Way back in the year 2012 I was introduced to the joy of OtterBox. While I was chatting with a salesman at the local Verizon Wireless store he told me a story of a rancher who had come in recently with a crushed phone, replacing said phone and adding in an OtterBox case to protect it. The phone and case were stepped on by the rancher’s horse and the phone survived without a scratch. My instant thought was that if a big ol’ horse hoof can’t hurt the phone in that case, I sure couldn’t do any more damage. I was sold!

With the new case on my new phone, I preceded to drop it down flights of stairs, roll over it in my chair and drop it numerous times over the 2 years I had that particular phone. Once it was time for an upgrade, I did so, but not because the phone was broken. I just wanted a new phone. The phone has survived 2 years of repeated abuse and there wasn’t even a scratch on the screen. I love this OtterBox!

So, let me tell you a bit about this fancy case. It comes as a 2-part composite shell with the clear screen protective cover integrated in it and a silicone-type cover around it. The whole mess clips into a composite belt clip – which also doubles as a prop/stand if you are listening to music or videos and don’t want to hang onto your phone. The case has holes for the speakers, mics and camera lenses, even one for the fingerprint thingy on the back. The holes for the speakers and mics make it much easier to hear on both ends of a call than those completely enclosed ones. The drawback there, is that some fine dust and a bit of water can make their way into the case. I take the case apart every couple months and clean out the dust and if by chance it does get a little water in it, I take it apart and wipe it down.

There are these flaps that cover the ports for the headphone jack and the charging port that work really well. The silicone part of the case has held up very well. No tears and it has stayed very tight around the rest of the case.

Over the years, I have had a few different phones. All of them have had OtterBox Defender cases and all have survived my abuse. One time, I ended up breaking the belt clip. I emailed customer service and the promptly warrantied the entire case and sent me a whole new one, free of charge. I think I just had to pay shipping. They really stand behind their products.

So.. at the end of this all, I absolutely recommend the OtterBox Defender Series phone case! They are a bit pricey (mine was just under $60), but well worth the money. And, you can have them in any color your heart desires, as long as that color is black. Ha ha!

I also recommend checking out their website (www.OtterBox.com) for the other products they carry and have a look at the cool things their OtterCares Foundation is doing for kids.