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Element Vapor Case

chris975d said:
I posted about this way earlier in the thread, but, at least in my case, I know that at certain times my Vapor was coming into contact with the metal antenna. I could tell that the thin sides of the Vapor were defecting enough at times to touch. And, as you stated (and I stated as well), the insulating material they use compresses over time to the point that it's not really providing any support. To test my theory of the Vapor touching the antenna, I put a thin strip of receipt paper between my antenna and Vapor, and tightened down the Vapor (keep in mind that this was in an area of the Vapor where there was no cushioning material installed. When the Vapor was installed, this very thin piece of paper couldn't be pulled through the case. If the Vapor wasn't touching here, this piece of paper should have been able to be pulled right out. But you could feel the pressure of the Vapor pressing on the paper, not allowing it to pull through. My signal was total crap after installing the Vapor as well. As an experiment, I completely insulated the entire inside of the Vapor with an insulating rubber material that I have, and after that, strangely enough, my signal was perfectly fine, and my GPS became far more accurate. But I felt as though I shouldn't have to "fix" an $80 case, and instead of dealing with the nightmare that is Element Case's customer service, I just sold it on eBay for a profit. But...after I insulated the entire inside of the Vapor myself, all problems I had noticed before were corrected or greatly reduced.
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Thanks that's good info. If things degrade I'll add some foam strips or tape, easy enough. I'm so into the looks I'll
go far to make it work if it starts to not work.
 
random person said:
White/rhino I think if I had been waiting as long as you have i would have gone completely insane by now!!! But yikes doesn't larry's review make you want to cancel? Or are you just thinking you've waited this long that you might as well see what it's like at this point?
What is element saying to you about the delay?
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Haha. Nobody likes a quitter :D I got a shipping notice before the 45 day paypal dispute expired so i decided to let it ride. Here and now I'm past the dispute deadline so I'm SOL. Other than sending it back and I can't imagine the fun I'd have doing that. I'd have to start a whole new thread for people to bitch about how long it's taking to get refunded the money.
Also I don't know if bars mean anything. I really have to test this out. I loose 3 bars going into my kitchen from the living room. I have to check overall performance. I really wish someone would make a case this attractive that didn't hamper the phones ability. I'd put em on eBay but is that cool knowing they have problems? Might loose my 100% feedback :)
 
chris975d said:
I posted about this way earlier in the thread, but, at least in my case, I know that at certain times my Vapor was coming into contact with the metal antenna. I could tell that the thin sides of the Vapor were defecting enough at times to touch. And, as you stated (and I stated as well), the insulating material they use compresses over time to the point that it's not really providing any support. To test my theory of the Vapor touching the antenna, I put a thin strip of receipt paper between my antenna and Vapor, and tightened down the Vapor (keep in mind that this was in an area of the Vapor where there was no cushioning material installed. When the Vapor was installed, this very thin piece of paper couldn't be pulled through the case. If the Vapor wasn't touching here, this piece of paper should have been able to be pulled right out. But you could feel the pressure of the Vapor pressing on the paper, not allowing it to pull through. My signal was total crap after installing the Vapor as well. As an experiment, I completely insulated the entire inside of the Vapor with an insulating rubber material that I have, and after that, strangely enough, my signal was perfectly fine, and my GPS became far more accurate. But I felt as though I shouldn't have to "fix" an $80 case, and instead of dealing with the nightmare that is Element Case's customer service, I just sold it on eBay for a profit. But...after I insulated the entire inside of the Vapor myself, all problems I had noticed before were corrected or greatly reduced.
Click to expand...

It boggles the mind that Element Case has not done what you did and insulated the damn thing with the "high tech shock absorbing material" that they promised. Why ship out something that they know is defective when such a simple fix takes care of the problem?
 
random person said:
They told me to contact them if I don't get it in the next 5 business days and they would send me another order. I would have though at this point they might have offered me a deal or a free side cap for my troubles but I guess they think that waiting this long isn't an inconvenience.
Click to expand...
 
random person said:
It boggles the mind that Element Case has not done what you did and insulated the damn thing with the "high tech shock absorbing material" that they promised. Why ship out something that they know is defective when such a simple fix takes care of the problem?
Click to expand...

The fix I did didn't completely get rid of all my issues, but I can confirm that it fixed all cellular signal issues. Without the self-installed insulation, I never saw download speeds exceed 1200Kpbs at home or work, yet without the Vapor installed, those speeds are always above 2000kbps. Once I installed the insulation all the way around, my download speeds were always above 2000 even with the Vapor installed. But, my GPS wasn't always accurate. It would still often show me 30 yards or more off the road I was on, and would take a bit longer than a naked iPhone to get a location lock (my naked iPhone will get a damn near instant lock). But, the GPS on my jury-rigged Vapor was still greatly improved over the un-altered Vapor, as it would show me across town, or never even get a lock at all. Plus, my bluetooth reception distance increased greatly with the self installed insulation. Without it, if my iPhone got much farther away from my headset than my pants pocket, it'd get so garbled that I couldn't use it. With the modification, I could get at least 15-20 feet from it without any degradation to sound or before a caller could notice.
 
lorenwade said:
I actually have lucky labs decals on mine. It worked out just fine. It's a decal that goes around the edge of the phone.
Click to expand...

Mine actually greatly improved by just installing the Wrapsol full body kit outer antenna pieces on it (kind of like what you have installed, but a bit thicker). But when I used a double layer of the thick rubber insulating tape I have, it improved that much more. So I think there's definitely a reason to have some type of insulator all the way around the antenna.
 
chris975d said:
Mine actually greatly improved by just installing the Wrapsol full body kit outer antenna pieces on it (kind of like what you have installed, but a bit thicker). But when I used a double layer of the thick rubber insulating tape I have, it improved that much more. So I think there's definitely a reason to have some type of insulator all the way around the antenna.
Click to expand...

If you guys are digging The Luck Labs make sure you put your orders in before the end of August and get 50% off your entire order. I ordered a whole mess of stuff for family and friends to do installs. Create an account and enter this code cc7c0cb927
 
chris975d said:
Mine actually greatly improved by just installing the Wrapsol full body kit outer antenna pieces on it (kind of like what you have installed, but a bit thicker). But when I used a double layer of the thick rubber insulating tape I have, it improved that much more. So I think there's definitely a reason to have some type of insulator all the way around the antenna.
Click to expand...

Interesting. Anyone with any idea of a good way to insulate? I have the Wrapsol but not sure I wanna use it... not too keen on using tape either. Maybe if I taped it on the inside of the vapor?

Either way, I'm mostly happy with my vapor.
 
lorenwade said:
I actually have lucky labs decals on mine. It worked out just fine. It's a decal that goes around the edge of the phone.
Click to expand...

I got the SGP full body kit the ex ultra crystal one. Came with 2 sets of full bodies, one for me and one for my dad. However, I don't know if the case fits with the sides, can anyone confirm?
 
"...At the end of the day, however, I need my iPhone to make and receive calls. With the Element Vapor 4 I was spending too much time with my iPhone effectively serving as an iPod touch- a big, expensive touch with two cameras..."

"...But what good is a phone without a signal? In the end, the Element Vapor had to go."


And that is why I'm out, folks.

Enjoyed all of the camaraderie. :cool:
 
lorenwade said:
Interesting. Anyone with any idea of a good way to insulate? I have the Wrapsol but not sure I wanna use it... not too keen on using tape either. Maybe if I taped it on the inside of the vapor?

Either way, I'm mostly happy with my vapor.
Click to expand...

My first thought was to hit the hardware store and get some one sided foam tape to add some shock protection plus keep the antenna edge away from the case.
 
Flyfunner5 said:
I got the SGP full body kit the ex ultra crystal one. Came with 2 sets of full bodies, one for me and one for my dad. However, I don't know if the case fits with the sides, can anyone confirm?
Click to expand...

Wish I could. Didn't even know they had a full body. I'm on my 3rd replacement film by them. I love the film, but the cuts I received were damaged. I'll give the full body a shot!

White/Rhino said:
My first thought was to hit the hardware store and get some one sided foam tape to add some shock protection plus keep the antenna edge away from the case.
Click to expand...

Good idea. I'ma take a look.
 
Flyfunner5 said:
I got the SGP full body kit the ex ultra crystal one. Came with 2 sets of full bodies, one for me and one for my dad. However, I don't know if the case fits with the sides, can anyone confirm?
Click to expand...

It'll definitely fit. The Wrapsol is about twice as thick as the SGP one, and it still fit no problem. Hell, the rubber tape I doubled up made it to where I literally had to press the case down hard just to screw it down. It was definitely padded after that!
 
chris975d said:
It'll definitely fit. The Wrapsol is about twice as thick as the SGP one, and it still fit no problem. Hell, the rubber tape I doubled up made it to where I literally had to press the case down hard just to screw it down. It was definitely padded after that!
Click to expand...

Thanks! And to the other guy thinking in them, yea it's a good deal. The screens don't have any orange peel effect and this case I know from other users doesn't push up screens either. The sides however were very very hard to install. But they were worth it, scratch proof phone :) Now only if it could survive a nuclear fall out
 
I've placed 6 orders from eBay from the
SGP USA ebay store In the past 6 weeks.
It's the same price as shopping with SGP.
I've been very happy with their service, shipping and responses to my questions. One of my orderes didn't install properly and they mailed me a replacement. I highly recommend them.
The fit of the lucky labs teksure skin is a little better than the SGP carbon skin but the SGP is a more textured and thicker skin.
 
So now that many have lived with the vapor for a few weeks what's the verdict on the scratching potential - are they holding up OK in the pocket with keys, change, the table lay, etc?
 
archrider said:
Great sense of humor White/Rhino. This thread has kept me entertained for weeks.
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Haha, thanks. Yes, this thread is great. Lots of cool people. Posting here is way better that sitting alone in my closet cutting myself because my order hasn't arrived yet. :eek: I'm saving a fortune on bandaids and therapy. :D
Viva la Macrumors.
 
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