Should I get more expensive storage case for my earphones? Cheap carrying cases Vs More expensive carrying case

I was shopping for some hard cover cases to protect my earphones when I realised that the cases varies in prices (they can range from a few dollars to over $20) even though they looked pretty much the same.

The price range is pretty huge... so I got thinking, "Why do they varies so much in price? Would the budget ones be able to protect my earphones well enough?"

So I decided to do a simple experiment with whatever I can find at home to test things out. This is of course just for fun and not professionally done. I do not have the equipment for proper/professional stress test. It's also pretty obvious that I won't be testing with some super expensive cases; I don't have something more than SG$10.

Setup and Materials

 

Materials:
- A heavy weight
- Plasticine (or any kind of dough)
- Carrying cases (obviously)
- Timer (or a clock)
- Ruler (for estimating height)
- Plastic bags or something to prevent the dough for dirtying the case.

I choose a bottle of 600ml mineral water as my weight. In the end I went with a bottle of 1000mL Listerine. (weighting about 1kg)

The set up of the experiment is simple.

1. Get the plasticine (shaped to about 2 cm in height) and stuff them into the case.

2. Place the weight on top of the case and wait for 30 minutes.

Contestant No.1: Unknown brand case

 

I got these at 2 for SG$5 from Qoo10. They looked pretty nice but you can tell from the workmanship and material, why it is worth only $2.50 each. But well, at least it is made of waterproof material.

The size is good, they can easily fit into your pockets.

Process:

 

Results:

Surprisingly, the casing seems to take the weight pretty well. The only change is the marking left in the dough, which is caused by the netting (inside the casing). The height of the dough remains pretty much 2 cm.

Rating: 4.5/5!

Contestant No.2: Remax Rm-733 Case

 

These were included in the package of Remax RM-733 earphones, so I can't put a price to it. After a long search on Taobao, I found that one of this would cost about SG$6-7, excluding shipment.  I've mentioned in the review that this case is pretty sturdy, but I guess I've to take that back now. The case is made of waterproof material.

The size of this is slightly "thicker" and not as fitting for pockets.

Process:

Results:

 

I guess it's not hard to guess (by the "deformation" of the case when the weight is place on it) that the right side of the case was a little more squashed than the left side. Even the marking (left by the netting) was more obvious on the right side of the dough. The right side's height was a little lesser than 2 cm (estimated 1.8-1.9cm).

Rating: 3/5

Contestant No.3: HZSound PU Case

 

I got this from Taobao during a promotion for about SG$10. It'll cost slightly more now, maybe around SG$13-14. From the first touch of this case, I know it's of much better quality than the previous ones. The waterproof PU surface is so smooth and the case is sturdy all around. Even the zip and the tag on the zipper are of good quality and print. It came with a clipper too for easy carrying.

Size wise, this is slightly bigger but still will fit in most pockets.

Process:

 

Results:

Similar with the other cases, there is marking where the netting is. However, the marking is much lighter, probably due to less force pressing it against the dough. Other than the netting marking, the dough is mostly untouched. The height is still 2 cm.


Rating: 5/5

Conclusion:

Cheaper Cases:
- Poorer Quality materials
- The zipper feels much thinner and could break more easily

 Cheaper case zipper (left) vs More expensive case zipper (right)

- Tend to squash more under pressure (I do question how long they can withstand pressure)

- Poorer, "plainer" design
- Lack of accessories
- Poorer Workmanship (obvious in the Remax case, it's not well aligned. The red case also has this problem)


Well, the results are pretty obvious. The cheaper carrying cases does their job of protecting what is inside pretty well too. However, I would question their durability, because they tend to get squashed and unaligned after pressure is applied. The more expensive case obviously wasn't affected as much.

Which one to get really depends on your usage and budget. All of these cases would prevent tangling and pulling (of cables) pretty well and are waterproof. Ultimately, there are hard plastic cases that work best in protecting the earphones (and preventing "squashing"), but they're pretty bulky and won't fit in your pockets as much.