The $12,000 Survival Test: Finding the World’s Most Indestructible Tech

The $12,000 Survival Test: Finding the World’s Most Indestructible Tech

Smartwatches and Phones

Okay, ultra durable smartwatch. So, you obviously have the Apple Watch Ultra 2. Oh, we should get one of the Ultra 2os and then we should compare that directly with the durability of the base level Apple Watch. In theory, durability should be the main reason for paying twice as much money. And then you’ve got the Guard Pro Ultra 2 Plus. Does say though that it’s sturdier than all competitors. You know how much of a sucker I am for the internal desire to prove claims wrong.

Ah, and we also have to accompany that with the most durable phone. You got Black View. Oh, those bezels are horrendous. It seems like on most lists though, it’s Nokia that tops it. We could get this, the the new Nokia, but then we could also get the old Nokia, you know, like the 3310, the original brick. Compare those two to see how much durability has evolved over the years. That’s That’s a fun idea.

Keyboards, Cables, and Outdoor Gear

Oh, yeah. In all of these videos, I love to get a keyboard in that theme. So, what can we get for the most durable? What? Maltron singlehand keyboard. It looks like it’ll take about five hands to use. Wa! That looks like a tank. So, this is the  All right, I found what I think is the best one, but $600. I am very curious how much stronger that can be versus just a $10 keyboard you get from Amazon.

Ah, how are we going to charge all of our most durable gadgets with the most durable cable? Of course, we need to find something that’s like proper industrial grade. Oh, criy. This one’s made with Kevlar. That’s like the same material that’s used for bulletproof vests. Oh, this one looks like it could take some damage. Oh, it actually says, “These cables are also made from indestructible materials.” Well, then you sir have earned yourself a space on this video. You may live to regret that comment.

The same website also has a power brick/ light baked into one indestructible package. Ah, that’s something I didn’t think about. Like an incredibly durable, incredibly waterproof camera. We can present the testing section underwater. Please help me. You’re too much raining. Apparently, someone’s come up with an indestructible TV. Wait, what are you doing? This is hard to watch. Would you look at that? Ultra tough SD cards that would actually solve a real problem that we have. Constantly snapping them.

Random Tough Tech

Okay, I just want to find the most random indestructible tech. Ah, yes. The indestructible dog chew toy for aggressive chewers. It says here, indestructible puffer. 15 times stronger than steel. Built to keep you warm down to -30° C -30. Okay, sure, why not? There’s even an indestructible fan. I’d guess it’s designed for construction sites. Oh, they got a Tik Tok video. Wo. Okay, it feels like some sort of like rights violation. It’s from the company Bigs Fans.

Ah, so we spent all this time looking for indestructible gadgets, right? Well, this the Pelican Air is basically saying whatever you put inside of it, it in itself is such a durable carry case that that thing inside becomes indestructible. [Music] Someone’s actually made an indestructible coffee maker. Fair play. Coffee is an essential. Dewal makes a speaker. You know that if they’ve made a speaker, they’ve done their due diligence.

The Arrival and Initial Testing

 Okay. Um, there’s actually no one here to take the laptop away from me. So, I’m going to have to selfdiscipline myself. But yeah, let’s uh skip to when the products arrive. Everything is finally here. I’ve got my tools of destruction and 17 unlucky products that are about to face them.

The Rugged Cable

So, let’s go roughly from least expensive to most expensive. First up being our rugged cable, which the website labels as the strongest and fastest charging cable on the planet. An absolutely outrageous claim that we have to confirm ourselves. Well, it certainly feels like a cable that could take some damage. So, let’s just go to the extreme end with it. This is a 1,00 kg car. Can you tow it with one of them? Now, obviously, no one is ever going to actually need to do this, but if the cable can take this, it says a lot about its ability to take general wear and tear. 3 2 1 go. That did not work. That did not work at all. I think we lost a piece of the car. Oh, yeah. And the cable is absolutely wrecked. Yes, this was a tough test, but if you call yourself unbreakable, you are kind of asking for it. 4 out of 10.

The Camping Light

And from the same company at $87, the camping light. And this is going to help us answer a question that I’ve always wondered about. It’s a really common thing in the tech world to see something that’s shockproof or impact resistant. But unlike water, that was close. But unlike water or dust resistance which are pretty clear, what does shock proof mean? Like is that a shock? Ow. Is this a shock? Oh, okay. Still works. But don’t worry, we have actually gone and hired a full-on not so secure feeling boom lift so that we can find out exactly how dropresistant this stuff actually is. So, start with a 5 m drop. It’s a lot higher than it seems. 3, two, one. That felt like it did nothing. 5 m onto a concrete surface is a very significant drop. But look, light is on. It’s barely even marked. I can’t even get myself to stand up straight. 3 2 1. Oh, there we go. That was it. Okay, so the frame is cracked. The top is separated. Does it still function? No. Circuit board’s gone as well. Game over for the rugged. A very respectable showing though. 9 out of 10.

The DeWalt Speaker

And while we’re here, we might as well also see how our DeWalt speaker fares. Okay, so how does it sound? Ooh, not bad at all. It’s only coming from one direction, but providing you’re at that direction, you’re having a good time with this. It’s very full sound and really detailed, too. A 10 m drop onto pure concrete would be enough to end almost all electronics. Come on, Dwalt. I believe in you. Let’s see if the music stops. [Applause] [Music] I guess that’s why they have detachable batteries. Okay, so technically the music did stop, but we need to work out if that’s because the battery separated or because it’s actually dead. The physical damage on the speaker really doesn’t look too bad. And it does indeed power on. Well done. Very, very cool. That’s a strong 9 out of 10 product. 10 out of 10 if it had surround sound.

Materials Science

The Limestone Notebook

But if you think that was durable, then I don’t think I’ve ever even seen claims like the ones that this next product makes. A notebook, but fit to withstand an alien invasion by the looks of it. So, this right here is a reinforced carbon fiber cover, which to be fair, you might have seen before. But the most shocking bit is the pages. These are not paper or cardboard or any variant of it. This is pressed limestone. So, let me do a little doodle on this first page. And then let’s say I decide actually I hate that. What? Okay. So, it’s not completely tearproof if you’re trying, but it’s definitely safe to say it’s tear resistant. You have to put a lot of effort in to do that. Oh, and a sub to the channel would be well, not terrible.

Okay, so tear resistance, check. But what about all weather conditions? Wait, so if I just like pat it dry? No way. The drawing is completely unchanged. The paper looks completely intact. Even while both the pen and the paper are absolutely drenched, I can still carry on drawing. I mean, just for a point of reference, this is what happens with a normal notebook when you wet it. And poor Smiley. It claims to be oilproof, which I mean, yeah, my fingers are not showing up at all. But to be fair, what if we just did this? What if you’re just cooking your Italian food and you accidentally spill it? Okay, so this right now looks like a crime scene, but wipe. And the page is completely usable. Oh god, table starting to feel like an Italian kitchen. Actually, I apologize for what is about to happen. Little salt, little pepper. This might be the first time anyone has ever tried to cook their notebook. Wo! Not fireproof. So, the binder and the outer cover completely fireproof. Pages, not so much. should probably stop breathing that in. I’m a little disappointed cuz it did specifically say that it was fire resistant. That put up no resistance to fire. But hey, at least it did survive the most important categories. No one’s actually going to blow torch their notebook. 6 out of 10.

Underwater and Extreme Cold

SD Cards and Cameras

But as we go higher on the price list, things are about to get even more advanced. So, these are the earphones that allow you to listen to music underwater. If this works the way I think it works, it’s going to allow me to experience something I’ve never experienced before. And actually to show it, we’re also going to need to whip out another one of our products, the Olympus Tough TG7. The And I promise I’m not making this up, the actual never going to give you up camera. Oh, and then we compare that with the Sony Tough SD card. Oh, the synergies here giving me tingles. And this might actually tangibly improve all of our lives here cuz we have gotten through our fair share of SD cards. It really doesn’t take much.

So, this is a single piece resin molded design that’s trying to essentially remove every single one of the vulnerabilities of a normal SD card, like the seam in between each half, the connector ribs, the Reich protect switch, and as a result, it’s apparently 18 times stronger than a normal SD card. So, both of these are loaded with top secret files. This is a bowl of water, blueberries, ginger ale. Don’t ask me what cocktail I’m making here. Give it a swirl. And then I’m just going to leave that for 10 minutes. A few minutes later. Right, let’s see if Well, either of these still work. Start with the ultra tough SD card. Oh, straight away it shows up. Let’s just make sure it loads properly. I love how the SD card’s just called tough. Oh, yes. There’s a good reason why these files are confidential. Okay, so that works. Although it might not after that ejection. Let’s try the normal SD card. Oh, it’s not loaded anything. Just a bit of ginger ale. No, that is actually dead. So, that already justifies the existence of this tough SD card.

The SD Card Door Slam

But I have a sneakier idea. An idea that can work out the true break resistance of this new SD card. The door slam. Feel like I’ve had a nightmare about this exact situation. 3 2 1. Oh, okay. So, the tape is completely uprooted. There’s clearly like a hairline fracture on the SD card itself. So, if we put it inside of our camera card error, I think we might have killed it. So, these SD cards are absolutely tough, but they’re not invincible.

Bone Conduction Underwater

So, we’ll just stick one of our normal peasant SD cards into this camera. Let’s go for a swim. Oh, wow. It’s very cool that this camera double locks itself for maximum waterproofing. Now, just before I make the jump, earphones, because as well as the normal issues of waterproofing the design and making sure the sound stays intact and also just stopping the earphones floating away, there’s a bigger problem that has prevented most Bluetooth earphones from working underwater. Range. While Bluetooth in the air might have a range of like 30 ft, because it’s a very low power connection, it does not fight through water molecules very well. So, that 30 ft range in a swimming pool could well become like 4 in.

So, to address that, these Zyo earphones have a radio receiver and an app that basically allows your phone to broadcast via much more powerful radio waves. Okay, let’s hit record on this camera. There you go. Now, I can definitely buy that this is completely waterproof. By the way, they’ve got this custom proprietary charging pin connector when I put it on. Yeah, that’s not going to float away. So, it solves that problem. And then, as far as the sound being transmitted in the water, it’s bone conduction, which is why it’s got such a clamping force on the sides of my head. But now, it’s time to test the big question. Is it going to actually carry on playing even as I jump into the water? Do the radio waves really work. [Music] What? What? [Music] The sound quality is not the best. It just sounds like everything’s quite far from your ears, but AirPods. 8 out of 10.

Dry Ice Challenge

Okay, so waterproofing we’ve established this has, but it also claims to be freeze proof. So, this is some very real dry ice that is genuinely as cold as -80° C, which is absolutely bonkers. Look how quickly it turns to gas just as it meets the air, which is already pretty cold as it is. You eat one of these, you’re in for a very bad evening. So, I’ve hit record just in case this survives. I have some doubts. And now, in you go. Hey, temperature sensor saying it’s off the scale. This doesn’t even go past -30° C. I can see the temperature of the camera itself falling. If you’re still alive down there, I am very impressed. Well done. Right, that is 10 minutes. The camera has reached below -20° C, which is well out of operating range. Now, the question is, is it still recording? The camera feed is still going. Look at the screen. That is absolutely wild. and the wrist strap. Everything from the screen to the lens is completely frozen over. Still lives at heart, which means I mean a 10 out of 10 product, but also b there’s a very specific way we can test this further, but it will need a product for later in this video.

Utility and Workplace Toughness

The Makita Coffee Maker

Weird kind of day today, but now feels like a pretty good time for a coffee break. So, this is our Makita coffee maker. Designed for a delicious brew, even in the absolute harshest conditions. And is it just me or does this look an awful lot like a video game prop? So, we’re talking things like a cup that almost locks itself in place inside of the machine, allowing coffee to come in whilst also insulating it and keeping all dirt out, as well as boil dry protection, which just prevents the machine from burning out. If the water empties and the temperature inside starts to go up, there is a sensor that will turn off the power supply automatically. But does it taste good? Will it keep out all the dust from a construction site? What happens if you knock it over?

Oh, I really like the tactileness of this design. And then your coffee goes in here. And the other cool part of this is that this is a battery. And now, let’s say I’m on my construction site. I’m carrying my wood. And oh my goodness me. Does it carry on making coffee? No, it does not. So clearly this coffee machine is extremely durable and it’s got all sorts of mechanisms that are going to save it from situations like that. But I think it’d be so cool if this mug created a complete allaround seal with this machine so that even if you knock it like that, it can carry on dripping coffee into it. I’d say Makita gets a four. There is some pretty serious damage on the side here. But the product does still work and there is some spare coffee in this mug. So thankfully I don’t have to drink it cuz now we have our boiling cup of coffee.

The Stainless Steel Keyboard

I feel like it’s a pretty good time for a type of product whose worst nightmare is normally coffee. Keyboards. So, this is the vandal resistant keyboard, which to be honest, I think is slightly underelling it. Oh my goodness me. It’s made of stainless steel for starters. I mean, how many times do you see someone buy an actually steel keyboard? It’s environmentally sealed against basically any incoming part at all. But can it take a boiling hot cup of coffee? I know my keyboard couldn’t.

So, I’m playing some Red Dead Redemption right now. Some incredibly wide looking Red Dead Redemption for my incredibly wide keyboard. The buttons require so much force to press. This is like the worst possible keyboard for gaming. But I will say the track ball, this thing glides. You do definitely feel the side effect of a keyboard not designed for gaming. Like the latency is absolutely atrocious. Oh no. I’m having to fight every instinct in my body to film this video. There’s a clear reason why coffee is like the single biggest killer of electronics. It’s boiling hot. It’s wet. And then if neither of those two kills it, when it dries, it is sticky. So, it’s pretty clear that we’ve already survived the first two of those prongs, but let’s come back in a little bit to see if it survives the third.

The Smartwatch Showdown

Apple Watch Ultra 2 vs. Standard vs. Guard Pro

Stepping it up to $800. Now, it’s time for the Apple Watch Ultra 2. I’m interested to see how well or how poorly an Apple product, something that you’d consider quite mainstream, is going to fit into this extreme caliber of indestructible tech. Does it shine or does it just get embarrassed? Well, if you read the spec sheet, Apple went hard with the Ultra Watchers. Rugged aerospace grade titanium case, sapphire crystal display, literally 100 meter water resistance, which is more than well basically any human could do without proper proper training. And not even just that. Military level impact resistance, altitude protection, high temperature, low temperature, dust, dirt, temperature shock, immersion, freezing and thawing, extreme vibration, whatever that’s for.

But okay, we get it. Your watch is probably going to outlive you. But the question that I think is more interesting is how much more durable is it actually versus a standard Apple Watch? And I guess even more interestingly, something like the $90 Guard Pro Ultra. Let’s find out. Now, obviously, the packaging is far simpler and less exciting, but that’s okay. I’d much rather for $90 that they actually spent that money making the watch good. And at least according to their website, this thing withstands -40° F cold and 131° heat, which is, funnily enough, 1°ree more than Apple. And I do not think that is an accident. My prediction, and I guess also what you’d like to think given how much more expensive this is than this, is that these Guard guys haven’t done anything on a hardware level that should allow this to withstand more, but that they’ve just been looser with their claims, cuz of course, they’re also less likely to get investigated for them.

Now, very quickly, just as a watch, it feels like strong, sturdy, solid metal construction. It doesn’t actually feel that dissimilar in hardware quality to the Apple Watch Ultra. But here’s the thing. My recent trip to India has made it very clear to me that it’s not expensive to make a smartwatch that feels good. We paid $15 for something equivalent. And the software here is not nice.

Boiling and Scratching

Right. This is boiling hot water. It’s hotter than any of these watches are rated for. Let’s do it. Okay. Both Apple watches are turned off. Funnily enough, the guard is still on. You can tell they did not like that. Every single watch is completely functional. All buttons work. The screen works. So, to some extent, they’re almost being conservative with their temperature estimates. But to be fair, if you end up in literally boiling water, you have bigger problems than your watch. So, probably a more realistic test for most people will be scratches. I’ve got a scratch on my own personal Series 9, and it goes right across the middle of the screen, and I notice it every single time I look at the thing.

Oh, wow. So, the Guard is quite significantly scratching even with a level six hardness pick. But on both Apple Watches, nothing. Okay, level seven’s a little worse on the Guard and still basically nothing on the Apple Watch Series 9. And since there’s nothing on the Series 9, I’m not surprised to see there’s nothing on the Ultra either, which means it’s level eight time. This is where damage happens. Oh yeah, it slices through the guard. Ah, pretty significant damage to the Series 9, too. So, what about the Ultra? Wow, very, very slight damage, but almost nothing.

The Iron Ball Drop

I know what you’re thinking, though. You want to see the upper limit. If you want to see carnage, well, this is a 13.5 kg iron ball. And trust me when I say you drop this on something, it hurts. 3 2 1. [Music] Maybe we shouldn’t have shopped at IKEA. I mean, the fact that the table is more broken than the watch does tell you something about the watch. Okay, so the screen is actually miraculously no more marked than it was after the scratching, but clearly serious damage has happened on the inside. This is dead.

I’m a little scared now what this is going to do to the Series 9. 3 2 1, but the screen is still completely functional. Fair play. The capacitive touchcreen still works. The button still works. There’s actually not a single sign that anything untoward has happened to this watch apart from those initial scratches. And then finally, sorry, IKEA. It does kind of look like an Apple ad. And uh yeah, I guess as expected after the Apple Watch Series 9 performance, nothing. Absolutely nothing. There’s less damage on this after that than there is on my daily watch. While we do know you clearly pay a premium for Apple products, that is one hell of a design to withstand that. And so ratings 5 8 10.

Phone Evolution

Nokia 3310 vs. XR21

It’s Nokia time. And this I am super excited to see. How much has this company in the roughly 25 years since the 3310 improved their durability if at all. As far as specs go, this new XR21 has the military standard 810H, which is like the eighth generation of what the military considers all round stress proof, drop resistance, rain resistance, and an IP69K rating. This for this has uh two layers of plastic. That’s it. But something so simple has allowed this phone to basically reach legendary meme Overlord status as famously indestructible.

The first test, can both phones get wet? Oh, I nearly lost one. This is 40° C water, by the way, with a spot of chlorine. 3 2 1. So, the original Nokia 3310. Oh, no. Ooh, it’s powered down. Is that the end of the line already? I’m actually very surprised considering what this phone is known for. But yeah, the Nokia 3310 is totaled. The new XR21 is completely fine. It literally has just shrugged it off. So, clearly waterproofing has improved a lot since this thing came out.

The High Drop Test

But what about shatterproofing? Yes, we’re back here again. We’ve hired the boom lift. Might as well use it for science. Starting with the old Nokia. 3 2 1. Ooh. And now the new Nokia. 3 2 1. Wo. That was quite impressive. Okay. So, the fact that this old Nokia is in three pieces is a little bit of a red herring cuz that is actually how it’s designed to fall so that it can absorb more impact. But as well as being deconstructed, this is also just straight up smashed. Like there’s a crack in the glass and the plastic is also pretty scuffed up. It’s no gorilla glass. What is it? Like monkey glass.

read More:100 Years of Tech: From VR’s Origin to Robot Dogs

Okay. But this right here feels like a bit of a moment of truth. That was an enormous drop. Its counterpart has been shattered. The new Nokia. Does it survive? Moment of truth. Oh my god. This thing is just blissfully unaware of what I’ve done to it. I mean, yeah, you’ve got a scrape up top here, but this is a pretty clear sign that Nokia has done some work here. This might just be the new meme phone, and we don’t even know it yet. As far as durability is concerned, 10 out of 10. I don’t know where I’m walking, to be honest.

Wearables and RC Vehicles

The Indestructible Jacket

Now, this so-called indestructible jacket, I have to say, I think it looks absolutely terrible. I’m genuinely confused right now. Did I just pay like $600 for a jacket that comes without a proper package? Looks like it’s made of complete plastic with all the insulation power of a tank top. But okay, if we just put my personal feelings aside for a minute, this is made of 100% daema black, a fiber that’s five times stronger than Kevlar, and 15 times stronger than steel. Wait, so it says the material we’ve used is so tough it was originally used in body armor, anti-bballistic vehicle armor, and ropes used to tie down oil rigs in violent icy seas. And then there’s me, who’s probably going to use it for at most a walk in the park.

It comes with shatterproof buttons that it says are made with the world’s toughest nuts, whatever that means. With claims like this and a price tag like this, the thing that’s going through my mind is what happens if you stab it? Does this coat make you invincible? Okay, maybe I was a little bit harsh. Having tried it on and having seen it on this handsome fellow, maybe it’s not exactly the crime against fashion that I initially pegged it as, but it is still quite underwhelming looking considering the price we paid. That said, this is not a clothing channel. I’m interested in the technology behind this jacket. Wait, what? It’s dead already. And if someone came at you on the street with a flamethrower in hand, you’d be well out of luck. To be clear, this is not just burnt. It is on fire. That’s a problem. We’ve got a hose. I’ve got a hose. Oh no. Come on. Come on. Come on. Oh, thank God. Thank goodness me. The ripped jeans look. Someone’s probably into this.

We were wondering when we first took this out why all the police don’t wear something like this. Are they just hoping that like no one actually tests it and they just assume they’re wearing an indestructible jacket? Right. So, we’ve already failed the fire test, but I am curious how well this material stands up to other stresses like a chainsaw. Ooh, actually. That did kind of tear it, but not close to as badly as a normal jacket would have been. I guess this kind of demonstrates part of the problem with a jacket like this that while the jacket itself may be able to resist various different forms of damage, you can’t. And this provides you no actual padding when it comes to that. So, while it is extremely cool to wear a material like that, it’s not actually functional for a normal person in an everyday scenario. It provides you no warmth, no comfort at all, and no real protection.

The Traxxas X-Maxx Ultimate

At over $2,000 now, this is the Traxxas X-Maxx Ultimate, whose name alone probably signifies how unbelievably excessive it is. We did previously test this thing’s younger cousin in our fastest gadgets video, if you remember that one. But this is basically that on steroids. Oh my goodness me. I’m talking energy absorbing impact cushions. Apparently over $1,000 in high strength aluminium placed throughout the car in all key areas. Really? $1,000? I have doubts.

But one thing you can’t doubt is how unbelievably solid this thing feels. It’s got belted sledgehammer tires and so much waterproofing that they actually recommend that you just hose it off if it gets muddy. Okay, then 3 2 1 Oh my god. Wait, can I just carry on steering? This thing may be invincible. I am not. You know, I feel like the best way to demonstrate just how monstrous of a vehicle that is is to show you side by side with a normal RC car. This looks like an ant. I’m kind of curious what would happen if these two things collided.

Ah, and I have not forgotten about this ridiculous Olympus camera. If this is truly the authentic never going to give you up experience, it should be able to withstand a full frontal assault from a 50 mph vehicle. Right. If I miss this, we get no test and I just take down the rig. Oh, and side note. I don’t think in my life I have ever seen acceleration and braking like that on a remote control car. 3 2 1. The screen’s still on. A limp puss. You sexy beast. It’s still working. And as for the car, much much more durable than it seems. The endurance claims are no lie. 9 out of 10.

Laptops and Productivity

Dell Latitude 14 Rugged vs. MacBook Case

But now it’s time to find out how much paying the premium matters for laptops because entering the firing line is the Dell Latitude 14. Yeah, their rugged range definitely does not come with as much packaging love as their gaming laptops. Wait, how on earth do you open this? Is this some kind of latch? Oh, right. I’m just weak. But that is a hinge. Man, if this thing is as durable as it is hard to open, then we are in for a treat.

And it’s not just durability. It’s got dual hot swappable batteries in case you run out of charge in the middle of nowhere. The screen is touchscreen. So, if I tap here, yeah, that opens. But also, because it’s designed to work in temperatures in which your hands might well literally fall off, it works with gloves, too. And these aren’t even touchscreen gloves. Side note, the brightness is insane, which I guess is especially important for a laptop that’s designed to be used out and about. And the touchpad, it actually feels a little bit less slick than you’re probably used to, but that’s because this is a resistive touchpad as opposed to being a capacitive one.

AI Insights: Capacitive vs. Resistive

As for what the actual difference is, this is quite cool. I can show you exactly what it is via the Arya AI baked into the Opera desktop browser. So, what’s the difference between a capacitive and a resistive touch panel? Tell me in two sentences. Okay, so it’s got an answer. A capacitive touch panel uses the electrical properties of the human body to detect touch, resulting in a more responsive and accurate touch experience. In contrast, a resistive touchcreen relies on pressure applied to the screen, making it less precise and often requiring a stylus or a fingernail to operate.

Yeah, that’s kind of perfect. So, the reason the resistive pad feels less slick is because it requires that pressure, unlike your phone, for example, which has a capacitive screen that you can just glide your finger across. But the benefit of this over capacitive is that water messes with conduction, whereas water isn’t going to apply the pressure required to activate this one. Having an AI at your fingertips at literally the press of a button is one of the most incredible features of the Opera browser. And I strongly recommend you give it a go using my link in the description.

The Laptop Impact Test

And yes, this laptop is completely unharmed. But here’s the bigger question. How does it durability compare to just a laptop case? These products are summoning out a destructive side to my personality. Okay, so obviously you are going to lose out on a lot of those extras like the battery swappability. And literally, if I so much as put a drop of water on this trackpad, it will cease to function properly. But if all you want is the impact protection, then how well does a case serve the exact same purpose?

Well, this one to its credit has a lot going for it. It’s got a one piece hinge design with what they call an armor shell as well as a soft impact resistant core. And credit where credit’s due, they have also thought about a lot of the little things like the reinforced corners, like the rubberized feet, like the extra grip around the areas you hold the laptop so that you’re less likely to drop it in the first place. So, we’ll start by dropping the cased MacBook Air and then we’ll drop this beautiful Dell Latitude laptop. Ready, set, go. Oh, that sound was beautiful and haunting at the same time. 3 2 1 that actually got the hinge to open.

Starting with the MacBook. Clear damage on the case itself. That was the least I expected though. You can see quite a bit of dirt has gotten inside the case, which is not a great sign. So, dents all over the bottom of the laptop. Does it still turn on? Oh, it’s dead. That’s kind of a shame considering that most of the body is still intact. I feel like that’s been one of the ongoing themes in this video. Even if the outer hardware is strong enough to withstand a lot of these impacts, the technology at its core still has a lot of vulnerabilities.

What about this though? A laptop that does look a lot more like it has a reason to be in a construction site like this. Okay. Hinge opens straight away. Look at that. Screen is on. Do all the keys work? Yeah, they do. Holy moly. Can you even tell what this thing has been through? Literally, the entire damage to this laptop is a scratch. That is 10 out of 10. Outstanding construction.

Final Destructive Tests

Keyboard Torture

Right, returning to this keyboard. Oh, it looks horrendous. Safe to say I have sticky keys turned on. But really, this is still functioning as if I hadn’t spilled a mug of boiling hot coffee on it and then let it sit there. Okay, so that’s good. But if you’re a real criminal trying to actually steal something, you probably wouldn’t use coffee. Uh, how is that not even denting it? What about a hammer? Hammer right to the track ball. [Music] Ooh, that does no longer work. So, it feels like the materials of this construction could take 10 times the beating that I’m giving to it. But, it’s just there must be some sort of vulnerability underneath this trackpad that I’ve gotten to through it. And it just because I’m so curious. [Music] Okay. Yeah, that does somewhat damage it. I guess the most important part of a keyboard meant for high security environments is that no one can get inside and that it does achieve very well. But wow. Yeah, I mean the thickness of this keyboard is very much indicative of its durability. 8 out of 10.

The Pelican Air and the Egg

And finally, the Pelican Air carry case, which is apparently designed with a super light proprietary HPX polymer that’s 40% lighter than normal plastic. Because of course, the lighter your box, the less momentum it’s going to have when it lands. And because this is the last product in what’s otherwise been a very intense video, let’s just do something stupid and fun.

This is an egg. I don’t think there’s any way this actually works, but I just want to try. So, we place it inside this waterproof, crush proof, dustproof case and seal it off. 3 2 1. Feel like the next city would have heard that one. Woo! The egg excitement is building. There’s no way that we don’t have scrambled eggs inside here, right? One clasp, two clasp. What do you think? What? Oh my god. Are you serious? We’re having omelets tonight.