So over the last few weeks, I have been searching for what I believe to be the best screen protectors for my products. Primarily, I have been looking for something to protect my BlackBerry Bold and my Canon Powershot G10 Digital Camera. Finally, I think I have found it! Clarivue, like many other brands, is a company whose main focus is Ultra-Clear and Anti-Glare screen protectors. Of all the brands that I have tried, I found Clarivue to offer not only the best image quality, but also the best physical cut and reusability.
When buying a screen protector, it is important to find something that won’t impede on the image quality of your product. Of the three brands that I tried, Clarivue, Boxwave, and Calans, I found the Clarivue and Boxwave did excellent for both their Ultra-Clear and Anti-Glare products. Some of you may be wondering what I mean by “ultra-clear” and “anti-glare”. When purchasing a screen protector, it is important that you determine what your needs are. For some, simply having a cover while maintaining 99% visibility is the most important. For those people, ultra-clear is what you want. However, with the ultra-clear products comes fingerprints, facial oils, and “other gunk” often forcing you to wipe down the screen. For those users who don’t want to have to do this, anti-glare is what you seek. Not only does anti-glare do an amazing job at hiding fingerprints, facial oils, and “other gunk”, it also increases usability when in very sunny conditions by not reflecting sunlight like the ultra-clear or “au natural”. I should mention that I personally prefer anti-glare screen protectors as fingerprints drive me crazy!
The other factors that one should consider when purchasing a screen protector is its “build quality” and “ability to install”. Many screen protectors that you’ll find are generic and not necessarily meant for the product you are attaching it to. Luckily, with the three brands I tested, they make screen protectors specifically cut and fitted for thousands of devices including cell phones, pdas, cameras, and even laptops / computers. However, ones fit must go beyond “what it is designed for”. Between Boxwave and Clarivue, I had noticed that the edges weren’t as “clean cut” on the Boxwave when comparing. Now, this is me simply being nitpicky, but when spending $12 on a piece of plastic, one would hope that the edges are cut straight and not appear to have been cut by a child. Clarivue successfully scored extra points in this field. The edges are perfectly round and show no visible defects when comparing to the other brands! In terms of ability to install, I found Clarivue to be slightly easier than the Boxwave to install. While both were installed successfully with no air bubbles, I found that with the Boxwave I had to re-lift it once or twice to make sure it was straight. The Clarivue went on without a hitch, perfectly straight, with no air bubbles. Perhaps I was just having a good day, but nonetheless, the Clarivue installed much easier than the Boxwave. One thing I noticed about the Boxwave is that when using scotch tape, as per their recommendation, to re-lift the screen protector, a small piece of the anti-glare coating was removed from the screen protector. When trying the same method with the Clarivue, 100% of the anti-glare coating remained intact.
In terms of pricing, Clarivue is nearly 50% less expensive than Boxwave. For the iPhone 3G, Clarivue charges $10.95USD for two screen protectors (either Anti-Glare or Ultra-Clear) while Boxwave is charging $12.95USD for a single screen protector or $19.95USD for two or $27.95USD for three (either Anti-Glare or Ultra-Clear). As well, Clarivue offers free worldwide shipping on all of its products while Boxwave is charging a minimum of $2.50USD for “standard shipping”. I should also add, that unlike the Boxwave, Clarivue includes a special alcohol prep-pad (not sure if it is actually alcohol) to properly clean your screen before applying the screen protector. Boxwave merely includes a micro-fibre cloth. As well, for all the Canadian viewers, unlike Boxwave, Clarivue will ship from Canada as long as you are shipping to Canada saving you duties and taxes upon import. Awesome eh!? As well, for those who prefer to pay from their bank accounts, Clarviue happily allows for the use of Paypal when paying for your order at no additional cost! As you can see, Clarivue offers much more bang for your buck!
Other benefits to Clarivue is their “Lifetime Replacement Warranty” and their “Return Policy”. If for any reason, your screen protector fails, Clarivue will replace your screen protector and all you will pay is the $3 shipping / handling per screen protector being replaced. As well, if you changed your mind within 30 days of purchase and the product has not been used or damaged, Clarivue will refund the entire cost of the screen protector less the shipping costs (if you paid to upgrade your shipping). I’m not sure what “reserve the right to charge $3USD on returns” means but I suppose its on a case by case basis!
As you can see, the answer is clear as to which brand I prefer and why. Price alone should be a major factor in your decision. Not only do I believe the quality of Clarivue to surpass Boxwave, but the pricing is far more competitive than Boxwave.
Until March 31st, feel free to use coupon code: 108095384 for a 10% discount off anything on their website. As well, if you purchase 3 or more items, you will receive an additional 5% discount.
Check them out at http://www.clarivue.com
Brian ( View Profile) - Posts: