Review: Vinyl skins for HTC EVO earpiece, logo, and kickstand
Want a better look at those laser-cut vinyl skins for your EVO's earpiece, HTC logo, and kickstand before paying $8.99 for a set of your own on eBay? Update: Buy one, get one free for G&E readers only! Details below.
Thanks to the maker/seller of the vinyl pieces (customengravingmiami on eBay, jeff v on G&E), who generously sent me a sample of all eight colors—red, yellow, white, orange, blue, green, brushed gold, and brushed copper—you'll find what you're looking for below.
My husband and brother-in-law used to run a small home-based vinyl decal business, so I'm familiar with what's involved in making something like this. It's not difficult or expensive, but it's tedious, especially considering the size of these pieces for the EVO. So although the "C" in some of the logos was a little crooked on the backing, I was still impressed with the quality when I first took the small sheets out of the shipping envelope.
Upon closer inspection, however, I noticed that some of the edges of the logo letters were a little fuzzy/jagged. They reminded me of the way ink looks when it bleeds into the fibers of paper.
Update: Jeff says that he has "perfected the power and speed of the laser cutter" so that these letters don't have this "fuzzy" edge.
The rest of the pieces looked good, with nice outlines and clean lines.
The vinyl is very easy to apply, particularly with the help of a toothpick. It peels off of the backing and sticks to the EVO with no problems.
It's also quite thin, so I noticed no difference in call quality after I applied it onto the earpiece. The LEDs are still visible through the vinyl (photo above supplied by jeff v); note that the green LED cannot be seen through red vinyl.
The jagged edges of the logo were also less noticeable once the pieces were in place.
An alternative use for the logo vinyl is to use it on a different back cover/battery door, though the material will affect how well the vinyl sticks to it. You'll also have to eyeball the placement if you don't want to take the time to measure it out. Oh, and of course you'll have to be comfortable with the somewhat ghetto look of a DIY logo.
The vinyl leaves behind no residue when removed and comes off easily once you can get the corner lifted up; I used a toothpick to dig the pieces out of the logo and earpiece. It's likely that the vinyl will be wrinkled and creased after removal, though, so don't expect to be able to reuse them unless you're extremely careful.
These custom vinyl pieces may not be for everyone, but they offer a unique way for people to personalize their EVO.
Three complete sets of vinyl pieces in a single color normally costs $9 and can be purchased on eBay. However, G&E readers can now get two complete sets for the price of one! Just mention this site when you pay for your order on eBay and specify which colors you want.
