Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Disappointed in Invisible Shield - not worth it

brewser said:
I put the InvisiShield on about a week ago and it looks fantastic. You have to be patient and don't use the squeegee that comes with it. I just used my fingers and a credit card. I had a couple small bubbles but they dried up in a couple days and now it looks perfect. It did take me an hour to put it on - I am quite anal about these things. The trick really is to put a lot of solution on the film before applying. Make sure the iphone is completely clean and you have a dust free environment. I also put one on my Macbook and 2 ipods. I love this stuff!
I screwed up my first ipod and called the company and they sent out replacements right away. Class act!
Click to expand...

Finally! Someone that actually agrees with me.
 
I purchased the InvisibleSHIELD and applied it to the phone. It was actually really easy to put on, and getting the bubbles out was really simple. The "set up" time is rubbish. It looked the exact same a week later as it did 5 minutes after putting it on. The texture never goes away, and the "rubbery" feel to the skin drove me nuts. I removed the shield, and it comes off pretty easy, and leaves no residue after. I quick wipe with the apple cloth, and it's as good as new.

I hated this shield. Losing the ability to easily "glide" your fingers across a touch screen, built on finger gliding is silly to me.

I found the Power Support Crystal film from the Apple store in Oak Brook, Illinois today. I am 100% impressed with this. It is the easiest film i've ever installed, and lining up the top ear piece, and peeling back the shield, put it in PERFECT placement, and left NO bubbles.

I put the second on my wife's phone, thinking I must have been very luck the first time. This time, and got a small bubble I pushed out effortlessly with my finger, for another perfect installation.

The best part of this shield, is you can't tell it's on. The screen feels the same to your fingers, and works perfectly as well. I can't say enough about this.

If you're like me, and don't want the screen to have that feeling of rubber or tack, then this is a perfect solution!
 
Daremo - Thanks. We bought our iPhone Friday at Oak Brook and I should've looked harder for this. I'm heading back tomorrow for a car charger and this shield. Thanks for posting this info.

Anyone else have experience with this?
 
meagain said:
Daremo - Thanks. We bought our iPhone Friday at Oak Brook and I should've looked harder for this. I'm heading back tomorrow for a car charger and this shield. Thanks for posting this info.

Anyone else have experience with this?
Click to expand...


Yeah I have this, and I love it. I got mine from the Chicago Store on Michigan. It sits flush on the phone, and you can't even tell its there.
 
Wonderful. I'll buy this screen film today. Certainly cheap enough at about $15 bucks.
 
I've done window tinting for a long time, it also took me a long time to get good at it.
The key is to use dish-soapy water on both sides and a rubber squeege(credit cards will work if you're careful).
The soap improves squegeeing and does not affect the adhesive(if any) or visibility.
Point being, It has to be soaking wet on both sides or it'll scratch or leave bubbles. Then let it bake in the sun.

I read this thread and I pictured in my head some '84 Cavalier with purple tint and bubbles all through, and I cringed.
 
Well, I bought the Power Support version from Apple store. And it's going back.

It's too small. Doesn't fit the screen. If I line it up on one side, the other has a gap of about 1/8".

Is there any good shield that actually fits the screen? I still have the one the phone came with and it fits pristinely. I don't think I can deal with using this with this seam over the screen instead of where it meets the bezel. It'll look bad.
 
For those of you using invisible shield did you let it cure for the full 24 hours before use. I do not like the fact that I would not be able to use for such an extended amount of time.
 
meagain said:
Well, I bought the Power Support version from Apple store. And it's going back.

It's too small. Doesn't fit the screen. If I line it up on one side, the other has a gap of about 1/8".

Is there any good shield that actually fits the screen? I still have the one the phone came with and it fits pristinely. I don't think I can deal with using this with this seam over the screen instead of where it meets the bezel. It'll look bad.
Click to expand...

Wow, I'm surprised actually. The two I have fits the glass to perfection. It's the exact size of the glass. I wonder if yours was die cut improperly? I wouldn't rule this out just yet. I'm VERY picky with it comes to screens or shields, and this is the only one I've seen so far that fits as well as it does. Can you post a photo?
 
fart said:
i COMPLETELY agree with you, the Invisible Shield is WORTHLESS.

just the other day, i was getting into a bit a tussle with the neighbors on the other side of the neutral zone. Well, lets just say, one thing lead to another, and the next thing you know, they're powering up weapons! :eek:

Nothing to worry about, right? I've got my "invisible shield", that should protect me, right?

Wrong.

Needless to say, we had to high tail it back to Federation space like a dog with it's tail between its legs, not something the Federation flagship should be seen doing.

In conclusion, the invisible shield not only failed to serve its purpose, it was the cause of incredible embarrassment on the part of the Federation, an event that will without doubt cause further trouble down the line in regards to Romulan-Federation relations.


UGH!
Click to expand...

LOL, now THAT is funny stuff. Well done! :D
 
Daremo - Can't post a pic now because it's my husband's phone. I only get to play with it after he gets home. (This of course is very hard for me).

I put the shield on anyway because I wanted to get it over with and I know it's not permanent. Yes it's short all the way around but it seems more obvious of course along the long sides. I centered it as best I could. I trashed the first one as I got a few pieces of dust/lint under it that I couldn't get out. If it fit the glass up to the bezel edge perfectly - install would've been a breeze.

It is very nice though but I wish the packaging was such that one could bring their phone in to see if it's the right size before purchase.

Daremo - Do 'you' have any closeup pics of yours? Maybe we can compare lot numbers or something. Maybe they had a bad run. I see the Brando pics show it not big enough also which added to my being resigned to install this.

I really wish they'd come out with a skin for the darned bezel as I have the InCase rubbery cover on it and yep. I see some scratches in only 4 days despite only removing the cover twice and it being super-snug. I think leather might be the way to go but I love that Incase.
 
Here's this guy's pics of the Apple version. You can see his is short also. Doesn't go up to the bezel. IDK, for all I know maybe that was the intent and sealing it too close to the bezel edge would build up heat or something? IDK.
 
IDK - The Brando looks identical to the PowerSupply at Apple but seems to have bigger holes. Too big.
 
cfairbank said:
For those of you using invisible shield did you let it cure for the full 24 hours before use. I do not like the fact that I would not be able to use for such an extended amount of time.
Click to expand...



Na... you don't have to wait for 24 hours. I usually install it at night and you should be fine in the morning. I usually start handling it after about 1 hour and no prob. Invisishild is great... don't get discouraged by the other posts. But... the choice is yours.
 
Best Skins Ever -- Poor clarity

I got the "Best Skins Ever" which is reported to be an identical product to the Invisible Shield. I previously used one of these on my iPod, so I knew what I was getting into.

I like the rubbery grip of the skin, but the clarity on my iPhone skin is awful. Its not bubbles or smudges -- I got all the bubbles out and the smudges disappeared. What is bothering me are about 20 or so small lines running down the screen. When you look at a white background, you can see these perfectly straight small lines or "streaks" running down the screen.

I had hoped these would go away but so far no luck. If you look at them with the screen off, they appear to be in the skin itself. I was careful, but it is possible that the credit card squeegeeing did this. Who knows.

I may try the other protector you guys have been talking about that is available at the Apple store.
 
shahidhaque said:
I got the "Best Skins Ever" which is reported to be an identical product to the Invisible Shield. I previously used one of these on my iPod, so I knew what I was getting into.

I like the rubbery grip of the skin, but the clarity on my iPhone skin is awful. Its not bubbles or smudges -- I got all the bubbles out and the smudges disappeared. What is bothering me are about 20 or so small lines running down the screen. When you look at a white background, you can see these perfectly straight small lines or "streaks" running down the screen.

I had hoped these would go away but so far no luck. If you look at them with the screen off, they appear to be in the skin itself. I was careful, but it is possible that the credit card squeegeeing did this. Who knows.

I may try the other protector you guys have been talking about that is available at the Apple store.
Click to expand...


I am like you. The screen with the BSE is like the melted seranwrap look. Also, it's to tacky preventing you from gliding your fingers smoothly across the surface. I tried it for a week hoping it would "break in" but it wasn't any better. Ended up taking the shield off the front but left it on the back and sides. The only consolation is that for $4 or so it's not a big deal. The one nice thing about the screen shield portion is that it doesn't attract finger prints nearly as much as the nakid iPhone.
 
shahidhaque said:
I got the "Best Skins Ever" which is reported to be an identical product to the Invisible Shield. I previously used one of these on my iPod, so I knew what I was getting into.

I like the rubbery grip of the skin, but the clarity on my iPhone skin is awful. Its not bubbles or smudges -- I got all the bubbles out and the smudges disappeared. What is bothering me are about 20 or so small lines running down the screen. When you look at a white background, you can see these perfectly straight small lines or "streaks" running down the screen.

I had hoped these would go away but so far no luck. If you look at them with the screen off, they appear to be in the skin itself. I was careful, but it is possible that the credit card squeegeeing did this. Who knows.

I may try the other protector you guys have been talking about that is available at the Apple store.
Click to expand...

I agree w/ this statement, for the most part.

I just received and applied BestSkinEver and here's my experience:

The front was relatively easy to apply and fits pretty well. When dried and view against a white-ish background, you can notice streaks of rainbow light as if the skin itself wasn't 100% perfect. But it's a small issue really since it can only be noticed by me in a very small # of situations. The feel is relatively good too, not too much grip, but retains most of the original feel.

The back piece is where the annoyance begins. Because of the various angles and buttons to line up, it takes a really trained eye to make it fit as perfectly as possible. My first application, the skin semi-blocked the volume-down button. Also, it is extremely difficult to do this piece w/o any sort of lint due to having to touch the chrome trim and whatnot. But one my biggest concerns are the corners. Mine didn't stick to the phone when wet, so I had to wait for the rest to dry b4 just pressing it on. And another thing, when dried, one side shrunk or contracted while the other didn't. And because I had to do a 2nd application for fitment issues, the picked corners to remove the skin had little stretch or marks on it. The feeling of the back is quite grippy and could semi-stick to things.

I'm waiting for the 2nd application to dry now. I'll see how it turns out, I might just remove the piece altogether. The screen is the most important part.
 
mobilehavoc said:
So although I've registered recently on Macrumor Forums (since I got the iPhone) I've been an active Howardforums member for years and a true mobile phone junkie. I always put screen protectors on all my phones so I've quite a lot of experience with different ones.

Today I got the Invisible Shield Full Body Skin for iPhone and was excited after all the positive reviews. I took it out and followed the directions to the T and in the end I was extremely disappointed, here are some reasons:

- The material is very flimsy and rubbery like the cheapo screen protectors you buy on eBay or old Fellowes ones. All the videos and screenshots made it look like a hard plastic but this is not the case

- Using the liquid does make applying it easy and avoids bubbles but the material is pretty crappy so even without bubbles there are ridges, dents, etc. in the screen cover which ruin the image on the iPhone screen. Unlike hard plastic screen protectors, the IS is designed to take the damage to protect your iPhone but this means the wear and tear will show on it which sucks

- Per their instructions I used the black squeegee to take out the water/air and this ended up scratching the screen cover, leaving a rather long gash down one side which is visible when using the iPhone. I'm not a moron I know how to use the squeegee idea but their piece of plastic is way too sharp and should be avoided. In the end I just used my fingers to press the water and air out but now I have a half damaged screen protector

- Even the areas that went on perfectly as they could don't provide a true "invisible" shield in that the PQ of the iPhone is effected...this again has to to with the rubber/flimsy quality in my opinion.

Now for the few positives:

+ The front cover is cutout perfectly for the screen with cutouts for the speaker and the home button, if you line it up right, it really fits just right

+ The back cover is very nice because it has flaps that cover the sides and they even include 4 tiny sticker like covers for the 4 rounded corners of the iPhone. So in the end your iPhone is FULLY covered EXCEPT for the metallic bezel around the front of it.

+ They give you the soap water solution in little spray bottles, although I recommend using regular tap water instead but that's just me.

Overall I'm disappointed given the hype and positive reviews of the product. The best screen protectors I've ever used were from Brando (Hong Kong) they make them with hard plastic and they truly are invisible...I'm going to see if they make any for the iPhone and order one. I'll definitely be keeping the Invisible Shield protectors for the back/side of the iPhone but the most important one for the screen will most likely have to be replaced.

Oh well, you live and you learn...again, IMHO the best screen protectors are those made in hard plastic - this is from a few years of experience. YMMV
Click to expand...

Damn...good lookin. I was just about to order one.
 
Any thoughts on shield and the 3GS oleophobic screens?

What's the impact of these shields on the new oleophobic screens on the iPhone 3GS? I'm aware that oleophobic means oil-resistant for smudging, so it shouldn't have any impact, but I have to ask... :)

Steve
 
sparker said:
What's the impact of these shields on the new oleophobic screens on the iPhone 3GS? I'm aware that oleophobic means oil-resistant for smudging, so it shouldn't have any impact, but I have to ask... :)

Steve
Click to expand...

Given that the last post in this thread is nearly two years ago it's hard to tell, but from what I can remember the IS was slightly mote oil resistant than a naked iPhone. However, there focus was more on protection than screen clarity or cleanliness. I will say that I neither own a recent IS or a 3GS though. Since getting rid of my IS I have just been using my iPhone in my pocket naked and it only has one tiny scratch from when it shared the space with a particularly gnarly set of keys. Treat your phone and buy a Vaja case is my reccomendation.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back