And I thought $150 was pricey...

[Outrigger]

Looks like Element case is doing well enough that they're introducing even more expensive cases.

http://www.elementcase.com/Vapor-R8-Pro-iPhone-Case-p/api4-1118-xxfu.htm

 

[Jmacman78]

That's crazy expensive. 😱

 

[djransom]

I saw that this morning and 🙄 that price is crazy for a case of any kind IMO.

 

[TL24]

This is just stupid, $159 for a god damn phone case? Can it take picture? Can it make calls? Can you send/receive SMS a Emails? Can you browse the web with it? This damn thing is half of what my iPhone 4S cost me, hell it's almost as much as a 16GB iPhone 4S!

STUPID.

 

[Gav2k]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 5_0_1 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/534.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.1 Mobile/9A405 Safari/7534.48.3)

It's a thing of beauty and machined perfectly! Very nice IMHO

 

[Biff...]

Damm!! thats some serious $$$ for a case. I thought spending $60 on my Lifeproof case was crazy expensive.

 

[Vudoo]

For those who are complaining about the price, keep in mind that the products are made in the USA. If you live in the US, wouldn't you want to support companies that are providing jobs domestically instead of shipping them overseas?

 

[zigzagg321]

For that price, this case should come with its own buttons like my Case Mate Jett, which was half the price. The huge cutout hole for the ringer and volumes controls looks cheesy.

 

[DougNg]

I'm going to preface this that if you've never bought something opulent, held it in your hand, and said "wow, this is REALLY nice" you're not going to get it

First, these are being made on Makino CNC machines. They're VERY expensive and I doubt the folks over at Element are rolling in dough. Most likely they're paying off the machine. They're great CNC machines though

Two, there is always going to be market for high end things. I have a friend that is a distributor of $500 Japanese denim and $2000+ titanium fishing reels. Will these jeans cover your rear end any better than $30 Levi's in Kohl's? No. But is there an immediate wow factor in the weight and construction of the jeans? Yes (I own about 14 pairs of these Japanese jeans)

Lastly, there must be quite a few people who enjoy these cases, as the Vapor Pro Stealths sold out at Tekcases in just a couple days after their last shipment. Of course, this might just mean that there are too many people out there with money to blow. Then again, I had a coworker in NY that would snort his way though $150 weekly

Why would anyone shell out extra money for a filet mignon over a sirloin? They both will make a turd. Most people who purchase these cases understand, or have experienced "pride of ownership". My wife has a Vapor Comp and I have a Vapor Pro Stealth. They are both VERY nice, all the pieces fit and line up perfectly (which for the most part can only be accomplished via high precision CNC). I really enjoy my case, and that's pretty much the long and short of it

Just my two cents

 

[Prototypical]

For those who are complaining about the price, keep in mind that the products are made in the USA. If you live in the US, wouldn't you want to support companies that are providing jobs domestically instead of shipping them overseas?

I don't think anyone is arguing that spending money on a US-made case is a bad idea, but spending as much on the case as you did on the phone (for contract folks) is hard to swallow... especially when it's effectively just an aluminum bumper. It is incredibly pretty though.

That said, as a car guy I regularly spend stupid amounts of money on wheels and tires (at one point my wheels were 1/5 the value of the car they were bolted to) so I'm not one to judge. 😀

 

[Outrigger]

I don't think anyone is arguing that spending money on a US-made case is a bad idea, but spending as much on the case as you did on the phone (for contract folks) is hard to swallow... especially when it's effectively just an aluminum bumper. It is incredibly pretty though.

That said, as a car guy I regularly spend stupid amounts of money on wheels and tires (at one point my wheels were 1/5 the value of the car they were bolted to) so I'm not one to judge. 😀

Thats a pretty accurate description. Its kinda like car junkies who spend $10k + on rims and tires, body kits, custom interiors... on their cars. When you get into that kind of territory, value goes out the window. This is for a niche market for a small group of people who will pay top dollars to dress up their phones, so the argument of paying almost the same price as a new 16GB iP4S is irrelevant. Cases like this has nothing to do with protecting their phones, its all about customizing to make it stand out among the crowd.

 

[heyloo]

At first, these seemed overpriced for...well the design looked cool but nothing out of the ordinary...until I read the descriptions. Carbon Fiber material would bump the price up to the range, I'd imagine.

 

[PeturR]

Don't know why its so popular in USA.. in France the reception issue just kills this case

 

[OneMike]

looks like crap to me, but for some reason people seem to love them.

 

[al0513]

No issue with reception on the Pro for me. IMO- This case is just a combo of two. So I guess if you wanted the dual color look without buying 2 cases... then this is the cheaper alternative? Smart marketing for Element.

 

[rockyroad55]

Maybe I am going overboard myself. I own a simple Louis Vuitton Sleeve that cost me $250.

 

[mcdj]

I bought another iPhone 4S, gutted it and am using the shell as a case for my 4S.

 

[joshwithachance]

I bought a knock off pro for $25 and consider even that a bit overpriced for just a bumper...

 

[B777Forevar]

For those who are complaining about the price, keep in mind that the products are made in the USA. If you live in the US, wouldn't you want to support companies that are providing jobs domestically instead of shipping them overseas?

If that's the case, I want my iPhone to be manufactured here then. Not by kids in some factory in China.

 

[Atmosphere]

please keep posting ridiculously expensive cases like these because it makes me feel better about dropping $80 on mine

 

[Vudoo]

If that's the case, I want my iPhone to be manufactured here then. Not by kids in some factory in China.

I would be okay with that. Yes, that would mean it may cost more but since Apple is sitting on $80 billion in cash, I'm sure that they can help offset the costs.

 

[CoachStall]

Looks sleek and awesome!

Worth $150 to me? Nope.

 

[takeshi74]

This is just stupid, $159 for a god damn phone case? Can it take picture? Can it make calls? Can you send/receive SMS a Emails? Can you browse the web with it? This damn thing is half of what my iPhone 4S cost me, hell it's almost as much as a 16GB iPhone 4S!

STUPID.

SUBJECTIVE

Don't think it's worth it? Don't buy it. No one's forcing you. There are plenty of things you think as worthwhile that others find stupid.

That said, as a car guy I regularly spend stupid amounts of money on wheels and tires (at one point my wheels were 1/5 the value of the car they were bolted to) so I'm not one to judge. 😀

Precisely. Subjective. Plenty of people don't see the worth in wheels and tires. We all have what we think is worth spending stupid money on and things we don't think are worth spending stupid money on. Not sure why this concept seems so difficult for many forum users to grasp. Get out and interact with people and you'll see that they can have preferences that differ (sometimes wildly) from your own.

Now, I wouldn't spend this sort of money on this case but I wouldn't call people that did so stupid. Doing so is just tunnel visioned and ignorant.

If that's the case, I want my iPhone to be manufactured here then. Not by kids in some factory in China.

You wouldn't once you saw the sticker price. That's the whole reason why China and the 3rd world produce so many of our products.

 

[dukebound85]

I'm going to preface this that if you've never bought something opulent, held it in your hand, and said "wow, this is REALLY nice" you're not going to get it

First, these are being made on Makino CNC machines. They're VERY expensive and I doubt the folks over at Element are rolling in dough. Most likely they're paying off the machine. They're great CNC machines though

Why do you think they merely aren't contracting out machining?

I would say alot of products use CNC. It is not like it is rare.

They sell for a premium because they can. It is not as if the quality is that much order of magnitudes nicer

 

[MrRon]

Maybe I am going overboard myself. I own a simple Louis Vuitton Sleeve that cost me $250.

You are right.. the cost of your LV sleeve is 10% of the Vapor