Gizmoskin Round 3

Hands on review by lgreenberg
March 20th, 2006

Price as reviewed: $39.95 USD

It's me the "casemiester" back with another review.

Sometimes practice makes perfect. And in the case of the Gizmoskin they seem to be one hundred percent committed to getting it right. I was recently sent the third iteration of Gizmoskin case for the Blackberry 8700x series.

Most important, what makes this version different than the previous versions. For starters the belt clip. In past versions the belt clip was wrapped with the same soft lambskin leather which the entire case was made from. This caused some issues. The belt clip does take abuse. We're always taking the case on or off our belts, swiveling it this way or that way. Well that caused the soft lambskin leather to stress. Gizmoskin responded by coating the steel belt clip with a tougher cow hide leather. This type of leather should handle abuse much better than it's softer cousin.

Here's some pictures of the newly coated clip.





I'm personally not a fan of this style of clip. I find the clip to be a little too short for my taste. I'm not one hundred percent confident that the case won't slip off my belt after I've worn it for a while. I've been using the case for a week now. It hasn't fallen off but I've been making sure it doesn't have the chance to do so. Habit I guess.

The clip is also too straight. It needs a little break at the end which helps lock it onto a belt. For example.....



The big plus to the Gizmoskin case is the fact that it ratchets. It does so very firmly, which is good. The OEM RIM leather holster has a ratcheting belt clip but I find it very loose. Often times the OEM case will shift positions while on my belt. The Gizmoskin's clip stays firmly where you set it.



The overall design and shape of the case remains unchanged. It's still a perfect fit for the 8700c.






For those of you wondering.... Yes the case holds the 8700c with the extended battery just fine.




The case still uses the same magnetic closure as the previous versions.



And the it still has the built in sleeper magnet. However, the magnet has been repositioned for better accuracy.

The biggest problem with the past version of the Gizmoskin has been the opening of the sides of the case. It's no big secret that the sides of the Gizmoskin are not stitched together. They are however held together by a strong adhesive. Apparently the adhesive used on past versions just wasn't the right fit for the leather being used and several users of the case reported their cases coming apart. I even tested this on my old version. I pulled the sides apart and they did come loose rather easily.

Well it seems this issue has been solved. A new adhesive has been used and it's MUCH stronger than whatever was used in the past. I did some testing on the case that was sent to me. I tried my best to pull the case apart. I pulled at the sides of the case as hard as I possibly could and they never came apart. After ten minutes of constant pulling there is zero evidence of my testing.

These pictures were taken after I had pulled on the sides as hard as I could for a bit.




So the question remains, is this the final version of the Gizmoskin? I guess that'll be up to the buying public to decide. From what I've seen from their commitment to product quality I'm guessing even better things are still yet to come.

Pros: Beautiful leather, perfect fit, sleeper magnet, fits both regular and extended batteries, professional looking, slim.

Cons: Belt clip.

Good review. It seems that Gizmoskin has corrected the two serious flaws with the original design. I have two of the previous versions of the case and both had the "glue issue". I solved it by putting a dab of superglue on them and they will not come apart now.

For anyone looking for a case at a reasonable price, this is a good case and the customer service is excellent.

For me, I'm hooked on Nutshell. I received the leather sleeves last week and have not used any of my other 10 cases(ashamed ) since. I'm going to sell all of them but the Nutshell sleeves and cases. I will post them in the For Sale area if anyone is interested.

My old gizmoskin came apart at the sides, but I was glad to receive a replacement gizmoskin - I was sent the updated version of it. It fits the 8700c lot better (more snuggier fit). The new adhesive for the seams on the side sticks a lot better. Pulled on the sides semi-hard and they do not give away at all. Belt Clip easily slips on my belt with little or no trouble at all and stays firmly attached (old one - i had a HARD time slipping it on my belt)

This is a great redesigned product - I would now recommend it and I hope you will follow suit and buy it for yourself. I'm now not regretting my purchase after a bad experience with the original design.

Kudos to Gizmoskin for standing behind his proudct and getting back to me on my defective product and following up by sending me a replacement case.

Sean

Larry, you were yankin' it for 10 minutes straight?!

ROFLMFAO

I heard many bad things about the Gizmoskin cases from people on the forum board and a few co workers of mine so I never purchased one. If this batch has consistent positive feedback I think I will buy one.

How many frickin cases do you own now lgreenberg? In your honest opinion how does the new Gizmoskin case rank against all your others?

I ordered two last night based on this new positive feedback.

TWO!! Everyone is catching the Greenberg virus. I have so many black cases that I have to hide them in the office to keep the wife from finding out. I caught her looking a little suspicious the other day so am afraid to switch too often. I like the looks of the Gizmoskin, but am going to wait until they come out with it in brown (too many black ones already). I too would like Larry to rate the cases. Perhaps after he gets his three Vaja cases he will rate his top 100 for us.

I'll start a ranking system for any new case I review.

If I had to rank the cases I've reviewed in the past I'd probably do so as follows:

Fortte Vertical Pouch -
RIM Pouch with Clip -
Gizmoskin -
Plastic Holster -
Nutshell -
Sport Foam Holster -
RIM Rugged Case -
Krusell Universal Horizontal -

P.S. jibi, no comment.

Nitty, honestly right now I own three cases. The RIM Pouch, Fortte Vertical and the Gizmoskin. I have three Vajas or order

If you ever need to unload one of those cases.....

What...no Fortte vertical STi? I am so dissappointed

I'll have one with the ratcheting clip to review soon.

Larry - very interesting you rate the RIM leather higher then the updated Gizmo. Your review for the updated Gizmo seemed more positive than the one for the RIM case. You really like the RIM more?

L...

I can see it now:

"Hi I'm lgreenberg and I'm a case-a- no wait change that I'm an accessory-a-holic"



From now before I buy anything I'm gonna have to make sure it's been lgreenberg approved or else I won't buy it.

How can they call it a Gixmo"skin", when it's just another bland leather pouch with a non-removable clip?
I'm quite happy with my Sena case- flips open and stays protected while using it. If you have to remove it from a pouch to use it, you could drop it - unprotected.

I, too, got the latest version of Gizmoskin's case. He sent it to me because I had expressed my displeasure with earlier models. I agree 100%. This latest version is one I can use and am comfortable recommending to people. I can't say that about the first 2 versions I got from him. I tried to pull the case apart and couldn't do it. I also feel the 8700 actually fits this case better as well. Lesson learned, always go back to the supplier with your complaints and give them a chance to make it right before giving up on someone. Customer service has been the absolute best and he came through with what he said hew would do, give me a case I can be happy with.

It's 100% because of the clip.

I just don't have enough faith in the Gizmoskin clip. Maybe after some use my mind will get set at ease and I'll adjust my ratings.

He is planning on a new locking clip. I am excited about this new clip as the new case is really great. If the clip locked it would be a real winner.

Not sure he wanted that information released........

Better ask.

Lock how? Larry describes how the ratchet on this case keeps it in place. Do you mean lock on the belt like the Fortte clip? Will it be a fixed or removable clip system? Also, I do not see why we have to go through all these ratchet stops when turning the case (OEM or Gizmo), it seemss to me that the majority of us want either true vertical or horizontal. Who wants to wear it at an angle? I have both the OEM and Fortte vertical. I like the construction and look of the OEM a bit better and the fact that it does not flop around on the swivel like the Fortte. I like the way the Fortte comes off its clip without having to wiggle the clip off the belt every time as doing this tends to put little scratches on fine leather belts that add up over time. What I would really like now is a brown horizontal case for summer that has a low profile and does not swivel or spin, and has the flap on the top. Gizmo and OEM require you to remove the BB from the side if you put them in horizontal position which I consider a less than ideal. I am loking forward to Fortte's new clip system that they are promising.

As for the Vaja cases, they look absolutely beautiful on the website and I am eagerly awaiting Larry's review to see if they are worth their extremely high price. Specifically, I want to see what he thinks of their clip system which I find a bit confusing.

Too late now, the cat's out of the bag. Maybe Gizmo himself will post an answer. He takes a bit longer to customize based on customer reviews, but his service is first rate and he may be worth waiting for.

Asked. Dan wanted me to let people know that no clip redesign has been confirmed, and that he had just been soliciting feedback on new potential ideas for the future. He knows that the one concern people have had with the clip is security, and like his good customer service to address the other design issues, he is now focused on this point, since as you can see from below the other issues appear to be solved.

I use a pouch with no clip of its own however I have added one of these that I picked up at a flea market for $5 here in NJ, though at this site they are selling for $10 I believe, however, the point is that they are sturdy, easy on and off, and best yet extremely slim so that your case does not stick out. At the same time they are thin enough that you can slide the whole case into a coat or jacket pocket when you need to without it becoming cumbersome. So if any of you like these give them a try. Most of the time I hang it right on my belt loop.


By the way the hanger fits right over the cigarette lighter in your car if you want to hang it in the car also.

http://www.cliphanger.com/

So I just got my gizmoskin case today - I have to say, I am disappointed but may just need to get used to it. I have the one for my 7100 and it was a perfect fit and the leather seemed much nicer than this. Right out of the celophane, it seemed a bit "used". When I put the 8700 into the case, it seemes like there is more room than there should be. I know the flap needs to break-in, but at this point, it is not easy to flip up to grab it out. It just seems very flimsy to me and I am not feeling great about it. This "newer" clip described above still seems very loose - just as Lgreenberg states above.

Hmmm, not sure - I will give it a few days, but I am having a bit of remorse and am surprised as I was very happy with the one for my 7100.

For those that have it - am I being nitpicky? Does it seem a but loose in the puch, yet still ok? My 7100 fits to the top and is snug. This one does not seem snug at all.

I'll see, but I might have to order the RIM case or something else and see.

Another +1 for the 3rd Generation. No issues with sleeper magnets, fit or construction/workmanship. It's going to be my day-to-day case with the RIM with the locking clip reserved for times when I need the extra security.

I feel that the RIM case clip is the only one that won't mar my belts, and quality belts aren't cheap! For me, the RIM case is the one.

I'll add my few cents in as well...

This is my 3rd or 4th case from Gizmo. I must say, the clip has improved dramatically along with the sides. My last case had the same problems as the first generation ones but also that the leather wrapped clip slide around quite a bit. I was concerned that it would slip off and cut my hand with the metal underneath. (Never happened though)

The magnets are definitely in the right places. In fact, compared to my last case, when you take the BB out, the flap would always slap back down loudly on the case. This one does the same, but without the slapping noise. Very nice.

Quality of the leather is still top notch, and the customer service is absolutely top notch! Very well constructed!

I also agree. I also have this case now and the clip and sides are much improved. The sleep mode now works 100% reliably.

First of all - one last shout out to Dan from GizmoSkin for his tremendous customer service - he is probably the best vendor I have purchased from over the net.

My question is this: I know the whole dust issue. I just noticed a black dust on the bottom of the send/end keys and above the first line of the keyboard that clearly is coming off from the inside material of this case. Have any of you experienced this as well? Maybe this is a non-issue but I just want to be sure.

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry8700/4.1.0 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/102)

I agree this is a lot better version and I have never seen anyone stand by their product as much as Gizmoskin. I am on my third version and the quality is excellent. Great product and excellent service. Thank you for the review.

I had a similar experience with the Gizmoskins case. My first case busted open on the sides (after owning the case and Blackberry for about three weeks). Dan sent me one of the new cases as a replacement and the case is what I was hoping for from the start.

Great customer service, Dan and great case!

Thanks again,


Sam from Indianapolis

I took a quick look on mine and I don't see any evidence of this on my 8700R.

I agree I have never experienced such a dedication or customer service from any vendor. Although my first case never came apart and my only issue with it was it was a bit loos but the new version solved that. As to the clip, well I was used to it as Cingular uses that type of clip on its version of the V3 pouch.

I think either the Gizmoskin open case or the Fortte STi would fit your needs.

to the owners of this case who have an 8703e - have you noticed any muffling of the speaker while the bb is holstered? i think this might be my case of choice, pending word on that. thanks.

any ideas on the best horizontal case that fits close to the body and is LIGHTWEIGHT?