Vaja Razr SP Case
www.VajaCases.com
Price: $70 Base ($100 as tested)

If you already read the Piel Frama Razr case review you will know that I just received my new phone, a black Motorola Razr. A few days after receiving the Razr, I received the Press Release for one of Vaja's Razr cases and proceeded to get a sample of the Razr SP case.

The case arrived in a very neat looking box that was very professional and elegant. Inside I found the case, a few instructions on care, and some cards with different colors available (if you ever want to order another case from them). Vaja offers a wide assortment of options when you are ordering your case. Since all the cases are custom made, you can select from a huge selection of colors, belt clips, and even custom writing on the back of the case (for your name, contact info, etc.). The case I received had a base color of Black with a Blue stripe down the center. It also had the new Rivet system for a belt clip, and custom writing on the back of the case. Because of the extras, the price was brought up to $100 from the $70 base price. If you order the case all one solid color (no stripe), the base price is $55.

Now before I go into the fit of this case, I must say that it is very hard to make cases for flip phones. The dimensions of the phone change a lot between when it is flipped open and closed. This makes it hard to get a tight fit onto the phone and make it usable when open and closed. This is why many times there are few cases made for flip phones, and many times the ones that are made are floppy and do not have a good fit.

The Vaja I-Volution line always are tight fitting cases and they always conform to the curves and shape of the item they are for very well. This is what made me extremely curious to how the Razr SP case would fit. To attach to the phone, the Razr SP case holds onto the edges of the phone and in a way snaps into place. This gives it a secure fit, with out all the extra bulk of straps going around the phone. It also gives it a sleek look that conforms to all the curves of the phone. Putting the phone in the case is very easy, you open the phone and case, and snap the two together carefully. Once put together, the fit is amazing. I have never seen anything like it before on a flip phone. There is little extra bulk when you open the phone (just two little bits come out where the hinge is on the phone when it is open). But do not read this wrong, these two little bits are tiny! It does not effect the usage of the phone at all.

(Custom writing on back is only partially shown for security purposes :-) )

None of the features of the phone are covered up either. The case has cutouts for the outside screen, the side USB port, the side buttons on the screen, and for the camera. All the functions are just as accessible as when you do not have the case on the phone.

As with all of Vaja's leather, the leather on the Razr SP case lives up to the Vaja name and quality. It is a different sort of leather that is soft yet smooth and very rugged. It withstands scratching and wear very well, but from experience I would recommend that you stick with the darker colors vs. the light whites as the whites show marks and dirt very easily.

Now if you bought the standard case with no extra options, the back of the case will not have anything on it and will be relatively flat, but in our case, with the Rivet system, the back of the case has the Rivet mount built into it. Unlike the standard clip, the Rivet system is a system that features many options for how you wear your case. The whole Rivet system is based off the main clip that hooks onto the mount on the back of the case. The mount is a small pole that sticks out from the back of the case with a rounded ball on the end. It is fairly small and does not seem to make using the phone any harder. The main clip is made of all metal like most of the Rivet system components. To hook the case onto the clip, you slide the pole down onto it. To remove, simply push the button on the side of the main clip and it allows the pole to slide out through the bottom of the clip. The whole Rivet system is very secure in my mind, and I feel a lot safer with my phone on the Rivet system vs. a normal belt clip. I also like how easy it is to remove and hook the case onto the belt clip plus the main clip is very small compared to most standard belt clips. Where the customization of the Rivet system comes in is what you clip onto the main clip. You can buy lanyards to go around your neck, belt clips, hooks, clothing pins and maybe more in the future. I even found that I can buy Rivet items at my local RadioShack store. With the standard Rivet System from Vaja, I received the mount on the back of the case, the main clip, and the belt clip.

The second add-on that came with my sample was custom writing on the back of the case. Being laser engraved, the text is very clear and looks good on the back of the case. It also does not easily wear off or fade like some custom writing on cases does. You can have up to three lines of text, and depending on the words and characters, the number of characters you can have varies. On www.VajaChoice.com you can pick the colors of the case, options, and preview your custom writing to make sure it fits.

In conclusion I think this is one fabulous case. I have never seen a case that fits a flip phone so well, and yet has all the features and great looks the Razr SP has. Being leather, it looks professional and elegant, yet is durable and usable. If you have a Razr, save up and buy this case, you will not regret it!

Pros:

• Unbelievable fit
• Awesome Color Selection
• Superb Leather Quality
• Rivet System is one of the best clip systems on the market
• Very usable

Cons:

• Price (it is a bit pricey)

All these Pros, and the amazing fit of the case on a flip phone concludes me to award the TechIslands Platinum Award to the Razr SP case. This is the second Vaja case that has been awarded our rarely awarded Platinum Award, and I must say that should tell you something, Vaja makes some amazing cases. They are expensive, but worth it if you are looking for a form fitted case.

Thanks to Vaja Cases for the Review Sample!