Review: EcoLife Elements Side Case

Ecolife is a new addition to the WMExperts Accessory Store that puts an eco-friendly twist the their phone cases.  Ecolife manufactures its cases from 100 percent recycled material called PET. What is PET you say?

Ecolife had us worried for a second by describing the fabric as being created from post-consuming PET container flakes. Fortunately, post-consuming PET flakes are not generated by Fido in the backyard. PET is short for PolyEthelenTerephtalate which is more commonly known as the primary material used to create water bottles.

We took the Ecolife Elements Side Case for the HTC Touch Pro 2 out for a test drive and was somewhat surprised at the cases performance. Ease on past the break to see how well a case made from 100% recycled material performs.

First Impressions

I never know what to expect when I purchase anything made of 100 percent recycled material. Is the material going to have the consistency of cardboard or will moss start growing between the seams.

The material created from the recycled PET reminds me of corduroy or a heavy nylon fabric. It was a little rigid at first but appeared very durable.  With a little use, the stiffness in the fabric began to relax and after several days of use, the durable feel remained.

Case Design

The design of the Element Side Case follows suit with your typical side case. You have a large flap that secures the phone in place and cut-outs at the corners and bottom-center of the case to help you remove the phone with ease.

The flap is held nicely in place by two magnets. The case is lined with a soft, felt like material and stitching was solid with no loose or frayed seems visible.

The Elements case has a wide, fabric lined clip that secures the case nicely to your belt. The wider clip helps prevent the case from wiggling off your belt but I do wish it was about a quarter inch longer to better accommodate the wider belts.

For what it's worth, the Ecolife Elements case is "blackberry ready".  A series of magnets are sewn into the front and back sides of the case and as I understand things from our friends over at Crackberry.com these magnets trigger features on a blackberry device while the phone is in the case (e.g. ringer goes to vibrate, device goes to sleep, etc.).

If this case is used with a Touch Pro 2, the extra magnets have a tendency to trigger an internal magnet in the TP2 that wakes up the screen similar to the power button being pressed while the phone is in the case. 

Fit and Feel

The HTC Touch Pro 2 fits really well inside the Elements Side Case. Not too tight, not too loose, just right. There was enough give in the sides of the case where you could pull the Touch Pro 2 out of the case or you could push up on the Windows phone from the center cut-out.

The Element Side Case was comfortable to wear. The clip is on the tight side so sliding it on your belt took a bit of effort. Once on the belt the case rode comfortably and securely.

Overall Impression

If you don't need your Windows phone case made out of leather or simply want to be more eco-friendly, the Ecolife Element Side Case is a good choice.

While the initial feel of the fabric was stiff, after a few days of use the fabric relaxed, improving the overall fit and feel of the case.  The case securely held the Touch Pro 2 in place and offered a moderate level of protection for the Windows phone.

All in all, the Element Case is a solid, well built case that is worth consideration.  I think the case would be better without the "blackberry ready" magnets.  While these magnets act in the positive with Blackberry devices some may not like the fact that they act in the negative with some Windows phones by prematurely turning on the screen.