Smartphone cases are a dime a dozen. There’s literally something for everyone from paper thin plastic shells to juggernaut rubber bricks that all basically do the same thing: protect your phone against scratches, bumps, and damage. A phone case can drastically change the appearance of your phone, oftentimes making a visually stunning device, like the iPhone 6/6s, look cheap and toy-like. Rather than cage your phone in a poly-carbonate prison, try slipping on one of Lucrin’s luxury custom leather cases for a fashionable and classy case that complements the iPhone’s high-end style.
All of Lucrin’s cases are made of genuine leather, but what’s impressive is the amount of choice you have for customization. When purchasing directly from Lucrin’s website, you can choose from a palette of thirty colors and twelve kinds of leather from your basic granulated leather to the more exotic, and expensive, ostrich leather. Each leather type provides a different look, feel, and texture. Some leather types, however, are only available in specific colors. In additional to leather color, you can choose the thread color for the hand-stitching on your case and also have the case engraved with your initials, name, or a message. Engravings start at $30 extra and have tiered pricing based on the amount of text, up to 50 characters.
We received three different styles of Lucrin’s leather pouches in a combination of colors, leather types, and engraving options. The leather used in each case is high-quality and virtually flawless. The smooth-grained leather had a luxuriously soft and velvety feel, while the goat leather provided a rougher, stiffer texture. The crocodile printed calf skin was by far the firmest and slickest case with a very convincing reptilian shine and sheen. The inside of each pouch is lined with a soft, finely napped microfiber that both protects and polishes your phone every time you put it in and take it out of the case. The edges of the leather are tightly rolled and pressed, leaving no rough surfaces with which to scratch your phone.
Each pouch is constructed from two halves bound together with a neat, single line of stitches along the perimeter. Choosing a contrasting thread color really did make the stitching stand out and added visual interest to the case. The lettered engravings in both gold and silver were handsome and well-done, however, the plain embossed engraving was very subtle making it difficult to read. Lucrin’s logo in engraved at the bottom on the back of each case, but this can be excluded during customization for an additional $10.
The pouches fit the iPhone exactly and nothing was left exposed except the top, providing a durable second skin without added bulk. The case on its own is impossibly thin at about half the thickness of the phone itself, adding only millimeters to the perimeter of the phone in the case. While it doesn’t provide a ton of protection against drops, it’s perfect for slipping into your pocket or your bag and guards against scratches, bumps, and debris. Of the three pouches, the pull-tab case was a favorite since it made taking the phone out of the case easy. The notched case provided convenient access to the Lightning port for charging without removing the phone from the case, and the cutout doubled as a pushing point to extract the phone from the sheath. But this also meant there was less protection at the bottom against dust and dirt. If you don’t like the idea of taking your phone out of the case all the time or handling a naked iPhone, try Lucrin’s case with snap buttons instead; it’s the only one currently in their lineup that lets you use the phone while it’s still in the case.
Lucrin offers a handful of other case styles in addition to the pouches for the iPhone 6/6s, as well as custom fit designs for other flagship phones from other manufacturers. The classic pouch starts at $39 for plain leather and can set you back $214 for the ultra-luxe ostrich leather. Many basic cases without customization are available off-the-shelf with a delivery time of 2 business days. Customize the case with a leather upgrade, different thread color, or engraving and expect the price to increase and processing time to jump to about 2 weeks. However, for a case that looks every bit as good as your iPhone does in and out of it, it’s well worth the cost and the wait.
