budget cases w/good protection?

[MrsJennyK]

I drop my phone. All the time.

Like, all. the. time.

I would say at least once a day it goes tumbling out of my hands. Usually from 2-4 feet up, generally onto carpet, sometimes wood, occasionally tile, and if I'm particularly clumsy that day, concrete (eep!).

It's not getting thrown or anything. I'm just clumsy and it slips. I bought a Moto G last week (loving it!) and the day I took it out of the box I dropped it.

I need a protective case. My husband has the Otterbox Defender for his iPhone. I'm thinking maybe I don't need quite that much. I think the commuter would offer enough protection.

I only spent $75 on the phone, so I'm not really wanting to spend $30-40 on a case!

What are some alternatives that will offer commuter-style protection? It's very hard for me to tell from the descriptions of the various products.

I'm looking at:

Otterbox commuter
$35
comes with screen protector
good reputation
half the price of the darn phone!

Cruzerlite intelligent wallet case
$20
the wallet feature would be awesome for me if it doesn't make it too bulky
I like the flip-open style
The description is not very clear about how much protection it provides

Incipio DualPro case
$17 (seems to be on sale for this on Amazon but only in black)
no screen protector

Incipio NGP impact resistant case
$10.34 - found just this one on Amazon
no screen protector
better than Incipio DualPro?
not sure whether it has screen protector

JKase DIABLO
$9 (!)
Claims to be "extremely durable"
good reviews
no screen protector

Opinions?
TIA!

 

[tube517]

Incipio, Otterbox and Cruzerlite are all good. I would check Ebay and Amazon and see what they have. Sometimes used ones are still in good shape. Just check the reputation of the seller.

 

[twister6]

Just speaking from an experience of reviewing a lot of cases and accessories on AF http://androidforums.com/android-accessories/796475-twister-reviews-android-accessories-gadgets.html

Unfortunately, my favorite ones from UAG and Seidio are not available for Moto G. UAG would have been my top recommendation, so let's see what else is available.

Otterbox is over-hyped: bulky and overpriced. Defender is awful with it's built in screen protector. Commuter is ok, but could get bulky and cost more.

Incipio quality went down, not sure if I would recommend it either.

Other cheap stuff might not offer a reliable protection or precise fitment.

Cruzerlite Intelligent wallet is nice, but keep in mind flipping cover might get annoying especially if you hold the phone next to you ear when talking (vs wireless or wired headsets).

Considering you want something that will provide you a good protection and less bulk and doesn't cost too much, your best choice IMHO is Trident Aegis (tested a lot of their cases, great quality): http://www.amazon.com/Trident-Case-Aegis-Motorola-Moto/dp/B00HWDYJUK/

 

[tube517]

Yeah, go with what Twister said. He has more experience and his reviews are thorough.

I'm just a cheapskate.

 

[twister6]

Yeah, go with what Twister said. He has more experience and his reviews are thorough.

I'm just a cheapskate.

There is nothing wrong with being frugal I started writing my reviews on AF and XDA a little over a year ago with a main purpose to prove people you can get cheap stuff with great quality off ebay. The problem I found down the road, they might look good and work at first, the quality of their material doesn't hold up well over time. Inner silicone shells will stretch, plastic is too fragile and often cracks when you drop the case, colors fade, etc. Otterbox is overpriced for sure, but some other brand names (especially when you get it from Amazon at discounted price) are still very cheap and offer a great protection. For example, Trident stuff gets tested against military standards and they beat/drop a crap out of their cases to test it

 

[MrsJennyK]

I apologize for abandoning this thread!

I really appreciate your advice Twister. I found an Incipio NGP for just over $10 on Amazon with free Prime shipping. So I decided to order it and take a look-see before jumping into the $25 Trident.

The NGP isn't at all what I expected. I don't care how super strong and flexible and yadda yadda they say it is, it feels pretty darn flimsy to me. I don't think it can stand up to the daily drops I inflict upon my poor phone. I'm sending it back and ordering the Trident today. Most of them are $25, but I can get a hideous neon green for $18.50, an obnoxious red for $19 or a barbie-doll pink for $19.50. Sigh. I'm cheap, but I'm not neon green or barbie doll cheap, so I guess it's red for me!

I'll check back in when it arrives (should get here by Saturday. Yay Prime!)

 

[MrsJennyK]

I received my Trident today and in the words of Helen Madden (a.k.a. "joyologist", a.k.a. Molly Shannon),

I love it, I love it, I love it!

It is exactly what I wanted. It doesn't add a lot of bulk but it feels very sturdy. The fact that the box describes the testing they do makes me feel a lot more confident in it than the flimsy little incipio I bought (and promptly returned).

I should have listened to Twister to begin with.
[sheepish grin]

 

[SwingMan_17]

In general I invest a lot of money into phone cases, I change them like my socks My last one which I bought was belenty case from design company belenty.com

 

[Haeydr]

Try going for ballistic cases. You can get them dirt cheap on eBay.