Aluminum iPhone4 Case Selection Help

[aaron_c]

Hey guys, first thread here for me. Technology is a secondary hobby for me so I'm sure you will all know far more about my options, and hopefully you can give me some insight on choosing the perfect case after I tell you what I want/don't want/don't care about. I've owned the iFrogz case, but I lay my phone flat on the table a lot so the 'button' on the back made it useless for me. Right now I have the Speck case with the cloth backing. It's okay, but I want a different, specific look.

I'm looking for an aluminum case with sort of an industrial, weapons-grade, high tech theme in both feel and aesthetics. I do, of course, want great drop protection as well, with minimal detriment to signal strength. I prefer to have a decent lip over the front to protect the screen but I'll probably go with a crystal screen cover either way. What do you recommend?

Here are the main three I've found that I really love the looks of:
- Rokform Rokbed (gunmetal, black, or silver). Can a skin over the back of the phone fit beneath the "X" on the back of these?
- Tiget Design Blade (Titan/Red): Probably my favorite but again, will a skin on the back of the phone fit with this case?
- Arachnophobia Durabge (aluminum): Great looking case but I wasn't finding much info on it.

 

[aaron_c]

Is it a new case or something? Wondering why there are no youtube reviews on it or anything. It does have a very cool look, despite covering up the apple on the back etc.

 

[bab2010]

I think Arachnophobia Durable Aluminium Case is great.

It does look great.

 

[maxwell]

I have tried the Blade and the Jett by Case-Mate and found both aluminum bumper cases to have a 1-2 bar signal drop for cell service. There was also some connection problems with the 3G network. Everything worked itself out after removing these cases.

Just my personal experience.

 

[aaron_c]

Yeah that's what I'm hearing about most aluminum cases, that they degrade the strength of everything that makes a cell phone a cell phone (except the Rokbed from what I hear). Does this Arachnophobia company have a website? I can't find one (unless Case2Case is the manufacturer? I was thinking they just sold them).

 

[maxwell]

Yeah that's what I'm hearing about most aluminum cases, that they degrade the strength of everything that makes a cell phone a cell phone (except the Rokbed from what I hear). Does this Arachnophobia company have a website? I can't find one (unless Case2Case is the manufacturer? I was thinking they just sold them).

If you speak to a rep from Element who produces the Vapor 4 and Vapor Pro cases, he will say Case2Case sells cheap knock-offs of the real thing. Check out the Vapor thread, those who have the case rave about it and they rave about the knock-off too.

 

[iJeff]

I think Arachnophobia Durable Aluminium Case is great.

Thats a cool azz case.....

 

[aaron_c]

Yeah that's what I'm hearing about most aluminum cases, that they degrade the strength of everything that makes a cell phone a cell phone (except the Rokbed from what I hear). Does this Arachnophobia company have a website? I can't find one (unless Case2Case is the manufacturer? I was thinking they just sold them).

If you speak to a rep from Element who produces the Vapor 4 and Vapor Pro cases, he will say Case2Case sells cheap knock-offs of the real thing. Check out the Vapor thread, those who have the case rave about it and they rave about the knock-off too.

Case2Case sells cheap knock-offs of the Element Vapor 4? I don't think I could bring myself to ever buy ANYTHING from a company that knowingly sells fakes.

 

[aaron_c]

Maybe this warrants a new thread, but it's such a quick question that I figured I'd just ask here. With a crystal screen protector, will I have reduced clarity of the screen? And more importantly, will I be able to get it on with ZERO bubbles, and get it to stay that way? I'm a HUGE perfectionist to a damn-near OCD level with things like that, so I can't have one if it's going to have any sort of bubble or anything under the screen.