is Bullstrap the best?

Wife decided to get a cosmetic replacement for free, which is awesome from Bullstrap. Just thought it was nice to see the progression in the leather. Case receives a lot of wear and tear daily, evidently.

I’ve been doing some research on premium leather cases since Apple hasn’t made any in a couple years now, and it sounds like Bullstrap is the brand most commonly brought up in terms of high quality leather cases. As such, they’re the brand I’m most looking into for a case for my 16PM. However, I am not entirely sure which style would be best. Is there a specific model/style I should go for? The one I’m looking at the most is the Minimalist case in Maverick green (I’m a sucker for green even with my Desert Titanium); would that style be good?

Also, if you recommend a different brand for leather cases, please let me know. Thank you! :)

I recently upgraded to the iPhone 14 Pro Max, and I know that this period of time is when everybody is looking for new cases. So I wanted to provide my experience with the Bullstrap leather cases for the iPhones.

Photographic review

Initial box

First impression

Interior of the case

After six months of use

Brand new vs six months, side by side

Close up comparison

The damage that did the case in for me at 6 months

Main impressions:

• The case is extremely high build quality and feels very nice in your hand. I just bought Apple's leather case for my iPhone 14 Pro Max, and the Bullstrap build quality blows it out of the water.

• The color and style are extremely stylish and look fantastic. I would catch myself looking at the case from time to time.

• The case definitely adds a good amount of bulk to the phone. However, you get used to it rather quickly and it does assist with "holdability" since it is not slippery

• The case picks up scratches and wear very quickly and easily, which is part of the appeal since it builds up a very nice patina over time. Although the first few scratches are always disappointing / heart wrenching, the many scratches after several months bring a sort of intimate and attractive patina that makes the case yours in a special way

• Ultimately, after six months, the bottom corner wore enough to expose the interior frame of the case. At that point, I reached out to Bullstrap and they provided me a brand new case with nearly overnight shipping. It was fantastic customer service, and it was truly almost no questions asked besides asking me to upload a couple of pictures. 10/10 customer service in my experience.

• The major drawback for this case is the cost: at $85 for the pre-order for the iPhone 14 Pro Max, this is going to be top-tier expense status. That being said, for people buying a brand new top-tier iPhone, the top price does come with top quality and customer service experience.

Final recommendation

I would buy this case again for the iPhone 14 Pro Max. It is significantly better than the Apple leather case, and it has a perfect balance of quality / size / handfeel / patinability.

Disclosure I bought the Apple leather case for my iPhone 14 Pro Max because I needed an interim case until my workplace provides a specific case that I need for my work (they haven't produced them for the iPhone 14 Pro Max yet). However, the quality is so poor that I am returning that case and I'll just go naked for the next couple of weeks until I get my work case. If I didn't have a case through work, I would have bought the Bullstrap case again immediately.

EDIT: Almost forgot about the MagSafe aspect since I don't use any MagSafe products - I would not recommend this case if you plan on using a MagSafe wallet since it will not stick as tightly. Like, it would be extremely annoying to use with a MagSafe wallet, so definitely don't buy if that's your preference. For charging and stuff, it shouldn't be a problem.

Since Apple discontinued their official leather case we have to rely on third party brands. Is bullstrap the best option or is there any cheaper alternatives that match the quality?

Purchasing from Bullstrap has easily been one of the worst decisions I've made.

They oversell items and provide you with no update that items will be delayed. You just get to open a box with not everything provided then contact support.

Quality has plummeted from where it was before (based on reviews). Colors don't match between item lines (wallet, watch, phone case) nor are they quality leather anymore.

Their magsafe case / magsafe wallet don't even work together. The magnet will connect, but since it's leather-on-leather it just slides around to eventually pop-off.

When trying to return an item due to misleading claims, delays, lack of communication they refuse to cover return shipping on their own fault. (Still working through credit card claim to resolve as the support rep is woefully unhelpful).

To me, all of this is "OK" if a case costs $20, but for their price they should offer premium support and a product. All their products are relatively crap leather cases made in China. All they are is a marketing company at this point. Save yourself some cash and get an amazon leather case for the same quality (plus amazon will actually help you in returns). -OR- Chose one of other quality leather case manufacturers; b/c bull strap is not it.

They spend all their money on marketing material and ecommerce crap than quality cases. Perhaps they were once a good company, but they've lost the ball at this point.

This case oozes quality! It has buttery smooth leather that smells great, and the buttons are clicky and tactile. Action button is covered.

During the pre-order period for iPhone 16 series cases, I inquired the support team about the camera lenses cutout for iPhone 16. The team member Madison responded "...Right now the cutout is rounded for the Minimalist, Flex and Contemporary. We'll release the new photos soon!"* I ordered the Minimalist case based on her promise. However, I received a case whose cutout look exactly like iPhone 16 Pro series, a square cutout, which contradicts her words. Reasonably, I requested a return with shipping fee waived given the empty promise. It was Madison who responded again, defending and insisting that there is nothing generic about the case and that it was designed for iPhone 16. She stated to not waive the return fee unless the product was defective. I don't know about the post-sale customer service, but pre-sale is terrible.

In addition, the leather does not feel great on hand anyway. My last phone case was the Apple leather one for iPhone 8. Upgrading to iPhone 16, hoping to get something similar, but this case feels rough on hand. I am not an expert in leather and patina, so maybe that is how it's supposed to be before the patina develops. Overall, the new product experience is inferior to iPhone 8. What's more is the bulk and thickness it adds to the phone. You will understand when you order one. I saw someone recommended Ryan London elsewhere claiming it is as thin as Apple's. That will be my next try. For now, I'm just using Spigen Thin Fit, which is quite nice actually. It doesn't catch onto the pocket in pants and feels smooth, but just doesn't have that uniqueness that leather gives.

Another aspect to it is the price and free shipping policy. It is $89 wtf, for such a shitty product. People online are saying how great the lifetime warranty is, but I have not replaced my last leather case since Day 1 of using. I believe most people who like leather take care of it and actually like the time element being reflected on the case. Unless I lose the case, which can never happen, I wouldn't replace it. As such, I feel that lifetime warranty cannot be a factor of the high cost. Furthermore, the free shipping only comes with ≥$100 purchase. The only thing cheap enough to add and at least somewhat reasonable is the leather care wipes ($8). Without meeting the criteria, the shipping will be $7.99, which totals to $96.99. Compared to Ryan London ($72 with free shipping), this is a rip off.

I didn't plan to use the case as soon as I touch it, so I didn't test out its MagSafe functionality, but I did see some people on reddit complaining about it.

*I have evidence for all email conversations, and I plan to resolve it with my credit card company as the support team refuses to admit their mistake.

Received my bullstrap case this week, and the leather feels outstanding for a phone case. It smells great also.

I didn’t think the camera control would be hard to access, but from certain angles I noticed that it is a bit hard to actually push the button down, but touch capacity still works pretty good.

I placed my Ashland shell cordovan in color #8 next to the case for a color reference. It’s a nice dark brown with hints or maroon. I was between bourbon and maverick, and quickly falcon love with this color after seeing it in person.

At ≈$95 USD shipped, it’s pricey, but the lifetime warranty makes it worth it to me as I keep my phones for 3-4 years typically.

Overall I’d say the case gets a 9/10 from me. My only drawbacks are the price for those who are in a more frequent upgrade cycle and camera control cutout.

I bought a bullstrap leather case for almost 100$. It’s my favorite leather case and it comes with a 2x a year cosmetic replacement warranty. I have had 2 of their cases in the past and I have never had to use it until a few days ago.

I was cleaning some items with isopropyl alcohol when the bottle fell over and the liquid spilled around my iPhone case. (My iPhone was face down on the table.)

None got on my iPhone but the sides of my case was ruined. For those who don’t know when alcohol comes in contact with leather it sucks out all the moisture, softness, and color. After I cleaned it off it felt terrible since it wasn’t smooth anymore.

I contacted bullstrap and they messaged me back within an hr and told me they are sending me a new one. All I had to do was pay for shipping.

Just wanted to let y’all know they stand by their warranty and I still think they are one of the best leather cases you can get for your phone. :)

Im looking for a decent genuine leather case for my new Mini, the Bullstrap Sienna case looks VERY tempting and very beautiful. Also I love the potential for a nice patina. Has anyone used this brand before? If not, does anyone have recommendations for other leather cases you have tried?

Bullstrap Sienna

Packaging

Front

Back

Hey guys, I was in search of a decent quality leather case for my new Mini. I was very tempted to just go with the apple branded standard leather case, but I want something that felt a little bit more, rustic? If that makes sense. The Apple case looks very nice, but something about the texture and color of the leather makes it appear a bit plastic-y to me

Just got this Bullstrap case in the mail and I’m really enjoying the feel of it. It’s very slim, which was definitely a deciding factor for me. The texture and color is top notch, very very aesthetic. The fit is perfect, not insanely tight and easy to remove but it for sure is going to stay in place. The inside material is a nice and soft felt so it should be easy going on the back glass of the phone. The volume rocker and lock buttons are made of metal and feel quite nice. The only thing that concerns me is the front bottom lip of the case is open, so that part of the phone will be exposed. It doesn’t contact any surface while it’s lying flat though so it shouldn’t be that big of deal.

In the future I’ll make an update post showing how it ages and patinas over time. If you have any questions I’ll do my best to answer. Stay cool my dudes, peace✌🏻

Looking to buy a case for a sierra blue pro max. I've done a lot of research and I think it will come down to either a Nomad or Bullstrap case, but I can't decide between the two. Any thoughts or opinions on these (especially if you've tried the latest iterations)?

More details about the specific things I'm thinking about below! Thanks for any thoughts, suggestions, opinions, etc., that you are able to provide!

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I have AppleCare+, but still it's hard to think about using such an expensive purchase without any protection. I like the brown color on the Nomad case best compared to all other Nomad or Bullstrap cases, but would be interested in Bullstrap Sienna once it patinas.

Main things keeping me from pulling the trigger on Nomad right now are some reviews mentioning the non-leather sides can be a little slippery, the buttons don't work great, and the leather on the back seems to be pretty thin (although that may be a positive, as I don't want to add any more bulk than I have to).

Conversely, Bullstrap has leather around the entire casing, apparently has much better buttons, and I'm not sure how thick or thin the leather and overall bulkiness is compared to Nomad.

I just ordered the Bullstrap Flex case for my iPhone 15 Pro Max, and while I’m excited to receive it, I noticed something in the product details that has me a bit worried. The case has added steel buttons without any cover or protection on the inside. Since the iPhone 15 Pro Max is made of titanium, I’m concerned that the exposed steel buttons might end up scratching it. Has anyone else noticed this? Am I missing something?

I was set to purchase a Bullstrap like every other year, but they've gotten way too greedy. Even with $15 off (discount code WELCOMEBACK), it ends up being $100 to get a case after taxes and shipping. Crazy to think these were $50-60 last year with free shipping.

What Bullstrap alternatives are you folks going with?

The camera cut out isn’t that bad! So far I’m loving the case but it’s only been one day. I’ll update in a month

I’ve also used the minimalist bullstrap x2 if you’ve seen my patina review & now the contemporary x2 thanks to bullstrap warranty, and the nomad and now I have the Andar Aspen, which I haven’t used yet. but so far it’s my favorite one! bullstrap minimalist was my favorite!! Because of the warranty! An i have a love hate relationship with the nomad modern leather. -(Which i received defective)-as you can see in the picture- (but they work out a deal)- but for some reason the rubber around it is the only reason why it sold me. Only because I have dropped leather cases in the past and it took a chunk out of the side of the case, but I have dropped the Nomad case numerous times and nothing came apart!! But moving forward i think it’s Ander Aspen for me. because it slim and it has no faults .. it just a sleek slime leather case. Just a better upgrade to Apples leather cases!! My IMO