[Samsung Galaxy Note 9 Accessories] bandario:
Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. This post will likely end up long and meandering so here are some pictures to help you decide if you are interested in reading on.

Gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/3jjlabcpm/

Those that have come across my waffle in this forum or elsewhere before will know that I was (and am) a total convert to ruggedized handsets. I work as a forester, as well as being a keen mountain biker, motorbike rider, kayaker and alcoholic.

To those ends, the S7 Active was the best device I've ever owned by a huge margin. The things that it survived with zero added protection beyond a glass screen protector were out of this world. It is still in daily use in my family. The battery has seen better days but overall the physical condition and functionality of the phone are near perfect.

Why on earth would I trade that device for one constructed almost entirely from glass? Well, I'm not sure. I still have massive reservations about the decision but at the end of the day: no mainstream manufacturer is currently producing a top-tier ruggedized device, and I wanted an unlocked bootloader and glorious custom roms back in my life which ruled out a couple of slightly older options.

I almost went with the AGM X3 but the lack of OIS in the camera, and the unknown quality of manufacture made the now obscene price tag just a little bit too much of a gamble.

Anyway: once the Note 9 arrived I realised just how fragile this thing was. I was filled with regret to the point that I actually considered just putting it on ebay; so sure was I that it would be smashed to pieces in a matter of days.

After installing Dr Ketan's rom, I changed my tune. I committed myself to finding a functional protection solution that would work for me without interrupting wireless charging and without turning it into a brick (it is heavy enough as it comes!).

My office is presently littered with poor purchase decisions; cases that promised the world and delivered a ham sandwich.

I also struggled because there was only 1 case that would match up with the relatively expensive handlebar mounts I already have on all my gear, but that case did not quite meet my requirements on a few fronts.

I tried to find the largest genuine leather wallet case that I could find, with initial plans to simply swap cases to my quadlock case when I wanted to go out for a ride. Unfortunately, I found that the quad lock case was so god damn well-constructed that the mere act of inserting and removing the phone felt like I was eventually going to do some damage. This is not your everyday sleeve case! it is constructed from some sort of hybrid, rubberised material with a massive amount of retained stiffness. It is absolutely tough as nails and has very little flex once the phone is inserted....it is an absolute nightmare to remove once it is on there, which is fantastic to give you a bit of peace of mind once you hit 200km/h!

It also has a little bit of screen protection due to the large protrusions top and bottom which mean that the screen does not contact the surface you lay it on face down. Still, no face protection.

I have no wish to join the legion of people walking around with a cracked screen, and the curved screens that samsung insist on using are well prone to easy breakage...I needed more coverage!

I ordered a hand made 2-part, magnetic, genuine leather BEMFEY wallet case from Turkey. It was not cheap, but the workmanship on the wallet portion is top notch. It also fits cash without having to fold notes, holds 4 cards and will absolutely outlast the device it was built for.

Unfortunately, the leather sleeve portion was an absolute piece of junk: brown epoxy gack everywhere, screen sat flush with absolutely zero protection, thin, no button cutouts: just overall a terrible idea if you had any plans of protecting your investment. Probably ok for desk workers.

Long story short: I did what any good forester would do and started thinking outside the box. Attached a thin iron plate to the rear of my quad lock case with epoxy, and am now using this as an insert into the BEMFEY wallet case. Results so far are impressive.

The magnets in the bemfey case are strong as hell, and though I will probably add another tiny iron plate on the top side I have never once come close to the phone coming away from the case accidentally. Even if it did, the Quad lock case is tough as hell and I have a bit of faith in it on it's own.

Together though, I doubt anyone else has got this level of functionality or protection on their Note 9. I've dropped it numerous times already: in the bush, on a plane, onto a tiled floor. Zero problem.

When it's time to ride, I peel the phone out of the wallet, securely lock it to my bars and pop the wallet it my pocket. Winning on all fronts.

It cost me a pretty penny to get there but I think I'm keeping this setup! In the grand scheme of things, it is worth investing 10% of your phone cost to make sure that it doesn't die an early death. If anyone wants to replicate, you can find quadlock on google and BEMFEY can be tracked down on their Etsy store. They will custom make to order including laser engraving if that is your thing.