Element Vapor Case

[RSC10]

I love my silver/silver case....but it kills my cell signal and GPS won't even work. What am I missing here guys? How are you using this case successfully? Am I doing something wrong? I'm not a troll. I want this thing to work for me !!

 

[beedish]

okay so i did some tests and here are the results:

Without ElementCase Vapor 4 Case:
Antenna: -96
WiFi: Ping: 62ms
Download: 5.45Mbps
Upload: .90Mbps
GPS: Perfect


With ElementCase Vapor 4 Case:
Antenna:
WiFi: Ping: 63ms
Download: 5.28Mbps
Upload: .91Mbps
GPS: Off about 100+ feet, varies randomly.

1st picture - what I did with the 3M Scotch adhesive tape.
2nd picture - GPS w/o case
3rd picture - GPS w/case
4th picture - Signal w/o case
5th picture - Signal w/case

Hope this can help provide feedback to people considering this case. I tried w/o the insulating tape and the results for GPS and WiFi were the same. The only different I noticed was with the signal which was much worse than with the 3M tape. (around -115+)

-Blake

 

[White/Rhino]

Nice Pics 2000 Yeah!

 

[usmc1775]

Nickle Finish

I just got my element nickle plated case and the front and back have some spots that look like pitting and are not removable. Has anyone else had this same finish problem? Overall the machining is bad a$$ but the nickle plating quality leaves much to be desired. Has anyone had this problem with the anodyzed finish? Could this just be a one time mistake on my particular nickle finished case? See particularly the joints between the two pieces. The bottom pic shows it the best where the seam is and the opposite side of the case there are very deep pit that can be seen in the pics. Honestly, it looks much worse in person than I can show in the pics. Im thinking of stripping the nickle off myself and just polishing it down to the aluminum to a mirror finish. BTW these pics were taken literally 20 minutes after I opened the package and not after a day or two of abuse. I treat my phones like a dozen eggs.

 

[zornet]

I just got my element nickle plated case and the front and back have some spots that look like pitting and are not removable. Has anyone else had this same finish problem? Overall the machining is bad a$$ but the nickle plating quality leaves much to be desired. Has anyone had this problem with the anodyzed finish? Could this just be a one time mistake on my particular nickle finished case? I will post some pictures once my Nikon is charged.

usmc1775 I hadn't heard of any EC anodized case problems. But there have been reports of the extreme nickle cases tarnishing, which is natural for nickle. But you may have a bad one . Lets see the pic's.

 

[beedish]

My anodized silver was scratched/pitted on the cap piece. I'm sending it back for a replacement. Customer service was prompt in replying. We'll see how quickly I get the replacement part....

 

[usmc1775]

exchange?

My anodized silver was scratched/pitted on the cap piece. I'm sending it back for a replacement. Customer service was prompt in replying. We'll see how quickly I get the replacement part....

Will you let us know how fast they honor a replacement? Do you think they would just let you switch it for a different style to avoid a repeat problem?

 

[usmc1775]

usmc1775 I hadn't heard of any EC anodized case problems. But there have been reports of the extreme nickle cases tarnishing, which is natural for nickle. But you may have a bad one . Lets see the pic's.

Here are some more and better pics of the blemishes

 

[White/Rhino]

I just got my element nickle plated case and the front and back have some spots that look like pitting and are not removable.

Dude. Contact Element and send them the pics and get them to send you a new case of your choosing. That case looks really bad. Everyone has been saying they are having tarnish problems. I don't think Element thought this case through enough. If you try and make adjustments to the case they might not take it back.

 

[usmc1775]

Question?

I just got my element nickle plated case and the front and back have some spots that look like pitting and are not removable.

Dude. Contact Element and send them the pics and get them to send you a new case of your choosing. That case looks really bad. Everyone has been saying they are having tarnish problems. I don't think Element thought this case through enough. If you try and make adjustments to the case they might not take it back.

Do you think they will make me spend ten bucks to ship it back to them and then wait another month or two for a replacement? I do know that nickle tarnishes which in my oppinion gives it character which I would like...however this is deep pitting and not tarnish. I went so far as to use a jewlers loop to get a closer look and it looks as though when they ordered the bar stock to make this case it was undersized or something because it does not look like any tooling ever touched/cut these areas...or the acid treatment before it was electroplated pitted the aluminum....anyway, it really does look pretty crappy especially for what I paid. By the way I am probably in a minority when I say that this is a very fair price for what you get. Last time I checked a quality CNC machine can sell for between $10K and $100K plus. Alot of time, shipping, material, and logistics goes into making something like this. As a hobby machinist I know what this would take if I were to attempt to make it myself and believe me my time would equate to about $5 an hour if I were to try to make one.

Well, enough rambling, any advice you can give me would be greatly appreciated. You seem to know how this company does business.

Thanks

 

[Sulaco]

"I just got my element nickle plated case and the front and back have some spots that look like pitting and are not removable. Has anyone else had this same finish problem? Overall the machining is bad a$$ but the nickle plating quality leaves much to be desired. Has anyone had this problem with the anodyzed finish? Could this just be a one time mistake on my particular nickle finished case?"

I had no such issues. I'd not thought it would tarnish, however it does 'wipe off'. EC say removing the tarnish will not affect the finish. I also think it will add a little character. The sort of 'character' I can accept, as opposed to the scratched / chipped screen 'character' you can get

 

[ADMProducer]

Any chinese copies available yet?

 

[Dyspareunia]

Any chinese copies available yet?

I don't know why, but the first thing that came to my mind was Atomic's case, but I don't know if they are going to admit that their design looks like a copy of Element's.

 

[jamis]

My Nickel case did not have that that pitting. Looks like a manufacturing defect.

After living with the tarnish for a couple weeks, I decided to send the case back for a different finish. I wouldn't mind if the tarnish was fairly consistent all over the case but it was very uneven and mostly in the areas that had the most contact with skin.

Based on availability, I will most likely be getting silver/silver instead (AR15 and 007 were out of stock). Not as much a fan of the frost.

Customer service was very prompt with their reply and ofter to RMA.

 

[Gonz19]

I had a warranty issue with them and had to send the frame back for replacement. Took about two weeks to get it back. You do have to pay for shipping. I would recommend you track it so you can get with them when you know they received it. I had to check with them on the status of the frame almost everyday after they got it. You might get yours faster. They had lost my shipping label and had to print another one. Good luck.

Do you think they will make me spend ten bucks to ship it back to them and then wait another month or two for a replacement? I do know that nickle tarnishes which in my oppinion gives it character which I would like...however this is deep pitting and not tarnish. I went so far as to use a jewlers loop to get a closer look and it looks as though when they ordered the bar stock to make this case it was undersized or something because it does not look like any tooling ever touched/cut these areas...or the acid treatment before it was electroplated pitted the aluminum....anyway, it really does look pretty crappy especially for what I paid. By the way I am probably in a minority when I say that this is a very fair price for what you get. Last time I checked a quality CNC machine can sell for between $10K and $100K plus. Alot of time, shipping, material, and logistics goes into making something like this. As a hobby machinist I know what this would take if I were to attempt to make it myself and believe me my time would equate to about $5 an hour if I were to try to make one.

Well, enough rambling, any advice you can give me would be greatly appreciated. You seem to know how this company does business.

Thanks

 

[ADMProducer]

I don't know why, but the first thing that came to my mind was Atomic's case, but I don't know if they are going to admit that their design looks like a copy of Element's.

Wow, that's a great copy!

Without sounding bad, I hope a few more will come with this similar design to help drive the price down. I just can't justify £45+ for an iPhone 4 case.

£35 would be a straight cop

 

[beedish]

Thought I'd post a couple of pictures of my silver/silver anodized cap which had the pitting/scratches. Looks like it was a return almost, however, the rest of the case was perfect. I am going to contact their returns department, because I started thinking about it, and me spending my money to send them back their faulty product is BS. They should provide a replacement part and a prepaid label for me to return the faulty one. Will let you know how it turns out.

Sorry about the quality, wife took the good camera out of town this weekend.

 

[White/Rhino]

I feel it's time to exert our positions as customers. Companies running honest and fair business will send their clients a return envelope with paid shipping if they are in error and have sent the wrong product or a defect one.
Tell Element what you want, send them the pics as proof of the damage and have them ship you a replacement unit and once you get that send them back the defective product. Due to their long wait times it's only fair to demand an immediate replacement vs waiting for your number in line to come up. We as customers should't have to beg to receive the products that we bought and paid for fairly and legally . This relationship between buyer and seller is a contract where both parties agree to play their role. ( It's implied ) The buyer buys and the seller sells. If one party fails to play their role then they are responsible to correct it. After all as our role as buyers we would never have received the product unless we played our role and paid for the product and the shipping cost. If you feel like you are not being dealt with fairly then report it to the BBB and create some waves. The only other option we have is not to buy their products and report our experiences on threads like these.
I've already read many entries where people all love the product but are less than generous with their comments about Element as a company.
My only experience is that I waited 2 months for my order but many have had the same problem and it's not a hugh deal. Faulty merchandise is a big deal.

 

[zornet]

I feel it's time to exert our positions as customers. Companies running honest and fair business will send their clients a return envelope with paid shipping if they are in error and have sent the wrong product or a defect one.
Tell Element what you want, send them the pics as proof of the damage and have them ship you a replacement unit and once you get that send them back the defective product. Due to their long wait times it's only fair to demand an immediate replacement vs waiting for your number in line to come up. We as customers should't have to beg to receive the products that we bought and paid for fairly and legally . This relationship between buyer and seller is a contract where both parties agree to play their role. ( It's implied ) The buyer buys and the seller sells. If one party fails to play their role then they are responsible to correct it. After all as our role as buyers we would never have received the product unless we played our role and paid for the product and the shipping cost. If you feel like you are not being dealt with fairly then report it to the BBB and create some waves. The only other option we have is not to buy their products and report our experiences on threads like these.
I've already read many entries where people all love the product but are less than generous with their comments about Element as a company.
My only experience is that I waited 2 months for my order but many have had the same problem and it's not a hugh deal. Faulty merchandise is a big deal.

+1, well done White/Rhino

 

[A684TTQARX7]

Originally Posted by White/Rhino
I feel it's time to exert our positions as customers. Companies running honest and fair business will send their clients a return envelope with paid shipping if they are in error and have sent the wrong product or a defect one.
Tell Element what you want, send them the pics as proof of the damage and have them ship you a replacement unit and once you get that send them back the defective product. Due to their long wait times it's only fair to demand an immediate replacement vs waiting for your number in line to come up. We as customers should't have to beg to receive the products that we bought and paid for fairly and legally . This relationship between buyer and seller is a contract where both parties agree to play their role. ( It's implied ) The buyer buys and the seller sells. If one party fails to play their role then they are responsible to correct it. After all as our role as buyers we would never have received the product unless we played our role and paid for the product and the shipping cost. If you feel like you are not being dealt with fairly then report it to the BBB and create some waves. The only other option we have is not to buy their products and report our experiences on threads like these.
I've already read many entries where people all love the product but are less than generous with their comments about Element as a company.
My only experience is that I waited 2 months for my order but many have had the same problem and it's not a hugh deal. Faulty merchandise is a big deal.


My 1st post but I must say White/Rino you hit it right on the nose touche!

 

[graystar]

I just got my element nickle plated case and the front and back have some spots that look like pitting and are not removable.

Hi,
This looks to me very much like the aluminium has corroded slightly before the plating treatment was applied.
I work with anodised aluminium products and see this often.
Corrosion of raw aluminium will appear as 'pitting'
Whether the corrosion occurred after machining or before is unknown but either way should have been spotted long before it made its way to you, the end user!
Definitely return it

 

[chris975d]

.....If you feel like you are not being dealt with fairly then report it to the BBB and create some waves. The only other option we have is not to buy their products and report our experiences on threads like these.....

Element Case doesn't care about BBB complaints. I've had one open with the BBB of their area for a few months now, and Element plays it off like they do nothing wrong. But as long as people keep buying their products, I don't see how it's going to accomplish anything.

 

[White/Rhino]

Element Case doesn't care about BBB complaints. I've had one open with the BBB of their area for a few months now, and Element plays it off like they do nothing wrong. But as long as people keep buying their products, I don't see how it's going to accomplish anything.

Very true but at the same time if anyone has filed a complaint and someone checks them out on BBB before they buy from them it will definitely impact their buying decision. Most buyer aren't as hardcore as us and aren't willing to experiment with unproven products or service.

 

[White/Rhino]

+1, well done White/Rhino

Originally Posted by White/Rhino


My 1st post but I must say White/Rino you hit it right on the nose touche!

Thanks guys , for the kind words and support. My little rant there was the result of reading so many negative things about this company. I'm kinda torn because I love their creativity and product but I don't think it's cool that they forget that with out us, the consumers, they have no one to sell their cool cases too. If this level of service keeps up for a year I doubt they will be here to sell us something cool next year when we all buy our Iphone 5's. That would be a sad thing.

 

[chris975d]

Very true but at the same time if anyone has filed a complaint and someone checks them out on BBB before they buy from them it will definitely impact their buying decision. Most buyer aren't as hardcore as us and aren't willing to experiment with unproven products or service.

Element has just really bothered me with the way they've acted towards us customers during their whole iPhone 4 product launch. They act as if we (customers) are an inconvenience that they have to deal with, instead of their livelihood. Actually...it's quite a fitting attitude to have for a company making Apple accessories! Fits right in with how Apple treats us sometimes, except for the fact that Element hasn't proven themselves over time as Apple has at making exceptional products.