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Element Vapor Case

Can someone please tell me how to fix my problem? I want to buy this case as right now i'm sporting a crappy free belkin on my iPhone courtesy of apple (how can they sell these pieces of crap for 30 dollars?). My problem is that my volume buttons are jiggly and clank when I press on them, but with the rubber from my free case, they don't make that noise. Is there a way that I could pad these or something so I can still have the element on but have a covering for the volume buttons.
 
Peterg2 said:
I don't think that aluminum is going to be better than say rubber...
Click to expand...
Of course ... when you find a rubber case that looks this good give us a jingle.


If your goal is shock absorption, get an Otterbox Defender.
 
asleep said:
Of course ... when you find a rubber case that looks this good give us a jingle.


If your goal is shock absorption, get an Otterbox Defender.
Click to expand...

Why do you go off on a tangent talking about looks? When someone points out that the aluminum is acting as a shroud for the antenna a few will say (to paraphrase) "But the case looks so amazing". You do the same type of thing when we are discussing one of the prime purposes of a case which is, inter alia, to help diminish the the affects of a drop.

I was simply pointing out to someone who questioned how the Vapor would handle a drop that in terms of the ability to absorb shocks I don't think this case is going to be very good.
 
Peterg2 said:
I was simply pointing out to someone who questioned how the Vapor would handle a drop that in terms of the ability to absorb shocks I don't think this case is going to be very good.
Click to expand...

While I think you're 100% wrong about protection (see my posted videos a few posts back), I think he just meant that the Vapor case is a great combo of protection and looks. Most people don't like a the look of big cases.

You said that rubber protects the best. He said to let us know when you find a rubber case that looks like the the vapor. He prefers form over function, you prefer function over form.
 
lorenwade said:
While I think you're 100% wrong about protection (see my posted videos a few posts back), I think he just meant that the Vapor case is a great combo of protection and looks. Most people don't like a the look of big cases.

You said that rubber protects the best. He said to let us know when you find a rubber case that looks like the the vapor. He prefers form over function, you prefer function over form.
Click to expand...

Ok. That is a fair response on your part. I admit I did not look at your posted videos but I will now.
 
zornet said:
As per request + PM's... ;)
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Zornet man..............YOU SUCK!!! :D . Those pics look really good. The all silver looks sharp. Good choice on color ( That's not a typo. That's how it's spelled) I can't say i'm wild about the Max case though. It would look really good if you were a forest ranger.
 
The wife called and said our cases arrived today! YAY. Sadly I have to wait until next weekend to see mine in person and take pictures of them. Boo. Meanwhile, I am loving my Otterbox defender until I can get the ElementCase Vapor strapped on!
 
Peterg2 said:
You mean those 4 small pieces of foam? If you are talking about shock absorption, a rubber case has a hell of a lot more area to absorb shock than that. You cannot compare.
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Actually there appears to be six pieces of foam. Four on the large "half," and two on the smaller.

I used the case while out with the family tonight. It was virtually unusable for most of the evening. It will have to go, unfortunately. I never applied the carbon fiber backing. I liked the look of the gloss against the case too much.

Random notes:
The case doesn't cover the glass at all. It covers the antenna bands and nearly touches the glass, but not quite. This shouldn't interfere with screen protectors.

The case is bigger than I thought it'd be. The sides are fine but the top and bottom look as though they're twice the depth of the sides. The finger bumps don't bother me, but I kinda wish the case was as thin as the sides all the way around.

Bottom line:
Pro-
Sexy case. Great form. One of the best I've seen aesthetically.

Con-
Diminished usability to the point of being unusable in many neighborhoods in my area.
 
Silver/silver is awesome! Silver, yellow, pink or the lime....can't decide. Emailed and asked for pics of lime well see how that goes lol
 
I have been playing with my phone using the vapor case and still no reception issues with wifi and data. My only issue is still my GPS. It does go on and out but I really don't use it that often. I think it will come down to a personal choice for people who are willing to sacrifice GPS for a great looking case. Not all will want to keep it but the ones who do shouldn't be put down by people.

Right now I'm leaning heavily towards keeping the case but will continue to see how the reception issues develop before final choice.
 
zornet said:
That Maxpedition holster is the bomb, never a care what ya doing. iPhone 4 / Vapor 4 will never be loose its way, not sure about the GPS housed in the Vapor though :eek:.
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Haha. I used a Sedio holster in the past. I have a hard time going from Minimal to the incredible bulk case. I wear a suit to work and I fear people with think that they have a boy scout on their hands if i show up clipped to that monster.
I would have to see it in person and find a way to get that buckle off the front. I keep hoping to find an old blackberry case that might work. If not I'll just have to get the Max as you suggested. Does it come with a free pocket knife and compass? :D
 

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Larry Greenberg is reporting a consistent loss, from 4-5 bars down to 2-3 bars.
No big surprise, just thought I would post his experience.
 
zornet said:
As stated yesterday my silver/silver was to be delivered by the PO, which it was yesterday :D. The workmanship on this case is superb. It was worth the wait ✓. I did feel that is wouldn't hurt in adding a bit more insulation, which I did minutes ago. From other DIY projects I have a role of "3M VHB Heavy Duty Mounting Tape". This has a very close lOOk and consistently of EC's mystery material used. The only difference I could see would be that my tape is tacky on both sides where EC's is not. My workaround was to keep the red backing on the side that would be exposed to the iPhone.

The Griffin PowerJolt car charger has been modified with the help of my belt sander and wet-dry sandpaper (500 grit). I've done this with other close fitting accessories. Easily done.

Also shown is the Maxpedition holster that's been in use for my iPhone 4 with another brand bumper, working GREAT with the Vapor 4. Enjoy.
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How much has the tape affected your reception? Thanks.
 
667ALex said:
Griffin released their new cases :

http://www.griffintechnology.com/products/elan-frame-iphone4

It's looks pretty good, like the vapor 4
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thank You for posting that.. placed order.. element case is going back.. will try sell it first on ebay.. if I can at least get what I pay for it. If not, then will send it back to elementcase.. Most likely wont ever buy from them again unless I see HUGE improvement. Simply CAN NOT deal with GPS problems. Thanks again for sharing.
 
I have to say I continue to love the look of this case -- the pictures look great!

But I personally could not tolerate GPS problems -- I use my phone to do walks everywhere I go and use the GPS to get me where I need to be. Deal breaker for me.

As for an update on my PayPal/Chargeback dispute because Element Case not refunding my purchase price for a cancelled, never shipped case, well American Express credited me immediately -- as they always do -- and Element Case STILL has not responded. Three emails, one PayPal dispute, then a chargeback, and two weeks later -- and still no response. Amex probably gives them thirty days grace period and it looks like they are going to drag it out as long as they can so they can hang onto their cash. All this for an item they never shipped.
 
That Élan case looks pretty good. It most likely works too. I Don't like how the cutout for the volume buttons was handled though. It looks like part of the case is missing.
 
random person said:
I have to say I continue to love the look of this case -- the pictures look great!

But I personally could not tolerate GPS problems -- I use my phone to do walks everywhere I go and use the GPS to get me where I need to be. Deal breaker for me.

As for an update on my PayPal/Chargeback dispute because Element Case not refunding my purchase price for a cancelled, never shipped case, well American Express credited me immediately -- as they always do -- and Element Case STILL has not responded. Three emails, one PayPal dispute, then a chargeback, and two weeks later -- and still no response. Amex probably gives them thirty days grace period and it looks like they are going to drag it out as long as they can so they can hang onto their cash. All this for an item they never shipped.
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Hey Random.
A lot of people , myself included were ready to forgive a lot of issues from Element because we like their product and because they were so overwhelmed being a small company but when I hear stories like yours and others plus my own experiences it paints a diffrent picture. My refund for part of my order still hasn't show up after 10 days.
I can't imagine the fun people are going to have returning their orderers if you can't get a response for something that never shipped.

They must be very happy that most people are selling them on EBay. If everyone returned their case and received a refund, well that could put a small company out of business.
 
Maybe we (owners and former owners) should start a poll : If you owned a Vapor, did you get rid of it?

Me: Yes.
 
markklein said:
How much has the tape affected your reception? Thanks.
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It does not lOOk as the effort made any measurable difference :(. I'll be doing a side by side unscientific test with the wife's iPhone 4 within a couple days. But I can say it doesn't lOOk good at this point with the erratic GPS behavior.
 
Flyfunner5 said:
Can someone please tell me how to fix my problem? I want to buy this case as right now i'm sporting a crappy free belkin on my iPhone courtesy of apple (how can they sell these pieces of crap for 30 dollars?). My problem is that my volume buttons are jiggly and clank when I press on them, but with the rubber from my free case, they don't make that noise. Is there a way that I could pad these or something so I can still have the element on but have a covering for the volume buttons.
Click to expand...

/atleast1characters
 
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