Any chance I can get you to post up pics of the orange/black case? I have that one coming too but I am dieing to see it.
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Element Vapor Case
- Thread starter johnnybgood15
- Start date
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Have a look at http://www.theluckylabs.com/ to pick some good antenna wraps for you phones. they are very cheap and have pink, orange and blue so you can match up your apple logo with your coloured side pieces on your Vapor. It's called the Iphone 4 spectra wrap. You can get 3 for ten bucks but if you use a coupon code you get 3 for 5 bucks. I ordered a bunch of them and they are great.
I think it's ( luckyca )
I don't think that anything can resolve all the issues with reception other than a redesign of the IPhone 4 but the wraps help protect the antenna from scratches and prevents moisture from your hands connecting with the antenna. And they look dam good!
No worries. Share the wealth! I ordered 4 of the new blue. Just got them in the mail today. the blue looks great. I've had em all except yellow and gold. not my thing. Green was a hit as well.
Vapor 4 Ni
Been stalking these boards for a while, mainly trying to figure out a fix to my MBP trackpad sticking, and also researching a bit about this case we're all so divided on. My experience with the Element Case Vapor Nickel is as follows.
For what it's worth, I put my pre-order in to Element on July 3rd and received the case this last weekend after over 90 days of waiting with the full intention of putting it on eBay.
During the wait, I started to grow impatient, especially since I placed my order on 9/25 and they processed my PayPal payment that day, and the payment went to some guy with a gmail account. Weird. Usually when my account gets billed the product ships in less than 72 hours. This was not the case with Element. They billed me, then deflected a few of my emails for 2 weeks with the excuse that the cases they had rec'd from their supplier were blemished. After a little more hassling my order was updated the next day to 'Awaiting Shipment' and once I got the 'Product has shipped' email I rec'd the case very quickly. I personally think I rec'd a blem, but even if I did, it looks damn near flawless. I checked it out under loupes and everything looked good to me, clearances were tight and markings from machining were minimal to non-existent.
The fit and finish were damn near perfect. It is light as a feather and once installed, looks beautiful (I will post some pics if there's interest). I ordered the carbon fiber back and side wraps from lucky labs, which I installed, and I can't say I see a difference in signal, but keep in mind I live and go to school in the middle of Boston. The phone looked really slick the first few days, then I started to see the nickel begin to tarnish. This is not as bad as it sounds because now its starting to look like one of my titanium lacrosse shafts, I think it looks pretty good and gives the phone some character...worst comes to worst I can polish it off with some water+vinegar to restore the original shine (which I assume can be had for $20 less with the plain silver finish).
My major hang up with the case was the headphone jack. Since my Shure's didn't fit, there was no way my Ultrasone's would fit. After considering the eBay option I just couldn't justify selling it after waiting so long (I guess I'm a glutton for punishment) so I did what any good dental student would do. I went to the lab and grabbed my handpiece with a diamond bur and made the opening wide enough to fit either set of headphones. The mod actually looks pretty good and removes the one hang-up I had about the case. It took about 30 minutes and could probably be done with a dremel+water and a steady hand.
I don't dock my phone into any sound systems since I have a nano for that, and I don't drive in beantown so I don't need a car charger. So while the docking port may be a deal-breaker for some, it was a non-issue for me. The sim-card slot...ehh, no thoughts either way, I don't really mind it. The top button has a good click to it as well.
Basically, I think the phone looks awesome with the nickel case and carbon fiber back, and since I'm locked into 2 more years with it, I figured I might as well take the plunge on a sweet case.
I just wanted to share the saga that was my dealing with ElementCase and the Vapor. While I do love the case and haven't noticed the 'faraday cage' effect, I explained to EC that the way they do business is beyond terrible. Am I glad I got it, yes. Would I do it again, no way. This company has much to learn before they can justify their business model and pricing scheme, especially since they're marketing to Apple fans.
Thanks for reading, or not, and if you want pics just let me know and I'll snap some tomorrow.
Ciao.
Been stalking these boards for a while, mainly trying to figure out a fix to my MBP trackpad sticking, and also researching a bit about this case we're all so divided on. My experience with the Element Case Vapor Nickel is as follows.
For what it's worth, I put my pre-order in to Element on July 3rd and received the case this last weekend after over 90 days of waiting with the full intention of putting it on eBay.
During the wait, I started to grow impatient, especially since I placed my order on 9/25 and they processed my PayPal payment that day, and the payment went to some guy with a gmail account. Weird. Usually when my account gets billed the product ships in less than 72 hours. This was not the case with Element. They billed me, then deflected a few of my emails for 2 weeks with the excuse that the cases they had rec'd from their supplier were blemished. After a little more hassling my order was updated the next day to 'Awaiting Shipment' and once I got the 'Product has shipped' email I rec'd the case very quickly. I personally think I rec'd a blem, but even if I did, it looks damn near flawless. I checked it out under loupes and everything looked good to me, clearances were tight and markings from machining were minimal to non-existent.
The fit and finish were damn near perfect. It is light as a feather and once installed, looks beautiful (I will post some pics if there's interest). I ordered the carbon fiber back and side wraps from lucky labs, which I installed, and I can't say I see a difference in signal, but keep in mind I live and go to school in the middle of Boston. The phone looked really slick the first few days, then I started to see the nickel begin to tarnish. This is not as bad as it sounds because now its starting to look like one of my titanium lacrosse shafts, I think it looks pretty good and gives the phone some character...worst comes to worst I can polish it off with some water+vinegar to restore the original shine (which I assume can be had for $20 less with the plain silver finish).
My major hang up with the case was the headphone jack. Since my Shure's didn't fit, there was no way my Ultrasone's would fit. After considering the eBay option I just couldn't justify selling it after waiting so long (I guess I'm a glutton for punishment) so I did what any good dental student would do. I went to the lab and grabbed my handpiece with a diamond bur and made the opening wide enough to fit either set of headphones. The mod actually looks pretty good and removes the one hang-up I had about the case. It took about 30 minutes and could probably be done with a dremel+water and a steady hand.
I don't dock my phone into any sound systems since I have a nano for that, and I don't drive in beantown so I don't need a car charger. So while the docking port may be a deal-breaker for some, it was a non-issue for me. The sim-card slot...ehh, no thoughts either way, I don't really mind it. The top button has a good click to it as well.
Basically, I think the phone looks awesome with the nickel case and carbon fiber back, and since I'm locked into 2 more years with it, I figured I might as well take the plunge on a sweet case.
I just wanted to share the saga that was my dealing with ElementCase and the Vapor. While I do love the case and haven't noticed the 'faraday cage' effect, I explained to EC that the way they do business is beyond terrible. Am I glad I got it, yes. Would I do it again, no way. This company has much to learn before they can justify their business model and pricing scheme, especially since they're marketing to Apple fans.
Thanks for reading, or not, and if you want pics just let me know and I'll snap some tomorrow.
Ciao.
I have to say ELement Customer Service has improved dramatically!!!
I asked about lining compared to alumacase and told them the reception and wifi issues I experienced and here is their reply within hours of my email. Although saying it works but then saying they have a redesigned case coming out soon to fix the reception issues kind of blows away any chance at ordering a current one.
Our cases are not lined entirely with padding, only in the corners like Alumacase, which doesn't surprise us since they ripped off our case to make theirs. The padding in our case serves 2 fold: to protect the phone and absorb shock should the case be dropped and to hold the phone in place so that the metal antenna does not touch the case, which is what causes the disruption in signal. In our testing, we actually found that lining the entire case on the inside interfered with reception because the padding is designed protect the phone.
Best option is to either try our case and see if it works, while making sure it is installed properly, or you can wait as we have a redesigned case coming out soon that will address those who just couldn't get the Vapor to work on their phone.
ElementCASE Customer Service
I asked about lining compared to alumacase and told them the reception and wifi issues I experienced and here is their reply within hours of my email. Although saying it works but then saying they have a redesigned case coming out soon to fix the reception issues kind of blows away any chance at ordering a current one.
Our cases are not lined entirely with padding, only in the corners like Alumacase, which doesn't surprise us since they ripped off our case to make theirs. The padding in our case serves 2 fold: to protect the phone and absorb shock should the case be dropped and to hold the phone in place so that the metal antenna does not touch the case, which is what causes the disruption in signal. In our testing, we actually found that lining the entire case on the inside interfered with reception because the padding is designed protect the phone.
Best option is to either try our case and see if it works, while making sure it is installed properly, or you can wait as we have a redesigned case coming out soon that will address those who just couldn't get the Vapor to work on their phone.
ElementCASE Customer Service
Very interesting info from ElementCASE, thanks for sharing. I'm not on the same page with their statement "In our testing, we actually found that lining the entire case on the inside interfered with reception because the padding is designed protect the phone." I've found that full insulation of the inside of the case corrects all signal issues. But I am lOOking forward to their new and improved version 3 just the same, which is a good thing
.
So how does this help those who have already purchased the product? I lived with my case for a month and dropped so many calls I had to go with an Apple Bumper and kept the Carbon Fiber backing.
It is the most beautiful case I've ever owned but the drop of one bar, the Apple antenna problem, and AT&T's sucky coverage makes it worthless. There goes my resale value
So how does this help those who have already purchased the product? I lived with my case for a month and dropped so many calls I had to go with an Apple Bumper and kept the Carbon Fiber backing.
It is the most beautiful case I've ever owned but the drop of one bar, the Apple antenna problem, and AT&T's sucky coverage makes it worthless. There goes my resale value
Ill bet the redesigned product is the same case with more tape or foam inside.
Ill bet the redesigned product is the same case with more tape or foam inside.
So we've got a perfect storm of AT&T, iPhone4 and Vapor?
Attachments
White/Rhino help me with your Avatar, what is it please?
It's call the jenn fly 3000. It's one of the coolest pics I've seen. here is the link. It's at the bottom of the page
http://interfacelift.com/wallpaper_beta/downloads/downloads/hdtv/index105.html
Very cool, it almost lOOks like a bike lOOking down over-it in as in the riding position.
Just wondering... where can I check my order status? I'd like to know about the progress, because I paid via PayPal like 2 weeks ago and didn't hear a thing yet...
You need to go to login on the Element home page or check status from the email conformation you should have gotten after you paid.
Thanks, found it, it's a little bit hidden (the login)
...awaiting fulfillment
What did you order buy chance? I placed two separate orders on Sunday. The one has already packed and shipped. The second, which includes an extreme metals Nickel, is still sitting.