I really wanted to love Slickwraps...

[Magsdizz]

Full disclosure- I hate almost every case I see out there for iPhones. I get you need some sort of protection sometimes. But most of them are ugly. And most of them completely ruin the look of the phone. Which is one of the reasons to get an iPhone... call me a style whore if you must.

My 5S, I was able to find a lot of different bumpers that did the trick of protecting a bit but not being noticeable unless you looked hard. But as I found out pretty quickly after picking up my 256gb Jet Black 7...bumpers don't really exist any longer. At least, not unobtrusive ones.

So what next?

Well, I heard about wraps. And then I watched a bunch of videos and got excited. And then I took the plunge and bought Slickwraps Nude for my iPhone 7.

What came in the mail for my 20 bucks?

• 2 back wraps
• 1 front wrap
• a small bottle of liquid to apply the wraps
• a microfibre cloth
• a small card (which I used to help apply, but not sure that's what it's for)

Slickwraps Nude is a wet install. This is, to put it lightly, a pain in the ass.

I watched the install video about 10 times before taking the plunge.

Immediate issues:

• Instructions are to get your hands wet with the spray before applying - except the spray dries too fast on your hands. Catch 22.
• Peeling the back wrap off of its backing is a tremendous pain in the ass- and was the cause of my first wrap application failure, as I inadvertently stretched the speaker holes.

So, if you didn't get already, the first install was a disaster and a throw away.

I waited a week and did Round 2.

It went much better. I was VERY liberal with the spray. And within 10 minutes the wrap was 50% on. Meaning it was affixed to the back.

At this point, you're supposed to wait, preferably overnight. So that's what I did. The next morning, the back was attached well (with no bubbles), and the next steps were to use a hair dryer and fold the edges over. And this is where things fall apart.

Basic edges were fine- the sides and the top and bottom all attached well. It's the cutouts that 'seal' the corners. Those are the problem. No amount of positioning made them sit properly. The problem with this is that if you don't get these in properly, you'll have exposed edges. And that's what happened with me.

For a week, this worked really well. But after a week...because the edges weren't sealed off, the backing started to peel. And that was that. I took off the Slickwrap and tossed it.

Note- I did notice it pull off some of the writing on the back of the phone. But nothing noticeable.

The good:

• Actually not that bad to install the major areas
• Bubble free
• Retains the Jet Black look
• 2 covers included for the back
• Not too expensive at 20 bucks

The bad:

• Corners are basically impossible to get right
• Hard to remove backing without damaging it
• If you don't get the corners right, this is a temporary solution - it will peel off!

In the end, I got a leather Apple case and I'm happy. Just wish I could have had a skin though!

 

[blaine07]

I agree, idea of skins is good but application sucks.

 

[Bako-MacAddict]

I gave some guy five bucks to install mineHe does that for a living and even he had a hard time lol. The corners don't stick well. I cut them off lol. I hate it though. I'm going to remove soon. Naked is better.

 

[kaikai830]

So basically this is user error and not Slickwraps itself. I install many clear wraps over the years with many different brands and never have any problem. Almost always a perfect install. I just did 4 slickwraps install over the past month and no problem at all. I also repair my own phone so maybe I'm good at these kind of stuff. Maybe you guys should have it professionally installed. Problem solved.

 

[Magsdizz]

So basically this is user error and not Slickwraps itself. I install many clear wraps over the years with many different brands and never have any problem. Almost always a perfect install. I just did 4 slickwraps install over the past month and no problem at all. I also repair my own phone so maybe I'm good at these kind of stuff. Maybe you guys should have it professionally installed. Problem solved.

There would be more merit in this if they didn't advertise the install as very easy to do. The first hint that it isn't is that they include two back wraps.

Like I said, the major areas are fine. It's the corner flaps where the issues occur- no amount of fiddling would align them properly. And cutting them off only hastens the rest of the weak failing since it allows intrusion post application.

 

[Kjung7]

To install the corners perfectly I'd recommend using Saran Wrap. You get the bulk of the skin in place and then squeeze out the extra water. Let the corners dry a bit and then stretch some Saran Wrap tightly over the phone. Let it sit overnight and you'll have perfect corners. You'll probably have to squeeze some bubbles out.