37 review(s) written for the Case-Mate iPhone 3G / 3GS Fuel - Battery Extender Case
Beware
Reviewed by: Ems5000 on Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Would you recommend the iPhone 3G / 3GS Fuel - Battery Extender Case to a friend? NO
Pros:
Cons:
Purchased From: Casemate.com
Review: This case is not very rugged. 1st one i bough the clip broke. Case-mate sent me a replacement and the clip broke on that one. They allowed me to keep both but there is no holster that will fit them. They charge my phone great and sync well too. Only problem is I cant find a holster that will fit these batteries with broken clips. Try again Case-mate.... You can do It.
Would you recommend the iPhone 3G / 3GS Fuel - Battery Extender Case to a friend? YES
Pros:
Great Charger!
Cons:
It freezes and has no reset options!
Purchased From: Mall of GA, Buford, GA
Review: I love the Fuel, but it will freeze when triggered by an undetermined phone function. Once frozen, it has not reset options and must be replaced. My 2nd has died within 70 days of purchase. Good thing is they replaced them with no hassle.
Would you recommend the iPhone 3G / 3GS Fuel - Battery Extender Case to a friend? YES
Pros:
Charges very well, when it works.
Cons:
Rubbery case snags on clothes. Flimsy belt clip.
Purchased From: Online
Review: I'm on my FOURTH one. 1st one died, 2nd one clip broke, 3rd one died. There has to be something better on the market from another manufacturer. The good news is, apparently, that Case Mate knows it's junk and have been very good about replacing it when it breaks.
Reviewed by: Scott Hartley on Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Would you recommend the iPhone 3G / 3GS Fuel - Battery Extender Case to a friend? YES
Pros:
Cons:
Purchased From: Case-Mate.com
Review: I purchased my Case-Mate back in July of 2009. It has worked perfectly up until today, when I was wearing it with my iPhone in it and just suddenly the belt clip broke and my iPhone fell to the ground in the snow. Because Case-Mate only provides a 90-day warranty on the product, I have to buy a new case, which in my opinion is ridiculous after having paid $80 for this one. Poor craftsmanship supported by a poor warranty. Most likely will never buy a Case-Mate product again.
Would you recommend the iPhone 3G / 3GS Fuel - Battery Extender Case to a friend? YES
Pros:
Great for charging up on the go
Cons:
No protection at top of the phone
Purchased From: Won as a prize from Mobilitysite.com
Review: I won this case/charger online. I have other Case-Mate cases for my iPhone, so I had high hopes for this one. At first, my iPhone 3G had trouble recognizing the Fuel. My phone would constantly make the beeping sound when you (un)plug accessories/cords. However, now the Fuel works perfectly. I use it for "fueling" up the battery when protection of the phone is not necessarily needed. I would not depend on the Fuel as a protective case... and I am sure that is not what it was intended for! Overall, for it's intended use, it works great! the off/on button is a plus!
Reviewed by: Stana Steen on Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Would you recommend the iPhone 3G / 3GS Fuel - Battery Extender Case to a friend? YES
Pros:
I love it for trips! I don't worry about my phone not being available
Cons:
Purchased From: online
Review: I use this case mainly when traveling and need to make sure my phone is always charged! It has never let me down. I love the other 4 cases I have from Case-mate!
Reviewed by: Zubair Alqadi on Thursday, December 24, 2009
Would you recommend the iPhone 3G / 3GS Fuel - Battery Extender Case to a friend? YES
Pros:
Easy to carry around
Cons:
Front lights are too bright, power switch unreliable
Purchased From: Dubai, Festival City, iStyle store
Review: When attaching the iPhone 3GS, message pops up that this is not compatible, despite charging. The 3 front lights are too bright and hit the eye when using the phone in the cradle. The power switch is unreliable and it takes an effort to start it. When charging, all 3 lights do not light up to indicate full charge. When you disconnect, then the 3 lights come on.
Reviewed by: Wade Fallin on Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Would you recommend the iPhone 3G / 3GS Fuel - Battery Extender Case to a friend? YES
Pros:
Cons:
Purchased From:
Review: Bought my Case-Mate Fuel in August 09 to make sure I had enough power to use it on the golf course. Â So now I've owned my Fuel for two months and just got around today of doing an endurance test. Â I use my iPhone constantly to do all sorts of things. Â I charged both the Fuel & iPhone fully this morning. Â Then I started the test around 1000 using the iPhone plugged into the Fuel. Â During the test, I made several calls, took two dozen photos, listened to music for easily six hours with a Bluetooth stereo headset, surfed the internet for at least three hours, and sent several MMS Text messages. Â Roughly 12 hours later, the Fuel finally shutdown after running out of power. Â Needless to say, I am extremely impressed with the performance of the Fuel. Â
Reviewed by: Decla Nichols on Saturday, October 03, 2009
Would you recommend the iPhone 3G / 3GS Fuel - Battery Extender Case to a friend? YES
Pros:
extends battery life as described
Cons:
heavy, clip is not removable, hard to remove phone from case
Purchased From: ebay
Review: I just received my case-mate in the mail and the first thing I noticed was that there are not any real instructiions with it. I had to come to this website to see how to find out how to initially charge it. It is also much heavier than I had anticipated and I don't like clips and this one is not removable. Guess I will have to break it off?
Would you recommend the iPhone 3G / 3GS Fuel - Battery Extender Case to a friend? YES
Pros:
Cons:
Purchased From: Online
Review: Work exactly as it says, you can decide when it recharges your phone, really useful. The clip needs to be beefed up considerable and made to grab better AND PLEASE make the next version (or a version) where the screen faces inward. Who wants the face of their phone to take the brunt of bumping into something or vice versa :(
Reviewed by: JJason Sakamoto on Thursday, October 01, 2009
Would you recommend the iPhone 3G / 3GS Fuel - Battery Extender Case to a friend? NO
Pros:
Adds about 1 1/4 worth of extra juice to your iPhone battery
Cons:
Fuel Battery drains even if it's plugged in if you are using the phone.
Purchased From: Case-mate
Review: The case can be a bit heavy and awkward when using just one hand to hold and navigate the phone.
My biggest gripes are...
1. You can't use the phone when you are charging up the Fuel case. The phone for some reason uses up more energy than the pluged in Fuel case recieves while it's plugged in to charge. When both my iPhone battery and Fuel are all juiced out but I need to use my phone still... I need to take the phone out and charge the case and phone seperately or the case will never get charged.
2. It takes forever to charge up the Fuel! It takes over 5 hours for a full charge and that's not including having the phone plugged into it to charge. I take my phone out and charge it seperately or it wouldn't be fully charged when I need it.
Reviewed by: Richard PeatrossFred Peatross on Monday, September 28, 2009
Would you recommend the iPhone 3G / 3GS Fuel - Battery Extender Case to a friend? YES
Pros:
great battery extender. Great for a traveler
Cons:
Purchased From: Case-Mate
Review: Love the concept of a iPhone clip to the belt with extended battery time. But on my first trip the clip snapped and broke half way through my trip. I emailed Case-Mates and they responded and sent me a replacement. It's upsetting to see others have had the same problem.
Reviewed by: Joe Peterson on Sunday, September 20, 2009
Would you recommend the iPhone 3G / 3GS Fuel - Battery Extender Case to a friend? YES
Pros:
battery has very long life...I really like that
Cons:
clip is very fragile...needs to be beefed up...mine broke with almost no force put on it
Purchased From: online
Review: I've had mine for less than 90 days and the clip broke with nearly zero force put on it. someone designed it without accounting for the weight of the unit plus the iphone putting force on two small eyelets in the clip...not good structural engineering
Reviewed by: Paul Monroe on Saturday, September 19, 2009
Would you recommend the iPhone 3G / 3GS Fuel - Battery Extender Case to a friend? YES
Pros:
It's a holster, you can charge only when needed
Cons:
can't find any
Purchased From: cellularforless.com
Review: This is what I have been waiting for. It's perfect. I now have a holster for my phone. It charges only when I turn on the power button as needed. That is so cool. I have tons of battery life now. The iphone has very limited battery life so this is a real life saver. I really can't say enough. This thing is the BEST!
Reviewed by: Doug Lyvere on Monday, August 24, 2009
Would you recommend the iPhone 3G / 3GS Fuel - Battery Extender Case to a friend? YES
Pros:
Improves time between charges, eliminates carrying charging cords all the time
Cons:
Needs a face cover (privacy if not security
Purchased From: Case Mate
Review: Being a gadget freak, I have a tendency to download lots of stuff. Being on the move, I tend to be on the phone a huge amount. Being schedule or task oriented, I need to carry lots of info with me. All of this extra usage requires superior battery life and dependability. The Fuel delivers this and more!!
Reviewed by: Paul Duryea on Friday, August 21, 2009
Would you recommend the iPhone 3G / 3GS Fuel - Battery Extender Case to a friend? YES
Pros:
I really could not live with out my fuel.Since the iphone battery life is poor to say the least,having my fuel makes it an even better phone. I have
Cons:
Make the swivel clip detactable from the battery pack this would make it nervana.
Purchased From: online
Review: I really love my fuel. My kids bought one form me for my birthday. I guess that they got tired of hearing me complain about running out of juice for my iphone. That's stopped!! It's been a family saver! no really this is the best thing since the iphone.
Reviewed by: Logan Voss on Friday, August 21, 2009
Would you recommend the iPhone 3G / 3GS Fuel - Battery Extender Case to a friend? YES
Pros:
Great design, well built, doesnt break
Cons:
NONE! :D
Purchased From: CaseMate.com
Review: This case is excellent for trips, and even car rides. As a heavy internet user, this is perfect for checking my email on low battery. Love it, and I dont know what I would do with out it!
Reviewed by: Tom Collins on Friday, August 21, 2009
Would you recommend the iPhone 3G / 3GS Fuel - Battery Extender Case to a friend? YES
Pros:
Energy when you need it, where you need it.
Cons:
Difficult to remove phone to answer a call.
Purchased From: case-mate.com
Review: I bought the Fuel - Battery Extender Case as part of my power management plan for my iPhone 3gS. Certain applications, such as GPS, burn through battery reserves quickly. The Fuel - Battery Extender case ensures that I will make it through the day with battery power, no matter what.
I live in South Florida and we are currently in our storm season. In previous years we have lost power due to hurricanes for up to 5 days. The Fuel - Battery Extender Case is an integral part of my hurricane preparedness plan. I take great comfort in knowing that the case extends standby time for up to 250 hours.
Would you recommend the iPhone 3G / 3GS Fuel - Battery Extender Case to a friend? YES
Pros:
Easy, effective, trouble free
Cons:
I basically find clip on cases awkward btu this one works.
Purchased From: On Line from Case-Mate
Review: I have purchased two other auxiliary battery packs for my iPhone and they were a big disappointment. The Case-mate works great, adds substantial life to the internal iPhone battery, is easy to use and is cost effective. A best of breed!
Excellent Battery Life Extension - charging issues.
Reviewed by: Sam on Monday, August 10, 2009
Would you recommend the iPhone 3G / 3GS Fuel - Battery Extender Case to a friend? YES
Pros:
Great extended battery life
Cons:
Often won't charge phone or fuel no matter how the on/off button is pushed. Have to seperate phone and fuel and charge them separately
Purchased From: Online
Review: Fuel provides excellent extended battery life for the iPhone. Before owning the Fuel I could not get through the day with out needing to charge the iPhone. However, I continue to have an issue with the on/off button on the Fuel. I can plug the Fuel/iPhone charger in the wall, hit the on/off button, get the acknowledge from the iPhone that external power is connected, then 5 minutes later discover the iPhone is on internal battery and neither the Fuel or the iPhone is charging.
Reviewed by: Snakedoctor on Tuesday, August 04, 2009
Would you recommend the iPhone 3G / 3GS Fuel - Battery Extender Case to a friend? YES
Pros:
Great for extra battery
Cons:
Hard and almost impossible to remove from case
Purchased From: Tessco
Review: The packaging states easy to remove from holster. I tried to remove my phone and it is next to impssible to remove the phone from the holster to answer it. You have to remove the phone of course their intent may be for you to remove the clip...That's just a little too much and the clip gets in the way of the camera unless you remember to move it before taking a picture.
Would you recommend the iPhone 3G / 3GS Fuel - Battery Extender Case to a friend? YES
Pros:
Belt clip, lightweight, emergency charge
Cons:
Takes sooooo long to recharge the case
Purchased From: Online
Review: I've had the Fuel for several weeks and when I'm using it as a case and backup battery it works as advertised. However, when the battery is gone it takes me on average 24 hours to get it to recharge. This is a problem since I basically have a "naked" iPhone for a day since the Fuel is recharging. Just beware that this case is best used as a backup battery and not as a continuous, every-day source of power.
Reviewed by: Mike Hartman on Friday, July 24, 2009
Would you recommend the iPhone 3G / 3GS Fuel - Battery Extender Case to a friend? YES
Pros:
Great case. Works as stated.
Cons:
Just a little hard to remove phone from case.
Purchased From: eBay
Review: I needed a case with extra juice and a belt clip on the case like this one. I am a police officer and with the gear I carry I am rough on belt clips. So far this one has been great. I went 10 hours the other day of very heavy use. The case light was orange but my phone was still 100%. I love this case so much I just got a second one for a friend of mine. I'm not sure the LED lights are very accurate but this case lasted me the hole day and like I said I was still at 100% on the phone. I can not say enough nice things about it.
Would you recommend the iPhone 3G / 3GS Fuel - Battery Extender Case to a friend? YES
Pros:
Great Increased Battery Life!
Cons:
Doesn't protect the top half of the iPhone.
Purchased From: eBay
Review: I got my iPhone 3G S the day it came out and I loved it. The only issue was I had to charge it EVERYDAY due to bad battery life. The "Fuel" adds days of power to my iPhone, highly recommended buy. =)
Great source of power, but dissapointing belt clip
Reviewed by: Jerry G. on Wednesday, July 01, 2009
Would you recommend the iPhone 3G / 3GS Fuel - Battery Extender Case to a friend? YES
Pros:
Great powersource and holder
Cons:
Belt Clip mechanism broke easily
Purchased From: Atlanta, GA
Review: I had purchased my Fuel case about 1 week ago and was loving the additional power that it provided to my iPhone 3G. However, in less than a week, the belt clip mechanism snapped off and broke when I was attempting to take it off my belt. I hope that my device was the exception and that this does not happen to the replacement case I receive.
Other than the broken clip, the Fuel is a great way of providing extra power for the iPhone without having to carry around extra (bulky) charging devices.
Reviewed by: Paul Costanza on Friday, June 26, 2009
Would you recommend the iPhone 3G / 3GS Fuel - Battery Extender Case to a friend? YES
Pros:
Extends battery life
Cons:
Bulky, battery life not as much as anticipated
Purchased From: Online at Case-Mate
Review: I just purchased/received the new iphone 3gs on 6/22/09. After the first day I realized that the iphones battery would not last through the day. Also, I needed a belt clip and rugged case as I tend to be a little rough with my phones as I'm fairly active/mobile.
This case offered the clip, rugged case and extended battery life I needed.
The case cannot be removed from the clip, it's one unit, so it is bulky, but I'd rather have that than a bare phone that seems fragile to me.
Also, after 3 hours under minimal use, the case battery indicator was already on 'orange' meaning that the case battery had fallen to under 40% capactity. Understand that the iphone battery is stilll at 100% as the case battery appears to get used first before tapping into the iphones internal battery.
This is still a great case/solution for anyone like me that needs extended battery life and protetion for their phone with a belt clip, but I was suprised that after only 3 hours of little to no use that the case battery had already dropped 60%!! (the orange light indicator on the case means case battery is under 40% charge remaining)
I'll know later this afternoon or early evening if this will last the entire day, but is already looking like the car charger and extra wall charger at work are probably here to stay, good thing I already have those on hand. ;o)
Would you recommend the iPhone 3G / 3GS Fuel - Battery Extender Case to a friend? YES
Pros:
Battery power to last ALL day now!
Cons:
None
Purchased From: On the web site Case-mate.com
Review: There is no doubt, but your Iphone can stay logged on the 3G network all day long with no problems and fears of draining your battery.
Used to be a time when I would have to by midday, put my phone on charge to keep going the rest of the day. No longer is the case now as my Iphone stays fully charged all day long while I use the text msgs, internet and talk on it!!!
This thing is great and the feel and look to it is as great as well!
Reviewed by: Ender Pale Horse on Thursday, June 18, 2009
Would you recommend the iPhone 3G / 3GS Fuel - Battery Extender Case to a friend? YES
Pros:
Minimal Interference & Maximum Battery
Cons:
Size?
Purchased From: Online
Review: This design, however bulky or UNsexy it may be, seems to be the best on the market. The open top design, no doubt, will minimize interference that has plagued the competition to this product. And it's got a bigger battery than the others, too!
For this purpose, I'm definitely a FUNCTION over FORM kind of guy. What I'm wondering is...
Q&A mentions not working with Clear Armor product (tollerences too tight, I assume) but I'm wondering about the new Stealth product...that sure is thin, I may order it, too, and try it!
Reviewed by: Dan Wichman on Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Would you recommend the iPhone 3G / 3GS Fuel - Battery Extender Case to a friend? YES
Pros:
Very comfortable feel, the clip is very functional, works well
Cons:
None so far
Purchased From: Mygearstore.com
Review: Those of us that have an iPhone know two facts. They are great phones and they are power pigs. I have researched the mophie juice air, incase power slider, fastmac iv, and even the unreleased ivyskin and many others. The case mate fuel was my choice and I am very happy with the results. I especially like the clip, even though I had to think about it for awhile. Very comfortable to hold and use. On a trip I decided to test it to the limit. I used it, while traveling, continually. I ran the ipod music without stop, surfed the internet repeatedly, held phone conversations, played games, read news etc.......my iphone ran for 10.5 hours before it died. This was under very heavy continual use. An average day doesn't even begin to pose a problem for power. At night when I go to bed I merely plug it in, next morning it and I are ready to go. Oh yeah. It syncs great, no problems. Quit hesitating, buy it. It's worth it. Dan
Reviewed by: Debbie Chong on Saturday, May 30, 2009
Would you recommend the iPhone 3G / 3GS Fuel - Battery Extender Case to a friend? YES
Pros:
Light for amount of battery power provided; Easy to operate
Cons:
Clip does not come off so I can slip it into a pocket
Purchased From: Online at Case-Mate website
Review: I have a 2G iPhone. When I used the iPhone when travelling to access the Internet for travel info, email and calling, I would run my battery down in less than an hour or so. Without the ability to charge the iPhone, I would take an additional phone in order to make sure I had a means to reach people or for an emergency. Now I don't have to worry and when running errands, the extra battery keeps the iPhone screen bright and gives me unlimited usage of the iPhone without worrying about whether I have to use the iPhone only on a limited basis, which limits its utility
Reviewed by: Christopher on Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Would you recommend the iPhone 3G / 3GS Fuel - Battery Extender Case to a friend? YES
Pros:
Slim profile, protects phone, It's a BATTERY!!!
Cons:
none that I have found
Purchased From: North Point Mall, Alpharetta, GA
Review: Over the weekend I accidentially dropped my iPhone onto the hard driveway pavement. When I picked it up the phone was a little banged up but the screen was totally borked. I took the phone to Apple and they ended up doing a full replacement for no cost. I was so elated by the fact I didn't have to spend money on a new screen I decided that it would be wise to purchase a case so this doesn't happen again. The cases in the Apple store are fairly expensive so I left to peruse the mall kiosks. I found a Case-Mate kiosk and immediately asked to see the Fuel. It was love at first sight. I slipped my iPhone in the case, clipped it to my belt and immediately felt secure knowing that my phone was going anywhere I didn't want it to. Oh yea, and it's a freakin battery!! I used to charge my iPhone once a day due to heavy use. With the Fuel I can safely go 2-3 without a charge. Can't beat that. Thanks Case-Mate for an awesome product. Every iPhone owner should have one.
Reviewed by: Michael Quinn on Sunday, May 17, 2009
Would you recommend the iPhone 3G / 3GS Fuel - Battery Extender Case to a friend? YES
Pros:
Never run out of juice / give you a better hold on the IPhone
Cons:
I didn't find it a year ago!!! ;)
Purchased From: Case-Mate
Review: Push the little button, the green light comes on and the Iphone snycs normally while both batteries charge up! Absolutely great, only now I can go for a couple of days without recharging.
As far as I'm concerned the I-Phone 3G feels much better in that "3G Fuel" case/holster than it does without it. It's easier to hold and now I never run out of juice.
It took me a lot of experimenting and expense with holsters and protectors to find the item which really completed the IPhone. Thanks to the 3G Fuel I can stop looking.
Beware
Love it / Hate it
iPhone wall charging unit 
Drop it once and you will need another one.
