I've had a Barely There for about a month now and I love it. Lives up to its name, offers protection on the corners, and the black one has the same sort of rubberised finish as the Desire does. Had a gel case before but every time I took the phone out of the case I realised how slender the phone is without it. Never mind that I've seen plenty of drop-damaged Desires that were in gel or silicone cases. And phones that have survived 'naked' drops onto concrete just fine. It's a gamble.
I also ordered a red Barely There clone on eBay; it's all right, but the fit isn't nearly as close as it is on the real thing. I can slide the phone up and down maybe half a millimetre in the case, which means there's usually a gap on two of the corners.