Seidio Shield Treo Holster 2 Review

Andrew,
I share your feelings regarding the Sheild Holster 2 from Seidio. Its truly the first holster that I have had confidence in to hold and protect my Treo securely.

However, I must question your 2nd recommendation for the Skinned Sheild Holster 2 + Crystal Case combination. This is bad combination! Based on your first review of the combo, I ordered it and was immediatly disappointed in the combo. The spring latch at the top does not securely hold the crystal case clad Treo tighly. It may work fine with a silicone skin, but not with the crystal case. The crystal case simply does not fit correctly at the top of the holster and one good bump will send the Treo tumbling out of the holster...as mine did!

I bought this holster after my original Shield Holster bottom corner chipped...although I like the new version, it's 1) a little thicker than the original, and 2) it covers up the Silent Mode switch. The latter might be an inconvenience if you use that feature often.

I just received my Seidio Shield 2 holster yesterday, and I'm very pleased with it. I had read Andrew's review of the original Shield holster, and was hoping to find one on eBay, but the few I found sold for nearly as much as a new one, so I decided to take the plunge and buy a new one. That's when I saw the Shield 2 at the Treonauts store. After a few minutes of debate, I chose the new version because it keeps my SD card from popping out (as it has done before, in the middle of a snowbank, nonetheless.)

The Treo is easy to remove and insert, and having the screen on the inside is a blessing. Scratches are not much of an issue for me; I've had my Treo 650 since the month they came out, and it has plenty of battle scars. ;-)

This looks like it might solve the major issue I had with this case, which is that it would constantly drop my phone. My Treo has some pretty serious battle scars on it now (I actually had to glue the case back together) due to some falls from my hip (I'm tall, so it's a long way down). When I saw the Skin Shield, I was intrigued because the clip looked a little more substantial, so hopefully it would hold my Treo more securely into the case. But I didn't like the thought of having to install a skin. So here is the best of both worlds (at least I hope). My other hope is that they remedied the other major issue I had with this case, which is that the metal pin that holds the beltclip to the case is (in my opinion) too thin and too easily bent. Within 24 hours of receiving my case, it got caught on my seatlbelt and the case was torn from the beltclip. I solved the problem by transplanting the much heavier-duty pin from my Nextel holster (the only thing I miss from when I had Nextel, but it is sorely missed) and shoved it into the hole on the Seidio case. It fit very snugly (which i consider a good thing), and I haven't had that problem again, but for a case that costs $25, I wish I didn't have to modify it myself...

I had the skinned holster, and while it seemed like a good solution, the latch broke under a moderate strain (at the weak point of two thin struts).

Worse, I couldn't even get Seidio to respond. I called, and they said that if I sent an email, with photos, they'd get back to me in 1-2 business days. I did, they did not. I called the next week, and the guy found my email, said they'd get back to me in 1-2 business days, and they again did not. I don't even care if they tell me they won't replace it, but I can't recommend their customer service and consequently can't recommend their products.

I'm using the Speck skinned holster and while it grabs a wee bit on the skin, it's been a secure solution and a way-better price point ($6 vs $30).

I'M SURPRISED THAT A DEDICATED TREO SITE LIKE THAT DOESN'T EVEN HAVE A TREO OPTIMIZED WEBSITE SO I CAN READ ARTICLES FROM MY TREO. SAD MAN.

AND DON'T EVEN HAVE RSS FEEDS EITHER?

Check out the damage it did to my treo.

http://static.flickr.com/55/145462223_87b89d7459_o.jpg
http://static.flickr.com/50/145462233_7ffeeebf52_o.jpg
http://static.flickr.com/51/145462241_b29417054d_o.jpg

Simon - I don't appreciate such comments particularly when...

There is a mobile optimized version of Treonauts: http://go.treonauts.com

There is an RSS feed for Treonauts: http://blog.treonauts.com/index.rdf or http://blog.treonauts.com/rss.xml

Cheers, A.

thanks A.

but can you tell me from your homepage where i would even find information about your mobile site, and or rss feed? i don't see it anywhere. actually now i see the rdf feed whatever that is. i only have rss readers. i had to post a comment and now i have my answers. either your main top level page is too "busy" with all sorts of other info or something.

hey here's an idea, why not add go.treonauts.com in the top left corner where it says navigation?

anyway A, keep up the good work. i love your articles, when i'm at a computer to get to this page. now i can read it on my treo at go. thanks

heh A... i just checked out go.treonauts.com from my treo. its just a skweez'd version of this page, not really mobile optimized. i thought i could just go in, and read the main news you have posted (for instance the evolution of a top treo accessory: shield holster).. finally found it below where it says google ads.

maybe i'll try and find a good rss reader for the palm. that way i only get the top news

I'm not so worried about the scratching as I am the ability of the holster to secure the phone under some circumstances. For instance, my Seidio holster (original) has allowed the phone to get "yanked out" by the antenna when exiting the car (the ol seatbelt again) or when getting up from a chair with arms and a few other situations. I've since switched to a "pouch" type holster but miss the quick access of the Seidio. I would be interested in hearing if the new design is a bit more secure in this regard.

I had the original holster which worked pretty well. It also got caught on the seatbelt and got yanked. My Treo eventually took a deadly plunge when I was jumping down some stairs (oops). I order a skin and the holster 2 when my new Treo came in. It definitely seems more secure, and has not dropped on the ground yet. I have noticed that with the hinged clip, if I am laying back on the couch or a chair, the clip might get pushed open, and the phone will fall out.

Bruce

Does this belt clip swivel and lock?

Meaning, can I wear it horizontal to the ground instead of vertical to the ground?

Mark Lehman

I happen to be one of the dissatisfied previous Seidio Holster owners. After reading your reviews on treonauts, I purchased the original holster for my Treo. The holster did not secure the phone on several occasions(dropped). I eventually had to purchase a new Treo. I now own a Krussell Belt pouch and my treo looks as good as new. One problem with the original holster is that it clipped over the stylus. If the stylus was not totally inserted into it's compartment, or a type of stylus was being used that did not exactly fit the Treo compartment, the latch on the holster was not secure. Thus a falling Treo! I no longer trust the holster type holders!!

I had the previous Seidio Holster and it did scratch my treo (very minor not as bad as the poster above) because I always have Egrip Treo 650 applied. I recently purchased the new and improved Seidio and I have to say its a wonderful improvement. I would recommend this holster only if you commit to purchasing Egrips which I could never live without!

On the whole, I'm not very happy with this case. I love the quick access to the Treo, but the security pretty much sucks. Getting in and out of the car, or just brushing against the latch, and the Treo goes flying, bouncing, shedding stylus and SD card as it goes.

Taking the Treo in and out of the clip often dislodges the SD card.

I am impressed with the ruggedness of the Treo 700, because it's still working fine after countless bounces on the pavement.

I have lost two SD cards and a stylus, though, when I didn't notice they'd departed the Treo after a tumble.