Flexi/Candy/TPU skin impressions

is there a non-argyle version?

Looks like a white-label Amzer case:

http://www.amzer.com/Amzer-Luxe-Argyle-Skin-Case-Smoke-Grey-P88260.htm

How does the product you have compare to the looks of that one?? Pretty much the same? I have been debating over one of these cases for a while now. Tried a lot of them out so far and havent found "the one"

i just dont want something that adds too much bulk! lol if i wasnt affraid of destroying the phone i would just let it go naked, but thats just too risky.

catpunt said:

Just received my Epik case --

Now I have 3 different cases:
1. Sprint retail OEM silicone skin
2. Smoke argyle pattern TPU skin
3. (new) Black Epik TPU skin

Here are my impressions of the Epik TPU:
* The skin is thicker, softer, and tackier than the argyle skin, but less thick, soft and tacky than the silicone skin. I'd say it's right in the middle on all 3 accounts.
* The thickness fully recesses the camera lens
* Easy to get in/out of the pocket, doesn't attract dust/lint
* The color is not really black but more of a dark smoke color
* There are 3 individual cutouts for the components on the back
* There is no silly cutout for the battery cover nail groove
* The skin extends in over the bezel further than the argyle TPU, covering the screen seams
* The mic cutout is smaller than the argyle's
* The power and volume buttons stand out further than the argyle's, making them easier to find by touch

I definitely prefer this skin to the others. IMO, it provides the best tradeoff in terms of protection, looks and bulk.

Click to expand...

Click to collapse

Bought the argyle verison skin on ebay...then the non patterned ones. Been an epik case lover for ages...Well I tell you the ebay non patterned skins and the epik cases come in the same packaging. Note the original epik cases didnt come in retail packaging. When I emailed the seller he confirmed that they could sold by other ebay sellers too....hmmmm

frettfreak said:

Looks like a white-label Amzer case:

http://www.amzer.com/Amzer-Luxe-Argyle-Skin-Case-Smoke-Grey-P88260.htm

How does the product you have compare to the looks of that one?? Pretty much the same? I have been debating over one of these cases for a while now. Tried a lot of them out so far and havent found "the one"

i just dont want something that adds too much bulk! lol if i wasnt affraid of destroying the phone i would just let it go naked, but thats just too risky.

Click to expand...

Click to collapse

I feel the same about the bulk. I like what people have been doing for the iPhone and skinning it which leaves it thin and adds a small layer of protection to it. I think the EVO could benefit from the same. (just my personal thoughts on the matter).

catpunt said:

Just received my Epik case --

Now I have 3 different cases:
1. Sprint retail OEM silicone skin
2. Smoke argyle pattern TPU skin
3. (new) Black Epik TPU skin

Here are my impressions of the Epik TPU:
* The skin is thicker, softer, and tackier than the argyle skin, but less thick, soft and tacky than the silicone skin. I'd say it's right in the middle on all 3 accounts.
* The thickness fully recesses the camera lens
* Easy to get in/out of the pocket, doesn't attract dust/lint
* The color is not really black but more of a dark smoke color
* There are 3 individual cutouts for the components on the back
* There is no silly cutout for the battery cover nail groove
* The skin extends in over the bezel further than the argyle TPU, covering the screen seams
* The mic cutout is smaller than the argyle's
* The power and volume buttons stand out further than the argyle's, making them easier to find by touch

I definitely prefer this skin to the others. IMO, it provides the best tradeoff in terms of protection, looks and bulk.

Click to expand...

Click to collapse

I just got that same Argyle case in the mail today and have the Epik one on order as well. The Argyle looks pretty nice, but the lip that extends past the screen is bugging me some. I guess I will get use to it. Does the Epik have the same lip or is it more flattened out?

catpunt said:

Just received my Epik case --

Now I have 3 different cases:
1. Sprint retail OEM silicone skin
2. Smoke argyle pattern TPU skin
3. (new) Black Epik TPU skin

Here are my impressions of the Epik TPU:
* The skin is thicker, softer, and tackier than the argyle skin, but less thick, soft and tacky than the silicone skin. I'd say it's right in the middle on all 3 accounts.
* The thickness fully recesses the camera lens
* Easy to get in/out of the pocket, doesn't attract dust/lint
* The color is not really black but more of a dark smoke color
* There are 3 individual cutouts for the components on the back
* There is no silly cutout for the battery cover nail groove
* The skin extends in over the bezel further than the argyle TPU, covering the screen seams
* The mic cutout is smaller than the argyle's
* The power and volume buttons stand out further than the argyle's, making them easier to find by touch

I definitely prefer this skin to the others. IMO, it provides the best tradeoff in terms of protection, looks and bulk.

Click to expand...

Click to collapse

pretty interested in this case, any chance you could post any pics of it since they dont have any in the ebay listing?

catpunt said:

Well it doesn't say amzer anywhere on it or the packaging, and the amzer picture is a little different. There is one big cutout for the flash leds, camera, and speaker on the back. However the amzer picture might just be a photoshop mockup, and perhaps they are in fact the same.

Click to expand...

Click to collapse

Just for the record, it does seem like a photosphop mockup (coloring wise) but the shape of the cutouts on the Amzer page is accurate. I got the Amzer Argyle skin off Amazon, took FOREVER to ship and then like 2-3 weeks to get here once it shipped but I'm pretty pleased with it. I'm pretty darn sure that the Amzer Argyle skins and the Epik TPU cases (along w/a couple other plain TPU cases on Ebay) share the same mold, based on the comparison/description that catpunt posted above.

My Amzer skin also recesses the lens (just enough to protect it) and also extends just past the screen seams. Anyway, I'll be able to confirm just how close the two skins are (Amzer/Epik) in a few days, I ordered a couple of Epik ones as well from DCMugen on Ebay. $7.50 for a red and a black + a screen protector and a cleaning wipe, why the heck not?

I ordered the Epik one even tho I already have the Amzer one for two reasons... Number one, I want to see how they look w/a clear battery door, showing off the phone's red internals thru the case. I can do that w/Amzer's but it might look too busy, even tho I actually don't mind the Argyle pattern. It's VERY subdued and nowhere near as prominent as it is on Amzer's site. I'll post some comparison pics once I've got all three cases in my hands.

The other reason I ordered the Epik one in red and black is the coloring or tint on the Amzer one... On the back it seems pretty black/grey, as you'd expect, but around the side edges it's a bit off... Has a bit of a brown tint to it, maybe a mix of amber and black. It doesn't look bad, just a tiny bit off. The Epik case looks to be a truer shade of smoke black all around (and the red looks pretty close to the EVO's red details). I think Amzer's oddity might be a function of the Argyle pattern, it's sort of etched on the inside. It might affect the coloring somehow.

In the end, these are all probably coming from the same source, except for the Argyle batches on Ebay w/those odd cutouts, the large single cutout for LED/camera/speaker and that weird one for the fingernail hole on the battery lid. Like I said, I'll post pics when I get my Amzer ones. I'm surprised that there's like no pics whatsoever out there of how the red one looks ON the phone.

In summary, Amzer Argyle != Ebay Argyle, Amzer's skin seems to be higher quality, definitely sourced from a different place. Amzer's colors are way off on their pics tho, the colors are closer to what the other Argyle skins look like, tho there seems to be some variation on the black/smoked one.

Overall I'm loving these TPU skin/cases tho... They blow the silicon ones out of the water. My silicon case didn't catch the inside of my pockets that much, but enough to be a bother, these slip out super easy but they've still got very good grip on your hand (perhaps better than silicon even). They also don't attract dust/lint AT ALL, my silicon case would develop this crusty line of crap along the screen edges within just a day of cleaning it, was pretty irritating.

Finally, as others have said, they feel way more svelte on your hand than the HTC/OEM silicon case... I don't know if it's the way the corners are rounded off or what, but it's a big difference in feel (altho probably not a huge difference in reality, they're thinner but not THAT much thinner). Oh and they're much more rigid/tight around the phone, the edges around the screen don't flop out, AT ALL... On silicon cases after a few weeks (or even when they're brand new) you can stretch 'em pretty easily by just flicking at it or if your thumb slips off screen... Not so with these.

TPU >>>>>>>>>>> silicon

You guys are aware that there is a person on this board selling TPU cases right?

http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=719527

And they are nice, got 4 of them for 19 dollars, shipping included.
Quick bit of take to make the button mashing easier and they are perfect.

catpunt said:

just noticed the epik cases are out on ebay, only like 3.49 with free shipping! looks like it has individual cutouts for the led flash, camera, and speakerphone. i had to get one at that price, smoky black no pattern:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&Item=300440215923

Click to expand...

Click to collapse

I bought an Epik. Hate it. So far the best TPU case I've found is the one in the "Evo TPU Cases available" thread. It's clear, and the back is a matte finish. The Epik is super thick and bows out on the sides.