[Review] Otterbox Impact Series

[Roooler]

I recommend staying away from the Commuter, poor quality.

Sent from my DROIDX using Droid X Forum App

I happened to get both the commuter and impact case for free.. my commuter will be here Thursday.. a well written review will be put up.. not doubting you, Howe er hopefully you just got a lemon?¿



Sent from my DROIDX using Droid X Forum App

[Ads]

[PaulReports]

I happened to get both the commuter and impact case for free.. my commuter will be here Thursday.. a well written review will be put up.. not doubting you, Howe er hopefully you just got a lemon?¿

Here's my review of it.


After purchasing the Otterbox Commuter case for the Droid X, here is my review as posted on their website after testing the case for a weekend.

Also, there is a video of the unboxing and a quick review I uploaded at the bottom of this post

When the Droid X was released to Verizon, I jumped on board. Switching from local carrier Cincinnati Bell (CBW).

With the release of the Droid X, and all the hype that I seemed to notice behind it, I figured the market for aftermarket cases would be nearly as swift as they were for the iPhone. Clearly I was incorrect.
It took Seidio nearly 4 months to release any sort of decent case, and Otterbox over five.

I purchased the Otterbox Commuter, as it seemed like something that would be a good fit for what uses I had planned. It was a long awaited case, and in the meantime I've been using a no-name silicone skin that I received for free from my local Verizon store. Honestly that free case has offered my phone quite a bit of protection, and I would go out on a limb and say it offers comparable protection to the Commuter.
I was disappointed by this case. I understand it's not their Defender series; it isn't mean to be as bulky and because of this, offers less protection, BUT (there's always a but) when you take ~5 months to develop a product of this caliber, then I'm not so sure about how you're fulfilling your company mission statement.
The silicone doesn't sit well over the keys (Check the pictures/videos at the end of this post). The polycarbonate shell seems strong, but is very slippery. I understand it needs to be slick to get in and out of a pocket, but this thing could slide on sandpaper it's so smooth. Something to be very, very careful with if just holding in the hand or sitting it down on a surface.

I guess I'm just upset because you can see how much work they put into the iPhone case series, hell until earlier today their entire homepage only displayed iPhone4 cases. Maybe this is a big enough market share for them, but I personally will be sending the case back for a refund. I refuse to pay for the name and not get the quality that should be associated with it.

I would discourage anyone from purchasing this case, or any other Otterbox case unless it's the iPhone4 that is. Alternatively, I'll be buying the new Kraken case by Trident Case

The above write up is also provided on my blog. paulreports.wordpress.com


Sent from my DroidX

[tj182]

Thanks for the review and nice video. I have the Otterbox Impact case and have been using it for about a month and I love it. But after I ordered it I was wondering if I should have gotten the Commuter case instead. From your review and seeing the video, the Commuter case does look cheaply made. The Impact case is very durable and with the silicone skin it seems to grab any surface you put it on. Its also easy to take off if you need to. I highly recommend the Impact case if you want a simple silicone type case. After seeing your review i"m glad I chose the Impact over the Commuter case now.

[SVDroidDude]

I've been using the Commuter since it first came out. I really don't even think about it and I guess that's a good thing. I've only had one other case...a Verizon hard case which I did like until the top and bottom pieces started coming apart due to the weak tabs. In my experience I have never nearly dropped my phone due to it being slippery. Yes, I do agree if you put it on hard objects where it could slip off it will be an issue. The dust covers while they seem flimsy have no indication of failure. For me it has worked as advertised and I would recommend it if you want a bit of extra protection over an all rubber case. I'm sure the Impact works well too.

[mrtubz69]

Where the battery part is on the case is it rubber or plastic? I can't tell if it's it slick or non slip?

Its slick looking yet grippy. But when u set down it grips from top and bottom edge just got in the mail for $9.93 its a GREAT case


Sent From My DROID X
Gummy Jar 2.5 Mysterious Beast
Overclocked 1.35 ULV
Extended Battery
Quadrant of 1773

[Roooler]

Recieved my Commuter Case today..

- First off i was surprised to see that the Commuter Case had Less Bulk compared to the Impact Series Case.

- Second i would choose the Commuter Case -Over- The Impact Case for a couple of reasons.

1- I like the Sleek feeling of it.
2- Comes with a Nice IMO screen saver.
3- I Really like how it has Hard Plastic Mixed with Soft. Great Combo
4- Buttons are easier to push.
5- I like how it doesn't cover the top of phone were it says "MOTOROLA".
6- Significant Less Drag when pulling out of my pocket.
7- In my line of work (Plastics) i am covered in alot of debry, i like that this case Covers my "Inputs".

*Problems* or "Flaws" in the case.

1- For the case being the middle case, of the series. I thought it would be more bulky = more protection.
2- The hard plastic is ridiculously SLICK! Holy crap this thing could slide for miles its so slick.. In-fact when i was holding it at first (Coming from the Impact Series Case) All i could think of is wow its like a wet bar of soap, and nobody wants to drop the soap! lol
3- Cant think of anything else right now..

Pics**




Impact Series <---> Commuter "Bare Rubber"

[PaulReports]

Recieved my Commuter Case today..
7- In my line of work (Plastics) i am covered in alot of debry, i like that this case Covers my "Inputs".

*Problems* or "Flaws" in the case.
2- The hard plastic is ridiculously SLICK! Holy crap this thing could slide for miles its so slick.. In-fact when i was holding it at first (Coming from the Impact Series Case) All i could think of is wow its like a wet bar of soap, and nobody wants to drop the soap! lol

Does the fact that the piece that covers the buttons raises up when you press it bother you? That was one of my larger gripes, when you said you work around a lot of debris, I'd be afraid of it getting in.

As for the con - See! I wasn't making it up! I've had other cases that are hard cases, but literally that thing would slide like hot butter on sandpaper it's so slick! haha

Example, I sat it on a 3 ring binder, very slight angle, and the binder was on a table, I looked away for one second and the phone was on the floor cause it slid down the cover of the binder!

[Roooler]

Does the fact that the piece that covers the buttons raises up when you press it bother you? That was one of my larger gripes, when you said you work around a lot of debris, I'd be afraid of it getting in.

As for the con - See! I wasn't making it up! I've had other cases that are hard cases, but literally that thing would slide like hot butter on sandpaper it's so slick! haha

Example, I sat it on a 3 ring binder, very slight angle, and the binder was on a table, I looked away for one second and the phone was on the floor cause it slid down the cover of the binder!

You know I didn't even notice how that piece raises up slightly when the buttons are pressed. I guess that can go under the flaw category.

And yes the case is slippery lol!!

All in all i do still like the case but only a good week or two with it will tell for sure.
Sent from my DROIDX using Droid X Forum App

[music_man185]

i know i'm digging up an old thread here, but what are your long term opinions of the impact otterbox? i'm picking up my droid x this week and have already ordered the defender for days when i'm at work (construction). on the weekends however, i dont need as much protection and would like something less bulky so that i can carry my droid in my pocket. i'm thinking about the impact series. i watched a video review on youtube, and the reviewer complained about the flappy earpiece across the top. this isn't a huge concern for me, but i could definitely see the inconvenience. but i would like to hear some other opinions. there are no where near the amount of reviews for the impact as there are for the commuter and defender.