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To Caudabe or not to Caudabe!

jetsam said:
Spigen may indeed have had some Apple guidance, but my thought was this:

On release day Spigen had no cases with a CC button. But they knew something about the upcoming button. To quote Caudabe: "we anticipated the new capacitive touch button early on". So it was not a secret that it was coming - even Caudabe knew "early on".

So I think that Spigen made a conscious decision, as soon as they knew about the button, that they would be poised to figure it out and go to production ASAP. Given the scale of their sales, Spigen probably was able to get their Chinese manufacturer to "hold the presses," so to speak. Caudabe, being relatively small scale, probably didn't have that option.

Just my speculation...
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This is spot on. Spigen has the resources to bet on the wrong horse, so to speak. It was ready to go if need be, and it needed be. Other manufacturers either don’t want to take that risk or were just straight up unsure.

Spigen may have got it wrong, and in the event it did, is in a position to eat the cost. A fair bit of resource goes into developing cases, and especially when producing in scale. The *safest* option was to release cases without the button, like the majority have done.

We saw a similar thing last year with the Action Button…
 
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I've ordered/used the Sheath for the past 3-4 phones and love it. This time around, wanted to try the Veil, so I ordered the Frost, wasn't really liking the super grippy sides, gave it to my coworker. Had him order me the Sheath, noticed it is definitely thicker than previous years, not sure that I like that now... I like the thinness of the Veil but the side grips hurt my hands.. Not sure what to do now.
 
The sheath would be pretty close to perfect if it weren't for the thickness of the back. It's very noticeable, especially when you look at the sides of the case and the buttons are clearly not centered because of how thick the back is.

I think they did this to get rid of the dreaded magsafe ring showing up on the back of all the iPhone 15 sheath cases after charging via magsafe. I really wish they had just added a polycarbonate backplate and then coated it with a super thin layer of shocklite instead of just making the whole back thicker.
 
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landonalder said:
The sheath would be pretty close to perfect if it weren't for the thickness of the back. It's very noticeable, especially when you look at the sides of the case and the buttons are clearly not centered because of how thick the back is.

I think they did this to get rid of the dreaded magsafe ring showing up on the back of all the iPhone 15 sheath cases after charging via magsafe. I really wish they had just added a polycarbonate backplate and then coated it with a super thin layer of shocklite instead of just making the whole back thicker.
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I’ve been a big fan of the Sheath for years, but it’s become so thick and heavy (50 grams!) that it hardly qualifies as a “minimalist” case anymore. I agree that perhaps there was a better solution to the MagSafe bump than simply making it thicker.
 
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I've ordered the Spigen Ultra Hybrid T, I think my Caudabe did not win me over this year with the non-minamalistic Sheath design this year.
 
so, i've posted here before, but i thought i'd share my 5 week review and decision to ultimately keep my Sheath in spite of its shortcomings.

i was on the fence about returning it because of the cutout vs capacitive button (on the Apple Silicon I had) and weight (as others have noted, the Sheath has gotten heavier over the past few iterations (i started using a Sheath with my iPhone XS)).

why i keep it:
  • grippiness
  • build quality
  • great new buttons (power, action, volume)
  • durability (my old ones looked new after many years)
  • easy in and out of my pocket
still not super happy about

  • weight (this is minor but noticeable relative to the Apple Silicon)
  • camera control cutout -- works well for changing zoom settings but i don't like my ability to do a steady/shake free shutter release. the button on the Apple Silicon is far superior to it.
The Apple Silicon for me wasn't too much of a lint magnet, is noticeably lighter (total phone/case package), and the capacity camera control definitely allows for a steadier shutter release. i tried it early on and then again for another 5-6 days straight and one thing that i couldn't get over was how it was challenging to get in and out of my pocket without pulling out the liner of my jean's pocket. annoying and ultimately forced me to put it away and go back to the Sheath.

Bottom line: i know Caudabe has said they won't produce another Sheath with capacitive camera control button, but i wish they would. that would make it the perfect case.
 
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The last 2-3 years I have actually liked the Synthesis better than the Sheath. This year, I don't really like either. I have been rocking a Caudate case since the iPhone X, this is the first year since that I am buying another case brand because I just think it has gotten too bulky and heavy.
 
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Derek87 said:
so, i've posted here before, but i thought i'd share my 5 week review and decision to ultimately keep my Sheath in spite of its shortcomings.

i was on the fence about returning it because of the cutout vs capacitive button (on the Apple Silicon I had) and weight (as others have noted, the Sheath has gotten heavier over the past few iterations (i started using a Sheath with my iPhone XS)).

why i keep it:
  • grippiness
  • build quality
  • great new buttons (power, action, volume)
  • durability (my old ones looked new after many years)
  • easy in and out of my pocket
still not super happy about

  • weight (this is minor but noticeable relative to the Apple Silicon)
  • camera control cutout -- works well for changing zoom settings but i don't like my ability to do a steady/shake free shutter release. the button on the Apple Silicon is far superior to it.
The Apple Silicon for me wasn't too much of a lint magnet, is noticeably lighter (total phone/case package), and the capacity camera control definitely allows for a steadier shutter release. i tried it early on and then again for another 5-6 days straight and one thing that i couldn't get over was how it was challenging to get in and out of my pocket without pulling out the liner of my jean's pocket. annoying and ultimately forced me to put it away and go back to the Sheath.

Bottom line: i know Caudabe has said they won't produce another Sheath with capacitive camera control button, but i wish they would. that would make it the perfect case.
Click to expand...

Well said. The Sheath really is one of the best cases out there. I couldn't use an Apple Silicone for the same reasons. What's surprised me this year is that I'm using the new Paragon case more than my Sheath. I'm really liking the lower sides and the feel of the smoother back. I wasn't sure about it initially, but I've grown to really like the feel of the case.
 
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FranApple said:
Well said. The Sheath really is one of the best cases out there. I couldn't use an Apple Silicone for the same reasons. What's surprised me this year is that I'm using the new Paragon case more than my Sheath. I'm really liking the lower sides and the feel of the smoother back. I wasn't sure about it initially, but I've grown to really like the feel of the case.
Click to expand...
I agree on the Sheath. I think they knocked it out of the park this year, especially with the buttons. The Sheath has been my go to for many years now and the buttons were my only remaining complaint in past years. It's more or less perfect to me now.
 
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wolfedude88 said:
The last 2-3 years I have actually liked the Synthesis better than the Sheath. This year, I don't really like either. I have been rocking a Caudate case since the iPhone X, this is the first year since that I am buying another case brand because I just think it has gotten too bulky and heavy.
Click to expand...
I guess I just have a completely different view, because I've never thought the Sheath was heavy. We're talking, what, a couple of ounces max? That ain't heavy. I can feel the difference when I've swapped between the Apple Silicone case and the Sheath in the past, but it's not something that would sway me towards the Apple case (especially with how bad the silicone is with dust). The Sheath still feels really slim/light in the hand to me.
 
The only thing I’d change about this years sheath is not to have a camera button cutout. I don’t use the button and it would feel a lot nicer without it, even if I think the case doesn’t hinder its use for those that do use it.
 
The Sheath needs to come with some more fun colors, the same ones are getting boring! I like the colors Caudabe is offering for the Paragon cases.
 
yOyOYoo said:
The Sheath needs to come with some more fun colors, the same ones are getting boring! I like the colors Caudabe is offering for the Paragon cases.
Click to expand...
That's the one thing I've been wanting to see for a few years now. I'd love to have a Sheath in red or orange, and/or more of a royal blue than the navy blue. The Ember color of the Paragon is great, but I hate smooth/hardback cases with a passion and won't use them.
 
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thelookingglass said:
I guess I just have a completely different view, because I've never thought the Sheath was heavy. We're talking, what, a couple of ounces max? That ain't heavy. I can feel the difference when I've swapped between the Apple Silicone case and the Sheath in the past, but it's not something that would sway me towards the Apple case (especially with how bad the silicone is with dust). The Sheath still feels really slim/light in the hand to me.
Click to expand...
I'm a first time Sheath buyer. Hadn't heard of this brand until I saw a few YouTube videos. I agree, not heavy at all. It's the best case I've tried so far and I'm a picky guy because of how much I use my phone. I got 3 cases on Amazon, 2 at Best Buy. Smartish Grip, Spigen Ultra Hybrid, gray Apple Silicone, Speck something (the clear one) a UAG case. Returned them all and kept the Sheath. The build quality and fit on the Sheath was the best despite having a cutout for the camera button. The texture on the outside is something else. Makes the phone much easier to hold and feels great.
 
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mous94410 said:
Eucalyptus comeback for these who wants
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Really like that color, how is the Paragon vs Sheath?
I ordered Eucalyptus in Veil, Sheath, and Paragon for testing.

1731359140550.png
 
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