Pad & Quill’s Timberline cases: Same beautiful wood, more protection

Back at the end of February, Apple World Today featured a review of a gorgeous new wooden case for iPhones from the folks at Pad & Quill. The Woodline case has been a rousing success for the company, as well as the case that I’ve had on my iPhone 6s Plus for most of 2016. If there’s one thing I wanted from the Woodline, it was a bit more protection. Pad & Quill’s new Timberline cases (US$39.95) are perfect in that respect, adding a tough polycarbonate case to the beautiful wood found on the Woodline. Here’s Brian “Mr. PQ” Holmes to tell you about the case:

Design

Take gorgeous hardwoods — Rosewood, American Cherry, or American Walnut — and add that polycarbonate bumper case, and you have the best of both worlds. I love the feel and look of the Woodline case, and that is not diminished with the design of the Timberline. 

As with the rest of Pad & Quill’s handmade products, the Timberline is signed by the artisan who made the case. Pad & Quill now uses a tag line “From Tree To Hand,” indicating the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certification for its hardwood products.

The wood back feels good in the hand, and the looks are top-notch. All of the ports and switches on the iPhone (6/6s/6 Plus/6s Plus) are easily accessible in the polycarbonate portion of the Timberline case, and the polycarbonate was given a nice matte finish.

Function

Although I gave the Woodline case a 5-star rating back in February, my use of the case since then brought up one concern — the wood and Kevlar case didn’t provide any protection for the screen. Most iPhone cases extend just a tiny bit over the screen so that placing (or dropping) the case face-down on a surface keeps the screen from hitting that surface, but that wasn’t the case with the Woodline. 

The Timberline does wrap just a bit over the top of the display, providing the protection that was missing with the Woodline. 

But what am I saying? This thing is designed to look good — which it does — and protect your iPhone at the same time. While it’s no “Lifeproof” case and won’t keep your iPhone protected from water or drops from an airplane, it can protect the phone from many drops while being as classy as possible. 

The Timberline is a literal snap to install, and I found the polycarbonate to be a wonderful match for the dark screen and bezel of the Space Gray iPhone 6s Plus. 

Conclusion

Take one part beautifully-finished natural wood and one part polycarbonate shell, add a heaping helping of craftsmanship, and you have the Pad & Quill Timberline case. What’s even better is that the case is $10 less expensive than the Woodline and does a better job of protecting your iPhone!

Apple World Today Rating (out of 5 stars): ★★★★★