Slim Clear Dockable 3G/3GS Hardcase: A Hunt

[applephysci]

A thread to hunt for the Perfect (Snug-fit, Dockable, 'Ultra-Slim') Clear Hardcase for the 3g/3gs.

Potentials (includes those contributed by members, details below):

Incase Clear Snap Case. Appears to be a loose fit (not snug). Does not appear to fit into the apple 3G dock, without removing the case.

Agent 18 ClearShield. Appears to fit snugly, and has a dock adapter. Is it slim enough?

Caze Zero 5. 0.5 mm Ultrathin. Not Dockable. New. Awaiting reviews. May produce 'normal watermarks'?

Griffin Reveal. 1.4 mm Thin. Decent reviews. Dockable in universal docks. Appears to scuff iPhone after prolonged use?

Switcheasy Vulcan. Thin. Full slot protection included. New. Awaiting reviews. Raised logo on back may rock phone when laid down on back. Needs custom dock adapter.

Any other recommendations?

Thx.

 

[Nickday89]

i had a griffen reveal for a while and liked it a lot. pretty good for light protection from a pocket bump or fall off a bed or desk

 

[jonxwilliams]

I will give you some warning about the Zero 5 case. While I have not tried it personally, I did email the company asking if there was any "watermarking" when the case was on.

Unfortunately they said that the watermarking was...as they put it..."normal"... And then went on to say that their logo protection film will "significantly reduce" the watermarking.

In other words - be prepared for watermarks...

 

[Rayfire]

Switcheasy's Vulcan just came in, just select the clear one, thanks to our fellow member that posted it here.

It seems you need one of their dock adapters in order to get it docked though. Still waiting reviews for it, might try it soon.

 

[applephysci]

i had a griffen reveal for a while and liked it a lot. pretty good for light protection from a pocket bump or fall off a bed or desk

Thx. Updated 1st post.

I will give you some warning about the Zero 5 case. While I have not tried it personally, I did email the company asking if there was any "watermarking" when the case was on. Unfortunately they said that the watermarking was...as they put it..."normal"... And then went on to say that their logo protection film will "significantly reduce" the watermarking.
In other words - be prepared for watermarks...

Thx.. Given the lack of reviews on this case, it is open to speculation how this would hold up.

Switcheasy's Vulcan just came in, just select the clear one, thanks to our fellow member that posted it here.
It seems you need one of their dock adapters in order to get it docked though. Still waiting reviews for it, might try it soon.

Thx. Updated 1st post.

 

[applephysci]

I just got feedback from Caze that:

"You can put your iPhone in the 3G dock while it is in the (Zero 5) case. Its design is to ensure it is easily accessed".

1st post updated.

While there has not been any reviews on this case, it appears perfect in that it has a cool minimalist design, ultrathin, has a snug-fit, and is dockable. I've decided to bite the bullet and order this case, and if necessary the Vulcan at a later time-point. I'll continue to post feedback, as and when it comes in.

 

[jonxwilliams]

I just got feedback from Caze that:

"You can put your iPhone in the 3G dock while it is in the (Zero 5) case. Its design is to ensure it is easily accessed".

1st post updated.

While there has not been any reviews on this case, it appears perfect in that it has a cool minimalist design, ultrathin, has a snug-fit, and is dockable. I've decided to bite the bullet and order this case, and if necessary the Vulcan at a later time-point. I'll continue to post feedback, as and when it comes in.

Please be sure to post pictures too, specifically of the back and any watermarking that may occur. I was very interested in that case too until they said they expect it to show watermarking.

Thanks, and good luck! Hopefully it's awesome.

 

[nyc4lifedt]

Caze Zero 5 : Simply put, TERRIBLE.

It sounds nice enough, 0.5mm thin, clear case, etc.

Bought it about a month ago. Takes long time for the shipment, since they are shipping from Hong Kong. They don't pack it well and by the time it arrives in the states and gets delivered, the package is crushed and ruined.

But the bad doesn't end there. The quality of the case is NOT what you see in pictures. It is as thin as they advertise, but it's very cheap material, which is not worth the $20 you're gonna pay for. It's rough around the edges and scratches the phone when you're putting it on. (Does it look like it protects the chrome? Well, Zero 5 case actually scratched my phone as I was putting it on. Why put a case that scratches your phone when you're trying to keep it away from scratches.

The watermark? My god, worse than any other clear cases that I've tried. They send you small clear rubber dots to put inside the case, to keep the phone elevated from the case to eliminate the watermarks. Sounds like a smart idea, until you see problems with it. Do you want to have five dots in the back of the phone? And since the phone is elevated from the case, it builds up dust inside the case, makes it look disgusting. After one trip to my pocket and being left on the couch, the dust built up.

When I first opened the packaging, it had scratches all over the case. The picture that I'm attaching is supposedly BRAND NEW. It looks like a case that I've used heavily for at least a year or two. The blemishes on the case is NOT dust or scratches on my phone. That's scratch marks on the brand new case itself the one that I received. The picture on my naked iPhone shows almost no scratches (been using a different case since I got it).

Thinking maybe I just got a bad batch, contacted them for a refund.

They told me to ship it back to them and once they receive it, process a refund. International shipping cost of $10 for a $20 case? Ship it back to Hong Kong? And wait for them to say they never received it or take months for a refund? Even if they receive it, they'll probably sell it to some other poor bastard and play dumb, saying "oh, this never happened before"

So I asked for a replacement case.

This is when they stopped responding to my emails and stopped the support.

Maybe just one guy's experience, but if you actually think this case is going to be great, think again.

 

[applephysci]

Caze Zero 5 : Simply put, TERRIBLE.
.........
So I asked for a replacement case.

This is when they stopped responding to my emails and stopped the support.

Maybe just one guy's experience, but if you actually think this case is going to be great, think again.

Actually, the experience was quite different for me.

I received the package in 2 weeks. It was not crushed or damaged.

In terms of fit and looks, the case I received was neat. It's a snug fit, covers all the chrome edges on the sides really well, and did not scratch my phone during the process. The case is indeed "micro-thin", which gives the iPhone a very pleasant look.

I have had it on for a week now, and while I do see the beginning of some minimal dust accumulation, it is not something that has bothered me quite yet. I'm thinking I might need to take the case out once a month or so to clean out the dust.

It also came with a mirror-reflective screen protector, which I did like as well.

However, I did not like the case, but that was because it was not dockable, as they claimed it would be. (I updated my first post to state that this case is not dockable). I emailed caze support stating so, and they immediately responded stating:

"We are sorry for that.
We think there is a mistake in the communication. We thought you were talking about the iPhone wire plug-in access.
We will provide full refund to you in 1 day.
If you have further questions, please let us know.
Regards,
Jennifer"

I did promptly receive my refund as was promised by them.

My experience therefore was quite different from nyc4lifedt. Note that I did not even ask for a refund but was instead provided a refund by them. I do not know if I will continue to use this case, but since their case did not harm my iPhone, I was quite satisfied by the experience in every way.