Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Ok so like many others on amazon I have been on the quest for the perfect iPhone case for over a year now. I wanted something that offered better than decent protection yet had a sleek, stream lined look. I have tried probably 12 to 15 different cases (still own 5). This is a very lengthy review that basically chronicles my experiences with several of the various cases as well as this one but is FULL of useful info that may prevent you from buying a case you'll end up hating (like I did with several of them). Read on and enjoy First was the speck candyshell sold to me by AT&T- this case was ok but was very slick and caused me to lose my grip on my phone several times when taking it out of my pocket. I didn't like this and felt it was a disaster waiting to happen so decided to try something else. I found this one case by a manufacturer I can't remember now that I like that had a snap together body that seemed pretty secure and a fabric, textured backing. I thought this would be good because it would keep it from slipping from my hand. Well, I was at work one night, dropped my phone from about 6 inches above the counter when putting it down and the 2 halves of the case CAME APART! I literally gasped and decided I needed more protection- this thing is NOT cheap as you all know! Since I wanted the most protection I could get I purchased the otterbox defender. Man is that thing bulky! The hard case is so hard to get on and off and kept getting the "watermark effect" under the built in screen protector. The one for the 3GS that my friends have had was really nice but the 4 has a weird silicone layer that feels odd in your hand, gets caught on everything, and then OVERHEATS the phone!! This happened several times and I was absolutely unable to use my phone and had to reset it each time. Unfortunately I was passed my 30 day return so $50 gone. After the otterbox I wanted something slimmer and tried multiple Best Buy and AT&T cases including InCase's slider case that had "more protection". Well without dropping it once (within 3 weeks) ALL the areas where the corners come together cracked!! Not caused by me. Needless to say that one went back to best buy. I tried a few other cases (cheap ones, iFrogz, and other "wow that looks like a neat case") only to suffer disappointment after disappointment- they were all returned). The search continues..... Then, being a hunter I thought a camoflauge case would be cool and functional so I decided try Case Mate's barely there case-my favorite advantage Max4 camo pattern was available so this was promising. Well this one isn't bad- you can access all the ports, there is a silicone layer and then a hard layer to offer a "dual protection" affect, and it's pretty slim. But the hard case easily pops off and the silicone doesn't adhere to the phone well. I liked this case well enough to keep (and didn't want to hassle with returning it to amazon) but still was not 100% satisfied. How hard is it to find a reliable functional phone case???- apparently very! Next stop was best buy again where I purchased the lifeproof case. THIS THING HAS IT ALL! (or so they say) Waterproof, dustproof, dirtproof, snowproof, mudproof, etc- this is their claim to fame and rationale behind charging $80 for a plastic case. It's a nice concept but the ports are covered in a way that you 1) can't dock or use any charger other than the one provided with your phone and 2.) the headphone jack only fits the provided ear buds from apple or you have to use this akward adaptar (the plug actually screws down into the case to make it water tight) that I found distorts and diminishes sound quality through either headphones or the 3.5 mm auxillary cable in my truck. Not only that, the plastic built in screen protector gets dirty or scratched very easily and will NOT work with a Zagg or other screen protector as the combination radically decreases the sensitivity of the screen. Good idea if you are an active person or outdoorsy like myself (around lakes and ponds quite a bit) but for an every day case not so much. I was past my 30 days on this one too, but would have kept it anyway because of the aforementioned circumstances. So onto searching AGAIN (thought I was done so huge downer)..... Landed at best buy 2 weeks ago and was talked into the Seidio (sp) 2 in 1 platinum case. Took it home to give it a try and I swear this thing is bulkier than the otterbox! Didn't think that was possible but it definitely was true with this case. Not only that they claim that it is a 2 in 1 where you can use the interior slider case on it's own- that's a lie! This thing comes apart with little to no effort and would easily cause you to drop your phone coming out of your pocket or purse upon seperation if using it by itself. This one went back to best buy after 2 days (my shortest trial yet). I came on amazon and searched all over the internet (googled and found a whole top 20 list that I disagreed with about half since I had tried most of them) and found this case. This is the ONLY iPhone 4 case that I have seen that gets 5 STAR reviews ACROSS THE BOARD!!! There was only one reviewer that did not say 5 stars and it was for the pink version that she said was not "pretty enough"- not a valid reason in my opinion but to each his own. THIS THING IS AWESOME!!!! Right out of the box it was impressive. Very simple installation and just by looking at it you can tell it is the perfect combination of form and function. It's not as thin as the phone itself but WAY less bulky than the otterbox or any other of these cases I have mentioned ( I would say upon comparing them side by side which I did- this thing is maybe 60% of the thickness of my otterbox.) I think it has the thickest but most flexible silicone layer of any of them with plenty of give and protection plus it fits the phone tight but not so tight it's hard to remove and I don't think it will overheat but time will tell. The silicone cover comes up around the screen and provides table top protection if you lay it face down on a surface as well (or if you dropped it and it landed this way). You can also use multiple chargers, headphones and cords with this case as opposed to some of the others as the ports are easily accessible. I have not tried docking it yet but may not because I have an apple TV now and may no longer use my apple dock. Now, onto my 2 absolute most favourite features of this case- 1.) the thick silicone "bumper" edges around each corner offer the most corner protection I have seen to date- I know if I dropped this thing on the corner (the most sensitive spot and most likely to cause a screen to crack or shatter) it would bounce and have plenty of shock absorbancy and 2.) the outer case which is a protective hard case is covered with a textured silicone similar to an airation without the holes. THIS IS AWESOME!!!! I can maintain a secure grip on my phone and it has not once slipped when coming out of my pocket (at least 50 times since I installed it last week) or when holding it during conversation. This was GENIUS on Ballistics part!!! Finally a company got rid of the most hazardous part of a case yet managed to do it without turning the solution into an additional annoyance!! This is the BEST part of the case! Sorry for such a long review but I wanted to give as much information as possible for other users that have been searching as long as I have, maybe even longer. If you are like me and have several trial cases that didn't work or weren't exactly what you were looking for, give this case a try! I love this case and have LITERALLY shown it to every single person I know that has the iPhone 4. Important to note: I have the original 4 NOT the 4S and have no idea how this would work with the S. I will update this review if my opinion changes but after continuous use so far it has not. Merry Christmas everyone!