How effective are bumper cases really?

[kreep]

In the light of dropping my 6 day old Moto X off of my 15" high coffee table I've decided I need protection for it.
The screen did't crack but the liquid in the LCD started leaking to the point where the whole screen is black now. Motorla is replacing it for me but now I'm looking at protection options.
It's customized with cognac leather and I would hate to have to use a case that covers everything up so I was looking at bumper cases.
I've never used any sort of case before for any phone I have had and have never had a phone break. I've put my phones through some serious abuse over the years by dropping them while hiking, snow boarding, drunk filled nights and the old Samsung, iPhone, Blackberry, LG have all held up just fine.

My question is, does anyone know how effective a bumper case really is? Would it have prevented my phone damage in this case as it would have taken the shock to the corner of the screen? How do they actually work?

Cheers

 

[Krolt]

If they land on the bumper they're pretty good!
I have one for my X but don't use it
I ordered one because I always had one on my Nexus 4 (still perfect nick, never dropped though)
Then i realized I only used one on the Nexus to stop it sliding off my desk, which happened twice!
If you drop it it's all pretty much down to lucky, a bumper changes the odds in your favour and protects against screen braking corner hits.
but I just hate my (also leather backed) X without the slim slides.

 

[kreep]

I meant how do they work as in will they protect the phone if the phone lands on a corner with the case on or do the cases just protect fully when the phone lands flat.

 

[sharkita]

I meant how do they work as in will they protect the phone if the phone lands on a corner with the case on or do the cases just protect fully when the phone lands flat.

Well my 2014 Moto X took a much bigger fall the other day and landed face down with nary a scratch or screen problem. Am I super lucky? You bet. However, I have a back cover on mine, which I use mainly to prevent it from sliding out of my hand (I have a plastic back so it's quite slick) and I'm convinced that extra silicone "lip" it provides saved my screen. I'm super careful with my phones, but accidents happen and there are some nice choices out there. If you had a bumper on your phone when it fell, then it would have indeed given you some extra protection with that fall. It's no guarantee, but it helps.

 

[dcviper]

That's surprising. I dropped mine onto a hard tile floor and all I got was a blemish on the rim where it impacted the tile.

 

[jm101]

I have one of the Diztronic cases from Amazon. I was going to go with one of the bumpers but opted for the Diztronic because it covers the entire back of my Moto X and it was a bit cheaper as well. I have already hit my Moto X once on a table and it looked like the case absorbed it fine. Not sure about a big fall though. Don't want to find out.

 

[seagames]

If you're a sloppy person like me, it's a life saver in many occasions. Still depends on the fall, especially few consecutive bad falls.

 

[benhaube]

I understand trying to protect your phone, and I try to as well. Albeit, you probably don't get tons of protection from a ultra slim case.

That being said, the Moto Care is pretty much all the protection I need.

 

[kreep]

Unfortunately Moto Care isn't an option here in Canada.

 

[TomoTLe]

Bumpers are pretty much the only choice Leather owners have, wood owners can easily cover their phones in clear cases and still retain the beauty of it.

Having owned the Hula bumper for about 2 months (my very first bumper), I can say that it definitely prevents drops and slips significantly. I'm already a really careful person and treat my phones like newborns and rarely ever have any drops. With the Hula bumper I feel like this may be my very first phone that won't ever experience a drop. As for the protectability of the bumper, I don't have any experience with drops and hope never to, but it does feel quite sturdy and would protect the phone well if it happens to land correctly on an edge.

If you're a really clumsy person and still want to highlight your leather back, you'll have to take your chances with a Bumper. Otherwise, I'd highly suggest a case instead if you don't have insurance, but then what's the point of owning leather?

 

[kreep]

Thanks TomoTle. Dealing with Motorola has been quite an ordeal this week. No fault of their own though as the phone was bought in the States and I live in Canada so there are big issues there as far as support. I managed to get an amazing support agent and after 6 days of going back and forth Motorola said they would fix the phone for free even though I did in fact drop it to cause the damage.
That's pretty cool in my book.

 

[Stang68]

My Hula bumper case is the first bumper case I've bought and it's great. Pretty good drop protection with minimal heft. I highly recommend for you.

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[dan1431]

Thanks TomoTle. Dealing with Motorola has been quite an ordeal this week. No fault of their own though as the phone was bought in the States and I live in Canada so there are big issues there as far as support. I managed to get an amazing support agent and after 6 days of going back and forth Motorola said they would fix the phone for free even though I did in fact drop it to cause the damage.
That's pretty cool in my book.

A good friend lives in Canada, but bought the phone in the USA with Moto Care and the Moto agent was awesome arranging to send his replacement to me in the States, no questions asked. In fact the agent said he has tried to hint to other customers that they might have a friend in the states who might be willing to help out, etc.

Dan

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