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ID-America Gasket Aluminum Case Review

T

techdude6693

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Dec 30, 2010
343
0
Irvine, CA
Overview:
The Gasket Case by ID-America is an All Aluminum Snap on Back Cover. It offers a very unique look and feels a lot more solid than most other snap on back covers. You may think that because it is manufactured of aluminum, it carries a premium price tag. Not the case at All, the case costs $29.99. That's only a $5 premium over most other Snap on Cases like the Incipio Feather and Case-Mate Barely There. Its a very nice case

100_0559.jpg


What's In the Box:
Inside the Packaging, You'll find the case, along with 2 Front Protectors, a Back Protector, as well as a Microfiber Cloth and Application Card.

Look Around the Case:
The top and bottom are fully cutout, meaning you will have no problems with 30-Pin connectors and Headsets. There is also a full cutout for the Volume buttons (Verizon iPhone Users, this case will work). On the back you have a unique looking style and on the inside of the case there is a Soft Suede material to protect your phone and to avoid contact between the antenna and aluminum portion of the case. The look on the back is a love or hate design, personally I'm a fan of it.

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Pros/Cons
+Price
+Full Protection (with screen shields)
+Round edges make it comfortable to hold in hand
+No Flash Issues
+Easy Access to Buttons
+/-Design (depends on personal taste)
-No Lay on Table Design
-Inner lining may be prone to coming off

100_0563.jpg


Overall:
Its a very sturdy case and built very well. While the design may not appeal to everyone, its nicely priced. Comes in 4 Colors (Bronze, Gold, Black, and Silver). If you like the design, I'd recommend this case

Rating: 4/5 (-1 for no lay on table design)
 
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I didn't like the look of the case when it first came out and I still don't. It's just too busy and all over the place. Nice review though
 
weisjt said:
i agree i would like to have seen them do a full back piece along with the gasket style
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I think the real reason why they didn't do a full covered back is for weight. The case is lightweight right now, but it'd probably have some significant weight if they did that
 
techdude6693 said:
I think the real reason why they didn't do a full covered back is for weight. The case is lightweight right now, but it'd probably have some significant weight if they did that
Click to expand...

The reason that they didn't do a "full covered back" is that gets away from the inspiration for these cases. These cases have always looked pretty cool to me, but I think the company should do more to actually explain the design. Most people can't figure out what it is supposed to be. It's actually supposed to look like an engine block head gasket, thus the name "gasket". There's no mention of this on the website. But here are a few pics that will show what inspired the design.

engineblock.jpg


headgasket.jpg
 
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chris975d said:
The reason that they didn't do a "full covered back" is that gets away from the inspiration for these cases. These cases have always looked pretty cool to me, but I think the company should do more to actually explain the design. Most people can't figure out what it is supposed to be. It's actually supposed to look like an engine block head gasket, thus the name "gasket". There's no mention of this on the website. But here are a few pics that will show what inspired the design.
Click to expand...

yeah i figured that it was designed as the gasket because of the head gasket design but i was just saying that i think could design another case without the gasket cut outs, they could tackle two markets and it would a nice case,
 
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weisjt said:
yeah i figured that it was designed as the gasket because of the head gasket design but i was just saying that i think could design another case without the gasket cut outs, they could tackle two markets and it would a nice case,
Click to expand...

They may have stayed with the more open back design due to GPS issues. I know with all the aluminum case companies I've helped do testing with, any time there is a solid sheet of aluminum across the back, it makes the GPS go wonky (losing position lock intermittently, never getting lock at all), even if the cell reception isn't bother that much. Every completely closed back aluminum case prototype on my desk right now is this way, and that's 4 different companies' products. This is probably why they didn't go with a "closed" design for this one as well. I feel that they wanted to make it an "open" design, and picked a unique way (the head gasket look) to do so.
 
Personally I think it gets the edge mostly due to price. At $30 its a lot cheaper than other aluminum cases, plus the screen shields aren't bad. There's a slight rainbowing, but its only under a very bright light.
 
i just got my id america gasket case,
to be short i wasnt to impressed with the case on the first look. It has sharp edges all over it, every little cutout and corner of the metal is sharp, the fit is pretty good but its only held on by the sides and not the corners like most other snap style cases. the liner on the inside feels kinda cheap and if takin on a off a bunch of times will start to come off, maybe it will grow on me after a few days we will see. after i read the review i thought it would have been a lot better than this.
 
weisjt said:
i just got my id america gasket case,
to be short i wasnt to impressed with the case on the first look. It has sharp edges all over it, every little cutout and corner of the metal is sharp, the fit is pretty good but its only held on by the sides and not the corners like most other snap style cases. the liner on the inside feels kinda cheap and if takin on a off a bunch of times will start to come off, maybe it will grow on me after a few days we will see. after i read the review i thought it would have been a lot better than this.
Click to expand...

That's odd, the edges on mine are smoothed out and kinda dull. I did mention the inner lining as a possible downside in my review, but its been over a week with the case and its hasn't had any problems.
 
techdude6693 said:
That's odd, the edges on mine are smoothed out and kinda dull. I did mention the inner lining as a possible downside in my review, but its been over a week with the case and its hasn't had any problems.
Click to expand...

even the cutouts on the back and everything are smooth? mine is sharp everywhere on every edge that has been cut except the edge that holds the phone in.
 
weisjt said:
even the cutouts on the back and everything are smooth? mine is sharp everywhere on every edge that has been cut except the edge that holds the phone in.
Click to expand...

The Skyline is really nice. It actually feels like a part of the phone. I may try out the Gasket soon though.
 
@weisjt - yea, there's no sharp edges on mine at all.

@Austin - Yea I posted my Skyline Review last night, its pretty nice except that the buttons aren't as tactile as I would like them
 
techdude6693 said:
@weisjt - yea, there's no sharp edges on mine at all.

@Austin - Yea I posted my Skyline Review last night, its pretty nice except that the buttons aren't as tactile as I would like them
Click to expand...

I can't feel my buttons at all, but even if I barely tap them, they work like it's a touch sensitive button, kinda cool.

Also, I'm taking a few days off from reviewing, I have like two or three reviews I am publishing on the weekend and probably next week.
 
Austin M. said:
I can't feel my buttons at all, but even if I barely tap them, they work like it's a touch sensitive button, kinda cool.

Also, I'm taking a few days off from reviewing, I have like two or three reviews I am publishing on the weekend and probably next week.
Click to expand...

yea I agree. I'm backed up on product reviews :p, still need to upload the Red Speck GEO and SeeThru as well as a couple others
 
techdude6693 said:
yea I agree. I'm backed up on product reviews :p, still need to upload the Red Speck GEO and SeeThru as well as a couple others
Click to expand...

If your red Geometric is the same one that I got in the mail (I got the purple one for some reason) last week then the review is the same as the old one when the iPhone 4 first dropped just with the camera cutout fixed and a bigger vibrate switch cutout.

Great case, weird looking asymetrical back that helps with grip, fits both iPhone 4 models, and while nothing new it is a solid case. Your review is now done.

The SeeThru is identical to the Satin except it is a little stiffer and scratches pretty easily on the back if you don't have a skin that is white. You can see every scratch on the standard black back or a dark skin.

All done. Enjoy the weekend.

Oh, and like weisjt, my Gasket had a few edges that weren't quite finished (not all of them but one of the big inner circles actually had a piece that protruded out). Also that lining will come off. It's stuck on there more than the Seidio cases but it will come off with continuious removals.

While not my cup of tea design wise, the Gasket isn't terrible by any means. I like the aluminum and the smooth edges around the antenna band are great for grip and feel actually. If the sharp edges were smooth out on the interior cuts then I actually could recommend it to someone as long as they like the design.
 
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