For those unfamiliar with Grove, it’s a small specialty case company based out of Portland, Oregon dedicated to producing quality products using renewable materials. Grove employees do all the design, manufacturing, and sales out of their Portland offices and claim to be “a community of passionate creators.” From the extensive portfolio of work and artist profiles provided on their website, http://www.grovemade.com, that description appears to be very true!
As with many Apple products, the first thing you’ll notice about Grove products is the packaging. My iPhone case arrived in a study bamboo box made from leftovers from the case manufacturing process. Not only is this a creative outlet for waste materials, but as an insert in the packaging explained, the box can be reused as a picture frame, a nice touch that adds value for the consumer.
The second thing you’ll notice is the wonderful smell. Grove cases have a hand-rubbed oil finish and the scent is amazing out of the box – I couldn’t stop sniffing my phone for the first few days! It’s faded quite a bit over the two weeks I’ve been using it, but is still subtly noticeable, especially on the inside of the case. Although the bamboo will age over time (like any natural product), this finishing process should provide some protection from use and the elements, and the case can be re-oiled by the consumer if desired.
The case itself is truly a thing of beauty. The artwork is exquisitely laser-cut and extremely detailed. The two-piece design slides on easily and fits snugly and security around the iPhone without adding significant weight or bulk. The cutouts for the controls are precise and delicately beveled for ease of use. I’ve had no problems accessing them whatsoever. The case also wraps around the front edges of the phone, which provides minimal scratch protection for the screen. As an added design detail, the front bezel is a different color from the rest of the case, either deep black for the amber-stained cases, or light cream for the lighter, natural colored cases. Personally, I really like the deep black, which blends well with the screen when the phone is off and is a nice framing color when it’s on. To complete the look, Grove offers matching downloadable iPhone wallpapers for each of their 27 different case designs, so you can display the artwork on the front as well as the back if you so desire.
To improve flash performance, Grove widened the opening around the camera lens and painted the inside edges of the hole black to minimize light reflection. This seems to work fairly well – the only flash distortion I experienced was on wide shots taken in a dark room. There was no interference from the case whatsoever (slippage, poor cutout alignment, etc) when taking non-flash pictures.
The bottom of the case has cutouts for both speakers and the power/syncing port. Standard Apple cables will fit through the case with room to spare, but connecting third party cables or docking will require removing the bottom case. Similarly, the opening for the headphone jack easily accommodates Apple headphones, but the L-shaped plug on my third-party headphones couldn’t make contact. Grove is open about both issues on their website, but I feel as though the headphone jack could have easily been beveled or widened without ruining the design or creating weakness in the case, so they get points off on this element.
In terms of handling and drop protection, the case feels very sturdy and comfortable in my hands. The bamboo isn’t slippery or oily and doesn’t pick up grit or show scuff marks. Every surface is fully buffed and sanded so there are no sharp or rough edges and no chance of splinters. The (unscientific) results of the few unplanned drop tests I’ve done while using it show no damage to the phone or the case, so it does seem to offer some protection. Like most other case manufacturers, Grove offers no guarantee against drop damage to your iPhone or iPad while using one of their cases, but they do offer a generous 50% discount on a replacement case (identical model) if you break or damage the case itself.
Overall, after using a Grove case for two weeks, I’d definitely recommend them. Not only do I admire the beauty and functionality of the case itself (except for the headphone issue), I especially enjoy the contrast of wrapping my sleek and modern electronic device in a natural hand-crafted wooden shell. It’s certainly incongruous, but I think that’s why it’s so attractive.
Grove currently offers cases in for the iPhone 4 for $69-$89 and skins and cases for the iPad 2 for $29-$39 and $99-$129, respectively. They will also custom engrave cases with your own artwork or company logo for a small extra fee. While their prices are a little higher than some other popular case makers’, they aren’t unreasonable for the exceptional artwork, detail, and personal attention you’ll find in all of their products. Bottom line: if you want a extra-special case that will truly set your device apart, you should take a good long look at Grove.