PhantomSkinz Review
PhantomSkinz is a urethane based screen protector that uses a wet install – much like the Invisible Shield. It comes in different shapes and sizes for various devices. I’ve been using PhantomSkinz for about 3 months, and the specific product is the original Ultra Clear.
Price at time ~$11
Let’s start out with product packaging. What you get
- 2 shields (depends on what you order, if you ordered front and back you get 2 front and backs)
- An installation card (basically a credit card)
- Instructions
Now if you’re familiar with a wet install then you know something is missing here; yes it’s missing installation fluid. This would probably be my main gripe with the product- you have to mix your own installation fluid, granted it’s extremely easy to do so.
Installation took a lot longer than I thought, and I had to use the 2nd screen shield, being the perfectionist that I am, I started out by settling the dust in the room by turning a shower (or sink) on at full blast on the highest temp you can get it to. Let the room steam a little bit then turn it off, and let the steam settle. This will basically push all the dust out of the air and onto the ground. Once I did that I mixed up the installation fluid, which consists of a drop of baby oil and a cup of water. Once that was mixed up you get to leave the whole shield in the warm water for a minute. I extremely liked this step, as wet installs give you the ability to move things around and float debris out from under while installing. I shut off my device then laid the screen shield down, which was quite messy due to the amount of liquid involved, and it went on extremely smooth, much better than my invisible shield that I had to return FIVE times, yes FIVE. Each of the times it was installed by Invisible Shield Kiosks at some malls. Each time I got an unbearably large amount of orange peel which made the device quite tacky, but I will say it was by far the best scratch protector I’ve seen.After letting the device cure for 24 hours, it was ready for use, and boy was it as smooth as glass.
Review:
After 3 months of use, the PhantomSkinz is turning out to be a great buy; it has little to no orange peel, and is as smooth as when I installed it. Scratches take longer to heal than my Invisible shield, but they do heal eventually (about 2 days). It doesn’t get the rainbow like effect like my invisible shield did, and it the shield overall MUCH thinner than the Invisible Shield, which I believe contributes to glass like feeling, but also contributes to the longer healing time. Not only does Phantom Skinz offer clear screen protectors, but they offer 2 other types of shields, chromatic and matte. I have not had any personal experience with either, but from what I’ve heard they’re both extremely nice, but the chromatics are a little thick. The only product specifically for the screen of touch screen devices they have is the Ultra clear version, but it’s for an obvious reason.
All in all Phantom Skinz are a great product if you’re not a big fan of the Invisible Shield, but like the wet install option. It has one thing that I don’t like- the lack of installation fluid, but the mundane task of making it makes it a minor offense. It’s also much cheaper than its main competitor, the Invisible Shield, which costs around $20-$25 (depends whether you get installed or not), and due to the fact that I got my warranty changes at a kiosk where they have to install it, it cost me $5 each time I wanted to get it changed back. Where as the Phantom Skin costs $11 (that’s with a coupon-there is almost always a coupon that will save you around 20%), has a lifetime warranty, and comes with 2 shields in the box already makes it the overall winner of the Screen Shield war in my eyes. Of course, there are a lot more options if you don’t like the idea of using a wet install (note- the amount of water used will only hurt the device if you leave it on or you pour it directly onto the main board), or just want to try a different brand.
I caution people who are new to wet installs- Turn the phone off, and if possible remove the battery, electricity can increase corrosion by up to 300%, which is the reason why some devices can be thrown into a pool, and come out relatively unscathed if they were turned off when they took their swim.
I have never heard of a wet install screen protector until now (or a kiosk that installs screen protectors for that matter), but that is interesting. A lot of people purchase skins for their ereaders through our site, which makes me wonder if there are any wet install screen protectors for nooks. Have you seen anything like that? Thanks for the review! 🙂
I like the wet installs because you don't get dist sticking to the screen protector 🙂
Both Zagg and Phantom sell screen protectors for E-readers (and numerous other devices- even custom designs). Your nearest best buy should be able to sell you Zagg Branded shields and put them on for you, but as far as I know Phantom Skinz is only online.
The urethane shield protector surely has an effect on anyone’s health. They should also provide information about the advantages and disadvantages of using this protector. And to have a better feedback from the people, this product needs a lot of ellaboration.
Ok, I went to gurnee mills mall and had phantom Skinz put there product on my iPhone 4s and my iPad 2. I noticed when they put on the screen protector on it had bad bubbles and the guy said no worries that it just needed to dry if not to come back and he would fix it. Ok no problem, but there was a problem. Bubbles never went away! On either phone or tablet. But when I went back to get fixed they weren’t there, (at the mall) anymore. They told me they if I kept my receipt theres a life time warranty on there product. So now I’m stuck on what I should do? Thank You.
Try contacting Phantom Skinz directly by phone or through their contact form and seeing if they honor the warranty.
To address a few of the questions posted here, I’d first like to introduce myself simply as an owner of a Phantom Skinz kiosk as well as I wholesale the product direct for Phantom Skinz.
Erich– I sent a contact message via your site if you’re still interested in selling the product. Feel free to respond at your convenience.
Shed– Urethane is used everywhere. It is used to wrap helicopter blades, on windows to keep them from shattering, even in the Apple iPad 2’s Smart Covers. There is no health disadvantage to using urethane. The advantages are plentiful– HD Quality, crystal clear vision, scratch resistance, but they also strengthen your glass. We no longer use baby oil for installs, simply isopropyl alcohol. This is completely safe for your electronics, we spray the screen and the skin, and squeegee out the excess. This allows for faster dry times and when alcohol evaporates it dries completely clear.
Shawn– I’m sorry for your inconvenience. As far as I know we still have 2 kiosks in Gurnee, if you’re having issues finding them please feel free to visit one of our other Chicagoland malls. Your closest option would be Woodfield Mall in Shaumburg, IL. You can also submit a warranty claim via our site– phantomskinz.com
Thanks everyone,
Mike
I love the skins installed on my Android phone and android tablet great protection just make sure the device stays off for about an to dry. Thinking about installing 1 on the iPod.