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EXOvault makes amazing iPhone 2G, and iPhone 3G/3GS cases. Each case is made out of a premium metal (aluminum, brass, and titanium, which is discontinued), one-by-one, and by hand in their own metal shop in Brooklyn, NY.

They currently have 3 different cases: Aluminum, Black Aluminum, and Brass. Each case is $95, plus $14 for domestic shipping, or $20 for international shipping. This is not a cheap case, which you can easily tell by the great amount of work that was put in to making these fine cases.

But, is this case actually worth $95? Continue reading to find out!

The box with a surprise inside.

Ooh! The case looks better than the photos online.

The contents of the package.

When we first received the case, we shook the box a little bit. We heard screws! Yes, this case requires screws to keep the case nicely fit onto the device. Inside the box, you get your EXOvault case, a couple contact cards, 4 extra 2-56 screws, and a little allen wrench. There are already 4 screws in their proper places. The case, at first glance, is very pretty and smooth. It has very nice rounded edges throughout. The inner lining is a protective film to help keep the iPhone in place, and to keep it from getting damaged from debris.

One thing we always try to look for is frontal protection. The only visible parts of the iPhone is the screen, home button, sensors, and the earphone. Most cases leave the entire front open, which isn’t very protective (such as the Incase Slider). This is definitely a good thing!

The bottom & back of the case.

On the back of the case, you’ll see a grill opening. The iPhone’s antenna and radio modules are on the bottom of the device. These small opening allow for the best reception wherever you go. There are two small openings for the microphone and speaker. The dock connector is open and spacious. The camera hole is perfectly alligned. You also have access to the volume rocker, and the silent switch. They can both easily be accessed without trying to pry your finger into the area.

A height comparison with a iPhone 3G, EXOvault aluminum case, and a iSkin Fuze.

Our usual case, the iSkin Fuze, is actually a little bit higher than the EXOvault.

EXOvault’s aluminum case weighs just 45g. Their brass case weighs almost 3 times that much, but it’s made out of a different material. We like to have a little weight when holding a electronic device in our hand. This case, with an iPhone 3G in it, feels just right. It is also quite comfortable to hold, too.

You may be thinking, “Aren’t there any sharp areas on this case?” Well, actually, there is one small area, but it shouldn’t be a problem. If you hold the device 90 degrees clockwise, to where the sensor area is at a “L” shape, there is a non-rounded edge there. While not being totally sharp, this is just something we wanted to point out.

The EXOvault in between the iSkin Fuze and iPhone 3G.

A iPhone 3G inside the EXOvault.

The iPhone 3G looks really slick while inside the EXOvault aluminum case. It takes less than a minute to unscrew the 4 2-56 screws with the included allen wrench, put the iPhone 3G in, and screw everything back together. It fits really nicely. The home button is perfectly lined up, and so is the earphone.

A side view of the case.

A view of the top.

On the top of the case is a fairly large hole for the headphone jack. This is good, because you can plug almost any sized headphone cable into the iPhone while in the EXOvault case. You also have a large opening for the power button.

Another view of the top.

A view of the bottom.

Another view of the top. Notice how you can see the camera hole through the power button opening.

The EXOvault next to our other cases.

The EXOvault case upright, in all its glory!

With a $95 price tag, this may scare off some shoppers. If you are looking for a slick looking case that feels good to hold and protects your electronic investment, this is definitely for you! It offers protection against falls, slips, and many other disturbances. It looks good, protects well, and still provides access to all crucial ports and switches on the device. While intimidating at first, you will fall in love with this case when you actually get to see it up close.

We highly recommend this case to anyone who wants top-notch protection while having a very neat and sleek looking case for their precious iPhone.

We will be updating this post every couple of days, so we can post how we like it after giving it a thorough use.

EXOvault – SOME DAYS LATER.

After using the case for about 3 or so more days, we really like it! It felt really nice to hold, even while texting or playing a tap-intensive game, like DDR S. We ran our iPhone without a screen protector, so we were a little paranoid about that, but even after (accidentally, of course ) dropping the case about 5 times onto hard ground, the iPhone remained in perfect shape, as well as the case. There are no visible scratches or nicks on the case.

We do, however, have one complaint. As stated on EXOvault’s technical details and questions page, this case is only designed to work with the USB cable that came with the device, the one with the little stubby connector. While that worked fine, plugging in a composite TV-out cable was a no-go, since it wouldn’t plug all the way in. It wouldn’t even charge. We have a thick black USB cable that has a slightly thinner end connector that was barely able to work if we pushed it hard into the case (well, not too hard). On a positive note, the case worked fine on our Belkin Tunebase FM.

So our revised final verdict. Buy this case if you want a combination of great protection with awesome style. There were at least 6 people who randomly asked what the heck this was we were holding. Although they were shocked at the price, they were in love with the design and overall protection.

ANOTHER UPDATE!

The below image is just to show that this case is really made one-by-one, by hand: