I received my Vaja Classic pouch yesterday which took about 20 days to arrive, including shipping to the UK from order date.
The pouch itself came in a nicely presented box which unfortunately had suffered some crush damage during shipping, as it was only packed in a plastic envelope. However I suppose the box is there to protect the case in transit and it did its job well enough, but it does detract a little from the experience of opening a quality product.
My first impressions of the case were that it was a lot slimmer and neater than I was expecting which pleased me a lot as I had been having some doubts about its suitability after ordering. I had tried to change the order a few days in, to the Ivolution SP but Vaja were clear that you only had 24hrs to change any order.
I had gone for the plain black leather look which suited me for work purposes. The overall finish of the case as one would expect was very good, however I did immediately notice that on the front flap was an indentation mark in the leather which was not part of the grain. I was a little hacked off with this minor damage and was not sure if this had been cause in transit by the clip which was loose in the box or whether it had been caused during manufacture. I probably think the latter. I have emailed Vaja to complain, but I am not concerned enough to send it back and have decided I will just live with it. You can see the mark in the flash photo.
The fit of the iPhone in the pouch is snug verging on a little tight. But I have noticed it has loosened a little already and getting the phone out seems to be getting easier. I have a crystal screen protector but no rear protection on the phone. I still have a few concerns about gripping the phone by the side as it does put pressure on the vibrate switch and I have knocked the vibrate switch on several times when taking the phone out of the pouch.
The ear piece plug and volume vibrate switches are exposed which allows the phone to be used whilst carried. However obviously the phone needs to be removed to access the key pad. There are also vent holes for the speaker/mic which is amusing as Vaja obviously believe both are speaker units as exposing the mic serves no purpose.
I am pleased with the belt clip system which is very sturdy and feels very secure. Clipping the pouch on and off the belt clip is easy and the pouch rotates 360° when locked on. It is probably the most secure clip I have had on a phone pouch and beats my old Blackberry case, which I was always impressed with.
In summary therefore I am pleased with this pouch. It is a classic design and fits very well with the executive look. It is a secure fit for both the phone and on the belt and will provide good protection whilst carried. My only criticisms are the minor damage to the flap (which is maybe me being a little anal, but for the money paid I expect better !) and the need to exert pressure on the side buttons when extracting the pouch. However this last point should improve as the leather stretches with use.
So should I have gone for the Ivolution SP ? Well the reality is that I don't think one type of phone case is going to meet all your needs all of the time. When in an office environment the Classic Pouch looks good and serves me well. However I think out of work I need another case and therefore when my bank balance has recovered from this I will ordering the SP as well.
The pouch itself came in a nicely presented box which unfortunately had suffered some crush damage during shipping, as it was only packed in a plastic envelope. However I suppose the box is there to protect the case in transit and it did its job well enough, but it does detract a little from the experience of opening a quality product.
My first impressions of the case were that it was a lot slimmer and neater than I was expecting which pleased me a lot as I had been having some doubts about its suitability after ordering. I had tried to change the order a few days in, to the Ivolution SP but Vaja were clear that you only had 24hrs to change any order.
I had gone for the plain black leather look which suited me for work purposes. The overall finish of the case as one would expect was very good, however I did immediately notice that on the front flap was an indentation mark in the leather which was not part of the grain. I was a little hacked off with this minor damage and was not sure if this had been cause in transit by the clip which was loose in the box or whether it had been caused during manufacture. I probably think the latter. I have emailed Vaja to complain, but I am not concerned enough to send it back and have decided I will just live with it. You can see the mark in the flash photo.
The fit of the iPhone in the pouch is snug verging on a little tight. But I have noticed it has loosened a little already and getting the phone out seems to be getting easier. I have a crystal screen protector but no rear protection on the phone. I still have a few concerns about gripping the phone by the side as it does put pressure on the vibrate switch and I have knocked the vibrate switch on several times when taking the phone out of the pouch.
The ear piece plug and volume vibrate switches are exposed which allows the phone to be used whilst carried. However obviously the phone needs to be removed to access the key pad. There are also vent holes for the speaker/mic which is amusing as Vaja obviously believe both are speaker units as exposing the mic serves no purpose.
I am pleased with the belt clip system which is very sturdy and feels very secure. Clipping the pouch on and off the belt clip is easy and the pouch rotates 360° when locked on. It is probably the most secure clip I have had on a phone pouch and beats my old Blackberry case, which I was always impressed with.
In summary therefore I am pleased with this pouch. It is a classic design and fits very well with the executive look. It is a secure fit for both the phone and on the belt and will provide good protection whilst carried. My only criticisms are the minor damage to the flap (which is maybe me being a little anal, but for the money paid I expect better !) and the need to exert pressure on the side buttons when extracting the pouch. However this last point should improve as the leather stretches with use.
So should I have gone for the Ivolution SP ? Well the reality is that I don't think one type of phone case is going to meet all your needs all of the time. When in an office environment the Classic Pouch looks good and serves me well. However I think out of work I need another case and therefore when my bank balance has recovered from this I will ordering the SP as well.
