So my Secret Santa got me the i-Blason PowerSlider iPhone 5 Rechargeable External Battery Case with the new Apple 8 Pin Lightning Charging Connectors.
And I thought I had it made.
One of my chief complaints with the iPhone, indeed any smartphone, is how quickly the battery drains.
I find myself constantly tethered to a power cord to re-up my charge.
Which I find quite annoying.
And the antithesis of a portable device.
So you can imagine my utter joy and excitement to be able to rock out with my iPhone, without having to worry if my phone is going to die at some inopportune point during the day, if I’m not hooked up to a charger.
Since I’ve only had the charging case for a short while, I hadn’t availed myself of its inherent utility.
Despite my shiny new gadget coup, I was still connecting my iPhone to my laptop whenever I noticed my juice waning.
But one day I remember I had my phone in the case and decided to take it for a spin.
No matter what happened, I wasn’t going to plug my phone into the lightning charger.
If my battery got low, I was going to flip on my handy dandy charger case and suck that precious life-giving nectar from my new case.
So when I found myself precariously close to a dead phone, I put the i-Blason case to the test.
My battery was at 10% (as I had ignored the 20% warning), and I pressed the small silver power button on the lower left corner of the case, fully expecting it to save the day.
Immediately, four blue lights flashed…
And just as quickly disappeared.
Confused, I pressed my silver savior again.
Again the flash of the small blue lights.
And again, nothing.
Frantic now, I pressed the button repeatedly.
And repeatedly got the same result.
Apparently, my back-up was dead.
It had no charge to give.
I was pissed.
What good is a battery backup that’s got no backup?!
From that point on I decided to pay a little more attention to the case.
And I noticed a few things.
First, if you’re charging your iPhone in the case, you’ve got to make sure of what you’re charging.
Apparently, sometimes when your phone is tethered and you think you’re charging your phone, you’re actually charging the case.
And when you think you’re charging the case, you’re actually charging your phone.
How to tell the difference?
If you’ve got a lightning icon on the battery indicator of your iPhone, your phone is charging.
If you’ve got a blinking light on your i-Blason case and three illuminated blue lights (and no lightning symbol) you’re charging your case.
But it doesn’t stop there.
If you’re not tethered to your lightning cord, and you see blue lights on your case, that means the case is charging your phone.
If you ever see that happening (and you don’t mean to be charging it at the moment) turn that shit off!
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve pulled out my phone only to see those four blue lights illuminated.
Ever since that incident, I’ve become paranoid about checking the status of those little blue lights.
Manically checking every so often to be sure I haven’t accidentally depressed the silver button and discharged my precious juice unknowingly.
But yesterday, I found myself, once again, with a dying phone.
I had been meticulous about ensuring I hadn’t squandered the charge on the case.
And I was giddy about the prospect of testing the i-Blason’s true recharge capabilities.
When I saw the dreaded 10% battery life warning, I once again depressed the little silver power button on the lower left corner of the case.
It sprang to life!
This time all four lights illuminated and stayed lit.
Gratifyingly, the lightning icon appeared on my battery indicator graphically verifying that life force was flowing into my phone.
11%.
12%.
13%.
C’mon baby! Gimme the juice!
Little by little, my iPhone came back from the abyss.
14%.
15%.
But then, it stopped.
It hovered at 15% for a minute.
Then, one by one, my blue lights started to disappear.
Four.
Now three.
Now two.
Five minutes into it, there was one lone blue light on my case.
And then there were none.
A few minutes later, that blasted 10% warning message flashed across my screen again.
And I, without my charger, resigned myself to my fate.
I knew, right then, that my little experiment had come to an end.
Dejected, I turned my phone off, preserving what little battery life I had left.
And now, I’ve got to call a spade a spade.
The i-Blason PowerSlider iPhone 5 Rechargeable External Battery Glider Case with the new 8 Pin Lightning Charging Connectors is a piece of crap.
An expensive piece of crap.
But a piece of crap no less.
I haven’t tried other chargers on the market.
But if I had to give this case a grade, it would be a solid D.
It’s got a nice aesthetic, and as a case offers some protection for your phone.
But, since I’m being critical, the little kickstand, which lets you prop up your phone is oriented the wrong way, so that your volume controls face down (instead of up where you can reach them).
And your iPhone’s face is completely unprotected.
If you drop it, pray that it lands face-side up – or you’re fucked.
So if you’re in the market for a rechargeable battery case, save your money and leave i-Blason alone.
Stephen Chukumba 
My sister bought a case last month. And now it has the same problem as yours. Really annoying!
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my company bought about 25 chargers for the ipod 5th gen,and we are having the same problem like everyone else, not holding the charge anymore.
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Rondel, its past the point of being embarassing. I’m feeling a class action may be in order. What say ye?
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Not a bad idea….
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Was really digging this case for a month or so, then I started getting the whole, this product is not a supported accessory bs that sometimes comes on the screen with non apple accessories. It still worked sporadically but now it has stopped completely. Case is charged, just doesn’t charge the phone. The reason I wanted this case was because it charges with a lightning cable so I didn’t have to switch back to mini USB when I have all these lightning cables now. I have now sent 2 letters to iBlazon support so hopefully they answer this one.
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Good luck with that. The experience for many hasn’t been that positive. But you never know. Maybe they’ll be responsive and make you whole. Make sure you’ve got a Plan B, just in case they’re not.
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Greetings from Florida! I’m bored to tears at work so I decided to browse your site on my iphone
during lunch break. I enjoy the knowledge you
provide here and can’t wait to take a look when I get home.
I’m amazed at how fast your blog loaded on my cell
phone .. I’m not even using WIFI, just 3G .. Anyhow,
amazing site!
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I love my case! It’s very convenient. I used to be on 10% or less by 5 o’clock and I would have to charge it in the car or let it die until I could get home. Not anymore! It works for me. I charge the phone AND the case every night. Maybe you’re not charging the case enough on its own.
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Melissa,
You must know that you are the exception and not the rule. Unfortunately (for i-Blason) too many people have reported problems with their cases. The fact that you’re not having a horrible experience is awesome, and I hope that your case never fails!
SC
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Wow!!! The same thing happened to me. It is a useless piece of _ _ _ _!! I wrote to the company, I hope they can refund my money. Thanks for writing this!!!
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Mina, getting them to respond has been hit or miss for many readers. But good luck!
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Same experience, here. Bought it off Living Social for $20.00. Even with that, it’s $19.99 too expensive!
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Tim, my sentiments exactly.
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I too fell for the i-blason dream. It worked flawlessly for about 90 days and then out of nowhere, dead. I submitted information on the website and much like at the top of the page, got a nice reply from Colin. I was so excited that my dead case was going to be replaced. I responded same day to the inquiry and gave all the appropriate information.
Now here I sit almost two months and four e-mails into it without a response. They don’t answer the phone (if you can find a valid number) so that’s no help.
Lesson learned I suppose.
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I called yesterday and left a voicemail and still nothing. This company is as bad as their product. Luckily, my office went ahead and replaced my POS iBlason case with a Mophie today! Lesson learned!
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I wish i would have read this BEFORE i purchased the units. I bought two. One works and one doesnt. Ive been calling and emailing i-Blason for over 30 days and no response. Lesson learned…..I will never purchase this brand again!
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Sharon,
I feel your pain. I wish someone had written a review I had read before I received my i-Blason, and I would have requested a different charging case. Luckily my customer service experience was nowhere nearly as bad as many of you have reported, but the device IS as bad as everyone says.
Hopefully, this post and everyone’s comments will keep the next unsuspecting purchaser from making the same mistakes we did!
Thanks for commenting.
SC
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We ordered a bunch of these for our employees and several of ours either didn’t work right out of the box or lasted less than a month. My personal one never charged properly and still, 2 weeks later, iBlason won’t return emails or calls. Their customer service is horrible and their product is even worse (if that’s possible)!
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JR, isn’t that a shame? I only bought one and was disappointed. You bought way more than I did, and I can imagine your disappointment was way greater than mine. i-Blason should really be embarrassed.
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You’d think they’d be embarrassed except they don’t answer calls or emails so there’s no way to ask them to fix the problem. This is a joke!
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Mine will charge, but then not transfer the charge to the phone. i-Blason customer support is non-existent – all their voicemailboxes are full and not taking messages and their email is not responded to – stay away!
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Charles, for some reason, I was able to get through to customer service, but the device is crap even when they sent the replacement.
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Man, I’m having the exact problem as you. I always make sure I charged both the phone and the case but when I need it, it gives me no more than 10% of extra life. Plus, I bought two cases, giving one to a friend.. Greek gift as we call down here!
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Is there any fix here? I have had two of these cases fail. I like the style of the case and its thinner feel but yet the mophie works great but feels thicker. Ideas? Colin?
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SchuFlea there is no fix I’m aware of outside of going with another back up battery charger case manufacturer. My I-Blason is in a drawer somewhere and I’ve been reduced to religiously carrying around my lightning charger.
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Gotcha! Thanks. Mine is working today, probably b/c I rubbed it right. But my mophie is always with me.
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After buying this case i was so excited and happy that i would atleast go for a full day without plugging my phone especially as i am on the road always, but i guess i was wrong. This case is a huge failure. Worked fine the first three days then after that case just wont hold charge. I haven’t contacted customer support yet but i sure will. This is annoying.
I-blason = Fail
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Sona, thanks for your comments. I contacted customer service, got a second case, but it was just as bad as the first. It’s just an expensive but defective device. I would simply get my money back.
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i have the same problem! also i’ve noticed since i got the case my battery is draining even faster!(ironic isn’t it)
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Marven, I’m glad to see that I’m not alone! Per my comment to Steve, I’ve sent an email to customer service and we’ll see how they respond. Keep you posted!
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Thanks and just as a follow up I put the unit on a charger last night to be sure I gave it a good charge. Today I put the unit on my IPhone 5 and hit the button and it began charging and after 30 seconds it turned off. I expect Blason will replace this unit and pay for the shipping? I had a Mophie for my IPhone 4S and NEVER had any issues but have not seen a unit for the IPhone 5 yet? Thanks Steve
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Steve, no problem. I suspect we’ll have to wait and see how i-Blason responds. If they understand customer service at its most basic level, they’ll do everything in their power to ensure the replacement process is as seamless and trouble free as possible. But who knows. If customer service doesn’t pick up the phone when you call, it doesn’t bode well for what their item replacement policy is like. I too have kept trying to get a proper charge, but to no avail.
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I have the same piece of crap. I opened the box all excited and charged it over night. Day two after charging went to use it. Guess what turn it on and 30 seconds later it stops charging I did this at least 10 times to this expensive piece of junk.I called the 800 number but as usual no one around to help me.
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Steve, my deepest apologies. It’s very frustrating having a device that doesn’t perform as intended. I’ve sent the following email to their customer support, and I’ll let you know if I get a better result.
“Dear Sir or Madam, I received the i-Blason PowerSlider iPhone 5 Rechargeable External Battery Case with the new Apple 8 Pin Lightning Charging Connectors as a gift last month (December 2012).
However, it does not seem to be operating properly. It is not operating properly. It does not seem to be holding a charge, and whenever I seem to have fully charged it, it is completely depleted whenever I actually attempt to recharge my drained iPhone 5 battery using the case.
I have only utilized my iPhone 5 8 pin connector to recharge either device, and I have paid strict attention to determining which device is being charged. So I doubt it is user error.
Despite my diligence, the battery case fails to properly recharge my device. Can you please send me a replacement or advise what needs to be done to replace the one I currently have.
Thank you.
SC”
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Thanks for reviewing our products, Please contact support@i-blason.com to resolve the issue. The battery case comes with 1 year warranty.
Thanks
Colin
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David,
Thank you for responding. You’re the first person from any brand I’ve critically assessed, who responded in a timely fashion and gave useful information.
To you, sir, I say kudos!
Can I assume from your response that its supposed to provide a longer more robust charge?
If my experience was anomalous, I’ll follow your suggestion and contact customer service.
I appreciate your input.
SC
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