Product: RadTech Slam – Reversible Clip Case for iPhone 3G (Black)
Company: Radtech
Contact: Default Contact
Price: $14.95
Pros: Unbreakable Plastic. Very easy to take phone in and out of case. Relatively inexpensive. Clip is very sturdy and unlikely to break or fall off.
Cons: The iPhone must be removed from the case to take a photo or make a video. Case may not protect the phone if dropped. The iPhone must be removed from case to put in some clock radio or stereo iPhone/iPod docking units.
by Susan Fison, AAUG Member
Conflict of interest disclosure: Radtech provided this case free to me for the purpose of the review.
Impressive
The last iPhone case I picked up at the Alaskan Apple Users Group review table has turned out to be my favorite case (after I had a shoe repairman enlarge the hole for the camera). When I saw this iPhone case on the AAUG review table it was sealed in a plastic wrapper and it didn’t look very impressive, but I decided to check it out. The problem with most cases is that the packaging prevents you from actually trying out the case before you buy it. I have had an iPhone for nearly two years and have spent a lot of money trying out different cases:
I started out with a relatively inexpensive basic silicon case. A major advantage of this case is that it provided a non-slip grip which made the phone hard to drop. However, this case didn’t provide much protection if the iPhone was dropped or exposed to moisture. It was easy to take in and out of the case to dock. The case didn’t impinge on the glass screen so it didn’t interfere with texting. However, due to the case’s flexibility, I often didn’t get it back on property and as a result it often obscured part of the image when taking photos. I could dock the iPhone without in my clock radio or stereo without removing it from the case. A major drawback to this case was that I couldn’t clip it to my belt or clothing.
My second case was nearly $30 was was a sleek hard-shelled case. It provide some protection for the phone and didn’t impinge on the screen for texting, but was very difficult to remove and I had no way to clip to my belt or clothing. it was also somewhat slicker than the silicone model.
My third case was a very attractive, expensive leather case which a clip that I could attach to my belt or clothing. When the phone was in the case it was protected on all sides from both being dropped and getting wet. Although I could used the iPhone as a iPod in the case, I had to completely remove the phone from the case to dial a call, take a picture or use an app. It was very easy to take in and out of the case, but it had no protection when out of the case. I tripped and took a bad fall while wearing this case. The good news is that the iPhone survived with no damage, but both my knees and the leather front of the case were damaged.
My fourth case was another case which I thought was quite attractive. It was easy to take the phone in and out of, relatively small and light and could be used to take a photo without removing from the case. However, the case had high sides which impinged on the touch screen so much that made it almost impossible to text accurately. In contrast the Radtech case allows full access to the touch screen.
I spent nearly $50 on my fifth case. I was concerned that I needed a case that afforded more protection to the phone. This heavy non-slip silicone case protected all surfaces of the iPhone and made it practically waterproof. I even heard that someone ran over the case with a car and the iPhone wasn’t damaged. However, the case was huge and I had to take it out of the case to plug it into the dock on my clock radio or stereo. It took more than 20 minutes to take it in or out of the case! I also didn’t like the fact that the glass screen was covered with a piece of hard plastic that stuck to the screen in places. One of the main reasons I purchased the $50 case, was that it had a removable heavy clip so that I could use it to attach the iPhone to a belt or my pants. However, the phone fell out of the removable clip several times. One day I lost my iPhone on a hike. I didn’t discover this for about half-an hour. Luckily I was able to retrace my steps and found it lying in the dust. In contrast, this clip is on the Radtech case is integrated with the phone and can’t be removed.
Rating Summary: Scale from 1 to 5 with 1 being Poor and 5 being excellent
Protection for iPhone if dropped: 1
Non-slip grip: 2
Allows the glass screen to be used without impinging on edges of touch surface: 5
Holds iPhone securely in case: 5
Easy and quick to take in and out of case: 5
Can be installed in clock/radio or stereo dock without removing from case: 1
Unbreakable case: 5
Sturdy clip for attaching to belt or clothing: 5
Cost: 4
Protect iPhone dock from moisture: 1
Compact: 3 (the clip makes it considerably thicker)
Lightweight: 5 (1 ounce!)
Can take photos and videos without removing case: 1
Can make and take phone calls and use apps without removing from case: 5
Attractive: 5
I plan to use this phone primarily when I am working out at the gym. When I’m doing circuits and have to keep picking my iPhone up and putting it down as I move from machine to machine. Last week I heard that a man was working out at the club as he listened to music on his iPhone with a bluetooth headset. All of the sudden the music stopped. Someone had grabbed his phone and left the building. This is just the clip I need to secure my phone to the top my my shorts while I’m working out.
