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Jack Back - Wood Back Replacement for iPhone 4: Review
- Thread starter karleaglemac
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No warranty I wouldn't worry about chipping. It would take a hard fall to damage the back, the pen glass would break before this back would chip imo
yourtoys7 said:
No warranty I wouldn't worry about chipping. It would take a hard fall to damage the back, the pen glass would break before this back would chip imo
it is an awesome idea and a great product. I just need to find a good source image to have engraved on the back of one for my girlfriend.
I received my custom Jack Backs iPhone 4 wooden backplate yesterday, and have had it installed over the past two days to see how Id like it. Ive been wanting to try out a different backplate for my iPhone, so I decided to give this one a try.
Unboxing:
The packaging is basic but well done, with the wooden backplate, instruction sheet, and two screwdrivers included in the box (one screwdriver for each type of screw you may encounter on the iPhone 4, the standard #00 Phillips head, and the pentalobe headed screws). When buying your Jack Back, you have your choice of 4 wood types, and also for an additional $10 you can have a custom engraving done on the back). I went with the mahogany wood, and to get an example of the quality of the custom engraving, I opted for that option as well (as you will see in the pics). I know some (ok, maybe most) of you are going to wonder why I have a gigantic bee on the back of my phone, but its a non-copyrighted version of my colleges (Georgia Tech) mascot. Jack Backs wont engrave copyrighted images, so we went with this alternative version instead of the official mascot image. Again, if a giant bee isnt your thing, just use it as a measure of the quality of the engraving.
Quality of fit/first impressions:
The feel of the wood is fantastic. The finish of the wood is smooth and consistent, with no splotchy (color) or rough (feel) areas to be found. This mahogany has a nice deep color, with the natural grain of the wood showing. The construction of the back is virtually identical to the OEM glass backplate (see the pics below), with the same style black bezel, chrome ring around the camera lens, and a custom camera flash diffuser to well diffuse the flashs light when in use. Ive noticed no issues with this custom diffuser when taking low light photos, so it functions pretty much identical to the stock diffuser. Installing the back is a breeze. Just remove the two screws on either side of the dock connector, slide the stock glass plate up about a quarter of an inch, remove it, and installation of the Jack Back is the reverse. The screw holes line up dead on, and this whole process should seriously take no longer than 5 minutes at worst. Its a very easy swap out. Once on the phone, there is no wiggle or movement, and it feels as solid as the original back. There is ever so slight of a thickness increase from the original glass backplate its about the thickness of the original back with a screen protector on it, but nothing that I can see making any case incompatible with the back. Then again, if youre buying a wooden back, youre probably not going to want to put it in a case anyway. On that note, it does function great with bumper style cases, and looks especially good with black colored bumpers. Ive shown pics of the back with both the Scosche bandEDGE (Apple Bumper clone), and my favorite bumper style case, the e13ctron s4 aluminum/plastic hybrid.
As far as feel and look on the phone Im pleasantly surprised! I was VERY hesitant about a wooden back on my phone, but I really like it. The wood adds a very slight soft touch feel to it (think rubber soft touch finish found on some cases, but much less pronounced), and gives the device an overall warmth when holding it its now not just a cold glass slab. The engraving (if you choose this option) is very high quality, fairly deep into the wood, yet has smooth edges, and I see no chance of it wearing or rubbing off over time. I honestly never thought Id like something like this, but Im really thinking Im going to keep it on my phone. I know this product wont appeal to everyone, but for those that like the look of wood, this is definitely a quality product to try. Again, the "bee" is a custom image that I had engraved, and I know it's not for everyone!
click on any picture to enlarge:
With Scosche bandEDGE (similar to Apple Bumper):
With e13ctron s4 hybrid aluminum case:
Where did you purchase the flat black back plate? It looks different that stock?
My gf and I both have a JackBack on our iPhones
The iPhones feel considerably lighter with the wooden backs and the wood itself feels and looks great.
I think this site will pick up more steam as many of my friends have already opted to buy the backs for their phones as well.
I hope the site does well. Always answer emails promptly. Even sent me an extra set of screwdrivers great guy!
The iPhones feel considerably lighter with the wooden backs and the wood itself feels and looks great.
I think this site will pick up more steam as many of my friends have already opted to buy the backs for their phones as well.
I hope the site does well. Always answer emails promptly. Even sent me an extra set of screwdrivers great guy!
I just placed an order with custom etching, fingers crossed that it will turn out OK. Nervous yet excited.
It looks like the price went up another $10 for the 4S version.
It looks like the price went up another $10 for the 4S version.
Yeah I just did the same and noticed the price as well. Oh well. Pretty sweet. Also a bonus is that when I go to sell the phone eventually I will have a perfectly clean and scratch free back to put back on it. The JackBack almost pays for itself (not really, but oh well).
Looks great. The color of the mahogany is much lighter than the samples on the website. The graining is pretty sweet too, i may need to upgrade from the amber bamboo to this wood.
Did your jackback come with a diffuser? It's hard to tell in this pic:
It's easier to see that it was included in previous jackbacks:
Is this a change for the iPhone 4S?
an old line drawing i did years ago.... etched on amber bamboo. It definitely is an interesting contrast of wood, glass and stainless steel.
Last edited:
JackSticks
I have an iPhone 4 and plan on upgrading to the next iPhone, so didn't want to spend $89...but I see they now make a bamboo sticker that sticks on the glass, for just $19. Does anyone have any experience with them? I see you can get walnut or mahogany for $5 more. All things being equal I'd prefer their original backing, but it's just so expensive for something I'm only going to keep 6-8 months.
I have an iPhone 4 and plan on upgrading to the next iPhone, so didn't want to spend $89...but I see they now make a bamboo sticker that sticks on the glass, for just $19. Does anyone have any experience with them? I see you can get walnut or mahogany for $5 more. All things being equal I'd prefer their original backing, but it's just so expensive for something I'm only going to keep 6-8 months.