How Phone Cases Are Tested to Their Limits, Featuring OtterBox

With thanks to OtterBox for sponsoring this video! You can find out more about the OtterBox portfolio of products here: bit.ly/OtterBo...
Adam recently built a smartphone filming rig using a MagSafe charger and OtterBox case ( • Adam Savage's One Day ... ). OtterBox is known as a maker of high-quality cases, but what goes into the design, testing, and manufacture of something as seemingly simple as a phone case? Adam recently toured OtterBox's testing and production facility where engineers showed him how they stress test, torture, and destroy their prototypes to better understand how their products will hold up in the real world.
Shot and edited by Joey Fameli
Music by Jinglepunks
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Thanks for watching!

[@tested]

With thanks to OtterBox for sponsoring this video! You can find out more about the OtterBox portfolio of products here: bit.ly/OtterBoxPortfolio Adam Savage's One Day Builds: Smartphone Camera Rig: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aJrKlJJ4mtGCjs0

[@purge2--u--nite342]

Yea OtterBox is best 👍

[@insertrandomnamehere764]

I'm still mad at Adam for never busting my favorite movie myth.

[@TheSonofruss]

Now if they can figure out how to get the charge port cover to last the life of the case mine have all split off

[@purge2--u--nite342]

Ahhhh yes the cover, well I learned if you take the time to actually pull slowly carefully it's all good.... But most just open it hard and close it hard, pushing to close. It's up to each individual man, it is what it is.

[@zoinomiko]

... I have such a huge marketing boner for this genius sponsorship. Good work Otterbox. :D

[@PeanutPepper05]

My dad works for OtterBox and I was surprised this morning to get a message from him all excited that he got to meet you and have you sign your book I got him a few years ago. He said you were an incredibly nice person in real life.

[@ApolloHeliosPhoebus]

How does he get the otters in the box tho? Was not shown in the video…

[@takumi2023]

@@ApolloHeliosPhoebus you just chuck it in.

[@katsu6934]

@@ApolloHeliosPhoebus drop it in from a 4 story building

[@chasepolk3678]

Can you tell your dad if he can tell otterbox to put magsafe in the regular defender pro case pro xt is too slippery

[@HeyItsShawn_NotSean]

Hey Adam, I'm one of Otter's test team members. It was super great having you out here. It was awesome to see your spark and love for engineering. Sometimes that can be lost on us in the day to day operations. Keep up your great work!

[@tested]

This is the Tested team -- we'll pass your note on to Adam. We all had a GREAT time!

[@zoinomiko]

Whoever came up with this idea at Otterbox is a GENIUS (and I want to steal it haha.)

[@michaelripley4528]

Well “Said”🤜🏻💥🤛🏻

[@kgun30]

You could tell Adams excitement the whole time, especially with the suction cup tester. He said "this is your job!" and you could tell CJ had a reminder of how cool it is - Im sure this happens in all fields

[@AcousticProfit]

I want a whole series of Adam going places to be excited about things.

[@cyrilio]

Hell yeah!

[@bagel_deficient]

Adam being excited about something makes me feel like a little kid with a balloon.

[@TACTICALwaffle2]

Like an American Tom Scott

[@street55789]

Like a way more intense Picture Picture form Mr Roger's Neighbourhood

[@Ktcsr17]

My favorite thing about Adam is how he can get every slightly doubtful interviewee to realize about halfway through how much he genuinely cares and actually knows about what they’re talking about. They seem to light up while they’re nerding out together! I want his charisma

[@SuperJonesVideo]

I love this, please send Adam on more factory tours. He asks all the right nerd out questions I would ask. I love his perspective and excitement, I would be just as giddy to be able to hit all the buttons on all the things.

[@sirepanfried8641]

I loooooove how Adam is constantly pulling out the pocket flashlight. Not only does it actually help me as a viewer see the thing, it inspires me to keep up a useful 'every day carry'.

[@oambrosia]

Having a light on your keychain is indispensable!

[@iambear.6526]

Yeah the light overexposing some shots is real helpful 🤣

[@Cola.Cube.]

I remember when the iphone 4 was released and I got one on release day, I got a completely enclosed OtterBox case which was waterproof. I was so confident my phone was protected, I used to bowl the phone up the street in the case just to show off, I still have the phone in perfect condition in the case despite the fact the phone is useless now.

[@karlhoenshell7985]

Hey Adam! I work at Espec who made the environmental chambers in the video. If you ever want to know more about them I’d be happy to discuss, we have some cool units I think you’d like!

[@UncleManuel]

I love how the testing team names their devices. The chamber they were standing in front of has the name "Dave cave"... 😂😁🤟 (14:40)

[@t.j.armendariz354]

I feel old, I’m not that old but I remember 3D printing being the dream technology of the future, a thing out of Sci-Fi, and now it’s almost at mass production levels of technology

[@aaronbritt2025]

@11:45... I love how the machine has kick-outs to hold a device until the maximum height is achieved and then it drops the device. Without the kickouts, devices would just slide back and forth as the machine rotated. The thought process that went into designing such a simple thing to achieve a complicated result amazes me. This is why I love engineering and building stuff. I love to think about, what's the simplest way to achieve this complicated result?

[@terrycandlish8462]

I'm the one that built and designed that tumble tester. Thank you!

[@benjaminfranklin4760]

@@terrycandlish8462 🧢

[@terrycandlish8462]

​@@benjaminfranklin4760cap? Lol....Would you like proof?

[@benjaminfranklin4760]

@@terrycandlish8462 lmao I’m just jk

[@eerielamp]

My family loves Otterbox! Glad to have more reasons to love them

[@Merennulli]

It's always great to see this kind of a look at products I actually use. For a while, Otterbox was almost the only term phone sales reps at Best Buy and AT&T seemed to know for a protective cases. (Literally had an "oh, you mean an Otterbox" moment with one when I asked to buy a case.) I never really thought about their design process, but with phone models coming out all the time it's a perfect use case for 3D printing prototyping and I love the efficiencies they've found with their printers. I definitely love their aesthetic sense too.

[@thundergod97]

I appreciate the levels they go to in order to test phones with their cases. I get why they are needed...because a lot of people are not like me. I treat my several hundred dollar device like a several hundred dollar device (many people don't). Never cracked a screen. Only had light scratches on my last one because I used it for 5 years (a lot longer than I usually do). I, at most, have a minimal case on mine, mostly to protect against small scratches from every day use.

[@ChuckADickiner]

I wish I could treat my phone nicely. But I'm a tradesman so regardless of my best intentions my phones will be abused. Folks like me live by our cases.

[@RobbBoswell]

Wow.. I'm nerding out over this video.. i completely miss my old design and development engineer job at a mfg. Facility. Thank you for sharing this 🙏🏼

[@Gman1024]

Loved all my otterbox cases over the last fifteen plus years, they've outlived all my devices, never had to buy a second case for any. Because of this, I learned quickly early on, to only buy one. Getting multiple designs for one device seems so asinine these days of pinching all my pennies. May not be as good for sales, but is a true testament to the product's toughness and longevity, therefore, value. I get so much enjoyment looking at things and trying to figure out how they work before someone tells me, so I had to pause throughout to get a looksy, before Adam gave his guess. He gets the extra enjoyment, because he's there to see it and the more detailed it is, the closer he gets, and the more the torch comes out, haha. People always seem surprised when I pull out a flashlight to look at something, seems common sense to me, if you need it, let there be light. I have given away many over the years, I get those freebie/pay five bucks for shipping olights and other no-name brands for ten bucks or less, which work great, but are inexpensive and easy to part with. Thank you for this upload, LOVED, LOVED, LOVED it!

[@anthopea]

Always love Adams unbridled joy at seeing new things, whether that's the inside of a machine or just a product

[@woolfy101]

I’d say you have the dream job covered already but making and then trying to break stuff all day using such wonderful toys is next level.

[@2siQc]

Hearing Adam count 3…2…1 made me feel so nostalgic.

[@fallaciousCrumb]

I worked as a test engineer for a ruggedized pc company and this video really gave me nostalgia, we had a lot of the same equipment and tested to similar specs. Thanks for making this video!

[@caigner]

Please more of this kind of videos! I love to see how manufacturers take care of quality controll.

[@carlosortega3d]

How a phone case suddendly becomes such a fascinating subject, lots of things we take for granted ignoring the amount of passion, creativity and people behind them, this was a great vid!!!

[@rogue3398]

I've been using the otterbox commuter for years. I currently have a phone with an in-screen fingerprint reader and it can't have a screen protector without compromising the fingerprint reader's useability. So far my phone has been completely safe in just the commuter with no screen protector. The other day, for a joke, I tried to crack a boiled egg with the case like it was a hammer and it wouldn't do it. It's a great product!

[@superhawk20002]

I think I get as much satisfaction from Adam's excitement (like a kid at xmas) as I do from the overall video. It makes it more ok for me to giggle like a kid at Xmas as well. Phonebooth of death... tshirt worthy.

[@chrismorris1304]

I've been singing the praises of Otterbox for well over a decade. I've had the SAME phone in the SAME case for five years this week. It was really eye-opening to see the level of testing behind these products! A few years ago I noticed the corners of my case showing a slight polish from thousands of times in and out of my pockets. Now every square mm has been worn, smoothed and softened to a nicety. Thanks to Adam and the entire Otterbox team for such an entertaining, educational and inspired co-lab. (See what I did there🙃)

[@wobblysauce]

Even some experts f the knockoff’s have really improved

[@SubaruLove]

I worked quality control at an injection molding company for Exide car batteries. We tested for holes in the cases with water and extremely high voltage, froze them and did impact tests with a weight from 20 ft. Along with the color-spectrometer for Amana refrigeration parts and measuring devices, it was a cool job. Great video and a great product.

[@Muscleduck]

Otterbox is the king of phone cases. On my previous phone I used 4 cases which all failed over a span of 3 years. before that and since I've only had Otterbox and none have failed. An Otterbox being available for my current phone was actually a prerequisite for me before buying it.

[@EQ_EnchantX]

I own a Otterbox and its worth every penny and than some. I have had some phone drops that make me close my eyes as I pick it up to inspect the damage, and time and time again Otterbox proves its worth with zero phone damage. Would never use a phone without one! Great to see how they are made and tested, keep up the great work, my phone's life depends on it!

[@cathy26]

When I was a kid my dad worked for Motorola and for take your kids to work day I got to tour where they did similar tests to cell phones. It was so cool to see and we all got to test drop phones which was super fun

[@rikrikonius1301]

I had a Samsung Galaxy get run over a few years back. The tire went directly over it. The phone was in an Otterbox case, and it still functioned perfectly. I did have to replace the Otterbox case, however.

[@goshisanniichi]

That Fujitsu tablet case near the end looks a bit like some tech that could have come from an Aliens movie.

[@ericprice3225]

Awesome to see this and your passion for the products. Like you I have been using their products for years and have watched various phones get bounced off floors and walls without a single scratch on them.

[@jamesbeemer2477]

9 years ago I was working as a ride mechanic at dorney park in Pa and I witnessed an iPhone fall from the very top of dominator in an otter box while we’re serving and inspecting it before the park opened. Needless to say the phone lived with out a scratch even on the case it hit the concrete been a fan of there products for many years.

[@terrycandlish8462]

I'm the one that designed and built that tumble tester. Awesome to see it featured on a show!

[@iridiumscribe4915]

This is so cool to see the process that Otterbox goes through for their products. It gives me more peace of mind to know it's not just a bunch of advertising. I've been a Otterbox user since the beginning. After a while, I just went with using the cases Apple makes but I always end up with a crack somewhere on my screen protector over time. Today I picked up a Otterbox after not using them for a few years and they really have improved their cases and how they make them all these years. It's so fun to see Adam having a blast!

[@misterwire1331]

Adam should grade how fascinating he finds an establishment by how many times he pulls out his flashlight.

[@tested]

🤔 You know, that's not a bad measure .... Good idea.

[@MaryAnnNytowl]

And now Adam will be saving for one of those cameras, for sure! But watching Adam enjoying scraping the 3D printed demos is enjoyable in 3rd person, and that's so funny to me!

[@woodytheskip1718]

When he said “phone booth of death “ I thought hmm! Adam’s next cosplay A phone booth with one duty, to destroy the machines that destroyed it’s kind

[@TheRodlund]

I would be okay, with Adam rebooting How It's Made but he is the host.

[@nokiot9]

My defender2 case has gone off the third story balcony TWICE into concrete and not had a scratch on the phone.

[@brentfowler2317]

Absolutely amazing! Very cool rewind through time, with those cases!!

[@sakaru2]

its nice to see how our cases are tested been a while since i stopped by the lab love working for otterbox

[@handle433]

My Otterbox saved my life in Thailand when I was in a bad motorbike crash in the mountains. I was with a French guy driving down from a resort in the hills when we slid off the road and down an embankment, both of us only wearing shorts and t shirts. I hit my head really bad and couldn’t understand what happened, but my iPhone 12 survived in the case. Literally shredded my shorts to pieces on the road and shredded the back of the case but my phone was good. I was able to call the hotel and tell them what happened while covered in blood, mud and rain. If my phone didn’t have a case it definitely would have been crushed, thanks otterbox!!!❤

[@UncleManuel]

You can tell that Adam as a maker is right at home with the prototyping and testing department... 😁😎🤟

[@pieguy5692]

31:50 gotta love dumb label machine jokes, they seem to show up in every lab I labeled 2 screens on a control unit "LCD-0" and "LCD-1" there was absolutely no reason to do it but it was hilarious to me and the guy who was there at the time, and looked really official to anyone who didn’t know lol

[@a-aron2276]

That colour 3d printer is nuts, I also didn't think that was possible. That's the closest thing to star trek I've seen. If that could print out copper and place components then that would be amazing.

[@ponyote]

I actually have some brand loyalty to Otterbox. I've had two now and they serve very well.

[@talexander7217]

I work in a test facility. Adam's amount of excitement of the cool processes wears of within about a week.

[@zimmy1958]

I have been a OtterBox fan for a long time. have one on my phone now.

[@braydenbarriault6879]

Great video! Could you do a similar video but with the engineers that make pelican hard cases??

[@UtterNonsenseBuilds]

That's the most I've seen Adam geek out

[@tested]

OtterBox asked if he'd be interested most in seeing how they test the cases for destruction. You should have seen his face light up.

[@TheHollowedArtist]

It’s really neat to see the design and testing process for things we use almost every day, but more importantly the person showing us these things is super excited about it. Zagg has started making more cases that I’ve loved so far, but if I didn’t use them I’d keep using Otterbox

[@tomhorsley6566]

For some reason I'm now thinking about Naomi Nagata from The Expanse: "You Underestimate My Ability to Break Things"

[@sillywabbit]

love how it looks nice and tidy and adams just like toss the crap on the floor xD

[@goosebyte]

Loved the video as always! And it gave me more inspiration for a project I'm coming up with that uses a blackberry-comptible keyboard. I may need to reach out to them and see if they are willing to 3d print one-off old models.

[@OriginalMomo]

I ALWAYS put an Otterbox defender on every phone I get. I can break unbreakable stuff, this is the only case that works for me.

[@rolen47]

When Adam does videos like these he kinda reminds me of Alan Alda when he was doing the Scientific American Frontiers videos. So much enthusiasm for figuring out how things work.

[@sundaynightdrunk]

Man, I remember having an otterbox case for my old iPod, and I saw a lot of otterbox waterproof boxes back when I used to canoe a lot and people would have them to protect phones and keys and things. Nowadays I just use a thin leather case since the phones are pretty damn durable and waterproof, but it was a cool era when you literally had to protect your phone with a serious case like these.

[@h.Freeman]

I want one of those machines. I could literally print almost every idea that pops in my head

[@h.Freeman]

No I didn't ur a bot. Taking peoples money

[@informaturge]

This was fascinating. Thank you.

[@street55789]

Since my very first phone I've used nothing other than Otterbox. Due to muscle problems, I not only drop things a lot, but I also toss them. They can go quite far, into any number of types of surfaces. I've never had a broken or damaged phone, only cases that took it for the team. Their warranty is excellent!

[@SA12String]

Here's how dropping things works with me half the time. I fumble, I drop it, then in the mad grab to catch it, I power-slap it into the ground. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[@0Rookie0]

Are you even human if you haven't kicked something into the wall that would have barely hit the ground to begin with?

[@annwagner5779]

Now I love my Otterbox even more! It’s purple. 💜

[@geode8556]

Always 💘 Otter Box✌😘👌💞 I work for a 3d printing company (mjf/HP). We have so many companies that are printing for final version products (some painting or finishings may be applied). It's so gratifying to be part of bringing manufacturing back to America! Wake up all Americans who want to manufacture!!!

[@hyd119]

Kristen is wonderfully adorable and so knowledgeable. Thanks for the tour Adam!

[@InvalidUser18]

Lmao for some reason when the dude dropped his phone at about 15:30 I threw my phone too. I have an OtterBox Defender Pro Drop+ so I trust if he drops that dinky looking case my BIG BOY case will protect my $1200 S23 Ultra. I have actually dropped this phone down two flights of stairs in one go on accident with this case and the phone AND case is in perfect condition. Not a single scratch, dent, or scuff. Otterbox is a good brand and I've trusted it to protect my phones for years! 10/10 It was interesting to see their test process actually and it's actually really cool. ( Side note: I've been watching Mythbusters pretty much since I was born so it's nice to see you still making content, keep it up!)

[@martyguy8185]

Great new sponcer......perfect for your mindframe!!!!!!

[@FUBARguy107]

Adam's excited reactions mirror my own. 💚✌🏼

[@adnamamedia]

6:12 I just love the pure joy in the way he says "oooh really??"

[@lbow5479]

"Let's build machines to measure all the ways we can destroy this thing" is such a Mythbusters vibe, this is a match made in heaven

[@colt5189]

I wish Otterbox would do something about their stiff buttons on their phone cases. On their rubber buttons, I have to cut a slit down both sides so I can get a clicky button press. They should start using plastic pop out buttons that allow you to retain the clicky button as if you weren't using a case.

[@EvanCops]

Otterbox is awesome dude, mines saved my phone numerous times

[@DerrillGuilbert]

I clipped my pixel 6 with a 10k reach truck (so harder tires than a regular forklift). The otterbox suffered some damage. The phone did not.

[@XCaliKev]

👍😎 That must have been a fun tour. Had a friend years ago who had a job at Rainbird (sprinklers) destroying parts, said it was the best job ever, getting paid to break stuff.

[@tomhorsley6566]

Every sprinkle ever destroyed in my yard was because a "pop up" sprinkler didn't pop back down, then got the top mowed off :-).

[@TJRohyans]

Love my OtterBox for my iPhone. Waiting for them to produce a guard for the AppleWatch Ultra.

[@stco2426]

Hello Adam. You were very gushy here! I’m a bit of a fan of Otterbox as I use their boxes and used one of their cases to successfully protect my old phone for ~5 years BUT their product line is far too limited, sadly. I’d like to see OB’s ‘lower run’ manufacturing supporting less mainstream phone companies such as Fairphone as the FP4 is supposed to be supported for far longer than almost any other device, yet their range of FP cases is zilch. OB’s lab certainly looks the real deal but to ask the company a question or suggest a feature you have to give them your email, full name, phone number and order number(?) before you can submit something. I hope they are following this thread (as they could improve certain areas a lot) or you can ask them if they might work with more sustainable OEs. Please prod if you can! Thanks.

[@ibanezleftyclub]

Adam looking at those 3D printing machines like Charlie looking at Wonka bars.

[@rbuschy]

I love this type of content.

[@tested]

We're glad! As soon as Adam heard stuff would be destroyed, he was on board.

[@yomammary]

Loved seeing Adam making such amazing observations ❤️

[@Charok1]

always get otterbox and a glass screen protector with a new phone

[@svpracer98]

31:55 I feel that on a personal level 🤣🤣

[@street55789]

The guys at OtterBox must have adored having someone to talk to who understood what all those things were!!

[@benjaminniemczyk]

Great video as usual. It is a rare look inside one of my favorite companies. It is bitter-sweet, though, as the history portion of the video shows how the company has diminished their rugged products and overall quality. Some of those earlier cases, especially the waterproof cases around 2012 were the best. Those days are long gone. No more metal hinges, no more seals, not more gaskets, no more built-in screen protectors (except for the really expensive iPad cases and a few others). It must have been expensive to produce those, for sure. Still, I miss them. I am up to two cases per year now, mostly due to plastic fatigue in the Defender series. It's ok, it is a still a great company.

[@wellfuckyoumr]

I think a big part is the phones themselves are less susceptible to damage. If your phone is ip68 rated, why do you need gaskets on your case? Obviously this is only a single facet.

[@warrenhillis8262]

I agree, they used to have such a solid feel. Now they are cheap and look rough after 3 months of use. Especially the defender which has always been my favorite series.

[@awmperry]

Yup. The elastomer perishes within a year - and sadly, much as I like the cases, I’ve been really disappointed by the company’s unwillingness (through their customer service team) to engage with questions about spare parts and wastefulness.

[@OfficialGlitchLab]

When friends used to ask me what case they should get for their phones I would throw my otter box across the hall and nothing was wrong with it lol

[@syeina]

Love my otterbox. My ADHD self is constantly dropping my phone or accidentally knocking it off furniture and into the wall. Well worth the $$$ I spend on them.

[@movingforwardLDTH]

Having learned my lesson many years ago, I will not unbox a new iPhone until I have the corresponding new OtterBox right next to it. (The upside is I don’t care what color phone I buy because it is only visible for mere moments.) 🤣🤣🤣

[@gorsime13]

I’ve had my phone since 2018 and I’m on my second case since then. What I’ve put this current case through is obscene but my 8+ remains in perfect condition despite never having any screen protection. the rubber has come off around 50% of the side and the leather is wearing off now too. it’s about time to move onto a new one but I feel so much affection for this current case after all we’ve been through.

[@dorsk84]

I have gone through 9 Otterbox Defender cases on my last 3 phones. 4 on my current one..... still better than all my other cases on my other phones. Can we get metal ones the screw together? Weight is not an issue for me. Also I want a full cover for a smart watch. I don't have one cause I know I will destroy it, if I don't have a cover.

[@iggykidd]

I always invest in an OtterBox case for my phone because I like having the option to frisbee it across the room on a whim lmao

[@mog398]

Okay advertising execs, you win this round!

[@nathkrupa3463]

Great video sir thanks for sharing.

[@shaneintegra]

I have an antimicrobial otterbox case on my samsung S22 Ultra. Ive always found it strange that they don't go with a soft cusion material that touches the phone. They get ALOT of hate due to their cases actually scratching the devices because of their hard material choice. Should have a sandwhich design... soft material, hard, then soft again

[@JigilJigil]

I like these video tours, great job and keep them coming. 👍

[@Gibbtall]

I understand WHY they moved in to making phone cases, but... I want some of those boxes. What brand should I look at for a similar "lasts your whole life" sort of box?

[@dre61986]

I always buy otter box with any new phone i buy

[@mehmedsamirs]

Otterbox is the best shit out there! First thing I do when I get a new phone, is popping it into an otterbox case.

[@knuckles6430]

Is definitely the best case I’ve used so far though do need to replace it around once a year or so but warranties are awesome the outer shell always is tearing after long term use I do wish there was a better way to have the charging port connected cause that’s always a first to go with me but honestly it’s a solid product and so good and I love that they have a really good warranty with just paying shipping and handling

[@philipdixon]

A Connex 500. I used to run those. Very flighty to keep running properly.

[@sabo4357]

Would be nice if one day Products like this that will have a short usable Lifespan could be reused/recycled.

[@glytchmeister9856]

What I wanna know is why Lifeproof stopped making the Nüüd, I loved that case type and I haven’t found a replacement yet