Grove’s New SkateCase Is A Beautiful And Unique Way To Protect An iPhone 5
by Brent Dirks
June 3, 2013
While you might not have heard of accessory maker Grove, the Oregon-based company makes some of the most unique and beautiful iPhone cases I’ve ever seen. And continuing a partnership with jewelry designer MapleXO, the company has introduced the new SkateCase for the iPhone 5.
Here’s a quick video that shows how the case is made. Click here if you can’t see the video.
I reviewed the SkateBack for the iPhone 4/4S almost a year ago, and the SkateCase is made in a similar fashion.
Skateboard maker Paul Schmitt from PS Stix in Costa Mesa, Calif. makes up to 4,000 skateboards a day. And in just a week, the company produces enough scrap wood to fill a city bus.
And instead of all that material ending up in a landfill, Grove and MapleXO have teamed up to give the waste a second life protecting your iPhone.
The wood strips that are too narrow for skateboards are laminated together, and the SkateCase is milled from that solid block. All of the fine details, like the camera hole and port covers, are filed down by hand. After the case is sanded and polished, it is rubbed with citrus oil to bring out the unique color combination.
Because each block of wood is formed from different skateboard strips, each case is guaranteed to be one of a kind.
The SkateCase for the iPhone 5 is available in a white or black bezel. It costs $149, and can be ordered directly through Grove now. The first 100 customers who order the case will receive a nice looking MapleXO keychain also made from recycled skateboard.
A SkateBack for the iPhone 5, which just protects the back part of the handset, is also available in three different color combinations for $39.
