Phantom Skinz Full Body Set

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Recently received the Phantom Skinz Full Body set and have gone through installation.

Here's the breakdown:

The Pros:
- The Screen Skin looks good and feels good. The extra drag vs. the stock glass is slight and the overall clarity is very good (doesn't have any noticeable detraction from the crisp, contrasty screen).
- The main screen skin and front overlays were fairly easy to apply and once dried have a very nice unobtrusive look
- Comes with 2 sets of skins

The Cons:
- included directions are WAY OFF from the install video on their site. Soaking times, how long to let it sit and dry, etc...
- Edge bubbling on every corner for the back overlays. Directions say to "cup the corner with palms and hold 30 seconds", but I've done it over and over again and they keep popping off after a short while
- A WHOLE LOT of wet work involved in applying these skins. Application involves soaking the skin in water first, then (as instructed) with your fingers fully wet, take the wet skin and put it wet onto the phone and then use the included credit card shaped "squeegy" to push out the extra water. Not so much a big deal for the screen skin, but getting that much water around and near the audio/mic/power and such ports while putting on the body skins is asking for trouble.

Final Thoughts
I imagine in some small (heck, maybe in large) part, the corner bubbling issue is due to me not applying the skin properly. But I'm not some clueless granny that doesn't know the difference between a mouse and a blackberry and the included instructions are vague in important places and almost completely different than the video instructions shown at their website (for example; The included instructions say to use warm water WITH SOAP)

Bottom line: Stick with just the screen skin, skip the full body.

The online video instructions say to use soap as well. IIRC, she said that at their facility, they use one drop of Johnson's baby shampoo per 32 oz of water.

I would avoid Phantom Skinz altogether. Here's the review I posted about my experience with one of them on my Moto Droid in the skins topic.

Phantom Skinz
I got a PS for my Moto Droid because I didn't want something as grippy as the Zagg. PS had great reviews and came with 2 full sets for the price of 1 zagg with 33% off on top of that ($16.50 in the end). The first installation of the screen got some dust and fuzz under it since I was OCD about getting it perfect, so I emailed them and they sent me a replacement for free no questions asked. I know it did come with two sets of protectors but I wanted to keep one as a backup still. Second installation was perfect. No dirt, dust, fuzz or finger prints. Screen was perfectly smooth (no orange peel) and the touch felt almost the same as the glass. Put the rest of the body on without a problem as well with just a few bubbles in some of the tougher spots. I was very impressed, but now a month later I am not so much. After daily use taking my phone in and out of my pocket (sometimes shared with keys) the skin is filled with knicks and wrinkles. While the film may not technically scratch, it is vulnerable to indentations and air bubbles forming which do not "self heal". Instead of scratching, it seems like the skin stretches in place, resulting in a wrinkle/groove with little marks that look like air bubbles underneath. Not only does it make the screen look dirty, but you feel them while using the touch screen. As I write this, I just dug my finger nail into the screen and tried to scratch it, leaving another permanent groove. Needless to say, I will be taking off the PS and throwing it in the trash. The rest of the body has surprisingly stayed pretty clean of wrinkles, so it may have something to do with its application on glass. I will put some pictures up when I get the chance this evening. Overall, I would not recommend PhantomSkinz. It looked and felt great for a couple weeks, but now every day I am finding more and more knicks and wrinkles and that is just unacceptable compared to others. This skin is NOT scratch proof like other comparable skins on the market! However, I will commend their customer service for being very helpful and quick to reply.

And here a pictures of what it looks like:
h ttp://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=5415251&postcount=44
(remove the space after the h, I can't post links yet)

Bottom line here as that they are smoother than other brands but scratch pretty easily. You should check back in on this topic in a month or two and see if your opinion has changed.

I applied the full body skin about a week ago. There's definitely a lot of water involved but most of the danger can be avoided with some caution. I used Q-tips to do a lot of the credit card work around the edges so that it soaked up the water it pushed out.

A good trick for the corners is to use some sealant/piping tape to hold them down. This is a lot better than using your hand for 30 seconds, and you can leave it there for as long as you want (I left the tape on mine for 2 days since I wasn't going anywhere that I needed to show off my phone, I figured why not? Now my corners are perfect).

So far I like PhantomSkinz because it wraps the corners a little better than the other skins. Bodyguardz is a little better in clarity and material. InvisibleShield has too much of the orange peel effect. Haven't had a chance to try BestSkinsEver.

As for detonation's review, it's too early for me to tell if I'll have the same problems, but I agree that the material doesn't seem on par with InvisibleShield or BodyGuardz. But since I still used the carrying case and treat my phone with much care even with the skin on, I don't think it'll be too much of a problem.

I recently got the phantom skinz full body set, after I read the instructions I thought that there was no way I was applying wet/soapy film to my N1, it just doesn't make any sense. Water/soap plus electronics? Its a recipe for disaster, besides the fact that I suck at arts and crafts type stuff just like this. I would imagine I would get water somewhere inside the device, and knowing me it would reach the many water detectors in the phone. It doesn't seem worth it, so I applied just the screen part sans water/soap, and needless to say it sucked big time, even when I got all the bubbles out.. it had a terrible gray haze on parts of the screen it was bad (maybe due to not using the water/soap method). Can any one suggest just a simple screen protector that doesn't' require to dunk your device in water?

Originally Posted by boxmander

I recently got the phantom skinz full body set, after I read the instructions I thought that there was no way I was applying wet/soapy film to my N1, it just doesn't make any sense. Water/soap plus electronics? Its a recipe for disaster, besides the fact that I suck at arts and crafts type stuff just like this. I would imagine I would get water somewhere inside the device, and knowing me it would reach the many water detectors in the phone. It doesn't seem worth it, so I applied just the screen part sans water/soap, and needless to say it sucked big time, even when I got all the bubbles out.. it had a terrible gray haze on parts of the screen it was bad (maybe due to not using the water/soap method). Can any one suggest just a simple screen protector that doesn't' require to dunk your device in water?

Dude... you BARELY have to use any water to get the screen to turn out right. Sorry you wasted your PS... but ask them for a replacement, and mail it to me! I do this **** with my eyes closed. It's really not rocket science, and you don't have to "dunk" your phone in water.

Originally Posted by boxmander

I recently got the phantom skinz full body set, after I read the instructions I thought that there was no way I was applying wet/soapy film to my N1, it just doesn't make any sense. Water/soap plus electronics? Its a recipe for disaster, besides the fact that I suck at arts and crafts type stuff just like this. I would imagine I would get water somewhere inside the device, and knowing me it would reach the many water detectors in the phone. It doesn't seem worth it, so I applied just the screen part sans water/soap, and needless to say it sucked big time, even when I got all the bubbles out.. it had a terrible gray haze on parts of the screen it was bad (maybe due to not using the water/soap method). Can any one suggest just a simple screen protector that doesn't' require to dunk your device in water?

you didnt follow the instructions and it didnt work well for you? gtfo

Originally Posted by boxmander

I recently got the phantom skinz full body set, after I read the instructions I thought that there was no way I was applying wet/soapy film to my N1, it just doesn't make any sense. Water/soap plus electronics? Its a recipe for disaster, besides the fact that I suck at arts and crafts type stuff just like this. I would imagine I would get water somewhere inside the device, and knowing me it would reach the many water detectors in the phone. It doesn't seem worth it, so I applied just the screen part sans water/soap, and needless to say it sucked big time, even when I got all the bubbles out.. it had a terrible gray haze on parts of the screen it was bad (maybe due to not using the water/soap method). Can any one suggest just a simple screen protector that doesn't' require to dunk your device in water?

Try clairivue or martin fields. Just do a google search since I can't post links yet.

Originally Posted by typ_ex

you didnt follow the instructions and it didnt work well for you? gtfo

LOL! i agree. i have had no issues at all with my phantomskinz- both on the magic and now my nexus- i'll admit i do suck at installing them but what i do is get a bowl o water, put a few drops of baby shampoo in swich it around a bit, then dunk the piece in there- hold it over bowl until excess is removed then you can put it on device- the soap/water allows you to move it into position easily and helps squeegee the bubbles....

i wouldnt blame a product because you didnt follow their instructions how to install it...

I actually prefer the bowl of soapy water to the sprays that come with other skins. Submerging it ensures the entire skin is lubed up, and the small amounts of drips on the device is harmless. Just let it dry out overnight before turning it on.