Now here is something special: The Gorilla Tube from Gorilla-Cases. It’s a genuine, handcrafted 1.15mm thick carbon fiber tube designed to hold your iPhone and I was lucky enough to be sent one for review. It’s a good compromise for case junkies and iPhone nudists alike — all the accessibility of a pouch, but all the protection of a hard shell. I’ve reviewed a a few of these “pouch” cases before (one from Waterfield Designs, two from Sena), but I think the GorillaTube features the type of design I’d be most likely to use in the everyday.
[Edit: 10/4/09 to mention this review product was sent, not bought] 
Carbon Fiber
I have no idea what it looks like to handcraft carbon fiber, but I can tell you that the result is pretty bloody impressive. The Gorilla Tube is smooth on the outside with a barely noticeable sheen and the inside is the standard softer inner lining that most good cases provide. I’ve been using the case for a good two weeks now, and it’s only gotten more and more impressive. The patterned carbon fiber doesn’t just look cool – it’s built like an iPhone bomb shelter. You may have heard of another brand, Otterbox, which provides fantastic protection. However, some people don’t want to sacrifice the sleek and slim iPhone form factor.
The Gorilla Tube, on the other hand, is peace of mind that you can pocket and take off in an instant. It’s not unbreakable, but it has shrugged of all of the accidental bumps of the last two week. The design is also extremely scratch-resistant, so a Gorilla Tube should still look like a Gorilla Tube even after a good year of use.
The Flip Strap
This is one of those cases where the material could easily be the star, but the flip strap is such a cool little design element that it definitely warrants its own paragraph. You can actually insert your iPhone into the Gorilla Tube from the top or the bottom. This is because the whole thing actually does resemble a tube — it’s hollow and symmetrical with a thick strap threaded through the middle. It takes about a week to break the flip strap in, but once you’ve done so the iPhone glides right into the case and stays put. The Gorilla Tube even passes the fabled “shake the iPhone vigorously” test without flying colours (white or black), if you know what I mean.
One cool side effect (and this is just a theory of mine), is that the flip strap really lessens the chance of the case marking the iPhone up. This is because the device never really touches the inner lining of the case, but is actually monkey-hugged by the flip strap while inside. It also helps that dust just seems to fall right off the strap 😀
Pocket in a pocket (aka geek-out paragraph)
As I’ve stated before, I’m complete case geek. I spend too much time thinking about why I like a case, and even more time thinking exactly about how to fit it in with all of my other gear. The way I’ve come to use the Gorilla Tube is essentially as a pocket within a pocket. I only pull the case out just enough so that I can use the strap to release the iPhone when I need it. I won’t lie – it has absolutely come to mind that this usage mimics the functionality of a scabbard, and I am totally cool with that.
I can use the case in this way because it’s a thin and solid case, so it keeps its shape so I never need to pull it out, insert the iPhone, and then put the case back. I’ve also taken to resting the iPhone on the Gorilla Tube whenever I’m at my desk, and I’ve found the vibration alerts a lot more noticeable because of the way the whole case rattles against the desk.
Conclusion
There are probably just two things that will keep people from using this case: the first is compatibility. I don’t believe you’ll be able to fit any full-body films onto your iPhone and still use the Gorilla Tube, and I was fresh out of screen protectors while testing this case. The second obstacle is cost. I don’t know a lot about carbon fiber, but I have noticed that it does tend to add to the production costs of products. At half an iPhone ($95) the Gorilla Tube is definitely an upper tier product, but like the Vaja case I recently reviewed, the quality really does shine through.
I honestly think the Gorilla Tube is one of the coolest cases out there. It features a subtle design, it’s made up of a very strong material, and it’s simply one of the best ways to protect your iPhone while you’re not using it.
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You can pick you up your own Gorilla Tube for $95 from Gorilla-cases.com … but we’ve also got our own brand-new Gorilla Tube to give away on the site, so stay tuned.
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TAGS: carbon fiber, hard case
