Before we get to our look at the actual cases, I'll share a personal story with you about how I found out the hard way why cases are important to have for your iPhone or iPod. In my case, it was my trusty iPod video that taught me the costly lesson. This was a few years back and I broke down and finally bought an iPod when the iPod video hit the market. Before then I told myself why bother? I can listen to CDs and MP3s in my car, on my home stereo and on my computer. So I held out for quite a while, but once I got the iPod I don't know how I lived without it. The gizmo so inspired me that I went out and updated all of my audio equipment with stuff that was compatible with it, from my surround sound system (Onkyo) to my car stereo (Alpine iDA-X100). In other words the iPod powered my music experience everywhere I went. Then the unthinkable happened and I was getting out of my car when I dropped my iPod. It was toast and sadly a couple weeks past the warranty, so I had to drop another $250 bucks for a new one (I took the opportunity to upgrade!).

Lesson learned. I had avoided buying a case for it since they were rather costly. $20 - $50 bucks for a decent case? That seemed a crazy amount to spend but I learned the hard way that $20 or $30 bucks for a good case could have saved me $250 later. From then on I have always made sure to get quality cases for my iPod (and later iPhones). Again I say quality, not that crap they sell at the kiosk at the mall or the $5.99 job at Walmart.

For iPods I always had good luck with Griffin cases. Sure they were a bit cumbersome to take on and off, but they offered solid protection. I tried a couple of their cases for the iPhone and I wasn't very satisfied but they were what I knew so I stuck with them. They made the phone feel awkward when trying to use it. I have actually tried probably a dozen different cases for my iPhones with mixed results so I wasn't very hopeful when OtterBox offered to send us a couple of sample cases to check out.

Once I got the cases I decided that in order to review them properly I would have to use each one for a full week. Luckily, they sent two cases that fit the two major types of cases: The robust case and the skin type case.

Let's start off with the skin type case: The Impact Series. I'll be honest, I've never used a skin type case before because frankly I didn't think they would offer much real protection and when I opened this case it didn't change my mind at first glance. It's basically a soft skin that easily fits over the iPhone and will definitely protect it from scratches etc but before using it, I didn't really think these kinds of cases would offer much protection with drops etc. The hand of fate was on me and I found out the hard way how effective this case was at drop protection when I had a ***gasp**** moment when picking up the phone off my side table to pick up a phone call and I bumped my arm and dropped the phone on my hard floor. Oh sh*t! But the case seemed to live up to its name and absorbed the impact of that drop. Thank God I had it on at the time or I'd would not be a happy camper. While I'm still rather paranoid about dropping my iPod or iPhone in this case, the case did do its job when it was put to the test.

The case has a natural feel to it; you really don't notice it that much when using the phone as it's a nice and tight fit and the material used on it makes the phone feel more secure in your hands and I could hear calls just fine (when the iPhone wasn't dropping calls that is).

To be honest, after a week of using the Impact case I really didn't encounter any big drawbacks to it, it does what it is designed to do and gave me some piece of mind. I will say however that after a day I opted to take the clear plastic face plate off as that part didn't feel right to me. But that's more a personal thing as it too worked fine and did what it was designed to do.

Final rating for the Impact case: 4 Stars

Now we get to the hardcore case for the iPhone: The Defender which is advertised as offering three levels of protection. It does. It's a rather robust case or as I view it iPhone armor. My paranoid mind felt really secure having this case protecting my iPhone. While it securely covers the phone with a shell, it also offers access to all the connectors on the phone with flip back flaps, so I could easily charge it, use the earbuds and connect it to my car stereo.

My favorite part of this case was the included belt holster. When I first saw it and how it uses pressure on the sides to hold the phone, I was a bit dubious about whether it would actually hold the phone securely but once I got the iPhone in the case and tried it out, it was a nice and snug fit. In fact it took a little effort to get the phone out the holster. Some might see that as a drawback, but it gave me piece of mind knowing that the phone wouldn't just fall out of the holster.

Getting the case on isn't as easily as the Impact case but that's due to the robust nature of the case and you will feel a difference when using the phone. It makes the phone feel a little bulker but after a few hours I was used to it and actually after taking the phone out of this case, it felt funny without this it.

I didn't have a drop moment with this case but given its rugged design, I wouldn't worry too much about dropping it if I had the Defender on my iPhone. The only thing that I didn't like was the actual screen cover, which again is really a matter of personal taste. I did get used to it after a couple of days of use but I still prefer the naked screen. Then again, that leaves the screen open to scratches etc so it is a smart thing to have. I'll just have to get used to it.

The bottom line is this really is a great case for the iPhone that does take some getting used to, but will do what it is designed for: protecting your iPhone and with a $1000 investment (phone plus service plan charges), it is important to protect your investment, especially with the fragile plastic backing that comes on the 2nd and 3rd generation iPhones.

After using both of these cases for a week each, I'm ditching my Griffin Elan in favor of these two. What's really nice is they complement each other. I use the Impact around the house and office and then pull out the big guns with the Defender when I venture outside with my iPhone.

I'm glad that my initial skepticism was proven wrong, and I gladly recommend both of these cases for my fellow iPhone users (even over my old preferred case makers, Griffin). These are just better quality cases and seem to work better in the real world use of the iPhone. Now the iPhone itself? That's another story, you'll have to read that review for that! But OtterBox does offer quality coverage for your iPhone. You may spend a few extra bucks for these cases but in this case you really do get what you pay for.

Final rating for the Defender case: 4.5 Stars