The Lunatik Taktik Strike Case for the iPhone 5 is a one of the toughest cases we have reviewed. Just like it’s counterpart the Lunatik Taktik Extreme, it sports a thick shock-absorbing bumper. This case does not have a screen protector providing uninhabited access to the front screen of the iPhone 5. Based on our usage, we give this case an Eh? Rating score of 3.8 Eh?s out of 5.
PROS CONS
– Shock protection – Weight and Bulk
– Access to all ports- Build Quality – Pain to install/uninstall
– Looks
ABOUT THE CASE MANUFACTURER
Lunatik is a company that makes that claims to have “emerged from disruption”. They’re a company that is focused on building quality products for everybody’s mobile and digital lives. They take a lot of pride in the design of their products and based on our time with the Taktik Strike, it shows.
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Now Lunatik doesn’t explicitly state how rugged the case actually is so we had to take a risk in performing the variety of drop tests with one of our iPhones. This lack of specifications for protection is something that could be addressed.
PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES
The Lunatik Taktik Strike is not a small case and will add a significant amount of bulk and weight to the iPhone. Again, Lunatik does not provide much information regarding the dimensions of the case on their website. Here is a quick glance of the case with the tools that were included in the packaging.
In the Design category, we gave the Lunatik Taktik Strike a score of 3.3 Eh?’s out of 5. It scores the lowest in terms of weight/bulk and installation. The only redeeming quality for this case in the Design category is the build quality of the case.
This case is quite large in size. It is not meant for the person who wants a level of rugged protection and be able to carry the case in a suit jacket pocket.
It adds quite a bit of width to the case (almost doubling the width of the iPhone) and is significantly thicker but due to the tapered edges of the front/back pieces, you don’t realize that the case is three iPhone 5/5S’s thick.
At MobileReviews-Eh.ca we change the cases constantly (because we do case reviews) since we believe that cases should be interchangeable based on each situation. We use them in our daily lives to provide you with the best reviews. The Lunatik Taktik Extreme has six screws and requires small tools to be installed which makes the installation of this case very tedious and painful.
From our perspective, a case with such bulk and weight should be easier to remove so that a more appropriate case could be used in settings where the rugged protection is not needed.
The Taktik Strike case is very well put together, it feels solid and smooth in our hands. The various ports and latches interact with the rest of the case smoothly. The metal slide for the ringer switch is a great way to access the volume silencer and the headphone jack latch opens to the side and gives the case a nice visual accent to an otherwise tough looking case.
There is no screen protector, but the edges are raised quite high to prevent any small debris from scratching the front screen of the iPhone.
Lunatik describes the Taktik Strike as a case that will protect your iPhone 5 “from the most sever impacts and drops”. What they mean by severe, we don’t really know. We always find it frustrating that the manufactures do not specify what types of impact they are talking about, or what drop heights will it withstand. This did not stop us from dropping this case from different heights as a test. Drop test video is available below.
The case and the iPhone 5 were dropped from different heights onto a concrete pathway. We were apprehensive about the lack of screen protector, since the ground is never clear of small debris (Agata had a mini heart attack :)).
In conclusion, the iPhone 5 and the Lunatik Taktik Strike survived all of the drops, with the screen intact. This case is a tank, and the front screen raised edges do indeed protect the screen from small debris and scratches.
The Lunatik Taktik Strike is not waterproof nor it is water resistant. The entire front is exposed since there is no screen protector. The same goes for any dust or dirt. There is no seal or O-ring around the case. That said, the design of the case is such that all pieces fit very tightly around the iPhone, therefore making it difficult for any particles to get in between the case and the iPhone.
In regards to water resistance, please remember that significant damage could happen to your device if you do get it wet. In this situation you will have to deal with six screws that you have to uninstall quickly if the device is exposed to water. Therefore you need to have the small M2 tool handy at all times.
The only screen protection available are the edges of the case, which are raised (about ½ cm). Therefore you can safely place the case on almost any surface even if there are very small debris present. We were confident enough that the edges were designed and raised in such a way that they would protect the screen of the iPhone 5, that we dropped the case outside on a dirty pathway. There was no damage to the screen.
Having raised edges still does not protect the front from scratches and other particles that might land straight on the front of the iPhone. The lack of the screen protector does provide full access to the front of the phone, and the touch-ability of the front screen of the iPhone is not affected. Because of this feature, this case is one of the few that are compatible with the TouchID feature of iPhone 5S.
Click here for a selection of iPhone 5 Cases
Lunatik has ensured that every feature of your iPhone can be accessed. Lunatik’s commitment to design is evident in how we interact with the phone through the case.
Despite the fact that this case is a “tank”, it handles very well. The raised edges around the entire case result in a very grip-able case which reduces hand strain during marathon gaming sessions on your phone.
Accessibility to all the ports and buttons is top notch (though some users may find that getting to the volume/power buttons takes a bit of effort (We’ve covered this in our comparison video between the Taktik Strike and Taktik Extreme).
One of the unique features of this case is the mute/ringer button. Of the majority of rugged cases that we’ve reviewed, this button is reversed so it takes a couple of days to get use to this reversal (there’s been a few instances when our phones have gone off in meetings and movies). On the Taktik Strike, the mute/ringer button (it’s a small pole that runs through the case) is toggled by pushing a small button on the side of the case. Again, a lot of attention to detail was done by Lunatik.
At the bottom of the case, the latch for the headphones and plug for the lightning connector are both very accessible and they feel very solid. The headphone jack is large enough to accommodate headphone jacks that are slightly larger the stock iPhone headphones.
The front of the iPhone is almost completely exposed. Nothing interferers with the ability to touch the full screen. The Home button as well as the camera, speaker and sensors are not covered that might otherwise numb the responsiveness of the iPhone 5. The only complaint that we have with the screen usability is that the edges of the case do get in the way in some use cases. Most of these complaints disappear if you use a different finger or rotate the phone.
Again, since there is no screen protector and the case edges from the front piece do not have any effect on the front side of the iPhone, there is nothing to interfere with the ability to view the iPhone 5 front side.
Lunatik Taktik Strike Case for iPhone 5
We give the Lunatik Taktik Strike case for the iPhone 5 an Eh? Rating score of 3.8 Eh?’s out of 5. Lunatik Taktik Strike and the another case called Lunatik Extreme, at first glance look exactly the same. They have the same shape, design and feel. We have reviewed the Taktik Extreme case (click here) and both cases provide great protection from drops, absorbing the impact, while still maintaing their shape. The major difference is the screen protector and of course the price.
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iPhone 5 / 5S Case Suggestion:
Lunatik Taktik Extreme Case for iPhone 5 – this case is basically the same, the major difference is:
a) Contains a Gorilla glass screen protector,
b) price is $100,
c) will not work with iPhone 5S Touch ID feature.
