Accessories Otter box

[pennylane]

I see that they have both the Otter box Commuter and Defender out for the Hero. Any comments or suggestions on which is better? I see both on iPhones, but not sure which to get. The only difference I can really see on the pictures online is that the buttons on the bottom are covered on the Defender, where they are not on the Commuter.

 

[Slug]

As these only appear to be available for the for the CDMA (Sprint) Hero I've moved this to the appropriate sub-forum.

 

[wfoskey]

I have the defender. Got it off ebay for 39.99. It is awesome. The touchscreen works just as well with the screen shield. Dropped mine face down on concrete yesterday-not a scratch!

 

[Guitardoc64]

I have the commuter. It has saved my Hero at least twice, last week I dropped it onto the concrete floor in my shop and it bounced twice. The case doesn't even show any damage. I'm planning on the defender because of the covered buttons. Either is well worth it.

 

[chawski]

i use a commuter case and love it. been on the phone since day one and has paid for itself time and again. Ive heard the defender might cause some echo, so thats something to look into.

 

[Little Darwin]

I haven't used the Defender, but my Commuter has done its job admirably several times when I dropped my Hero.

 

[rolandw]

Got my Defender at Wally-World for about 30 bucks with free Ship-to-Store. Has saved my Hero a couple of times. Fixed the echo it creates by turning down in-call volume. I highly recommend the Defender.

 

[themadgreek187]

i grabbed the deal off of thecellguru.com awhile back. love my otterbox.

 

[GatorDeb]

$32 Amazon Defender. Love it.

 

[Cuso]

Bough the Defender for the face-in clip holster, forgot how much I hate clip holsters because of the added bulk and it digs into my ribs when driving. The case is absolutely a tank. It has saved the phone various times from disaster and has the character marks to prove it, but I went back to the Commuter for various reasons:

1. The clip holster reason given above. I bought a cheap leather holster that fits the whole phone with Commuter case installed. perfect..

2. When using the phone in low light conditions I have to remember where the home-back-menu-search buttons are because they are no lighted anymore.

3. The headphone jack and charge jack covers are a pain to reposition. I find myself fixing the fit all the time.

4. It adds a lot of bulk, a lot.I don't mind the bulk has much because it's added protection.

Overall those are easily overlooked peeves if you want the absolute best in protection, but I found the Commuter/Leather holster combo a better suit for me.

 

[GatorDeb]

I have hated holsters my whole life. Bought an armband for this that has a pouch and it's snug but it fits, but I loved the holster so much that's what I use to work out. It holds it well and it's perfect when I do weights =) I love my Defender.

 

[nic b me]

got the "impact" only hours ago and i love how durable it is. gonna try to find a commuter on ebay since the commuter has 3 layers.

 

[Guitardoc64]

I got the Defender now too. I like it more each passing day. Built like a tank but I don't mind the added bulk. I'm loving the covered buttons.

 

[xevious]

got the "impact" only hours ago and i love how durable it is. gonna try to find a commuter on ebay since the commuter has 3 layers.

How much thicker does the Impact make the Hero? Is it about the same as the traditional silicone cases easily found on the market? From the photos provided, it's hard to tell, and Otterbox doesn't provide this information. Certainly the Defender adds considerable bulk, and the Commuter is reported to add some noticeable bulk... but I have a custom slip-case for my Hero that I still want to use.

 

[nic b me]

sorry i didnt respond sooner. the impact does make the hero a little thicker and since it has a non slip rubber grip it's not easy to slip in and out of a pocket...and i don't wear tight clothes!

but i love it, i've dropped my hero with the otter box on concrete and nothing. plus, it's easy to put the hero in the impact and take it out. i also just realized i can put the hero over my RPM tach in my truck and it wont slide around, so i can have the GPS right next to the speedometer.

oh and the only other con about it is the rubbery surface collects whatever lint and crap you have in your pocket.