Well it’s been over 2 months now since I received my iPhone 5 Lunatik Taktik Extreme case and as I had promised it’s time to write a review on this protectorate of the iPhone. How many of us have bought a new phone only to have to hide it in shame because you’ve already broke the screen from an accidental lapse of coordination. Many a praise and gripe have been raised about this high tech case for the iPhone 5 without any real info to back up the claims. There are those that raise the case that it is the coolest high tech battle case out on the market and there are those Apple purists who think the Lunatik Taktik Extreme is a disgrace to the original design esthetic of the small slim iPhone 5. Having traveled and used this Taktik Extreme case for over two months I have gathered data from many people on both sides of the flat screen and will herein try to deliver an unbiased evaluation of Lunatik’s Taktik Extreme case.
To start off with, the Lunatik Taktik Extreme is no wimpy slim colorful plastic case by any means. The heavy duty industrial strength navy seal look is a tip-of-the hat to Lunatiks’s designers MNML. It certainly also has no wimpy price either, at $125 it will not appeal to those faint of pocketbook. After pondering the Galaxy S3 vs. iPhone 5 debate(also dropping AT&T for Verizon) the iPhone 5 won over pricing, design, and apps for my needs. Well now what to do now with this new tiny little iPhone 5 in hand? I did not get the phone insurance so I wanted a case that would somewhat protect my new purchase as I was so afraid of dropping and breaking this new little square pebble.
Well it so happened that day I was browsing online and was looking at inCase designs and saw something even cooler when I went to MNML’s site to see if they had come up with anything new. I was pleasantly surprised to see they had the new Lunatik brand line of form function tech devices. Chicago’s Scott Wilson and the MNML design team which created the TIKTOK and LUNATIK iPod shuffle watch, had added another impressive product brand to it’s innovative product designs. This was the case I was looking for to protect my new little iPhone5.
The design of the Taktik Extreme actually takes several different case designs and technologies and sandwiches them into one lovely heavy duty high tech design. The Taktik Extreme boasts a Corning® Gorilla® Glass built-in cover to sandwich over your naked iPhone giving it double the protection and amazingly no perceptible difference in touch sensitivity. The middle sandwich layer is shock resistant rubber lattice work which is basically the Lunatik Seismik case inside. All the port holes are cover to keep the water and dirt out including a fancy hinged anodized aluminum arm that covers the headphone jack port. Water is pretty much kept at bay from the sealed ports and glass covering of front interface and rear camera although I wouldn’t just throw it into a lake just yet. The back of the phone has a nice smooth cushioned rubber backing that keeps it from sliding around. Another cool feature is the gun-like safety switch which slides and mutes your phone. Lunatik provides a cool little tool for taking your case apart for cleaning and re-assembly. The Taktik is also designed to clip into an optional holster-bike mount.
With all these cool features incorporated into the design it’s time to see how they stack up and take a look at the Pro’s and Cons.
Pros and Cons
Pro – This case really stands up to what it claims and that it is incredibly resilient. My case has been dropped, thrown, stepped, and spilled on with no breakage or loss of functionality. There are claims of even being ran over by cars but don’t quote me on that one.
Con – In order to provide the protection the case is bulky compared to the actual size of the iPhone. This is one of the main complaints of the Apple purist nerds is that it defeats the purpose and covers up all the slick design of the iPhone 5. I can tell you I am great fan of Apple’s design but also want to protect it and have something more substantial in my hand which also keeps me conscious of not loosing or dropping it.
Pro – The case is definitely water(beer) and dirt resistant which is great, but don’t try to go scuba diving with it.
Con – The edges of the top glass and camera area are hard to clean. Some dirt or lint hairs will get under the top glass but it’s not too hard to disassemble and clean.
Pro – Cool anodized lever covering headphone jack.
Con – If using a higher-end 1/8” jack for car or stereo like Monster Cable you will not be able to plug it into the phone as the hole is not big enough to accept the generally larger connector.
Pro – Safety Slider switch for muting phone.
Con – The switch could be a little longer for us guys with no fingernails.
Pro – Buttons are protected by rubber coverings to keep out dirt and water
Con – Buttons require a little more pressure to actuate.
Pro – Corning® Gorilla® Glass incorporated in the Taktik case design protects your existing glass on your iPhone making it much tougher to break.
Con – There is a rainbow moire effect from the two overlapping glasses although some complain I don’t find this to be much of a big deal and it is only visible at certain angles.
Summary
The Lunatik Taktik Extreme is a very well designed, beautifully aggressive case that is the most durable case on the market I’ve seen to date. That being said, there are consumers that won’t want a bulky case that costs over $100 and covers up their pretty little iPhone. Personally this is not an issue for me and also to parents and people whose work requires more rugged conditions where their phones can be easily damaged. I know personally for a fact that kids of all ages love phones and will chew on them, spill food and drink, and use it as a frisbee so having your precious communication device encased in high tech snuggery definitely will give you a bit more piece of mind. Lunatik Taktik Extreme is as it’s name states, more for the outgoing extreme consumer. So if your looking for a slim protector for your iPhone 5 you can always buy a screen cover for 5 bucks and if you want a substantial rugged durable case for your phone then the Taktik Extreme is the case for you.
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