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Otterbox Defender, Trident Kraken, Ballistic HC...which is better??

W

Walse

macrumors member
Original poster
Feb 11, 2011
77
0
Hi, I love my iPhone 4 and have already bought 5 cases, SGP, Capdase, Switcheasy. Now I'm considering of adding a rugged case to my collection to cater for more adventurous occasions.

I have looked around the net, watched YT videos, searched forums. All this research make my head spin, and I'm left confused.

I really need help in deciding which one to get, here's a few I've shortlisted:
  1. Otterbox Defender
  2. Ballistic HC
  3. Trident Kraken
  4. Griffin Survivor

I've watched a YT video where a 3GS has been thrown 4 times from a great height in an otterbox. I must say it was impressive but I've yet to seen one with a iPhone 4 tested.

Hope you guys can help me out. Thanks!
 
Walse said:
Hi, I love my iPhone 4 and have already bought 5 cases, SGP, Capdase, Switcheasy. Now I'm considering of adding a rugged case to my collection to cater for more adventurous occasions.

I have looked around the net, watched YT videos, searched forums. All this research make my head spin, and I'm left confused.

I really need help in deciding which one to get, here's a few I've shortlisted:
  1. Otterbox Defender
  2. Ballistic HC
  3. Trident Kraken
  4. Griffin Survivor

I've watched a YT video where a 3GS has been thrown 4 times from a great height in an otterbox. I must say it was impressive but I've yet to seen one with a iPhone 4 tested.

Hope you guys can help me out. Thanks!
Click to expand...
Youtube otterbox defender vs 23 floors and watch the iPhone 4 in action.
 
I saw the otterbox video. Hard to validate if this is even real? I mean 23 floors, the sheer impact would have already caused some damaged due the immerse vibration of the impact. That's my opinion.

As for the Griffin survivor, I'm very convinced with their demo. But I'm quite bothered with the camera cover. Think I would need to hold the flap with one finger while taking pictures.
 
Walse said:
I saw the otterbox video. Hard to validate if this is even real? I mean 23 floors, the sheer impact would have already caused some damaged due the immerse vibration of the impact. That's my opinion.

As for the Griffin survivor, I'm very convinced with their demo. But I'm quite bothered with the camera cover. Think I would need to hold the flap with one finger while taking pictures.
Click to expand...

I'll report back when I get the Griffin Survivor.
 
Anyone on the Trident Kraken here? Would liketo know more about this case too.
 
Walse said:
Anyone on the Trident Kraken here? Would liketo know more about this case too.
Click to expand...

Say no to the Kraken. No protection inside with plastic on glass. The silicone is really loose and never quite fit flush. The port covers wouldn't stay in place and the case is completely covered except for the earhole. Oddly, the Cyclops, the lower end version is covered there.

The Ballistic is good since you can take off the silicone outer layer and have a plastic case with rubber pieces. Makes the case pocketable. With the silicone layer on it is downright huge. The clip is really good if you like that sort of thing. The screen protector is a watermark magnet though.
 
There have been many differing opinions about the otterbox, kraken as well as the Ballistic. Similar complaints like the silicone skin being loosely fit is frequently used on all the three cases.

It's pretty difficult to judge here for me since none of these cases are easily spotted from where I stay.
 
Walse said:
Hi, I love my iPhone 4 and have already bought 5 cases, SGP, Capdase, Switcheasy. Now I'm considering of adding a rugged case to my collection to cater for more adventurous occasions.

I have looked around the net, watched YT videos, searched forums. All this research make my head spin, and I'm left confused.

I really need help in deciding which one to get, here's a few I've shortlisted:
  1. Otterbox Defender
  2. Ballistic HC
  3. Trident Kraken
  4. Griffin Survivor

I've watched a YT video where a 3GS has been thrown 4 times from a great height in an otterbox. I must say it was impressive but I've yet to seen one with a iPhone 4 tested.

Hope you guys can help me out. Thanks!
Click to expand...

The only case to hit the must knock off list in China is Defender. The Chinese only copy number one selling cases. :)
 
ChinaAzzi said:
Defender is big news in China. Just like Chinese pirated movies the Chinese don't invest in low ticket sales. ;)

As a matter of interest what does a HDV / Blue Ray movie sell for where you are from? In China 10RMB which is about $1.50 US
Click to expand...

From where I come from, piracy will set u in jail with canning. So I don't know how much it will cost if I manage to find one. Heee...
 
OB Defender is the "classic" rugged case. Lots of people like them and they're one of the better ones to use. That said, I've seen lots of complaints about the silicone outer casing become loose and saggy. Since you have a lot of cases and I'm assuming you would be using your rugged case in only certain situations, this is something you'll need to be aware of in the event that you're swapping your cases frequently.

Ballistic HC. Never used one of these myself however it looks like the beefiest of all the cases and, subsequently, the ugliest. Granted, none of these cases will ever win a beauty pageant but that's not their intent anyways.

Trident Kraken. Haven't heard much about this one so I'm guessing not a lot of people have one? Looks pretty heinous however I'm guessing the protection is quite nice.

Griffin Survivor. I'm actually looking forward to this case. After seeing Griffin's promo video for it, it looks pretty nice and has all the protection that one would need for this kind of case. I like how it's sorta water resistant and has covers for nearly all ports. The holster is a nice look to it as well.

Also, you may want to look at the Seidio Rugged. It's HUGE. They have a Rugged combo pack which is nice since it comes with their Innocase slider, and the rugged protection casing slips over that case so it's basically like getting two cases for one. I had it for a little bit but it was WAY overkill for what I needed.
 
Ballistic and the defender

Hey, been using the defender since I got my iPhone 4..dropped it a couple times and does what it says. Today I received my ballistic,well to me it looks good and feels tough..although the silicone bit of the case is abit loose, as compared to the defender, but the screen protector for the ballistic seems more durable..either way i am going to alternate between the 2 and stay protected at all times...until I get my hands on the survivor...that case looks mad...:)
 
Seidio is not bad at all :)

I've checked the Seidio Rugged case. It looks good not as thick as the Griffin Survivor but offers almost the same kind of protection. I'm on a capsule rebel now and really like how the rugged is similarly designed (reinforced spine). This not only adds protection but also make it easier to pull it out of the pocket.

One plus over the Survivor case is lens cover. The Rugged allows the lens cover to be pinned to a hole on the case during photo taking.

The holster has a cool design too. Think the best holster I have seen thus far, through YouTube reviews, that is.
 
Having owned an OB defender and looking at the Rugged...I'll say the Rugged is worth the cost. Having the ability to ditch the huge behemoth of a case when you want to is awesome. Also, the spine makes it really easy to take out of a pocket. I hate hate hated the defender's silicone surrounding. It was terrible--always coming loose.
 
thespazz said:
Having owned an OB defender and looking at the Rugged...I'll say the Rugged is worth the cost. Having the ability to ditch the huge behemoth of a case when you want to is awesome. Also, the spine makes it really easy to take out of a pocket. I hate hate hated the defender's silicone surrounding. It was terrible--always coming loose.
Click to expand...

I also like how the screen is open.
 
Survivor Decent

I bought the Griffin Survivor the day after my Verizon iPhone4 arrived because the Universal Otterbox wasn't available. I geocache so I'm crawling around in the woods a lot. The case is great. Very rugged. Easy to grip although a bit bulky. The camera cover makes it veeeeery awkward to take pictures so I finally just cut it off leaving the lens exposed but well recessed. The belt clip is a POS! Almost every time I get out of my truck the phone falls out of the clip onto the ground unless I'm hanging on. Thank goodness for the case! The clip is also very flimsy looking and I would expect it to break the first time I snagged a sapling or small branch. So the iPhone is usually in my pocket or hand when I'm in the woods. I've pretty much quit using the belt clip

From what I've read the Otterbox belt clip isn't a whole lot better but no real experience.

I do plan to get a more streamlined case for day-to-day use and maybe try to have a nylon/velcro holster or lanyard pocket sewn up for in the woods.
 
Last edited:
HercJerk said:
From what I've read the Otterbox belt clip isn't a whole lot better but no real experience.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the insight on this case. I used to have the Defender and I thought the holster/clip was pretty beefy. Very hard plastic and pretty solid feeling. Only issue I had with it is that the clip that goes on your belt is a little small. I wear a 2" belt and the clip wouldn't go over the entire belt so it would just kinda hang there. Other than that, very nice belt holster.
 
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