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Otterbox Commuter Quality differences depending on where it was made

R

richpuer

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Nov 15, 2010
356
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I picked up a commuter case from best buy shortly after launch and noticed right away that the right edge of the plastic case was scuffed. looked like poor manufacturing. The silicone inside lining was also a bit gummy and would have white residue sticking on it and it felt a bit soft. I know some have complained about the commuter case being worse for the 5 and their previous iphone 4s.

Have any of you checked where your iphone 5 commuter is made?

Prior to making this purchase I assumed all cases were made in China, as is everything else. Anyhow, I found the same case online for $29 so i decided to order it and return the best buy case. Wasnt happy about the scuffs and nicks.

When my online commuter case arrived, first thing i noticed was it says MADE IN USA. Kinda shocked for a moment in disbelief. Anyhow I pulled it out and noticed right away that the silicone material was different. Alot thicker and firmer. The plastic part of the case was also flawless. No scuffing or any damange. It also felt like it had more texture than the China commuter case. Odd.

Overall im happy with this case, except for the part about the lightning port cover. It doesnt really go in all the way. On my China case, it went it all the way, maybe due to softer silicone?

Anyone else notice or experience the above? I also was under the impression from reading somewhere on this forum that all otterbox cases were made in the USA. My thinking is that the best buy cases were made prior to launch and they just cranked them out really fast to get them to market for the 21st.


IMG_3668.JPG
 
Kind of makes sense since earlier reviews weren't so great but some of the more recent reviews I've seen, people seem to like it.
 
My lightening port cover isn't flush. Pisses me off. Now that they've got the true specs, they can make them correctly in the US instead of having them pumped out in the millions in China to cover launch.
 
romeo.xk said:
Does it says "Made in the USA' or "Assembled in the USA"?
Click to expand...

if u zoom in on the pic i posted u can clearly see "made in USA"

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Tortri said:
What online site did you buy it from?
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AMZN and now its on sale for even less. i paid 29, its 25 now. ugh

cant complain too much i guess since i originally paid $43 at BBY. glad i returned it

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iMule said:
My lightening port cover isn't flush. Pisses me off. Now that they've got the true specs, they can make them correctly in the US instead of having them pumped out in the millions in China to cover launch.
Click to expand...

+1 my China one was Flush..USA one not so flush..only one side tucks in leaving one side sticking out. 1 flaw of the USA case compared to 4 flaws in the china case..so i guess u cant win em all

Im hoping over time the port cover will soften up a bit and be easier to close
 
Got my buddy to pick one up like couple weeks ago when I went to visit him on vacation. It is from bestbuy and he got it for a really nice price lower than what you quoted as the best price. It is made in USA and has a nice fit on the plugs and no issues with silicone. I have a speck candy shell and that one is made in taiwan. I have a incipio dual pro on order from amazon and should be here in couple days with prime.
 
My made in USA Otterbox commuter has stretched out over the lightning connector and it was cut with a lot of extra rubber pieces hanging off. Gonna have it replaced once they let me do it through them, instead of through verizon (30 days after purchase)
 
Brettka7 said:
My made in USA Otterbox commuter has stretched out over the lightning connector and it was cut with a lot of extra rubber pieces hanging off. Gonna have it replaced once they let me do it through them, instead of through verizon (30 days after purchase)
Click to expand...

so you're saying after 30 days u can do an exchange thru the main company?

Because i bought mine online and those guys are going to charge me 2 way shipping to do the exchange...basically throwing $20 bucks down the drain when the case cost me $29
 
I think these cases were rushed. I purchased mine on amazon and had to exchange it for another one. The rubber piece around the volume buttons and on the other side bowed out a lot; the 1st one bowed out so much that there was a small gap and the rubber piece wasn't hugging the phone at all. The second one which is what I have now still bows out but not as much. Also, the the rubber flap that covers the lightning port doesn't push flush at all in both cases that I have. The rubber piece looks like it was stretched and as describes by the OP.
 
richpuer said:
so you're saying after 30 days u can do an exchange thru the main company?

Because i bought mine online and those guys are going to charge me 2 way shipping to do the exchange...basically throwing $20 bucks down the drain when the case cost me $29
Click to expand...

Yes, 30 days after purchase you can exchange through otterbox instead of the retailer.
 
Mine is made in china and I do notice that the rubber on the headphone jack and lightning plugs are scuffed up from trying to pry the case off from the bottom which isn't the easiest to do. I now remove from the top though i think there is a little scuff on the power button as well.
 
My original one was made in china, got my replacement today from otterbox via FedEx and its made in USA

The material on the one made in USA is definitely more firm and makes it a much better fitting case.

The covers for my lightning port and the headphone jack closes perfectly, no complaints here.
 
That's odd. I got my Commuter case directly from OtterBox delivered yesterday, but unfortunately my case was one of the "Made in China" versions. It feels slightly greasy, but I don't have my phone yet so I can't check the fit.
 
blue-bear said:
My original one was made in china, got my replacement today from otterbox via FedEx and its made in USA

The material on the one made in USA is definitely more firm and makes it a much better fitting case.

The covers for my lightning port and the headphone jack closes perfectly, no complaints here.
Click to expand...

How odd. My china case there was no feedback on the power button. I had to press like hell to get it to turn on and off, which I hated because I use this button many times a day.

The flip side is that my USA case the rubber part on the power button is perfect and easy to push and u get that feedback click.

The downside on my USA case is that lighting port cover doesn't close in all the way. It just sticks out of the bottom and is an annoyance. I'll call otter after my 30 days is up
 
richpuer said:
How odd. My china case there was no feedback on the power button. I had to press like hell to get it to turn on and off, which I hated because I use this button many times a day.

The flip side is that my USA case the rubber part on the power button is perfect and easy to push and u get that feedback click.

The downside on my USA case is that lighting port cover doesn't close in all the way. It just sticks out of the bottom and is an annoyance. I'll call otter after my 30 days is up
Click to expand...

I got the USA one from Verizon and it is Great! Covers everything perfectly, and has a nice feedback response from the power button! Very Happy with my purchase!
 
Just ordered this from Amazon. After reading this, I'm hoping its Made in USA. Plus it was only $23 :cool:
 
I've had two Otterbox commuters. The first one was made in China (purchased at Best Buy). It stained horribly and I complained and they sent a replacement. The replacement is made in the USA but is poor quality. The silicone was cut badly and has extra bits hanging off all over and is rough to touch. I'm not asking for another replacement, I'm just done with their products.
 
Okay I got the case yesterday. I'm impressed. It was made in US (again I purchased off amazon).

No issues with it, I really like this case. Seems like good protection while keeping it relatively small.
 
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