Lunatik TT5L-005 Taktik Strike Impact Protection System for iPhone 5 - 1 Pack - Retail Packaging - Pink

I've had my iPhone 5 for 9 months and fluctuated between no case and a very minimal clear case. On day one, I bought a Rokform, but something about it just didn't look or feel right. Getting ready for a summer of boating and other activities, I figured it was time to check out another case. I didn't want a cheap "disposable" case and wanted something as well designed and engineered as the iPhone. From everything I looked at, the Lunatik Taktik was the only one that seemed to fit the bill.Putting this case on the iPhone 5 is like transforming a sports car to an SUV. You appreciate aspects of both, but each has their shortcomings.Without a case, the iPhone 5 is light, sleek and feels great in your hand. On the other hand, in day to day use it is prone to scratching and God forbid you should drop it, then you'll really be wishing that you opted for the SUV.The Lunatik Taktik also feels great in your hand, but in a totally different way. The aluminum headphone port and flip down rubber charging port covers say "Bring it on, I'm ready for whatever you throw at me". On the downside, this case about doubles the weight of your phone and makes it quite a bit bigger. Like I said, sports car vs. SUV.It is not a case that you can take on and off easily to match your daily activity and some functional challenges make it such that I'm not sure that i want to have it on all the time (see below). While the 6 screws are a nice design element they are a bit of a PITA to get on and off not to mention continuous fear of losing a screw (they do include one extra screw with the case). While they include a hex key, it would be nice if that hex key could be attached to a keyring AND if the screws were one twist locks instead of actual screws it would be much easier to get on and off.The other gripe that I have is with the functions once the case is on. The silence switch, volume buttons and screen on/off buttons lack the proper engineering/design to make them easy to use. It takes considerable force and/or manipulation (in the case of the silence switch) to get them to function properly.While I love the headphone port cover, the headphone port itself is sunk pretty deep into the case, so with the case on I am unable to use my noise canceling headphone that has a 90 degree jack. For the premium price of the case, it would have been nice if they included a headphone extension instead of assuming that everyone will be using the stock earbuds (I imagine that most people who are wiling to pay $80 for a case are also those who use premium aftermarket earbuds/headphones).In short, while the Lunatik Taktik is nicely designed and has a great feel, it is just a few points short of being what I would consider a case that was well engineered. A little more attention to making it more functional would have rated 5 stars and a definite keep for me. As it is right now I'm 50/50 on sending it back.

Pros: Extreme protection, innovative mute/silence switch mechanism, feels good in the hands, access to all ports and functionsCons: Adds some bulk, no screen protector, and 6 screws deter quick-and-easy case changes, headphone opening is a bit smallI picked up this case for my new iPhone 5S and it is awesome. I previously used a Taktik Extreme on my iPhone 4S and although Lunatik is coming out with an Extreme for the 5S, it will cover the TouchID sensor, rendering the sensor useless - a compromise between protection and functionality I'm not willing to make. This case has no integrated screen protector, so none of the phones's functions are hindered in any way - including the TouchID - but, the screen could be vulnerable to being scratched. Mitigating this potential risk is the fact that the screen is "recessed" by about 4mm by the bezels. Nonetheless, I also added a Wrapsol Ultra Xtreme screen protector to the phone.The case has 3 main parts: the front bezel, back bezel, and silicone impact truss. The phone sits in the impact truss, which is then sandwiched between the bezels, providing impact and drop protection far above and beyond that of most other cases I've found. The bezels are held together by 6 small hex-head screws. The case comes with a tool to fasten the screws. The included tool is adequate, but is pretty small for my large hands. A precision screw driver set with a larger handle is my preferred tool. If you lose a screw, the case comes with one spare. If you need more than one spare, Lunatik may provide replacements. Otherwise, the information about the screw specifications can be a little hard to come by, so I'll tell you here: Metric 1.5mm socket head, M2 thread, 8mm length, 0.4mm pitch (black from heat-treating). A box of 100 screws (plenty to share with friends and family) will cost you about $12 from McMaster-Carr (part # 91290A015) and are indistinguishable from the original screws.Since the case is screwed together, getting the phone in and out of it takes some work - it's not the sort of thing you'll do on a whim. On the other hand, I don't want to take the phone in and out of the case often, so it's not a problem for me.Unlike the Griffin Survivor, this case slips easily in and out of my pockets without turning the pockets inside out. Also unlike most other cases, rather than cut-outs for the volume and mute switches, there are form-fitting buttons molded into the impact truss and the mute control slides up or down to actuate the switch. In the Taktik Extreme for 4S, the mute control "lever" (for lack of better word) was quite a bit longer, making it easy to actuate accidentally while in your pocket. In this Taktik Strike, the control is *just* long enough to provide its function and accidental movement is virtually eliminated.Many people complain about the narrow headphone and sync/charge port openings, so if you're thinking about this case, be warned that - like all the Lunatik cases - the openings are pretty slim. It fits the standard Apple headphone and lightning cables, but after-market headphones (and to a lesser extent, lightning cables) are a hit-or-miss proposition.Despite any potential shortcoming of this case, the level of protection is second to none. If anything, it might be a little overkill, but if you're worried about dropping your phone, this case will let you rest easy.

Before I had purchased the item I was quite hesitant, not knowing whether I should get the model that covers the touch id on my 5s (Taktik Lunatik extreme) or going for this current item, but after purchasing the item, and quickly receiving it in about 3 days, i was extremely happy i had gone with my original choice of getting this item. When i received the taktik strike case, i was completely unaware that the model i had ordered had gorilla glass, being the strike and not the extreme, but after opening and examining the case, i noticed that the model was considerably different from the pictures, and in this case, it was a good thing. One of the main differences i had noticed with the case and the pictures shown, was that the case in the pictures had shown a simple opening in the front of the case with no glass or button cover, but what was on the case that i had ordered, was a thin layer of gorilla glass covering the entire screen with a cut out for the touch id/home button rimmed with a thin circular chrome border. The second difference between the actual case and the picture was that the pictures had shown a wide cut out for the camera and flash that would easily fit the standard iphone 5 camera and flash, or either the new 5s camera and flash, but what was on the actual case was a small opening for the camera that fit perfectly on the camera and for the flash, a rectangular open to fit both the multicoloured flash and standard flash, that are on the 5s, that also fit perfectly. as well as these essential openings of the phone, strictly for the 5s, there's a small opening in between the flash and camera, which i am assuming is for the small video microphone that was included, originally, on the iphone 5.