Ballistic Tough Jacket Series Apple iPad 2/3/4 Rugged Case review

It’s good news and bad news in the Ballistic Tough Jacket case. The good news is that, yes, the “Tough” in the name is truly lived up to with a big three layers of rugged protection for an iPad 2, 3 or 4. The bad news is that if you don’t assemble this properly then it could cause impatient users to go “Ballistic” before the benefits of extreme protection are enjoyed.

Editor's Rating 

For the iPad owner seeking serious protection and basic functionality at a reasonable price, then this Ballistic case is a fine choice. The combination of tough tensile materials used in creating this all-purpose case – polymers, hard plastic and silicone – makes the Tough Jacket protective against even extreme accidents and damage.

Some good standard functionality is included in the Ballistic Tough Jacket case as well. The cover piece features a built-in collapsible kickstand that provides two angles for viewing/typing in landscape format. This stand is notably stable and is well-constructed enough to last the lifetime of the case.

Ballistic's tough case does have one serious downside, which honestly could be a deal breaker for the less mechanically inclined. As mentioned above, the Tough Jacket case is a three-part design that must be assembled piece by piece. The iPad must first be fitted into the silicon liner, which is in turn set into a grooved plastic back protector. Should you want to use the stand, snap the back protector into the cover piece. And by “snap,” we mean “snap several times because a good tight fit is quite difficult to find.”

As for removing this piece so that it can serve as a front cover, simply ... you get the idea. While this isn’t exactly the most intuitive case out there, it is one of the toughest defenders of the iPad.

Pros

• 2013 Golden Case Awards winner for Best Rugged & Tough Case
• Three layers of protection
• Good sturdy two-angle stand
• Cover piece also a back protector

Overall: GOOD

Ballistic has created one of the better rugged & tough cases for emphasizing tablet function along with protection. Provided that the given iPad owner can get comfortable with assembly process, then he/she can easily consider the Tough Jacket as a best case scenario.

Features

• Designed exclusively to fit the Apple iPad 2 or New iPad 3/4
• Advanced three-piece layer design for serious protection
• Inner silicone layer absorbs shocks
• Impact-resistant hard plastic shell
• Shock-absorbent polymer layer
• Thick Ballistic corners for extra drop protection
• Removable cover shields the screen during travel
• Clear access to all iPad buttons, ports, speaker and cameras
• Cover piece features a built-in kickstand
• Supports 15° and 60° angles for typing or viewing in landscape format
• Net weight: 480g / 16.9 oz

Specifications