jpg]()
The difference is in how the plugs are designed. The Philips outer plastic jacket steps down before terminating in the metal 1/8" jack. The plastic jacket on the stereo RCA adapter cable does not taper so the metal portion cannot fully seat into the bottom of the phone. This rule rings true with the other headphones that I have tested.
![8221450247_7b1aca6f6f.jpg]()
On the plus side the "fat" plug on the Apple 0.2m Lightning to 30-pin dock adapter cable does fit into this case. For those who don't know the Lightning plug on this adapter has a much "fatter" white plastic jacket than the standard lightning cable.
Overall, I am quite happy with this case and recommend it for anyone who is interested in a metal bumper style case. Despite the small flaws that I have described above this bumper was quite inexpensive, does not significantly impact reception, and gives me the "silver" metallic accent that I sorely missed on my black iPhone5.
Some things I would hope for in the future would be a polished silver or chrome version and better quality control on the manufacturing (too much to ask for a knockoff perhaps...).
The packaging is very nice with the outer black box and inner neoprene zippered case that contains the VaporPro and a small bag with the wrench, keyring, and two extra allen screws. My iPhone 5 is pictured in the Monoprice Bumper case (Note: there are 2 bars on my iPhone 5's meter in the Monoprice bumper).
There is a "Certificate of Authenticity" inside the box. I cannot verify the validity of this but the consensus in this thread is that this case is an homage and not the genuine article since the Vapor Pro for iPhone 5 was never actually released by Element...
As far as the Vapor Pro itself, the first thing that I noticed is that it has a bead blasted matte silver finish. I was hoping for more of a brushed metal appearance but it's not bad.
One issue that immediately came to my attention was that some of the rubber insulating "pads" that are placed around the inside of the bumper had fallen off and that one in particular was in the wrong location. The small piece should actually be closer to the bottom left of the case. This was very easy to fix though as it just required peeling it off of the double sided tape and sticking it down in the right location. The loose pieces, similarly, just stuck down into the double sided tape that was already on the bumper. I would imagine that they just fell off during shipping.
This shows the case on the phone. Attachment was simple using the included tool. Just unscrew the four screws, separate the bumper, insert the phone, and reassemble. Note that in this photo the reception remains at 2 bars just the same as my old Monoprice bumper.
The case is a "lay-on-the-table" design and does provide some separation of both the front and back faces of the phone when lying on a flat surface in either orientation.
My particular VaporPro did not fit quite flush along the midportion on the left side. It seemed to "bulge" out about 1mm just above the clear plastic area. However, I was able to "fix" this by taking it apart and physically bending the bumper slightly along this side. Since the outer packaging was completely undamaged, it would appear that this defect was due to a quality control problem from the factory.
Also at the top right corner the pieces did not align completely flush. I did try to loosen and reassemble the screws here but ended up with the same result every time.
The volume and lock buttons remain very accessible along the side.
The power button is chrome plated, slightly raised, and integrated into the case. It produces a satisfying "click" when depressed and has a piece of insulating rubber underneath to protect the phone.
As far as accessibility along the bottom of the phone for the lightning connector and headphones the VaporPro does have a very deep slot.
It does fit the 1/8" stereo headphone jack on my Philips headphones.
But it doesnt fit the headphone jack on my 1/8" to stereo RCA cable
The difference is in how the plugs are designed. The Philips outer plastic jacket steps down before terminating in the metal 1/8" jack. The plastic jacket on the stereo RCA adapter cable does not taper so the metal portion cannot fully seat into the bottom of the phone. This rule rings true with the other headphones that I have tested.
On the plus side the "fat" plug on the Apple 0.2m Lightning to 30-pin dock adapter cable does fit into this case. For those who don't know the Lightning plug on this adapter has a much "fatter" white plastic jacket than the standard lightning cable.
Overall, I am quite happy with this case and recommend it for anyone who is interested in a metal bumper style case. Despite the small flaws that I have described above this bumper was quite inexpensive, does not significantly impact reception, and gives me the "silver" metallic accent that I sorely missed on my black iPhone5.
Some things I would hope for in the future would be a polished silver or chrome version and better quality control on the manufacturing (too much to ask for a knockoff perhaps...).
Last edited:
Looks good, I figured the quality wouldnt be as good as the true Element products, I have a Sector 5, its nice but I also wanted a sleeker metal case that doesn't affect signal so I ordered the Vapor Pro also (would have bought the real one if available but it isnt sadly i'm willing to pay extra for higher quality and QC) I ordered it on the 3rd and it still says its in China still in teh same sort facililty so I just did a Paypal claim because its been 24 days now and thats a little drastic considering on their website it can take 14-20 days to the United States so yeah I would be careful ordering from them.
No it doesn't affect reception at all but its not as streamline as other cases as it has 4 screws and composite pieces on all the corners I still like it a lot but wanted a case that blended in with the phone a little more also.
Not a Vapor Pro but Black Ops
![attachment.php]()
I received this email yesterday. Not a Vapor Pro, but certainly one that is very similar to the Vapor Pro Black Ops...
-Sheldon
I received this email yesterday. Not a Vapor Pro, but certainly one that is very similar to the Vapor Pro Black Ops...
-Sheldon
Its a Sector 5 with different color polycarbonite pieces and supposedly different finish, its 200 dollars though.
and a little update, I emailed caseswill twice and they never responded to either of me emails, they responded to my Paypal claim and just sent the same tracking code to me.....but it turns out they waited 8 days to even ship the case......bad business practice in my eyes, trying to just get my money back its not worth dealing with them or having to go through it.
Last edited:
Wahoo! Best deal I've seen on the "sector 5" case so far. It's only like $37! I am tempted to try it
Link: http://www.aliexpress.com/item/2013...um-Bumper-Case-for-iPhone-5-5G/693549733.html
They have listings for 26-27$ now on AliExpress, price drop already
One example:
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/2012...r-Case-Cover-for-iPhone-5-Free/697088868.html
That price drop is awesome. Does anyone have any idea if you can buy the ultra suede back plate that comes with element cases separate? For the ip5 of course
Well the sector 5 case that I ordered was incidentally out of stock so the seller helped me cancel it. Now, I think I will order this vapor case which comes with a box, zipper case, screws/screwdriver, and suede backplate for only like 25 bucks! Here it is, I'm getting the black ops one.
http://m.aliexpress.com/item/686497776.html
I will get it in 5-10 days w/ $4 fast shipping
http://m.aliexpress.com/item/686497776.html
I will get it in 5-10 days w/ $4 fast shipping
There is a replica on aliexpress.com for $47. My brother-in-law bought it, and if it's as good as it looks, I'll be getting one.