Review: Case-Mate Signature Leather Case and Signature Holster for iPhone

I have always loved Case-Mate products.  They seem to me very well made and look very high end and beautiful.  This new case, designed exclusively for the iPhone is made of soft, supple Napa leather wraps that is perfectly contoured to fit the curves of the iPhone.   While it looks good, it is also made of leather that polishes easily while the impact resistant shell inside protects against everyday wear and tear. The case comes with a fully removable 360-degree ratcheting belt clip but the rachet mechanism is too week to allow for the phone to remain horizontal on the belt.  That should not be a problem though because the case is designed to integrate with the Case-mate Signature iPhone Leather Holster.  In this configuration, the screen is protected as the phone is slipped into the holster.

That brings me to the review of the holster itself.

The Case-Mate Signature iPhone Holster is marketed for people on the go who desire more complete protection for their Apple iPhone.  The above case works perfectly with this sleek leather holster.  The holster is also handcrafted from leather which is wrapped around an impact resistant molded shell.  The form-fit leather cradle will hold your iPhone while in the leather case so your phone remains fully protected at all times. I must admit, this pair is one of the most secure ways I have seen to carry your phone.

Sounds great, right.  Well, not so much.  As great as the holster is, the intent is to allow you to carry it on your belt.  The holster comes with a multi-directional, 360-degree ratcheting belt clip which allows for adjustability and maximum comfort while standing or sitting.  The ratchet portion of the clip is very positive and locks the case into any angle.  That part is great.  But the belt clip that is molded into the ratchet is horrible!

How can you manufacture such a nice case and holster and drop the ball completely on the belt clip.  This stuff is not rocket science guys.  Let me explain.  The clip is first off way too week.  I want the clip that holds the case to my belt for my $600 phone to be strong.  There should be no way to accidentally pull the clip off your belt but is this case, it is hard to keep it on the belt.  The clip takes almost no pressure to press the spring-loaded mechanism and release the clip.  In fact, on the first day of use, I came perilously close to popping it off my belt on to the asphalt.  The clip is just way too week.  Not only is it week, it is bowed on one side leaving an opening wide enough to accommodate a wide thick belt.  But an average business mans belt is more like 1 ¼” and very thin making the clip flop around on the belt and turn sideways.  Not the holster turning, but the clip being too loose on the belt.

In addition, the clip is so loose and so weak, I cannot even reinsert the phone in the holster without pulling the clip off my belt.

Case-Mate was very close to perfect but left this one part, the clip, completely unusable.  I highly recommend the case itself if you need a case that does not have a belt clip but if you need to clip your phone to a belt, this solution, whether the case itself, or most definitely, the holster, just doesn’t measure up.

Want to see what should have been done.... read on

I told my friend Tom Piper about this and he assisted by creating the drawing below.  This shows the clip and what needs to be done.

Comments

[Jay]

I too thought it was busted but it turns out that it wasnt. I just wasent attaching the clip back on right. Press really hard from the inside of the case and from the inside of the clip and it will pop back in. It seems like its designed to break away after alot of preasure but goes right back in. But if you dont press from the inside of the case it docent seat right and only feels like you cliped it back. Trust my after i did that it works great and then only breaks away when I really hang up on something but doesnt break the clip or the case and it just snaps back together.

[Dave]

Hi,

I've had TWO of these Case-Mate Signature holsters, and BOTH displayed the same problem within months, if not weeks. You're right: it's an incredibly weak point in the design that invalidates all of the good efforts.

The problem is Case-Mate uses a very thin piece of metal (a quasi-spring) to apply pressure to the clip, and the metal piece is made of some semi-soft metal (nickel?) that doesn't resist repeated flexure; eventually it permanently bends and gives less 'grip', after that, it's just a matter of time until it completely fails, and breaks. I've had that happen with BOTH of my Case-Mate Signature holsters, and it's not like I'm putting it through heavy abuse.

To make matters worse, Case-Mate seems not to care about the problem: I contacted them this week, and they confirmed there were no plans to use a better (read more expensive) design to prevent further episodes.

So there you go: a good product otherwise botched due to cutting corners. Seems I remember a child's story about losing a war for the want of a nail.....

[Dave]

For anyone who has this problem, I've found a simple DIY fix:

If the weakened metal 'spring' is not already broken, you should be able to remove the part by pressing on the plastic clip until the hinge is fully open, and then sliding the plastic latch laterally to the left (when the back of the holster is facing you). BTW, If you simply want to break the metal 'spring', then fine: I did it while trying to disassemble the latch before I figured out how it is supposed to work. Breaking it makes it easy to remove....

Go to Radio Shack and buy a small bag of mini- alligator clips for electronic projects: get the smallest-sized clip they have. These clips have a tiny hole on one side of their handle: notice how this hole lines up with the tiny plastic notch found on the underside of the plastic clasp/body. Take a small pair of pliers, and gently bend off the very edge of the metal clip to create enough room for the tab to sit inside the hole cavity.

If you want to get fancy, you can punch or drill a tiny hole in the other side of the alligator clip to fit over the other tab: I didn't bother, as it was too much effort, and the clip isn't moving anywhere as it stands. I put a slight depression on the handle of the clip (tried to use a hole punch for it, but it didn't create a hole), but it was good enough to work.

Now put the handle back together before inserting the alligator clip inside. Using a tiny tool (needle-nose pliers, jewelers screwdriver, or the like), insert the alligator clip from above, pushing on the alligator clip until it snugly rests between the ridges that attach to the rotating base; also align the clip so the hole(s) in the handle(s) lock in to the notch(s) on the plastic case.

So there you go: you've got a clip that actually works (since it has a real spring), and what's better is you've got a bag of replacements, if it WERE to break.

How sad I had to jimmy-rig a fix for Case-Mate that actually works better than THEIR design. :(