24th November - Buying a case for the iPhone is never an easy thing to do. After all, who wants to cover up one of the most brilliantly designed products of the year with a $20 piece of faux leather or silicone? This is not the philosophy at Vaja though- they seem to think that expensive devices should be outfitted with stylish, and often expensive, protection. The company offers a full line of real leather cases that are customizable in order to fit your needs as well as they fit onto your mobile device.

Vaja has a number of cases available right now, for all sorts of devices, from cell phones to notebooks, to the PSP. Protecting the iPod was an obvious choice and they have released a number of products for each iPod. Now that the iPhone is on everyone’s mind they have started to offer cases for it as well.

This review will be looking at two custom versions of the iPhone case. Of course, custom is a relative term because all their products allow for customization of the color, the addition of a logo or name, and a few other options. Vaja cases are made from premium cowhide that is custom molded and will hold up extremely well if taken care of. It is available in a wide assortment of colors that can be picked after you choose the model you want.

During testing I worked with two cases, the i-volution and the i-volution Top SP Holster. There are a total of ten cases available for the iPhone, but from the looks of things these will be the most popular. They are also on the more affordable side of the spectrum. Prices range from $55 to $280, while these start at $80 and $70 respectively.

The i-volution is probably the most well rounded iPhone case Vaja offers. The iPhone slides in the top and is fully encased in leather, though some areas are exposed. The LCD is not covered, but because of the case it is set back and should not be damaged during a drop. While using the case all the standard buttons and jacks are accessible. The total weight and size added to the iPhone is minimal due to the lack of a belt clip or any other accessories. The i-volution Top SP Holster has a similar back to the other model, but the front of the iPhone has a cover that can be flipped down to reveal almost the entire front. With this model more of the iPhone’s front can be reached, including the button, but you need to flip down the cover to get at it. The cover piece is not removable but does lock into place when it is protecting the phone. One final thing to note is the the Top SP Holster is the same as the Top Holster, though the former throws in a differently colored stripe down the front.

As far as fit goes, Vaja clearly knows the iPhone. The cases each have a perfectly snug fit on the iPhone with no wiggle room at all. Putting the phone in a case and removing it requires a firm hand, which ensures a good fit and that the phone will never fall out accidentally. Past that the build quality is incredible- Vaja does a great job with its leather and even the coloring is impressive.

From a protection standpoint the cases did well. The leather does not have the soft, padded feeling of a silicone but they protected the phone from impacts well and very much decreased the chance of scratching it. The cases do leave one corner expose–so that the camera is not covered–which leaves a possible point of impact if the phone is dropped, but the chance of the phone falling exactly on this corner is slim. The Top SP Holster offers more protection because when the case is closed it covers the display and it also wraps around the top of the phone where the i-volution does not. So if you can deal with flipping the cover on and off whenever you want to use the phone, this could be the better choice.

Everything from Vaja is customizable so once you pick the model you like you can go ahead and personalize it. The downside of this process means that orders can takes a few weeks to fill, but you do get a product that is unique–which is pretty rare given the sub-$100 price tag. The customization process includes choosing your color scheme, adding a belt clip ($4), and personalizing the case with text ($10) or a graphic ($30). The Top SP Holster we tested came in “bleu” and “reed yellow”, with no belt clip, and ” geek.com” printed on the back.

As far as comfort is concerned, the cases are slim, but even so they add considerably to the profile of the iPhone–there is no avoiding this if you want adequate shock protection. The cases don’t get in the the way of hearing or the display’s functions, but they do take a little getting use to. As far as comfort was concerned, I preferred the Top SP Holster, though flipping down the cover all the time got annoying.

One thing to note with these holster designs is that the user is sacrificing some protection for less weight and a slimmer case. Each have an exposed corner and while both setback the display, neither places protection directly on it. The i-volution Top SP Holster offers considerable protection when it is closed, but really concerned buyers may want to consider a film case as well.

All told, Vaja is one of the few companies on the market that makes cases that are nice enough to protect something as well designed as the iPhone. Considering how pricey mobile devices can be, and how much we pay for their slimness and style, the cases we put them in should reflect that. Vaja is able to do this, though you have to wait a few weeks after ordering one. The fact that they are customizable helps justify the price tag, but any way you look at it they are not cheap.