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New Look - PaintJobs

A couple of months ago I bought my first PPC , a Wizard... I bought it second hand, so the paint is a little...oh well, a little missing I want to repaint it so this is why I started this thread.
Did anybody else painted his ? If yes, please post pcitures and a "How to" would be nice.
-What kind of paint?
-Any problems or even better, how not to ruin your Wizard...
Before I bought paint and stuff...I tried a little in Photoshop so I make up my mind about collors and style.
Here are a few ...clues ...I still didn't made up my mind.

I like the black with silver buttons one but the red one would be great with the guava bubbles theme.....

The red one is really cool
Makes me think of the neonode

there are two paint jobs done on Wizard. Search this forum for the 'white wizard'.

thx
Thx 2 Photoshop
Anybody has any new ideas ? ...
I'm still very interested in any ideas...
what paint should I use ? Acrilic or ...I don't know, spray...
I heard that car paint is very good and strong
And that acrilic paint responds to chemical agents even after 10 days , wich is bad
Any info is much apreciated
And of course...new color ideas

Hello
hanmin said:
there are two paint jobs done on Wizard. Search this forum for the 'white wizard'.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I reviewed your opinion...and from site to site I've come to one of your links I think
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=89422
That's exactly the paint I need (( It looks sooo nice.
But I'm not from US and I cannot order online from US, is not worth it...
I'm reading now his thread. I'll be back

I actually work at Micheals Arts and Crafts.
I have thought about it several times, but I have the 8125 version, so there isn't much to paint.
IF you were to try, I would recommend plastic paint with a glaze. But I don't know 100% if it'd work.
I wanna color mine, but like stated, I don't wanna ruin it.
Obviously you'd have to take it apart because if you didn't then you'd have key sticking problems.
Good luck to anyone who tries!

I updated the yellow one, on my girlfriends suggestion
I'm pretty sure that you'll have to tear it all apart. I have done this once...when I bought it, my display was scratched, so I fixed it with some fine sanding and a chemical solution(some kind of acid).
I read about other that painted their stuff...I'm not a native in english...so I don't understand all things...like someone said he used "Dupli-Colors Grey Primer, Gloss Black and Crystal Clear" ...what is that ?
Is there a shop that sells some paint especially for plastic ?...
I'm thinking about ... Pearl Glossy White and very shiny Gloss Black

I would prefer a camo one I tend to be different. I asked a friend of mine and he said that he had to take his apart to do it. I would not like to do this, but for fashion sake I may have to.

anichillus said:
I updated the yellow one, on my girlfriends suggestion
I'm pretty sure that you'll have to tear it all apart. I have done this once...when I bought it, my display was scratched, so I fixed it with some fine sanding and a chemical solution(some kind of acid).
I read about other that painted their stuff...I'm not a native in english...so I don't understand all things...like someone said he used "Dupli-Colors Grey Primer, Gloss Black and Crystal Clear" ...what is that ?
Is there a shop that sells some paint especially for plastic ?...
I'm thinking about ... Pearl Glossy White and very shiny Gloss Black
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dupi-Colors is a brand of paint here in the states that are made to match automotive colors. They come in either spray cans or small bottles for touchup. Hope this helps BTW the glossy white and gloss black sounds real nice. Keep us updated on how it goes if you decide to do this and of course take plenty of notes and photos of the process.
Kirby

Thx
Thx, and I will keep you posted. I'm plannig on starting this job monday, because right now I have allot on my head

For painting plastic, the best thing to use is vinyl dye. You can get it at any automotive store. It comes in a spray can. Its a very thin liquid that is absorbed by the plastic so the color is deeper than the surface. Scratches will not show as a different color. This also makes it almost idiot proof. Its really hard to force it to run.
If you are going to paint it after that, fine, but it will make the painting much easier and if something does scratch it, the surface underneath will be the matching color.
Keep in mind that with vinyl dye you can only go darker than the orignial color. It would work great for black. Using red on the silver plastic would result in a sliver/red color.
I have used this stuff on many plastic items and it always works perfectly. Paint is great for a super high gloss, but too much of a pain for anything that you will have in hand often. Paint adds layers over the plastic. Vinyl dye just changes its color.
I suggest you look up some pc case modding instructions. They are the masters of painting and dying plastic.

Thx man
That came in handy. I'm searching right now for some case modding forums. If you know any, please post them.

Almoust there !!!
Okay, so I delayed the whole thing a couple of days. Now today, when I want to the car paint store, I was looking for Black Gloss and sidef or pearl White, unfortunately they didn't have the white.
So ... it toked me about 5 hours, but it's ready. I left the buttons, for later next week, when I will go again at the store.
I bought a Gloss Black by Dupli Colours (a spray can)
I have applied 2 layers of paint, I will apply another one next week when I get the pearl white.
I'm very satisfied of how it came out, trust me. Unfortunately I forgot to take pictures before , too cought up in the game but you can see "remains" of what it once was , only by looking at the upper buttons.
Sorry for the quality of the pictures, it's been a while since I've last used a camera
By the way, I also painted the mouse, because it was geting rusty...All is Black and Silver

And other pictures
...other pictures
I forgot to mention, My mouse's and Wizard's original colour were all grey silver, so it was kinda difficult to paint black over silver

Hi
You are very brave
I have been thinking about doing this myself.
If I may give some constructive criticism.
Painting from a spray can is a very delicate process.
I can see by the pics that the surface was not prepped 100%.
Try this
1. Use very fine water sand paper and smooth all areas to be painted, they must be supper smooth
2. Be sure no dust or stray dirt on surfaces
3. Use a plastic primer for first coat
4. When you spray use a small amount of spray per coat (your first coat must only just be visible, It must look like a fine dust layer on the plastic)
5. Let it dry for 5 hours at least (If you paint over a non dry layer it stops the paint from curing properly and it will chip or scratch off) Then sand again using super fine water paper then apply next coat.
If done right you will only start to cover all areas completely after 4th or 5th coat. THE BIGEST KILLER OF PAINT JOBS IS HASTE. Take your time, you need to spend a few days to get the proper finish.
6. Do 5 or 6 super fine coats and then 2 coats of clear gloss (same process between each coat.
Always be sure paint can is well shaken and use a paper napkin to clean the spray nozzle between each pass.
If you are in a cold damp climate drying time can be as long as 8 hours.
There is a difference between dry to the touch and cured paint.
This is a mouse I did a while back.
This is 2 clear coats from being done
The completed project
Hope this helps
Jules

that the move right that my-dude holla Im go some 8125 Clear's on the way all in production with the clear keybord's haoll @ your boy I will send you free bodie's when my freight clear's
Do what it do my mangggggg
By: Wesley Clouden
Mobile Content Producer

First, I didn't understand a word of what 1nappiee007 said that's cool tough.
Second.
@ ZaJules ,
Like I said, my pic's were not that great
And I acted as you said. First layer very thin (very very thin) and so on.
I would say that no1 enemy is the dust. I have washed the parts and used fine sand paper. The spray that I used was dry in 10 minutes. And still, like I said, I hate dust
I already said that the job is not over yet. If I was going to apply a matte color, it would have been easy, but with gloss...it's different.
I wonder why did you said that "I can see by the pics that the surface was not prepped 100%" What is the picture that made you say that ?
I'm not arguing, i'm curious, because .... it's really shiny and smooth. Perhaps you meant the mouse, because there you are almost right. I don't know why, but it's surface is not as smooth as the wizard's ... mabe because I used more paint...anyhow, it still looks great, glossy.. Sorry that the pictures don't satisfy you, to be honest, I don't like them either.
The only thing that I was not so happy about is that I didn't focus enough on the small parts , like sides and ends ...anyhow, I will know better next time
Sorry for my english
And from mistakes we learn, what would life be without a little constructive criticism ? "Hey, I just killed a kid ! , -Whell, try to avoid it next time.It's ok dough "

any news about the paint job
anichillus said:
A couple of months ago I bought my first PPC , a Wizard... I bought it second hand, so the paint is a little...oh well, a little missing I want to repaint it so this is why I started this thread.
Did anybody else painted his ? If yes, please post pcitures and a "How to" would be nice.
-What kind of paint?
-Any problems or even better, how not to ruin your Wizard...
Before I bought paint and stuff...I tried a little in Photoshop so I make up my mind about collors and style.
Here are a few ...clues ...I still didn't made up my mind.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
made your mind up allready?
i personally liked the idea of a andy warhole kind of thing

excuse me ... andy warhole ? I don't understand...sorry . please explain
And I only painted the base...I could go red or white...or ...why not, green on the buttons
By the way, my wizard was just like the one in your avatar ... only ...used...allot
Anyway....I got to get some sleep ... i didn't sleep all nikgt...some darn project (( see you later

Need help with a first world's problem...

Okay, I'm gonna start with this that I have OCD. Now that you know, Let's get on with business.
This happened to my beloved tablet:
Don't ask why or how, it's a long story and frankly it doesn't matter now, it's done.
my purpose for this thread, was that how can I fix it?
I've tried ceramic paint, it was okay, but it had some serious flaws.
1. Hard to paint it with that. huge PITA with brush, better with a sponge but still really hard.
2. It's very stable, and can't be removed easily, but, it cracks and falls off after a while.
3. only one coat is not enough. it needs at least 3 coats to completely cover it, and with that many coats it is creates a big bulge which is a huge eye sore.
Now, I've came to this conclusion that paint is no good. I thought I going for a complete re-paint (as I really like black for these stuff, I thought that may be a good idea), but when I opened the back cover of the tablet, I changed my mind. Now, I need some suggestions.
Thank you.
Before you post something, remember, I have OCD.

so, replacing the back cover is out of the question.. Going be a tricky one to solve.

thats going to be a pain to fix but i still think paint is the way to go.
Use a high grit sand-paper and sand it down until its smooth.
Use a spay of black primer and put like 2 coats of primer on and allow time to dry between hands.
Then i would use a high gloss black spray paint. 2 to 3 light coats of that.
Then very lightly sand it down(more of roughing it up a bit, not actually sanding it down) with the highest grip sandpaper you can get your hands on.
Apply 2 coats of clearcoat.
finally use a buffing compound and lightly buff the surface, that will give you a mirror black finish.
Those are steps i have taken in the past to paint electronics and they lasted a while under normal use and i was happy with the results. You could probably find a better step by step guide online somewhere.
Oh, and make sure you mask the screen and the side panels with MORE then one layer of masking tape or you will scratch it.

m1l4droid said:
Thanks for the reply. You mean full body paint? But it's very sensitive, slightest mistake and you lost your USB or speakers... and it's very hard to cover the speakers, am I right?
And you mean to scratch the whole paint off? That's really hard, on this device which is quite big, and has markings on the back.
I was thinking maybe covering it with something like leather... I can design a pattern for it or something, no?
Sent from my Nexus S with CyanogenMod 9
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well, the back cover pops off and you can do anything youwant to it without affecting device functionality. Iknow from my a500. As for the scratching, I meant that you dont want to scratch by accident your screen and the sides of the tablet, where the Ports are located. the paint will be a pain to do but with patience you could pull it off. you need to understand that since you are not a paint pro there will be a trade-off between the quality of the work and the self satisfaction of doing it yourself.
As for covering it, go to an upholstery shop and look at different fabrics. Get a really good glue, an exacto knife and a heatgun and get on it. Keep in mint that once the glue touches the tablet, there is no going back.

Possible fix for scratched bezel

I saw a few guys complaining about the scratched/bumped bezel which looks ugly because the paint will reveal the metal underneath.
Well, I also damaged my watch by accidentally hitting it . Permanent markers are not a good solution because they do not last.
Apparently the bezel is made out of aluminium and only the watch body is made out of steel, that why, maybe, the bezel is less resistant.
Last evening though, an idea came to my mind, which I also applied on the watch. The result is promising .
Using some fine sandpaper (600) and some real paper after that, I completely removed the paint from the top of the bezel.
As a technique, I laid the sandpaper on a flat surface (table) and then I pressed the watch on it while rubbing it. After the paint was completely removed, I did the same operation but using a regular sheet of paper (to add a nice finish on the metal surface).
Please be careful: you have to press the watch against the sandpaper (laid on a flat, hard surface), not the other way around. In this way you leave no room for mistakes and the revealed metal will be uniform and nice, w/o weird edges.
This is the result.

That actually looks really nice! I'm Impressed with it . Just out of Curiosity what watchface is that also as it suits the watch really well.

That's a custom watch face for WatchMaker (built by me). You can download it from here.

I'm not sure I have the b... sorry guts for this kind of job

First Hardware Mod!
That looks great! I know it's just a matter of time before I will need to do this. I have sanded/polished like this before and may I warn everyone:
Make sure you keep the sandpaper flat. If it rolls up under the face it will scratch the screen.​Better yet, only do this with a screen protector.

Really nice. You should offer your services for a fee, to do this for others afraid to do it themselves. Not that you'd offer any guarantees, but you have proof you know how to do it right .
Sent from my Nexus 10 using Tapatalk

Wow that's a great fix for this. Showed the scratches on my bezel to the lg team at ces and they were surprised and would follow up with me after the show. They said they hadn't come across this issue (which I find hard to believe). Like you mentioned OP the bezel is aluminum and the lower parts are steel and seem to be much more durable paint wise.
I'm hoping they might send me a new watch with some better paint but if not I'm definitely going to use this method!

it does look good, however once you do this there is no going back ........
if you want a better finish you may want to try crocus paper after you have removed the paint on the bezel, crocus paper is very fine and may give a smoother finish.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crocus_cloth

Once you have bumped the outer bezel into an outer object, hard enough to expose the metal under the paint, the is no going back either. But at least, there is a way to move forward .

ro_explorer said:
Once you have bumped the outer bezel into an outer object, hard enough to expose the metal under the pain, the is no going back either. But at least, there is a way to move forward .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So very true.
I personally think that looks fantastic and a milliion times better than a scratched bezel. Mine hasn't recieved any scratches yet, but seeing your results, I'm no longer panicked about that happening.
Thank you for a great solution!

yes of course, I like the look of it too
How long have you had the watch since you did this? Is there any signs of corrosion on the exposed Aluminium?
ro_explorer said:
Once you have bumped the outer bezel into an outer object, hard enough to expose the metal under the paint, the is no going back either. But at least, there is a way to move forward .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

I did the operation on January 2nd (when I posted on the forum ). One full week passed since then .. no signs on the metal surface whatsoever (expected, it's aluminum and this does not corrode).
Here is a photo from today.

ro_explorer said:
I saw a few guys complaining about the scratched/bumped bezel which looks ugly because the paint will reveal the metal underneath.
Well, I also damaged my watch by accidentally hitting it . Permanent markers are not a good solution because they do not last.
Apparently the bezel is made out of aluminium and only the watch body is made out of steel, that why, maybe, the bezel is less resistant.
Last evening though, an idea came to my mind, which I also applied on the watch. The result is promising .
Using some fine sandpaper (600) and some real paper after that, I completely removed the paint from the top of the bezel.
As a technique, I laid the sandpaper on a flat surface (table) and then I pressed the watch on it while rubbing it. After the paint was completely removed, I did the same operation but using a regular sheet of paper (to add a nice finish on the metal surface).
Please be careful: you have to press the watch against the sandpaper (laid on a flat, hard surface), not the other way around. In this way you leave no room for mistakes and the revealed metal will be uniform and nice, w/o weird edges.
This is the result.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've had my watch for a little over a week and don't recall hitting it against anything but this morning noticed my bezel has a scratch longer than half an inch. Doing a Google search brought me here.
I was going to try your method today. I understand using the 600 grit sandpaper to remove the rest of the paint from the bezel but how does the regular paper help the finish? My uneducated guess would have been to try a finer grit sandpaper such as 1200 instead of the paper.

You can use whatever finer than 600 you have (even coarser but you may risk it going coarser that that).
Unfortunately, 600 was the finest I had in house at the moment that why I used id. After that though, the metal finish was matte, missing that fine polishing .... there is where the regular paper got into action. If you use a regular laser printer paper sheet, it will act as a very very fine sandpaper, enough to give that fine polishing on the pure metal (aluminium in this case - soft metal, no other reason.

ro_explorer said:
You can use whatever finer than 600 you have (even coarser but you may risk it going coarser that that).
Unfortunately, 600 was the finest I had in house at the moment that why I used id. After that though, the metal finish was matte, missing that fine polishing .... there is where the regular paper got into action. If you use a regular laser printer paper sheet, it will act as a very very fine sandpaper, enough to give that fine polishing on the pure metal (aluminium in this case - soft metal, no other reason.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You sir are a genius - your solution actually makes the watch look better than before the problem.

dzyuba said:
You sir are a genius - your solution actually makes the watch look better than before the problem.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please tell us what did you do exactly to the watch, step by step. Thanks.
My request to any other people who want to adopt this method, please record a video of the process. Then upload it to youtube and share it with us. Thanks.

The entire process that I used is described in detail in the first post of this thread.
There is also the possibility to use a nail file (there are some guys who did that and the results are quite nice as well).

Guys,
This looks fantastic. Perhaps even better than stock. I've got a 1/4" scratch, so not quite ready to take the plunge...but certainly thinking about it.
-Doc

I should probably post this here also. I managed to ding up my watch pretty badly crashing my skateboard, and a user suggested I try this method. I did it a little differently by finishing with a 3000 grit and using metal polish cream on the exposed metal to give it a nice shine. Here are before and after pictures.

The metal polish is definitely adding a nice touch. Thanks for the info.
// sent from my phone //

[Review] Toast (toastmade.com) Nexus 5X Real Wooden Skin Review

TOAST
Note: all pictures are hidden inside spoiler tags. Pictures are not downsized. All pictures and videos were shot on my old Galaxy S6. Videos will be 1080p 60fps (installation) and 4K (end result).
A little bit of a personal background on me first. I am a repair tech for a Houston-based phone/tablet/computer repair shop. I have been doing this for over two years, and I have seen and fixed just about everything imaginable. Phones with cases, skins, and screen protectors, and those without. Tablets with cases, skins, screen protectors, etc. You get the idea. I know exactly what kind of protection every type of material can provide, be it TPU, polycarbonate, silicon, and others.
Let me start off by saying that I have never encountered actual real wood in a protective or decorative scene before. Faux wood, sure. But not real wood (not counting the wooden backs on the Moto X here, since they're part of the actual device). I hadn't even heard of Toast before this first post here almost two weeks back. Let me tell you, the second I found my way to their homepage, I was captivated. I had never thought something like this would even exist. It's brilliant. I spent the next two hours watching every YouTube video I could that showed off these "skins". I use the word skin lightly, here. This is the only skin that I would say provides real protection. But I'll touch on that later.
I received a full set of a style of my choice with the option of a design. I decided on Walnut with no design. I figured most people would choose it this way, and personally I find it the most attractive.
First, the packaging. The skin is shipped via USPS first class, inside a small and nigh-indestructible cardboard box. Not cheap UPS-style cardboard, but that solid white American ****. You can see for yourself below. Everything was snuggled neatly inside paper gift wrapping. I had a shipping confirmation on 11/12, and it got to my apartment on 11/16.
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I'm waiting on the videos I took of the skin installation to upload and process on YouTube, and I'll embed that below as soon as I have it ready. I need to cut out a lot of wasted time and replace the audio, but I'll have it ready in a few days I hope. By the end of the weekend, worse case.
*edit, 11/21/2015*
Here's the installation video:
But, words will have to do for now. I started by installing the back. It was very easy to simply line up the camera, fingerprint scanner, LED flash, and laser focus. The corners, sides, and camera folds all folded up/down nicely. Next I installed the right side with the buttons. That was also as simple as the back, just line up the buttons and you're good to go. After that I did the top, then left, then bottom. Things were going smoothly until the bottom. The part that goes over/around the 3.5mm headphone jack and microphone, at least for my set, seem to be shifted 1 mm too far to the left (towards the USB C port). I'm not sure if the laser cutter became misaligned or what happened there. It's not a fatal flaw, the microphone hole and 3.5mm jack are still totally open and accessible, they're just shifted a little bit. They didn't square up perfectly with the back and the right piece. You'll see what I mean with the pictures below. Finally, we have the buttons and camera cover. You'll be able to see how those are packed once the video is ready. Again with these, there may have been an issue with the laser cutter. The longest sides of the power and volume buttons, along with the sim tray, were cut properly, whereas the short sides were only cut with the laser through what appeared to be most of the wood. You'll see this in the video as well, but I had to take a razor blade to these parts to separate them from the packaging. The buttons all turned out fine, but if you don't have anything tiny and sharp around, you would likely break the buttons. The camera cutout did not suffer from this problem.
Here now are some HD pictures of the finished installation. I was sent a front cover along with the back and sides, but I decided to keep my tempered glass screen protector installed on top and not the wooden skin. It is definitely possible to install the skin on top of the tempered glass, but that would raise it a far amount off of the phone. To me, it wouldn't look as good like that. If I had a thin film protector, I would go ahead and install the skin on that, but I would not install it on tempered glass. Just my two cents there.
Now, for my thoughts after the installation. The feel of real wood is much better than polycarbonate. You can immediately feel the change in grip. The texture of everything looks and feel perfect, just like real stained walnut. Hell, it even smells like it. I'm going to get weird looks from people seeing me smelling my phone now. Points off for that (kidding). The way the back bevels itself into the sides make it a little more comfortable, too. The buttons are pretty tactile, just about as much as without the skin. My volume buttons seem to be a little mushier, but that's probably because I cut it out of the packaging myself. I will say though that since even 12 hours later, the buttons feel a little better, so we'll see how that plays out. The power button is just as clicky as ever. I really like how the skin raises above the tip of the camera lens, I have always hated (hate is such a strong word) putting my phone back-down on rough surfaces because of it. The opening for the USB C port is plenty big, and should fit even the largest chargers (I'm looking at you, cheap cables).
And finally, my thoughts on protection. By no means is this an Otterbox replacement. Time will tell if this can substitute thing cases like the Spigen Thin Fit (which I was previously using). Without a doubt though, this skin can provide minimal basic protection. Since it is actually real wood, I can see it providing some impact protection on the corners. The wood should cave in first before it starts to put too much stress on the housing. Now, don't expect it to save you if you drop it onto tile or concrete from 3 or 5 feet up. But I can see it providing decent if not good protection from a small drop, like slipping out of your pocket when sitting down.
Finished results video:
Do you like wood? Damn right you like wood. Do you not want a case, even though you've used one for years despite the fact you have never dropped or broken a phone? Buy. Buy buy buy. It's going on all of my future devices.

I just got mine as well and will add my $.02 to your excellent review.
I also had a slight misalignment for one of the wrap pieces but mine occurred between the top and the left side. It's about a 1 mm gap so not really that noticeable, but will be curious to see if it snags pockets over time and pulls away. It also took a very bright light (and for a 48 year old reading glasses) to make sure the top microphone holes aligned. My only other installation issue was even with using a blade to help cut out the small cover punchouts, the sim card cover broke above the removal hole since it is such a thin piece there. If they could fully cut around those pieces with their lasers so they came off with the adhesive backing that would make it much easier and less likely to break. I've also noticed a slight lifting on a couple of the backs corner wrap pieces, once again it will be worth seeing if they become a snag hazard and potentially get pulled away. But overall installation was easier then most screen protectors I've put on.
Post install, a couple of items to note. I came off an Adopted case so this skin is definitely much slicker. It does feel when I'm retrieving it from my car mount or grabbing it quickly off my desk that it might slip out of my hand and given the minimum protection hitting the pavement may not survive (thank goodness for Google insurance The other issue I've had post-install is getting my headphones to seat well in the 3.5 mm jack. As noted in other threads, you need them in pretty tight to get connections and the first time I put mine in (I use the Bose QuietComforts) they didn't seat right and I had to really push on them to get them to connect. We'll see if things shift a little over time and it gets easier.
That all said, I'm very happy with the overall look and would definitely buy one again.

dpwhitty11 said:
TOAST
Note: all pictures are hidden inside spoiler tags. Pictures are not downsized. All pictures and videos were shot on my old Galaxy S6. Videos will be 1080p 60fps (installation) and 4K (end result).
A little bit of a personal background on me first. I am a repair tech for a Houston-based phone/tablet/computer repair shop. I have been doing this for over two years, and I have seen and fixed just about everything imaginable. Phones with cases, skins, and screen protectors, and those without. Tablets with cases, skins, screen protectors, etc. You get the idea. I know exactly what kind of protection every type of material can provide, be it TPU, polycarbonate, silicon, and others.
Let me start off by saying that I have never encountered actual real wood in a protective or decorative scene before. Faux wood, sure. But not real wood (not counting the wooden backs on the Moto X here, since they're part of the actual device). I hadn't even heard of Toast before this first post here almost two weeks back. Let me tell you, the second I found my way to their homepage, I was captivated. I had never thought something like this would even exist. It's brilliant. I spent the next two hours watching every YouTube video I could that showed off these "skins". I use the word skin lightly, here. This is the only skin that I would say provides real protection. But I'll touch on that later.
I received a full set of a style of my choice with the option of a design. I decided on Walnut with no design. I figured most people would choose it this way, and personally I find it the most attractive.
First, the packaging. The skin is shipped via USPS first class, inside a small and nigh-indestructible cardboard box. Not cheap UPS-style cardboard, but that solid white American ****. You can see for yourself below. Everything was snuggled neatly inside paper gift wrapping. I had a shipping confirmation on 11/12, and it got to my apartment on 11/16.
I'm waiting on the videos I took of the skin installation to upload and process on YouTube, and I'll embed that below as soon as I have it ready. I need to cut out a lot of wasted time and replace the audio, but I'll have it ready in a few days I hope. By the end of the weekend, worse case.
But, words will have to do for now. I started by installing the back. It was very easy to simply line up the camera, fingerprint scanner, LED flash, and laser focus. The corners, sides, and camera folds all folded up/down nicely. Next I installed the right side with the buttons. That was also as simple as the back, just line up the buttons and you're good to go. After that I did the top, then left, then bottom. Things were going smoothly until the bottom. The part that goes over/around the 3.5mm headphone jack and microphone, at least for my set, seem to be shifted 1 mm too far to the left (towards the USB C port). I'm not sure if the laser cutter became misaligned or what happened there. It's not a fatal flaw, the microphone hole and 3.5mm jack are still totally open and accessible, they're just shifted a little bit. They didn't square up perfectly with the back and the right piece. You'll see what I mean with the pictures below. Finally, we have the buttons and camera cover. You'll be able to see how those are packed once the video is ready. Again with these, there may have been an issue with the laser cutter. The longest sides of the power and volume buttons, along with the sim tray, were cut properly, whereas the short sides were only cut with the laser through what appeared to be most of the wood. You'll see this in the video as well, but I had to take a razor blade to these parts to separate them from the packaging. The buttons all turned out fine, but if you don't have anything tiny and sharp around, you would likely break the buttons. The camera cutout did not suffer from this problem.
Here now are some HD pictures of the finished installation. I was sent a front cover along with the back and sides, but I decided to keep my tempered glass screen protector installed on top and not the wooden skin. It is definitely possible to install the skin on top of the tempered glass, but that would raise it a far amount off of the phone. To me, it wouldn't look as good like that. If I had a thin film protector, I would go ahead and install the skin on that, but I would not install it on tempered glass. Just my two cents there.
Now, for my thoughts after the installation. The feel of real wood is much better than polycarbonate. You can immediately feel the change in grip. The texture of everything looks and feel perfect, just like real stained walnut. Hell, it even smells like it. I'm going to get weird looks from people seeing me smelling my phone now. Points off for that (kidding). The way the back bevels itself into the sides make it a little more comfortable, too. The buttons are pretty tactile, just about as much as without the skin. My volume buttons seem to be a little mushier, but that's probably because I cut it out of the packaging myself. I will say though that since even 12 hours later, the buttons feel a little better, so we'll see how that plays out. The power button is just as clicky as ever. I really like how the skin raises above the tip of the camera lens, I have always hated (hate is such a strong word) putting my phone back-down on rough surfaces because of it. The opening for the USB C port is plenty big, and should fit even the largest chargers (I'm looking at you, cheap cables).
And finally, my thoughts on protection. By no means is this an Otterbox replacement. Time will tell if this can substitute thing cases like the Spigen Thin Fit (which I was previously using). Without a doubt though, this skin can provide minimal basic protection. Since it is actually real wood, I can see it providing some impact protection on the corners. The wood should cave in first before it starts to put too much stress on the housing. Now, don't expect it to save you if you drop it onto tile or concrete from 3 or 5 feet up. But I can see it providing decent if not good protection from a small drop, like slipping out of your pocket when sitting down.
Do you like wood? Damn right you like wood. Do you not want a case, even though you've used one for years despite the fact you have never dropped or broken a phone? Buy. Buy buy buy. It's going on all of my future devices.
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Thank you so much for the in-depth review, and sorry to hear of the alignment issue! Looking at the picture #2 of the Toasted 5X, it appears that that side wrap is a little low. I suggest (and thought it was mentioned in the instructions) using the scorelines of the actual back cover to align the sides. The ports may not be perfectly centered within the cutouts, but they should all be fully functional. We have a "butterfingers" replacement policy on everything, so if you'd like another set of wraps, just shoot an email to [email protected] referencing your order.
In regards to the sim/button covers, it's best to peel the paper off and then push them through the little slots. Those guys can be tricky to get the laser to cut all the way through, but our QA should have caught them in the production process. We'll gladly send replacements any time!
Thanks again, and enjoy your Toasted 5X!
---------- Post added at 11:31 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:19 PM ----------
rgerrans said:
I just got mine as well and will add my $.02 to your excellent review.
I also had a slight misalignment for one of the wrap pieces but mine occurred between the top and the left side. It's about a 1 mm gap so not really that noticeable, but will be curious to see if it snags pockets over time and pulls away. It also took a very bright light (and for a 48 year old reading glasses) to make sure the top microphone holes aligned. My only other installation issue was even with using a blade to help cut out the small cover punchouts, the sim card cover broke above the removal hole since it is such a thin piece there. If they could fully cut around those pieces with their lasers so they came off with the adhesive backing that would make it much easier and less likely to break. I've also noticed a slight lifting on a couple of the backs corner wrap pieces, once again it will be worth seeing if they become a snag hazard and potentially get pulled away. But overall installation was easier then most screen protectors I've put on.
Post install, a couple of items to note. I came off an Adopted case so this skin is definitely much slicker. It does feel when I'm retrieving it from my car mount or grabbing it quickly off my desk that it might slip out of my hand and given the minimum protection hitting the pavement may not survive (thank goodness for Google insurance The other issue I've had post-install is getting my headphones to seat well in the 3.5 mm jack. As noted in other threads, you need them in pretty tight to get connections and the first time I put mine in (I use the Bose QuietComforts) they didn't seat right and I had to really push on them to get them to connect. We'll see if things shift a little over time and it gets easier.
That all said, I'm very happy with the overall look and would definitely buy one again.
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Thank you so much for the feedback! As I'd told OP, in his second picture of the Toast 5X, it appears that his side wrap is a little low. I suggest (and thought it was mentioned in the instructions) using the scorelines of the actual back cover to align the sides. The ports may not be perfectly centered within the cutouts, but they should all be fully functional.
With the sim/button covers, it's best to peel the paper off and then push them through the little slots. Those guys can be tricky to get the laser to cut all the way through, but our QA should have caught them in the production process. We'll gladly send replacements any time. We even have a "butterfingers" replacement policy on the actual covers; just send a picture of the misaligned cover and we send a replacement. Please shoot an email to [email protected] referencing your order and we'll send another set of buttons, as well as wraps, if necessary.
Thanks again, and enjoy your Toasted 5X!

Looks really nice but it's a shame that they don't have mahogany, dark reddish wood alá art deco..

So I had one of these toast covers a few years ago on my Nexus 5. Sure they're ok for the feel and all but the adhesive they use picks up a lot of lint from pockets, general dust etc.
If not for that, I may consider them again.

LAURCORE said:
Thank you so much for the feedback! As I'd told OP, in his second picture of the Toast 5X, it appears that his side wrap is a little low. I suggest (and thought it was mentioned in the instructions) using the scorelines of the actual back cover to align the sides. The ports may not be perfectly centered within the cutouts, but they should all be fully functional.
With the sim/button covers, it's best to peel the paper off and then push them through the little slots. Those guys can be tricky to get the laser to cut all the way through, but our QA should have caught them in the production process. We'll gladly send replacements any time. We even have a "butterfingers" replacement policy on the actual covers; just send a picture of the misaligned cover and we send a replacement. Please shoot an email to [email protected] referencing your order and we'll send another set of buttons, as well as wraps, if necessary.
Thanks again, and enjoy your Toasted 5X!
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Click to collapse
On the alignment, it's tight on the power button side, just 1 mm short of full wrap and/or the sim card side is just short of coming up high enough. Thanks for the offer on the replacement but it's such a small piece that snapped off that it's barely noticeable and not worth the effort to replace.
For me the bigger issue is turning out to be the size of the 3.5mm audio cutout. I can't get my Bose to get a secure connection. Unfortunately, it looks like the only way to get the opening big enough would be to actually take it into the first bend cut since the Bose plug cover is 6mm in diameter vs. what looks like a 5mm cutout now. Not sure if that's even an option? May have to see if I can cut back part of the plug cover on the Bose.
Other then that, still liking the cover. No issues with snagging or extra lint pickup from the small side gap or any of the corner cuts.

I was thinking of picking one up for my 6p and debating one for my 5x. I kinda like leaving my 5x naked.
If I were to get it I would for sure get it engraved with the nexus logo text across the back. You can request this as they can't put it as an option on the site due to trademark. You select the custom text engravings option ($5 more) and then in the custom text field write: "Nexus etching" or "X etching" (for the X in nexus only) as the custom text.

My videos have processed and are live on YouTube. I've embedded them into the first post.

littleguevara said:
So I had one of these toast covers a few years ago on my Nexus 5. Sure they're ok for the feel and all but the adhesive they use picks up a lot of lint from pockets, general dust etc.
If not for that, I may consider them again.
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Click to collapse
There's typically a little bit of exposed adhesive around the edges, but this should never be an issue after a few days of use. We always tell people to just leave it be and it will go away on it's own. :good:
---------- Post added at 08:28 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:25 PM ----------
ElecTriX666 said:
Looks really nice but it's a shame that they don't have mahogany, dark reddish wood alá art deco..
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Sorry for the disappointment, but we plan on adding a cherry wood this Spring!
---------- Post added at 08:30 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:28 PM ----------
graffixnyc said:
I was thinking of picking one up for my 6p and debating one for my 5x. I kinda like leaving my 5x naked.
If I were to get it I would for sure get it engraved with the nexus logo text across the back. You can request this as they can't put it as an option on the site due to trademark. You select the custom text engravings option ($5 more) and then in the custom text field write: "Nexus etching" or "X etching" (for the X in nexus only) as the custom text.
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Thanks for sharing the Nexus etching info, and you won't regret Toasting them!
---------- Post added at 08:37 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:30 PM ----------
dpwhitty11 said:
My videos have processed and are live on YouTube. I've embedded them into the first post.
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Excellent video - thanks again! Those button covers were definitely underscored by the laser... don't know how that passed through QA. Please let me know if you'd like a replacement set of wraps & buttons!

So, a little update for me here.
I have, to my own disappointment, dropped my phone. It slid out of my pocket when I was getting into my Jeep and fell onto a parking lot. The skin performed just as I thought! The wood caved/dented in where the impacts were. There is no actual damage to my phone. A++.
Another note, we have finally had some colder days here in Houston. Because the skin is real wood, the ambient air temperature and relative humidity factor into the grippiness of the skin. It is definitely much more slippery in colder & drier weather, about as slick as an iPhone 6 (at least that's what I would compare it to).

dpwhitty11 said:
So, a little update for me here.
I have, to my own disappointment, dropped my phone. It slid out of my pocket when I was getting into my Jeep and fell onto a parking lot. The skin performed just as I thought! The wood caved/dented in where the impacts were. There is no actual damage to my phone. A++.
Another note, we have finally had some colder days here in Houston. Because the skin is real wood, the ambient air temperature and relative humidity factor into the grippiness of the skin. It is definitely much more slippery in colder & drier weather, about as slick as an iPhone 6 (at least that's what I would compare it to).
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Thanks for the update. In general, would you say the wooden toast skin is more or less slippery than the naked device?

These look amazing. I'm thinking about getting the darkest (teak?) one for my 5X. Just had a quick question. I use a Mountek magnetic phone holder in my car. What I currently do is put the thinner of the two metallic "badges" (that hold the phone to the magnetic mount) under my phone's case. Do you think it would it work to do the same under the Toast skin? I don't have calipers, but the piece of metal is quite thin.

Great review thanks!

bblzd said:
Thanks for the update. In general, would you say the wooden toast skin is more or less slippery than the naked device?
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Can you use the skin without the button covers? I like cases/skins that keep the buttons free or is the thickness too much and the buttons are lower than the wood?

bblzd said:
Thanks for the update. In general, would you say the wooden toast skin is more or less slippery than the naked device?
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Click to collapse
Here in Houston, I'd say (generally) more grippy. But like I said, once it got cold and less humid, it easily became more slippery.
bkjones88 said:
These look amazing. I'm thinking about getting the darkest (teak?) one for my 5X. Just had a quick question. I use a Mountek magnetic phone holder in my car. What I currently do is put the thinner of the two metallic "badges" (that hold the phone to the magnetic mount) under my phone's case. Do you think it would it work to do the same under the Toast skin? I don't have calipers, but the piece of metal is quite thin.
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I use a similar kind of magnetic mount. I have mine just stuck right on the back. If the magnet is strong enough it should be okay.
radeon962 said:
Can you use the skin without the button covers? I like cases/skins that keep the buttons free or is the thickness too much and the buttons are lower than the wood?
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You could, but they're basically flush with the skin. It would be pretty hard to press.

Does the camera lens ring affect light going into it? That's my only concern, as this phone is marketed with more light capturing capabilities.

ShishkaBerry said:
Does the camera lens ring affect light going into it? That's my only concern, as this phone is marketed with more light capturing capabilities.
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Not a bit.
Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

dpwhitty11 said:
Not a bit.
Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk
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Sweet! I've been working on a custom case design since yesterday, the first time I've ever used photoshop lol. The fingerprint sensor looks like a full moon to me, so I'm thinking forest treeline with orion constellation above it on ebony. Currently waiting for the ice blue 5X, just ordered it Friday.

dpwhitty11 said:
You could, but they're basically flush with the skin. It would be pretty hard to press.
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I ended up just trimming the opening for the buttons with an Exacto knife so that I could leave the buttons bare.

Just a quick update to my experience with my Toast cover. Unfortunately, after 7 months I had to take it off. The cover on the power button had slowly chipped off (kept snagging on my pocket) down to the point it was difficult to press and a couple of the corner curve pieces had snapped off. Fortunately using a hair dryer helped it come off with no leftover adhesive.

screen protector in a bottle

I just did a video review of liquid screen protectors.

No you didn't. A review would have actually used the product and presented some sort of conclusion on it's value or utility.
I'm not a physicist, but I have my doubts that this kind of product can provide any impact protection. Possibly it can help protect the glass from scratches as a sacrificial layer, but in order to provide long-term benefits there needs to be a way to remove and reapply the coating when scratches or scuffs occur, and I see nothing to explain how this can be done.

bumpintheroad said:
No you didn't. A review would have actually used the product and presented some sort of conclusion on it's value or utility.
I'm not a physicist, but I have my doubts that this kind of product can provide any impact protection. Possibly it can help protect the glass from scratches as a sacrificial layer, but in order to provide long-term benefits there needs to be a way to remove and reapply the coating when scratches or scuffs occur, and I see nothing to explain how this can be done.
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My thoughts exactly. This stuff actually function like a ceramic coating that's used in vehicle paint (I'm a pro detailer). That's exactly what we call those coatings, "a sacrificial layer." Vehicle speaking, a rock could hit the paint coating and not damage the paint but the impact could still leave a dent or slight impression in the metal. This screen coating will probably be good to protect against minor scratching but the right impact could still break the screen.
It's tough it here. We spend all these hard earned dollars (it whatever for various countries) for the devices and expect superior protecting for them. I just don't think it exists yet.
Here's to being careful. Cheers!
Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

Howard the Magic Tech Guy?!? Well he sure did a neat vanishing trick from this thread lol
Sorry, I really should not laugh but come on!

chippyuk said:
Howard the Magic Tech Guy?!? Well he sure did a neat vanishing trick from this thread lol
Sorry, I really should not laugh but come on!
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I'm back... Firstly, I did put it on my old note 4 and it did not work at all.. But I no longer have that note 4... Like all of us we are all looking for the perfect screen protector and as I said in my review I didn't know if it worked. Sorry guys, not I don't have the resources to scratch test the phone at a 1000 per pop.
But I witnessed 1000s of people having this type of liquid on their phones at $30 a go.. My objective was at least to let potential customers do more research.. And as I mentioned on other forums the claims are a complete mixed bag some say they have fine scratches some don't even on amazon ... I just don't know... Maybe one of you can do a scientific scratch test.

Is it bird poo stain proof?
Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

Reminds me of products like spray on hair or spray on grip tape for skateboards. Lol

shouren04 said:
Reminds me of products like spray on hair or spray on grip tape for skateboards. Lol
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I remember that spray on grip tape... It sucked wasn't worth the can it was in:good::good::good:
I have wondered what people think of these chemical type liquid applications The cricket store here tries to get me to 40$ a pop and guaranties my screen not to break or they will replace it....
Im like yea noooo....
Im sure it will still break and Im sure when the time comes you will hassle me on whatever guaranty you have made

magichoward said:
I'm back... Firstly, I did put it on my old note 4 and it did not work at all.. But I no longer have that note 4... Like all of us we are all looking for the perfect screen protector and as I said in my review I didn't know if it worked. Sorry guys, not I don't have the resources to scratch test the phone at a 1000 per pop.
But I witnessed 1000s of people having this type of liquid on their phones at $30 a go.. My objective was at least to let potential customers do more research.. And as I mentioned on other forums the claims are a complete mixed bag some say they have fine scratches some don't even on amazon ... I just don't know... Maybe one of you can do a scientific scratch test.
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Click to collapse
Not on a nearly 300$ plus screen no scratch tests for me

TheMadScientist said:
I remember that spray on grip tape... It sucked wasn't worth the can it was in:good::good::good:
I have wondered what people think of these chemical type liquid applications The cricket store here tries to get me to 40$ a pop and guaranties my screen not to break or they will replace it....
Im like yea noooo....
Im sure it will still break and Im sure when the time comes you will hassle me on whatever guaranty you have made
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup I hear ya, I rather go with a cheap plain ol PET screen protector anyday over gimmics like this one posted. What a joke. Actually that's what I'm using on my Note 8, no fancy glass screen protector due to the curved screen & case compatibility.