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MarathonRock

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Aug 6, 2010
26
0
I just purchased the EC Vapor Comp Case for the upcoming iPhone and I read the review about the "bowing" out of the plastic piece on the case; but was wondering how the resception affect was? Such as to the 3G, Bluetooth, WiFi, and GPS? I had one of the first Vapor's and sent it back because the phone was unusable with the case.
 
The reception on the Comp, by most accounts, is fine. I haven't seen anyone complain about it yet in the Element thread for the Comp case.

The "bowing" out seems to be more of a person by person take. Some ppl think it bows out while others see it as just minimal space between the phone and case. All depends on your level of pickiness.

My only wish is that the plastic piece was a darker color to match the aluminum piece better.

Other than that.. great case which it should be for the price.
 
Just got one from Best Buy for $79 :D

I'm glad I'm not the only one noticing that there is bowing. Yes it does bother me a little but it looks like its due to the tension placed by the metal and screws in place.

Honestly though the case is an impressive piece - more than a simple bumper case. Definitely elite and I've been around the block before, I think this case is a keeper.

I've went through the Specks/Incase/Contours of the world in the past 4 years - I thought it was time to step it up with a case that just wont fade or break and this one definitely looks promising.
 
Just got one from Best Buy for $79 :D

I'm glad I'm not the only one noticing that there is bowing. Yes it does bother me a little but it looks like its due to the tension placed by the metal and screws in place.

Honestly though the case is an impressive piece - more than a simple bumper case. Definitely elite and I've been around the block before, I think this case is a keeper.

I've went through the Specks/Incase/Contours of the world in the past 4 years - I thought it was time to step it up with a case that just wont fade or break and this one definitely looks promising.

I can not find that case on the Best Buy website. :confused:
 
I can not find that case on the Best Buy website. :confused:

Nope, I was just as surprised as you are. I walked past the mobile section and saw 'element' and did a double-take, I couldn't believe my luck. Closest reference online I can find of Best Buy + Element cases is in a BB mobile news piece talking about the Vapor 4 Pro, but not about selling it.

Either way, I'd try my luck @ some other stores.
 
What's the main selling point for these vs say the Vapor Pro?

The lack of white option for the "comp" is making me lean more toward the Pro.
 
So this case will fit the 4S fine even though the toggle switch on the left is a little lower?
 
It does say that but I was wondering if anyone actually had it. The cut out looks precise so I was so wondering how it fit with the lower switch.
 
What's the main selling point for these vs say the Vapor Pro?

The lack of white option for the "comp" is making me lean more toward the Pro.

I was wondering this also. And why is the Pro $50 more? Is it because the metal goes all the way around whereas the Comp has that plastic on one side? I went ahead and ordered the black Pro Stealth, hope I like it!
 
I was wondering this also. And why is the Pro $50 more? Is it because the metal goes all the way around whereas the Comp has that plastic on one side? I went ahead and ordered the black Pro Stealth, hope I like it!

Not sure what makes it more expensive. Maybe the process of creating it or the materials?

mine just arrived to my house for my white 4s. can't wait to get home from work to try it out! ;)

Please let us know how it fits and looks. I should get my COMP this week.
 
Here are a couple of pics of my Vapor Comp on my iPhone 4s
 

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Hi,

This case is really nice but before buying it I would like to know if the headphone opening is large enough to fit an oversized headphone plug like this one ?

Thanks for your help !

Image
Source : Pubbawup @ head-fi.org, http://www.head-fi.org/t/505508/iphone-4-case-that-supports-oversized-headphone-plug/15

Just measured the cutout and it's about 7mm in diameter, but may not work for the ones you pictured due to the raised part (e.g. where metal meets plastic). A couple of pics from mine are attached.
 

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I just got my Vapor Comp Stealth today and the bowing on the red plastic really bothers me, for 119$ this should fit like a glove... Please let me know if anyone comes up with a fix for this.

I sent Element an e-mail but they have not responded yet.
 
I just got my Vapor Comp Stealth today and the bowing on the red plastic really bothers me, for 119$ this should fit like a glove... Please let me know if anyone comes up with a fix for this.

I sent Element an e-mail but they have not responded yet.

This is what I posted in the main thread. It's not a defective case per se, it's more of a fault of how they designed the plastic part. Perhaps, they'll change the mold for next batches per my suggestion:

The fact that plastic isn't flush with the side of a case has been brought up in reviews and previous comments. Some don't seem to be bothered by it, but others are more sensitive to it.

Apparently, it's more of a design issue than measurements. Metal sides also have a gap, but it's noticeable only on the plastic piece because it's not as rigid. Probably, an easiest solution for EC would be to add a little bump on the inside in the middle of the plastic section and this way flex will be less noticeable (it's easier to flex a longer piece of plastic than a short one).

I'm still waiting on my 4S, but if this ends up bothering me, I'll probably put in a small hard-plastic dot or something else to make it work.
 
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 5_0 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/534.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.1 Mobile/9A334 Safari/7534.48.3)

Rusdude said:
I just got my Vapor Comp Stealth today and the bowing on the red plastic really bothers me, for 119$ this should fit like a glove... Please let me know if anyone comes up with a fix for this.

I sent Element an e-mail but they have not responded yet.

This is what I posted in the main thread. It's not a defective case per se, it's more of a fault of how they designed the plastic part. Perhaps, they'll change the mold for next batches per my suggestion:

The fact that plastic isn't flush with the side of a case has been brought up in reviews and previous comments. Some don't seem to be bothered by it, but others are more sensitive to it.

Apparently, it's more of a design issue than measurements. Metal sides also have a gap, but it's noticeable only on the plastic piece because it's not as rigid. Probably, an easiest solution for EC would be to add a little bump on the inside in the middle of the plastic section and this way flex will be less noticeable (it's easier to flex a longer piece of plastic than a short one).

I'm still waiting on my 4S, but if this ends up bothering me, I'll probably put in a small hard-plastic dot or something else to make it work.

I will be more than a little upset if they don't offer to send out a replacement part that corrects the issue... At least for the people that have voiced their opinions in a negative way.
 
Just measured the cutout and it's about 7mm in diameter, but may not work for the ones you pictured due to the raised part (e.g. where metal meets plastic). A couple of pics from mine are attached.

Thanks for your answer and pictures !
 
Just measured the cutout and it's about 7mm in diameter, but may not work for the ones you pictured due to the raised part (e.g. where metal meets plastic). A couple of pics from mine are attached.

Man, the black and red really looks nice.
 
Man, the black and red really looks nice.

Yeah, it looks great in person (darker than on photos). I think "stealth" versions of COMP are a great deal -- you get a logo-less matte carbon fibre backplate (instead of suede) and a travel case.

And CF back is a real CF and not a CF-lookalike. It has adhesive on a back, but it's not a sticker - it's pretty rigid. Personally, I like matte CF look even better than bright, shiny, epoxy-covered CF which has been played out recently.

Insofar as why COMP is cheaper than some previous versions, it probably has to do with material costs. But from what I've read, COMP is supposed to be the version that really solves all reception issues (cell, wi-fi, and GPS).
 
i put the silver comp on my case last night...
i love element cases, but i had a very hard and frustrating time putting it on where the lock button would work correctly.

I put it on normally, but after tightening the screws (not too tight) the vapor's lock button would keep the iphone's locked button depressed.

no matter what I did, i couldn't get it to work correctly, and I was very frustrated. trust me, i have had two element cases before this so I know how to put it on the phone, but for some reason, it would not fit right, like the case was too small for the phone.

I ended up having to take off the foam padding underneath the vapor's lock button, and just put it back in the case. so now it works perfectly, but when i shake it, i can hear the lock button rattle. Im happy though, it looks great. but i wish i didn't have to go through that whole fiasco.


Anyways, other than that i recommend it. :p
 
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