# Iphone Case Details



## Captainron19 (Apr 28, 2006)

So I hear there has been a lot of talk back and forth in other forums regarding the Iphone cases and was wondering what everyone has for an opinion.... saw a thread on here about it but it was from last year (assuming the the sublicases first came out) 

I picked up a couple of samples the other day from my distributor (conde) that comes with the metal inserts. Some questions regarding these if you have used them

1 How well does the aluminum insert hold up over time as far as the adhesive holding it in place? I never used them before but since the insert is sort of recessed in the phone cover thought it would hold up pretty well./ 

2. Any word on causing a loss of signal with the aluminum insert on the back of the phone? a lot of people mentioned that it will cause a loss of signal. Since I have a few samples I am gonna make one and give it to my wife to try out and see if it makes a difference. 

I saw the startup kits with the aluminum mold where you press directly onto the case and then have to set into the cooling mode and to be honest ... between preheating the mold, pressing the case, and inserting into a cooling mold were a few too many steps that I wanted to take for an item I will most likely be making only 1 at a time. 

Has anyone used the cases where you have to have the mold? If so how do you like them? 

And one final.... what are you guys charging for these? Actually bought my wife one for Christmas from zazzle and they rocked me $32.95 for a case with a custom photo on it.


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## Riderz Ready (Sep 18, 2008)

Captainron19 said:


> So I hear there has been a lot of talk back and forth in other forums regarding the Iphone cases and was wondering what everyone has for an opinion.... saw a thread on here about it but it was from last year (assuming the the sublicases first came out)
> 
> I picked up a couple of samples the other day from my distributor (conde) that comes with the metal inserts. Some questions regarding these if you have used them
> 
> ...


We do some Sublicases using the mold. It is bit more time consuming but it is a higher quality product in my opinion. The print quality is incredible. For us it is just an offering for existing clients and in no way a big money maker. There are so many large iphone/ipad/laptop custom case producers that it would take some time to build a business around them. If you have a large existing client base it is a nice add on product. We sell ours for $27.50 and match the case design to their jersey design.


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## barcelona10 (Apr 15, 2011)

whats the process after designing your art? like whats the size,how to print them and what to print them on?


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## Captainron19 (Apr 28, 2006)

barcelona10 said:


> whats the process after designing your art? like whats the size,how to print them and what to print them on?


The samples I got press onto a aluminum blank and then there is a films to rmeove from case exposing sticky adhesive and you place the blank on there. 

Correct me if I am wrong but the others press directly onto the case itself but you have to put the case into a mold (or the press would crush the case) the mold must be pre pressed to heat up and then you place the case over the mold, lay your transfer, press then remove the case form the mold while still hot and place into a cooling mold so as to prevent expanding during the cooling process.


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## Captainron19 (Apr 28, 2006)

Riderz Ready said:


> We do some Sublicases using the mold. It is bit more time consuming but it is a higher quality product in my opinion. The print quality is incredible. For us it is just an offering for existing clients and in no way a big money maker. There are so many large iphone/ipad/laptop custom case producers that it would take some time to build a business around them. If you have a large existing client base it is a nice add on product. We sell ours for $27.50 and match the case design to their jersey design.



Thanks Riderz.... I am gonna try the aluminum blank insert one first and see how it works out... my distributor does not carry the setup for the mold and everything. Is it an expensive startup and where do you get yours? 

I was thinking of selling them for $22 and same as you ... using existing client base (but getting a lot of request for them)


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## barcelona10 (Apr 15, 2011)

Captainron19 said:


> The samples I got press onto a aluminum blank and then there is a films to rmeove from case exposing sticky adhesive and you place the blank on there.
> 
> Correct me if I am wrong but the others press directly onto the case itself but you have to put the case into a mold (or the press would crush the case) the mold must be pre pressed to heat up and then you place the case over the mold, lay your transfer, press then remove the case form the mold while still hot and place into a cooling mold so as to prevent expanding during the cooling process.


you are correct i believe.
but do you know the type of paper and the correct size that the image has to be?and what printer to use and transfer paper..


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## barcelona10 (Apr 15, 2011)

Captainron19 said:


> Thanks Riderz.... I am gonna try the aluminum blank insert one first and see how it works out... my distributor does not carry the setup for the mold and everything. Is it an expensive startup and where do you get yours?
> 
> I was thinking of selling them for $22 and same as you ... using existing client base (but getting a lot of request for them)


 
i got this site from here,somebody posted it,it might help!

Transfer Supplies USA


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## Riderz Ready (Sep 18, 2008)

Captainron19 said:


> Thanks Riderz.... I am gonna try the aluminum blank insert one first and see how it works out... my distributor does not carry the setup for the mold and everything. Is it an expensive startup and where do you get yours?
> 
> I was thinking of selling them for $22 and same as you ... using existing client base (but getting a lot of request for them)


Your one of the smart ones - sell them first to your clients then make them. Most people make them then try to figure out how to sell them.

Transfer Supplies USA

Good luck with them whichever way you go.


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## papermama (Mar 6, 2010)

Has anyone gotten any negative feedback from purchasers of these? I have made a few to test out and ALL of them (including the one on my own phone) have cracked within weeks of being put on.

I'm disappointed. Really want to sell them and have a target market begging for them. I'm afraid to offer them if they are only going to work for a short time before breaking. Definitely don't need the customer service headache or bad rep.

Has anyone else had this problem?

Thanks,
Jephtha
Paper Mama


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## Riderz Ready (Sep 18, 2008)

Which cases are you having issues with? We have never had any complaints on the molded iphone cases.


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## papermama (Mar 6, 2010)

Riderz Ready said:


> Which cases are you having issues with? We have never had any complaints on the molded iphone cases.


The metal insert version. I was thinking of trying the molded version but was worried about the same problem because it looks like a similar plastic design.


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## Conde_David (May 29, 2008)

If you got them from us, could you send me
a photo? dgross[USER=79915]@Conde[/USER].com

Looks like you bought one from us?
Is that correct?


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## papermama (Mar 6, 2010)

Conde_David said:


> If you got them from us, could you send me
> a photo? dgross[USER=79915]@Conde[/USER].com
> 
> Looks like you bought one from us?
> Is that correct?


I just emailed you a pic David. Thanks for taking a peak.


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## Riderz Ready (Sep 18, 2008)

papermama said:


> The metal insert version. I was thinking of trying the molded version but was worried about the same problem because it looks like a similar plastic design.


Never tried those. When we got the molded ones I was bent on cracking one and twisted it, threw it against concrete etc, with no cracking or breaking. It is a little flexible which may be the reason.


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## martinwoods (Jul 20, 2006)

Let me know because we ordered a few from conde as well because I had a couple people wanting them so I bought a few, have not done them yet but would be nice to know before I sell them to these people
Conde is usually pretty good so hopefully it was just a fluke


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## Conde_David (May 29, 2008)

I think the crack may have occurred as a
result of which side of the case was installed
first. 

If you slide the phone into the volume control
side, very little stress is placed on the cover.

Maybe we should include a slip of paper showing
the suggested install method.


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## Do Good Design (Oct 7, 2011)

Fuel for thought I purchase Sublimation iPhone 4 Cases ,there are 3 colors, white, black and transparent available, can be offered with White, Silver, Gold Alunimium metal board to fit in.

The sublimation iPhone 4 Cases, with alunimium board cost USD1.00/pc.
do a google search for: Alibaba
I deal with:
Microtec Technology Company
Website: www.szmicrotec.com 
 www.maxarmour.net 
E-mail: mail@szmicrotec.com 

Hope this helps...


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## Conde_David (May 29, 2008)

Our metal insert is USA made dynasub.
I have not had luck with the China metal.


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## jmatson (Nov 11, 2011)

i have sold couple of the metal insert ones. And found people like them but won't pay much for them. If they were a full case like the otterbox people will pay allot more for it.


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## lexiandlala (Oct 19, 2009)

I do the Conde cases and I have to say that I have sold over 100 and never had one complaint! one lady did notice that the Verizon iphone does not have the sim card slot and the case has an opening there.

but I have not gotten complaints on cracking, fading o having the insert come off. I have used m own designed case for months and not had one single problem.
I can't keep them on my shelves and I sell them for $25 each.

love the conde cases!


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## JRNEL (Apr 3, 2008)

I used the conde case for my own personal use and I love it.


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## TLH41 (Jun 13, 2008)

I've been using and selling the metal insert iPhone cases for several months now, and personally I like them. Yes, I have had a couple of cases that broke due to a drop, but I sell them as decorative, not protective. One customer came back and bought a second case when hers broke as she felt it did its job in protecting her phone from damage.

Anyway, I wanted you all to be aware that the all white and the clear/white cases available right now DO NOT work with the iPhone camera flash. The flash reflects off of the white plastic and ruins the photo. I have addressed this with the two suppliers I use for the cases and one of them has indicated they should be able to get white cases with black trim around the camera lens soon, which will solve the problem. I hope so as they are a nice item otherwise.

In the meantime I have discontinued my white cases as I can't sell them to customers with that problem, and while you can "fix" it with a Sharpie marker, I am not going to sell them that way, either.

So just a heads up to those of you selling these cases. 

~Tamara


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## jmatson (Nov 11, 2011)

TLH41 said:


> I've been using and selling the metal insert iPhone cases for several months now, and personally I like them. Yes, I have had a couple of cases that broke due to a drop, but I sell them as decorative, not protective. One customer came back and bought a second case when hers broke as she felt it did its job in protecting her phone from damage.
> 
> Anyway, I wanted you all to be aware that the all white and the clear/white cases available right now DO NOT work with the iPhone camera flash. The flash reflects off of the white plastic and ruins the photo. I have addressed this with the two suppliers I use for the cases and one of them has indicated they should be able to get white cases with black trim around the camera lens soon, which will solve the problem. I hope so as they are a nice item otherwise.
> 
> ...


 
I personally have no problem with my Case with the flash. Mine did crack the other day from taking it off to many times to show people


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## TLH41 (Jun 13, 2008)

jmatson said:


> I personally have no problem with my Case with the flash. Mine did crack the other day from taking it off to many times to show people


Really? So you have a white plastic iPhone case with the metal insert, and you can take a photo indoors using the flash, and then take the same photo again without the case on, and you don't see a massive white haze over the entire photo as compared to the second photo?

Two of my customers related this problem, several people here in my studio have tried it on numerous occasions, and two different suppliers have tried it, and everyone had the same results. Curious.

What model phone do you use? I wonder if that makes a difference, though I have tried a couple different phones but they were both 4 models, one Verizon one AT&T.


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## jmatson (Nov 11, 2011)

TLH41 said:


> Really? So you have a white plastic iPhone case with the metal insert, and you can take a photo indoors using the flash, and then take the same photo again without the case on, and you don't see a massive white haze over the entire photo as compared to the second photo?
> 
> Two of my customers related this problem, several people here have tried it on numerous occasions, and two different suppliers have tried it, and everyone had the same results. Curious.


 
yep Never had the problem. 

Attached is a pic i took last night of a new mug i did


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## TLH41 (Jun 13, 2008)

Thanks for the info, I appreciate it. What brand/model iPhone do you have?


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## jmatson (Nov 11, 2011)

they are from coastral


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## jmatson (Nov 11, 2011)

the iphone 4


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## TLH41 (Jun 13, 2008)

jmatson said:


> the iphone 4


Verizon or AT&T?


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## jmatson (Nov 11, 2011)

it's a att phone


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## mel58 (Sep 30, 2011)

I just received a sample from conde. it's the aluminum insert with the rigid plastic case.

do the rubber cases or the plastic cases sell better? white, black or clear color? thank you !


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## i2heart29 (May 31, 2012)

Let me tell you either one...is not good! The inserts are not staying on  After about a month they are coming up. The adhesive tape is not lasting at all. Its about a 50/50 shot whether or not the customer is contacting me. But daily I am having to giving refunds as giving a replacement is going to have the same thing happen.

Right now I am at a loss. They are nice but if the metal is not staying on this is horrible. And it does not matter where I order them from conde, coastal rhl, johnson plastics...all the same. 

I have tried several kinds of glue and this just takes forever. I have a found a few that works but when it takes and hour to do 3...ridiculous compared to 3 mins for 3 lol


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## papermama (Mar 6, 2010)

Interesting! I haven't had any issues with the Conde plates coming off. I've had one on my personal iPhone for some time now with no lifting or cracking. I am VERY rough on my phone too.

-Jephtha
Paper Mama


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## Conde_David (May 29, 2008)

It appears to be caused by the metal being
bent not the glue.


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## i2heart29 (May 31, 2012)

Hi David

What am I supposed to do about the metal being bent? My husband had one on his phone for 6 wks and two corners came up. He Wasn't bending the cover nor had triEd to take it off before this happened. I am losing quite a Boston these covers. One guy got his in the mail and the corner had already come up. One lady ordered three and after 1 month all were coming up and for three different people.


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## Conde_David (May 29, 2008)

Can you send me the cover?
I can inspect and provide a solution.


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## i2heart29 (May 31, 2012)

Where do I send it David? All the others I had them send photos and jus replaced or refunded money and hoped for the best!


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## lexiandlala (Oct 19, 2009)

I have had the same issue on a few cases where the left upper corner seems to be coming up after a short time.
out of every 15-20 cases sold I get one coming back. We're trying different glues as well. :-(


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## mel58 (Sep 30, 2011)

I'll chime in here as well.

My rate is one in 57 to be exact. I've sold thousands of these now now just a few.

all but two of mine have been rubber. all have been conde cases though I don't think that matters as I have tried other suppliers and they all seem to be getting the same cases. 

what I did was cut a two by four just slightly smaller than an iphone and rounded the corners and I now put the rubber ones on that wood and really rub and rub. and also use a small tool to run all along the edges and especially around the camera opening.

I've only been doing this two weeks so the jury is still out but already the reports have decreased.

I'm going to look into the sublicases and the 3d though that plastic cases aren't giving me trouble (only two reports so far). If I can't find a good cure I may drop the rubber cases all together.

I've tried different glues with no success either. and it adds way to much time to production to be cost effective. I'm going to continue to keep track but right now it is 99% rubber cases that are failing. I think it is because they are too flexible.


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## lexiandlala (Oct 19, 2009)

mel58 - we do all that also!! the rubber ones seem to be a big issues as well. :-(


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## i2heart29 (May 31, 2012)

I am not understanding the wood thing! I am really considering not doing the rubber ones but I hate the hard plastic ones. 3d costs like $20000! 
There's got tO be something else already! Maybe I need to just switch products I was doing coasters and mousepads but man with 8.5 million people having an iPhone in the us alone they were selling like crazy. I just don't like that they are coming up especially when they scratch fairly easy also. It's not good for customer referrals or repeat customer base which is the number one way to get sales.


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## mel58 (Sep 30, 2011)

yea  have you looked at sublicase? they are plastic also but no metal insert. I'm not having problems with the plastic though; it's the rubber. 

wierd that you can find the 3d in europe for 5k and its 20k here (thats the amount I'm hearing also).


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## mr300s (Nov 10, 2009)

So this last post was 4 weeks ago. Dave did you ever receive the case and if so what was the out come? I know you are selling a lot of them so I am hoping you would be working on a solution?


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## TLH41 (Jun 13, 2008)

mr300s said:


> So this last post was 4 weeks ago. Dave did you ever receive the case and if so what was the out come? I know you are selling a lot of them so I am hoping you would be working on a solution?



Yes please David, we need public feedback on these type of issues and yet we seldom seem to get any. I have been selling a lot of phone cases (both plastic and silicone) as well and have also needed to replace some due to the corners coming up. (I have a strict routine I follow when adhering them that should eliminate this but it does not always work.)

The silicone would be more prone to this - it is silicone after all and resists the adhesive a bit. While I could see where a bent case would be prone to lifting, that has not been the issue in my experience. I have pre-made cases in my studio that lift all on their own, without ever being used. Once they lift, then of course they could be easily bent if someone is stuffing the phone in their pocket regularly as the loose corners can catch. I think you have the cart before the horse on this one.

The issue is the very small amount of metal that is in the upper left corner - it can't grab enough adhesive to stay properly stuck. I know these are made in China, but is there some way to upgrade the adhesive? I am certain that would do the trick. If you look at (expensive) adhesive tapes like Gold Line trophy tape, there is no way that stuff would come loose. Surely there is a better option that what the Chinese are using. I'm willing to pay more for a product that works. (Not to mention that newer batches of cases have the adhesive VERY poorly aligned on the case, some being unusable and others requiring a lot of time to clean them up. Typical of Chinese products, the first batches are great and then the quality slips. It's so frustrating. This isn't an anti-Chinese thing, I just hate losing quality.)

While I have your attention, I will submit again that there is still a problem with the flash - this time on the silicone cases. I know there will be someone out there who says they never had a problem - well, then they never did the following: In a dimly lit room such as a restaurant, or your office with no overhead light but the blinds open, or perhaps looking into a closet, turn the flash on and shoot a picture with a silicone case attached to your phone. You will invariably get a bad halo effect. Take the case off and shoot the same picture again to see the difference. I've seen phone cases that have very large openings for the camera, and I fear that is the only solution to this ongoing problem. I have had phones returned due to this issue as well.

I hate to go on too long here, but before the iPhone 5 comes out, could we PLEASE get these issues resolved? I realize the onus is on the Chinese manufacturer, but if you can get them to upgrade the product we will all be in better shape to sell them. You know this is a multi-million dollar product for you, but if they continue to be just a little under par, then you and we will be missing out and some other industry will pick up the slack. I would be very happy to talk to you personally about my experience with these covers over the last year, my sales rep Linda has my contact phone number. I know you have customers who buy these cases by the ten-thousand, and I am sure they have your ear more than I do, but honestly if they aren't complaining it is because they don't care about their customer service, not because the issues don't exist.

All that said, these cases still sell very well and I prefer them to the Sublicase or the vacu-form cases. I just wish I could sell them without constantly worrying about (and losing money on) returns.

Thanks,
Tamara Hoffbauer
Decorative Design Works


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## Riderz Ready (Sep 18, 2008)

Been reading this thread with interest as we may have a need to do cases in quantity and looking for the perfect solution. The Octi Tech are good quality but they are way too labor intensive to do in a production environment plus the investment to buy many molds, etc does not seem to be a wise investment. The inserts clearly have issues and we cannot afford products coming back due to lack of quality.

It is my understanding UniSub is releasing or has released a phone case which may be the best of both worlds as far as easy to produce and high quality. Anyone heard about these and has details to share?


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## TLH41 (Jun 13, 2008)

I've not heard of a Unisub case, that would be brilliant if they get it right.

Just to be clear, I sell tons of these cases and I am generally happy with them, but in order to take it to the next level, they will need minor improvements. The plastic ones are pretty fool-proof if you assemble them with diligence, the silicone ones are great quality if they would fix the adhesion and the flash problems. Since the mark-up is good, I can afford to replace *some*, but I am not wanting to do it very often, thus my long post to David 

~Tamara


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## Riderz Ready (Sep 18, 2008)

TLH41 said:


> I've not heard of a Unisub case, that would be brilliant if they get it right.
> 
> Just to be clear, I sell tons of these cases and I am generally happy with them, but in order to take it to the next level, they will need minor improvements. The plastic ones are pretty fool-proof if you assemble them with diligence, the silicone ones are great quality if they would fix the adhesion and the flash problems. Since the mark-up is good, I can afford to replace *some*, but I am not wanting to do it very often, thus my long post to David
> 
> ~Tamara


For us cell phone cases will never be our main product and really more of a secondary add on sale. What we have found is that a customer perception of the quality of your products is based on your worst product even if it is not your main offering. That is why we are so careful about the quality level of a secondary product.

I heard about the UniSub release of a cell phone case from Kevin at Johnson Plastics who has always been a straight shooter regarding quality of products. Hoping this lives up to UniSubs reputation on products and coating.


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## Conde_David (May 29, 2008)

Unisub's solution is the same concept as ours
except they of course use their Chromaluxe
metal which will fit our Conde cases.

The peeling issue with the soft rubber cases mentioned above seems
to be related to one or two things.

1. Incomplete or uneven adhesive in case insert area.
2. After removing and installing the case on the phone,
the metal is bent near a corner and separates from
the case.

We continue to talk to our clients to gather
samples. Shipping rubber covers now have
a beefed up adhesive film.

By the way, our bumper case is my favorite.

We just added lots of new colors.

1.


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## mr300s (Nov 10, 2009)

Dave, Thanks so much for the update, but as a test I did one , made sure everything was real clean applied the metal insert and made sure I went over it again and again pressing all corners good with a paper towel in my hand being very careful not to bend it in anyway.

I then just placed it on a shelf in my room and after a month the bottom left edge is lifting up ever so slightly but is lifting up. Although I do agree with you in some cases that is possible but does not appear to be the case all the time.

My other point is I feel we really need a solution to the problem rather than theories as to why they are lifting up as that will not make customers happy. I don't want to see even one come back unless its my fault...


In my book Condo is the leader when it comes to quality sublimation products and I have tried many so I have faith in your company...


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## Conde_David (May 29, 2008)

Thanks. That is why we changed the adhesive
at once. Please keep me informed.

I can not express how exciting the market
for personalized cases will/is becoming.


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