Best Skin Ever?
By stormy at 24 May, 2009, 3:32 pm
After reviewing the Invisible Shield skin last week, I wanted to try a similar product for comparison. I chose Best Skins Ever’s 2nd Gen iPod touch skin because it cost a fraction of the price of the Invisible Shield. It’s interesting to test two similar products from opposite ends of the price range.
As it turns out, the BSE skin is not half as bad…
Unpacking:
It arrived in my mailbox in an envelope just 6 days after it was sent, compared to the two weeks of waiting for the Invisible Shield. When I opened the envelope, I was pleasantly surprised to find two sets of the front and back skins! Zagg gave me just one set of their Invisble Shields, though they also provided a squeegee and “ShieldSpray”
Installation:
Instead of an instruction booklet, the BSE envelope had a link for installation instructions - a part of their envrionment friendliness. I was instructed to mix some water and soap and spray it onto the skin but I used the remainder of myInvisible Shield’s “Shieldspray.” The squeegee from the Invisible Shield box also proved handy, although a credit card or a stiff piece of cardboard or plastic will probably do the trick.
Installing the BSE skin seemed a little easier, maybe because I had gained some experience with the Invisible Shield. The front when on in less than a minute and the back - in around 20 minutes. (The back of the Invisible Shield took almost an hour, but then again, it was my first time…)
A good tip I later found on the internet is to leave a hot shower on for a few minutes to let the steam clean the air from dust and then install the skin in your bathroom.
Testing:
I noticed some minor differences between the BSE skin an the Invisible Shield:
- The BSE skin had a separate round piece of film for the home button, while the Invisible Shield’s front was in one piece. With BSE, I can still feel the click of the button.
- The corners were a little different
- Invisible Shield had a more “plasticky” feel but also better grip. BSE’s skin is definitely of a different material.
The BSE skin seems at least as scratch-proof as Invisible Shield’s and similarily, scraping my iPod with keys and other sharp objects found on my desk leave just a small mark on the skin which disappears in a few seconds.
The BSE skin doesn’t provide as good a grip as the Invisible Shield, but it’s orange peelish texture is less evident and it feels more like an iPod in my hand.
The only major difference is in the price: The BSE skin costs $8 + Shipping and the Invisible Shield: $25, so taking into account that the BSE skin came with a spare set, it’s just over a sixth of the price of the Invisible Shield!
In conclusion, I don’t think Best Skins Ever will be getting a lawsuit for their name anytime soon…
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