Griffin Technology Reflect Case Review for the iPod Touch
Your iPod and your music go hand and hand because you trust this gadget with your very sacred and prized music collection. Even as important, you want to have complete confidence in the carrying case that you use to schlep around your coveted iPod! Perhaps, you want your carrying case to be an extension of your personality and to make a fashion statement too. There are a myriad of manufacturers out there, all of them with different styles and designs of carrying cases. Hence, choosing the right one can become a daunting and challenging endeavor!
I am continuously impressed with Griffin Technology, because they have garnered a well deserved reputation for producing innovative, affordable and cool products that have an edge of flair and style as well as good solid quality in craftsmanship. Griffin attempted to capture that essence with its new Reflect Mirrored Chrome Finish Case ($24.99) for the iPod touch, and the 2nd, 3rd, and 5th (30, 60, and 80 GB) generation of the iPod Nano, iPod Classic and the iPod Video.
Griffin sent us the Reflect for the iPod Touch and I was very eager to put this case to the test. The Reflect case comes in three pieces; a matte black rubberized case backing, a protective face cover that protects the touch screen, and a metallic-chrome like front casing. The easy to follow instructions are emblazoned proudly on the box, and assembling this case took less than 20 seconds (just put your iPod in the back casing, align the clear protective cover over the iPod touch screen, and then apply the front chrome casing by snapping it into place).
While I found the Reflect to be very sassy in its design, I was somewhat taken aback by the flimsy milky-opaque plastic protective screen cover; For starters, one has to peel off a membrane like coating of sticky paper that is used to protect the screen cover during shipping. Additionally, the adhesive paper that held this temporary protective cover in place tore and stuck to the actual protective cover (it left a sticky residue in the button top and lower corner on the protective screen cover which I wasn’t able to completely remove). Suffice it to say, the cover was so fragile to begin with, I accidently created a small but noticeable dent on the protective screen cover. Here’s a word to Griffin: Please use the type of glue that rolls into a ball and does not stick.
Thus, when the screen protector was actually affixed to the screen, it encountered a bubbled air pocket and scratches were abound from just using my finger tips to navigate around on the touch screen. Griffin should have used a stronger and clearer form of plastic as the protective screen cover. I also noticed that as the temperature became a bit warm (I went working out using this case), the screen cover protector tends to slightly swell and buckle under the metallic-chrome casing. Ultimately, it became very difficult to move around in the menus of my iPod Touch (my fingers slid across the protective screen like it was over waxed and slippery linoleum).
The chrome-metallic cover took awhile to get use to because it was a bit too shiny for my taste and the black back cover was very dull at best. This is where Griffin could have answered the designing bell by making the front cover a brushed metallic as oppose to a gleaming mirror, and the back cover could’ve been a tad brighter with a slightly polished look. Things were completely reversed in the design aspect. Griffin did include a lint free polish cloth (but honestly, who wants to continuously wipe smudged finger prints) off of a very shiny front cover!
Ultimately, my concerns grew as to whether I would confidently feel at ease with the Reflect protecting my iPod Touch. Although, it’s constructed of what Griffin calls “protective” polycarbonate, I would err on the side of caution in recommending this case because of the lack of a solid protective screen cover. With that said, I think Griffin should go back to the drawing board to correct a few things about this case. Furthermore, there are other more solid iPod cases out there at the same price point (if not lower), that will confidently protect your musical listening investment and appeal to your personal style. While I am disappointed with Griffin’s first rendition of an IPod touch case, I am confident that they will correct these glaring deficiencies by producing a bona-fide contender the next time around!
Conclusion:
The Good: Sturdy front and back casing (made of protective polycarbonate).
The Bad: Flimsy screen protective cover, shiny chrome plate cover, and dull color backing, unimpressive design (instead of a 3 piece assembly, Griffin should consider changing the design to a two piece assembly by incorporating the protective screen inside of the front face shell).
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