Review: Kiwi-made Nutshell iPhone case

Nutshell Case

The iPhone accessory market is huge, with cases being the most developed segment by a country mile. With a miriad of choices from silicone skins to polycarbonate transparent shells, iPhone users are very well catered for in the protection of their new devices. So when a local kiwi company contacted iPhonewzealand to ask if we wanted to review “the world’s best” case, I was naturally intrigued and had to see it for myself.

Nutshell are an Auckland-based company that has been hand-crafting leather cases and selling them online since 1997, making them one of the longest serving online retailers in the country. All their cases are made of genuine New Zealand leather and are fully customisable, hand-made to order items. The case that Nutshell sent me is this one, a black leather pouch with belt clip and mag tab.

Firstly, for the record, I am not typically a fan of belt-clip cases. I think that too many years of too many naff-looking, ill-fitting, faux-leather / elastic / plastic cases housing Motorola brick phones on the belts of too many nerds has jaded my view of belt clips and it would take a lot to talk me into clipping one to the outside of my pants.

Nutshell Branding

The first thing to say about this case is that it is indeed a thing of beauty. The leather is soft, smooth, wonderful to the touch and smells just gorgeous. The stitching is tidy and extremely strong, and the edges are very neat. The inside of the pouch is smooth and fibrous – definitely no fears of your device being scratched here. First impressions are certainly good.

In terms of fit, the case is millimeter to my iPhone 3GS. The case is designed to house your device with the screen facing towards to your hip so that should something strike your case, the screen is the least-impacted part of your phone. When sliding the phone into the case, it glides in smoothly and comes to rest with just the top of your device exposed. The design allows access to your headphone socket, power button and mute switch, even with the magnetic flap in place, meaning you can still connect your headphones and listen to music even with your iPhone safely tucked away. With the mag flap closed, the fit is as precise as it could be in a leather pouch and there is absolutely no ‘give’ meaning your iPhone will not move around inside the case and build up gradual scratches.

Snug fit

There are also two gaps at the bottom of the case in the corners, allowing both heat and the sound from your internal speaker to escape. I tested the ring of the phone when inside the pouch and it could be heard clearly.

No-nonsense clip

The belt clip has to be one of the most substantial and no-nonsense fittings I have ever seen. It appears to be made of solid stainless steel / chrome around 1mm thick with belt-locking indents on both the outer and inner piece of the clip. There is no way this thing is ever going to come off your belt by accident. There is also a a loop made of the same material but around 3mm thick which you can use to hang from a belt hook if you prefer. Rest assured, your phone is safe as houses being attached to your person by these fittings!

The magnetic flap is a nice addition and means you don’t have the annoying ‘tear’ sound of velcro, nor the fiddly lining-up and pressing of a popper / dome. When you insert your phone, the magnetic flap automatically shuts itself with a nice solid ‘fwap’ and again stays in place very well. It’s not as if you’re likely to be hung upside down and shaken too often but even if you were, this thing would still protect your device. I have shaken and shaken this thing trying to get the magnetic flap to open by itself just once but it is just not happening, which is great.

But how does it look?  Does the Nutshell break my aversion to belt-clip cases? Would I be seen dead in one? I have to say yes it does and yes I would. The fact is, the iPhone is so slim that the case has zero bulk. When attached to the belt of your jeans with a tee or shirt hanging outside the waist of your pants you barely see it. If you do see it, all you see is this small, slim, black pouch. I believe you barely realise it’s a cellphone case. Add to that the fact that this gets your iPhone out of your pocket, away from your keys and your coins, and your device is already much better off. Furthermore, it means you don’t need any ‘permanent’ case clipped to your iPhone, ruining its sleek aesthetics and having to remove it every time you want to place it in your car mount.

As I mentioned before, these cases are fully customisable and as well as a range of colours, there are also a range of alternative fittings you can choose from. Don’t want a magnetic flap? Fine, pick a velcro one or choose not to have one at all. Don’t want that metal belt clip? Pick a leather one or just have it as a pouch. Nutshell will even make a custom-sized one for you should you wish to house it along with a favourite accessory that you like to keep attached.

Price-wise, Nutshell cases are slightly more expensive than your factory-line cases, but that is understandable given the work that goes into these cases and it’s great that they’re a local company. For your money you also get the peace-of-mind of a two-year guarantee which you simply won’t get on most other cases. Prices start at $49.95 for the case as an open pouch, and increase slightly once flaps and clips are added. My review model would run at $62.95, and I think that’s a fair price for such a high quality item. Is this “the world’s best” case? Could be!