EXOvault iPhone 3G/3GS brass case
Posted by Bill on November 23rd, 2009 at 01:12pm Comments
EXOvault iPhone 3G/3GS brass case
Reviewed by: Bill Henderson
EXOvault Metal iPhone Case
Price: $95
Lets play a game of “what if”, shall we?
What if the iPhone existed in the late 1800s? What would it look like?
And what if the science-fiction writer Jules Verne owned one of these iPhones? What would it’s case look like?
Actually that last question isn’t a “what if” at all. I know exactly what an 1800s iPhone case would look like. Because I’m looking at one right now. The EXOvault brass iPhone case is one of the most unusual cases I’ve seen yet. Just when you think you’ve seen every type of case out there, along comes a small company with an audacious idea and pulls it off.
The reason I bring up Jules Verne and that time period is because this brass case screams steam-punk. If you aren’t familiar with the term or the style, go look it up.
The two halves of this case are machined out of a block of solid brass. Looking at it reminds me of how Apple manufactures their MacBook Pros out of solid aluminum. EXOvault does exactly the same thing on a simpler scale. Open the box and you are presented with the two halves and a set of Allen screws and supplied Allen wrench. Place your iPhone inside, screw the pieces together and you, my friend, have a genuine ode to steam-punk.
When assembled, your iPhone is now a square piece of brass that will invite stares as you hold it next to your head. Appreciate how light your iPhone is? Forget it. Steam-punk comes heavy… and I don’t mean musically. This thing weighs a ton (142 grams actually). You can build muscles using this case. But that’s part of the charm. This isn’t a case you want to use all day, every day. But if you don’t mind swapping cases occasionally, this is a great conversation starter. People I showed it to were amazed at how unusual it was and yes, how heavy it was, also.
At first glance, I worried that the case might scratch my iPhone, but on closer inspection I noticed that the sharp edges on the “vent” at the bottom (where the hidden iPhone antennas are located) only begin when the iPhone starts to slope to its edge, so the plastic doesn’t even touch sharp parts. Good engineering. Also, the case comes with a piece of protecting foam which I promptly trashed before I realized it wasn’t packing material. Clearer instructions would be nice, although it really was my fault. Even so, my iPhone did not scratch while inside the case. Also, the fit is tight, so there is no rattling around. All the necessary holes and ports are available and I had no issues with call interference.
If you like the idea and the look of the case, but don’t want the weight, EXOvault makes a silver-colored aluminum version for the same price at about 1/3 the weight. I just happen like the retro brass coloring. And also, brass looks better with age, which never happens with other cases. I can’t say how much shock protection is in a hard metal case, but the supplied foam (which I trashed) should help a bit.
The EXOvault case is not for everyone. It wasn’t designed to be. But if you don’t mind looking over 100 years out-of-date with the retro steam-punk look, this is your case. There is nothing like it in this century.
8/10
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