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Vaja Classic Case Review

Last Updated (Tuesday, 02 January 2007 13:42) Written by Christopher Meinck Tuesday, 02 January 2007 13:23

Vaja Classic Case Review

Vaja is known for their line of fine leather custom cases. The Vaja Classic for the Motorola Q follows in that tradition featuring fine leather, excellent craftsmanship and style.

Vaja Classic Case Review

Vaja is known for their line of fine leather custom cases. The Vaja Classic for the Motorola Q follows in that tradition featuring fine leather, excellent craftsmanship and style.

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Style and Craftsmanship

I must divulge that I've been drawn to the style of Vaja cases for some time and I was very pleased to hear that Vaja would be developing a line of cases for the Moto Q. The Vaja Classic was the first case released for the Motorola Q. Vaja has since announced the Classic with support for the extended battery and their iVolution line of cases. I found the Classic to be a departure from the iVolution series. The leather is not as soft as the iVolution, but still of a very high quality. In fact, I would venture to say it is probably more scratch resistant than the iVolution. Every Vaja case is handmade and it shows. The Vaja Classic looks as if it "belongs" on the Q, almost as if it is a second skin. It is a bit tough to get on the Q and removing the Vaja Classic from the Q caused some erroneous dialing. Most will place this case on their Q and never remove it as it offers access to all of the ports.

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The bottom part of the case did a great job of wrapping the bottom half of the Q. I was never a fan of Verizon logo on my Q. It also seemed like it was placed there as an afterthought. With the Vaja Classic, the bottom of case covers the lower portion of the Q and Verizon logo. There is virtually no gap between the case and the Q. The same can be said for the sides of the QWERTY keyboard and the Vaja. Just a very tight, snug fit. Throughout the case, there are cut-outs in place for the many features of the Q. Brushed metal mesh covers the microphone, stereo speakers and earpiece. I didn't notice initially, but while at the Motorola Q Summit, it was pointed out that Vaja covered the speaker on the handset with the Vaja logo. I can only assume that Vaja thought the cut-outs flanking the Motorola logo were used for listen to your caller. I have notified Vaja of this issue.

From a pure design and style, it simply doesn't get better than Vaja. Their cases are handmade using the finest materials and it is evident. Everything from the packaging to the look and feel screams high quality.

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Protecting Your Q

In the end, any case should offer the necessary protection for your smartphone investment. The Vaja Classic does a great job of protecting the Moto Q. Outside of the earpiece, all the necessary funtions are either cutout or covered in metal mesh, while the rest of the Q is protected by the leather. The Vaja Classic also features a heavy duty plastic embedded into the case that will protect the LCD. The plastic is susceptible to scratches that are noticable when the Q is powered down or if you are viewing the Q at an angle. It did get dirty, but it was certainly unnoticeable when my Q was powered on. The plastic screen protector offered me the piece of mind to slide my Q into my pants pocket, laptop bag or jacket pocket without concern of the screen getting scratched. Since the case is very thin, there isn't much cushion should you drop your Q. In comparison, the Vaja iVolution cases tend to be "bulkier", but that bulk might be useful if your Q was accidentally dropped. The inside of the case is lined with leather lined with the Vaja insignia and the interior sides have a soft material. I removed the case often and did not suffer any scratches to my Q.

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Usability

As I noted, the fit of the Vaja Classic is extremely tight and snug. This would mean that as a potential Vaja owner, you'd probably want to avoid shuffling your Q in and out of the case. Luckily, Vaja has provided cut-outs to the following:

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• Camera lens and flash
• USB port cut-out
• Mesh protected speakers
• Microphone
• Mini-SD
• Thumbwheel and back button
• USB
• IR
• Headphone jack

Despite the Vaja insignia covering the front speaker, I had little issue using the Moto Q with the Vaja Classic. I've always found the Moto Q to excel in volume level, so this was not a major issue for me. I do hope that Vaja corrects this issue, as I would like to have great volume levels in loud environments or crowds. If you are a regular Bluetooth headset user, than this issue wouldn't affect you. Due to the heavy plastic of the screen protector, it curves upward in the middle. While it didn't impede my usage, I did find myself "noticing" the screen protector more than I have preferred. This was particularly evident when accessing the left and right soft buttons.

Clip Worthy of Vaja

With the Vaja Classic, they offer the option of either a Ultraclip or Rivet Clip. The case I reviewed included the Rivet clip and this was my first experience with this manufacturer. Since the Q is lightweight , it is easier to wear it using a beltclip. The Rivet clip is very low-profile and Classic has a smallish "ball" built into the case. The Rivet Clip gets attached to your belt. Not unlike the Classic case, the Rivet clip itself cannot easily be taken off your belt and for good reason. It stays in one position on your belt and this makes the for the easy removal of the Q using the release buttons on the side of the Rivet Clip. With the Rivet Clip, you have complete 360 degree movement of the Q.

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Conclusion

The Classic for Moto Q continues Vaja's tradition of making stunning, handmade leather cases that offer superior protection. Although all of the access ports are accessible, I did find slight usabilty issues with the plastic screen protector and sound levels could be an issue with the Vaja insignia blocking the earpiece. While the screen protector did a great job at protecting the screen, it does show noticeable wear and tear. It would be nice to see Vaja offer this as an option, allowing me to use standard screen protectors. At roughly $60 (options such as Rivet clip or custom color are extra), the Vaja Classic case still represents value for the money if you are in the market for a stylish, well-made leather case for your Moto Q.

For more information, please visit Vaja.