I had a blue Ultrasuede Back Plate for one year...I did like it, was easy to clean and the color did not fade. The problem is that Element case don't have/make any for the iPhone 5
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Sector 5 from Element Case order thread.
- Thread starter PerPlekz
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I had a blue Ultrasuede Back Plate for one year...I did like it, was easy to clean and the color did not fade. The problem is that Element case don't have/make any for the iPhone 5
It is very good looking (from a small distance), which is why I focused more on the feel and usage experience rather than the appearance.
I'm sorry I simply can't agree on the packaging - I understand it's not at all relevant to the actual device usage, but it's simply disingenuous to say that it's on par with Apple. Here are my photos (apologies I do not have my good camera, so they're taken with just my iPhone 5). I feel kind of silly even trying to prove my point, but I design stuff for work and this is not something I'd normally consider acceptable.
Here we can see the printing quality on the box - it's washed out and you can almost see the dots - very low DPI compared to any premium packaging
Once you open it, you can see that the pictures/text inside are printed on a separate sticker and later glued onto a generic white box (and not a very good one, just average white cardboard box). Also the sticker is slightly misaligned.
Another shot of the boxes. The inner white box is very plain and average, not the matte, well-cut box that Apple stuff comes with.
Once opened and you take the stuff out, you see that the case itself resides on a very thin, generic white plastic instead of the hard clear plastic that many pricier products use.
To illustrate what I mean by the aluminum's colour/appearance - it isn't bad, it just really is a flat gray. Unfortunately I do not have the el3ctron matte case on hand, but the el3ctron version is definitely a bit more smooth.
I don't know if I have super low pain threshold or not, but I can't imagine how anyone wouldn't think it's at least noticeably uncomfortable.
I do have the side skin fitted - I actually did mine perfectly and didn't find it as difficult as other posters have noted. I do have steady hands though since I work with designing small items pretty often.
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It was my mistake - my first impression of the Sector 5 was akin to the el3ctron s4/5 and thought they'd be comparable. I was not aware of the Draco case until after I pre-ordered, and later I decided to check it out in-hand since it was due to arrive soon-ish anyway.
I've been an Architect for 45 years and have done presentations in about every medium there is. I purchased the Sector 5 thinking that it would be temporary. I really like silver anodized or chrome finish. I was pleasantly surprised how good it looked with my white phone. It nicely offset the almost too white and precise appearance. it may not be just a temporary case for me.
Really?
If that's true I'm very sad indeed. I'll report back once I hear from them, but that's very disconcerting. I'd be willing to take the $32 restocking hit if necessary, guess it'll be a lesson for not jumping the gun next time.----------
Understandable - If I had bigger hands (mine are average for a 5'8 person I'd say) it might be less of an issue. I figure with some pictures for the overall package people can at least judge for themselves, and previous posters have already provided nice close ups of the case itself anyway.
Hi all
I have now received my Sector 5 case. Yes it looks great however the On button sticks and tries turning my phone off all the time. The phone does not fit at the bottom properly.
Trying to contact element.
Will keep you all posted
I can appreciate the BOX not being mindblowingly state of the art, because if that was the case, im sure they would have tacked on another X amount of money to the price of the Sector 5 for design purposes.
As far as the feel of the device, I sincerely have no problem with it. I don't know how you guys hold the phone, but I don't closely grip it where the edges "hurt" my hand as one previous poster mentioned.
Also, I like the open area where the sim card is. When Im holding the device, my left hand's fingertips fit nicely right in those grooves, and give me a good grip while im holding it.
And with a guy that already has a "nick" on the volume buttons (aka scuff gate) Im happy they are recessed within the volume opening area. I can easily stick my index fingertip in there to hit the buttons. Albeit, I can't do it with the thumb as easily, but, sacrificed a little convenience for protection in that sense
So with that being said, I totally understand these are subjective arguments. Im just happy my case hunt is over with - this coming from a case whore
As far as the feel of the device, I sincerely have no problem with it. I don't know how you guys hold the phone, but I don't closely grip it where the edges "hurt" my hand as one previous poster mentioned.
Also, I like the open area where the sim card is. When Im holding the device, my left hand's fingertips fit nicely right in those grooves, and give me a good grip while im holding it.
And with a guy that already has a "nick" on the volume buttons (aka scuff gate) Im happy they are recessed within the volume opening area. I can easily stick my index fingertip in there to hit the buttons. Albeit, I can't do it with the thumb as easily, but, sacrificed a little convenience for protection in that sense
So with that being said, I totally understand these are subjective arguments. Im just happy my case hunt is over with - this coming from a case whore
Thanks but I just got the email from Element - they have given me an RMA to return it, as long as it's "like new". I think it is although I have used the rash guards, so they may charge me up to 20% for that.
Will let you guys know once they've processed my return. Hopefully I'll get a full refund, but not expecting it for now.
Well I received my Sector 5 case today at lunch and have to say I'm impressed. I am thankful for all the negative reviews on this thread because they brought my hopes way down and I wasn't expecting much. I am a VERY picky person and have had many cases on all my previous phones; the most recent was the aluminum RokForm case on my iPhone 4. It was a great looking case but destroyed my GPS signal and became loose over time.
First impressions:
The packaging: Not really that bad, I mean come on they are a small american company making high quality products do they really need to spend a whole bunch of money and time on packaging? I was never expecting much with the package and if your complaining about it I find that extremely petty. It's not like it came in a paper bag!
Fit: The scuff stickers were not much of anything and were somewhat difficult to install. I've ordered some from Lucky Labs which will be here next week. The case went on with no problems, fits tight, has no gaps, and I have no problems with the inside padding like others have mentioned. Used the ultrasuede back after hearing how bad the carbon fiber back performed. I don't mind the ultrasuede and will use it until I find something better. it's better than I thought it would be. I am dissapointed the carbon fiber causes signal issues.
Feel: It feels great. I love the machined feel and does not feel TOO sharp (I have small hands as well) It feels very solid and actually gives me more confidence holding the phone not feeling like it will slip out of my hand. I like the feel of the matte finish as well.
Looks: Looks fantastic in person and has a great finish. Over all high quality case. Amazing product and I am very happy with my purchase.
To those of you who are not happy with the case I wish you the best. There was either some manufacturing issues with a few cases, you are just way to picky and will never be satisfied with anything, or you didn't read the description and didn't really look at the pictures.
First impressions:
The packaging: Not really that bad, I mean come on they are a small american company making high quality products do they really need to spend a whole bunch of money and time on packaging? I was never expecting much with the package and if your complaining about it I find that extremely petty. It's not like it came in a paper bag!
Fit: The scuff stickers were not much of anything and were somewhat difficult to install. I've ordered some from Lucky Labs which will be here next week. The case went on with no problems, fits tight, has no gaps, and I have no problems with the inside padding like others have mentioned. Used the ultrasuede back after hearing how bad the carbon fiber back performed. I don't mind the ultrasuede and will use it until I find something better. it's better than I thought it would be. I am dissapointed the carbon fiber causes signal issues.
Feel: It feels great. I love the machined feel and does not feel TOO sharp (I have small hands as well) It feels very solid and actually gives me more confidence holding the phone not feeling like it will slip out of my hand. I like the feel of the matte finish as well.
Looks: Looks fantastic in person and has a great finish. Over all high quality case. Amazing product and I am very happy with my purchase.
To those of you who are not happy with the case I wish you the best. There was either some manufacturing issues with a few cases, you are just way to picky and will never be satisfied with anything, or you didn't read the description and didn't really look at the pictures.
I'm not sorry to say this - are you seriously suggesting that just because you thought the product was ok then anyone who has issues either has a broken product or "way too picky and will never be satisfied with anything" or blatantly uninformed?
We can easily say the converse - anyone who is happy with this product is clearly just justifying their purchase and would be satisfied if Element sent a piece of cardboard coloured with Sharpie.
I did my best to provide descriptive details and a point of comparison. It's not realistic to tell from the website's pictures that Element matte is somehow different from other makers' matte, nor was it realistic to get a feel of the case purely based on the pictures.
Personally I can't even fathom people excusing the packaging away as "well it's just a small company" or "hey it saves them $". If you pay for a premium product it ought to provide a premium experience. Many, many other companies (Draco, e13ctron, heck even Insipio) manage to provide nice packaging without compromising on their products.
I completely understand that not everyone will have the same issues, and the same issues may be of different importance depending on the user, but it's not helpful to other prospective buyers if you simply claim that negative comments are all due to rare defects/too picky/ill-informed. There are very legitimate reasons for thinking twice about this product, and I gave my honest feedback to Element with the hope that they know that there is room for improvement.
thanks. i appreciate your unbiased review. keep it up. what case are u using now?
Haha no problem - I can't say I'm wholly unbiased - I come from using e13ctron and groovemade cases so I'm used to certain styles/finish, so perhaps Sector 5 just really isn't for me, which may have made the issues worse for me than they would for others. I have not used Element cases before - for all I know the construction is part of their style.
Right now I'm using a black Ringke Slim with a Spigen glass screen protector. Pretty simple, but it works until I find something else that's a bit fancier.
Draco Cleve DEF iPhone 5 case
For those considering the DRACO V case as an alternative to the Sector 5, Forget it! I purchased one from China Before I even had the iPhone 5. Cost me extra to ship it in to get it in less then a week. I Loved it at first. Looked great, Nice futuristic style. But after a few days I noticed signals was not what I was expecting. My Wife, Son, also ordered iPhone 5s. They liked the looks of the cases as well and ordered one for each as well. So, After some time I decided to test the signal. What a surprise, With case on 1-2 bars 4G, WITH case off, 2-3 bars LTE. Tested it over and over again with exact same results. Wife's iPhone 5 saw same results. So now I have 3 extra DRACO / CLEVE Cases laying around because nobody wants to use them. The signal is so bad you can't make a call without it dropping. Further testing showed that as long as the case was not fully installed, meaning leaving it open on just one end Signal was fine. As soon at the case was a closed loop signal crashed. I think that is why Element went with the Plastic joints at the corners. That I assume makes all the difference.
If anyone wants to buy a used DRACO case from me let me know. I have a Red, Black and Purple one I'll let go of cheap.
For those considering the DRACO V case as an alternative to the Sector 5, Forget it! I purchased one from China Before I even had the iPhone 5. Cost me extra to ship it in to get it in less then a week. I Loved it at first. Looked great, Nice futuristic style. But after a few days I noticed signals was not what I was expecting. My Wife, Son, also ordered iPhone 5s. They liked the looks of the cases as well and ordered one for each as well. So, After some time I decided to test the signal. What a surprise, With case on 1-2 bars 4G, WITH case off, 2-3 bars LTE. Tested it over and over again with exact same results. Wife's iPhone 5 saw same results. So now I have 3 extra DRACO / CLEVE Cases laying around because nobody wants to use them. The signal is so bad you can't make a call without it dropping. Further testing showed that as long as the case was not fully installed, meaning leaving it open on just one end Signal was fine. As soon at the case was a closed loop signal crashed. I think that is why Element went with the Plastic joints at the corners. That I assume makes all the difference.
If anyone wants to buy a used DRACO case from me let me know. I have a Red, Black and Purple one I'll let go of cheap.
Bought 4 DEF / Cleave total so far on 4 separate orders. Apparently it not the Authentic DRACO Case.
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Sorry I came off that way but was generally responding to your comment sugesting that "anyone on the fence should not get this case" just because of your issues and your opinion. To each is own. I like the case and you don't. There have been people disagreeing for ages, even wars started because of it. You obviously did not like the case as soon as you saw the box. LOL.
Sorry I came off that way but was generally responding to your comment sugesting that "anyone on the fence should not get this case" just because of your issues and your opinion. To each is own. I like the case and you don't. There have been people disagreeing for ages, even wars started because of it. You obviously did not like the case as soon as you saw the box. LOL.
Totally understandable - my first post was a bit more stressed since I was just coming off the surprise of how much I didn't really like it. Although to be honest I didn't even notice the box much until I had to repack it - I was way too excited about the case. I only realized when I had to repack everything. I actually double checked online to make sure I ordered from the right official website just in case I got a fake.
I can afford it and I'm a little nuts when it comes to cases for my phone. When I say temporarily I mean at least 6 months maybe a year because I think that may be how long it will take for Element to come out with a chrome plated Sector 5.