Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

After reading many reviews here it appears that possibly some reviewers confused which model they were reviewing. So, I bought both cases as I am rather particular about my iPhone case and thought this review might clear some things up. Purchased mid October 2013, from Amazon, both "clear" cases are excellent. Both have advantages and disadvantages, which I will note. At this writing Luvvitt has two clear cases and each also offers some with colored edges but for this review I am concentrating on the totally clear offerings. For the iPhone 5/5s, Luvvitt offers a "ClearView" case as well as a "Cristal" case. Here are the differences: The "Cristal" case: Is a hard-shell case, covering the sides and the back and surprising is not very slippery. The grip is decent. However, it is indeed a hard case and is among the minimalist variety. The top is completely uncovered except for the corners which are covered nicely, approximately where the phone might fall if dropped. Top button area is completely open. The bottom is exactly the same. The corners are covered nicely and the speakers and connector port is wide open and will accept the Apple OEM Lightning connector without issue. As a "minimalist" case, the weight is lower than most and very nice. The back cover is a hard plastic which will likely scratch at some point, but of course that is why we want a case. Most would not care too much if the back case scratches a little. I am taking some information from other posts here which says it will scratch and develop hairline scratches over time. In and out of the pants pocket is not an issue. Luvvitt tells me that in the later versions of this case (which is the one I rec'd from Amazon today) they extended the front edges just slightly (I am guessing about .5 mm), so when the phone is laid on its face on a table or whatever, the screen is suspended. I got the impression from Luvvitt the earliest models were flush and did not offer this overlap, which is vital, in my opinion. The "Clearview" case: This case is also very nice. It features full protection on the back and completely on all sides. It also features a front, screen-side edge which is likely 1mm. The top buttons and the side buttons, volume and mute are completely covered by this case. The button action is very good, almost the same as without any case. The case does not "kill" the feel of the buttons. The feel is rather rubbery, which is what I wanted initially. It is very grippy but not so much that when removing from your pants pockets that everything sticks to it. The back is also slightly rubbery in feel so I suspect that it will not scratch like the hard case might. A very good case and actually is my preference between the two cases. However, one major issue is this case will NOT allow the use of the Apple OEM Lightning adapter from a 30-pin connector, which I find disappointing. On the bottom of the case there are small bars to the left and right of the Lightning port which prohibit using the Apple OEM adapter. I like this case so much that I might actually experiment with sharp razor and see if I can remove some portions to allow the Apple OEM Lightning adapter to fit properly and still allow the case to fit securely. I am heavily invested in these adapters and would hate to have to buy other lightning adapters. Last note about this case is that it is a bit heavier than the "Cristal" case, but not so much to make a huge difference. Luvvit tells me that the modifying the "Clearview" case to accept the Apple OEM lightning 30-pin adapter is not a good idea as removing portions of the bottom of the case might allow the case to move around too much, maybe even fall off. So, dilemma for me. I like this case better but modifying it might be a problem. Regarding this "rubberish" case discoloring, Luvvitt says it is possible over time for this material to discolor slightly. Have to wait and see.