Pelican Face Armor & Disc Jackets for PSP Review

By Charles Starrett —
Every once in a while, you can find a jem at the Wal-Mart check out counter. Such is the case with Pelican Accessories' Face Armor & Disc Jackets for PSP. The Face Armor is one of the first entries into a new category of PSP accessories: face protectors. These are different from the many screen protectors in that they are hard plastic or metal and are not translucent — they are meant to supplement or replace a normal case.

The blister-pack packaging holds the Face Armor face protector and four Disk Jackets, designed to hold and protect UMDs. As a side note, we here at PSPworld really value good packaging design. Opening a new product or gadget should be a pleasant, fun experience. Blister-pack plastic packaging removes any "fun" that may have been present in the moment. To accessory manufacturers: Packaging your products in blister-pack, no matter how cheap, is not a good way to build your brand image.

Face Armor

Pelican's Face Armor is a piece of hard, shiny black plastic with a hinge attatched so it can open and close to cover the PSPs face. The "lid," or the part that covers the PSPs face, is padded with foam on the inside to protect the Face Armor from directly coming into contact with the screen, thus removing any possibility of scratching. The hinge section screws into the two holes on the top of the PSP, making the Face Armor feel very secure and sturdy, despite its plastic construction.

Aesthetically, the Face Armor looks great on the PSP. The shiny black plastic matches the PSP's finish perfectly, and the fit is great — the most bulk the Armor adds to the PSP is the screws and hinge sticking out of the top about 1/4 of an inch. The only concern we have after testing is the ease with which it opens. If left in a bag or an overfull pocket, the likelihood of the Armor opening and allowing a foreign object, such as a coin, to get in and scratch the screen is just a little greater than we'd hoped for.

Disc Jackets

The Disc Jackets are small plastic protectors for UMDs. Inserting a UMD into a Jacket is similar to sliding one into the PSP — you simply line it up and push. Once clipped on, the clear plastic Jacket is barely noticable, yet does an excellent job of keeping anything from contacting the opening on the UMD's backside. They add practically no bulk to the UMD, and stay quite secure while travelling. Since they are clear, they neither deter nor add to the visual appearance of the UMD.

Normally, I like to buy my accessories separately. If bought in a package, there is normally at least one component that doesn't live up to expectations. This isn't really the case with this Pelican pack. For less than ten dollars, we believe the UMD cases would have been a fair buy on their own. When bundled with the better-than-expected Face Armor, they create a great value for those looking for PSP protection on the cheap.

Face Armor - PSPworld Rating: B

Pros: Inexpensive, aesthetically matches the PSP, padding prevents scratching.

Cons: Hinge needs to be more stiff to prevent accidental openings.

Disc Jackets - PSPworld Rating: A

Pros: Inexpensive, excellent protection, little added bulk.

Cons: Only protects one side of UMD.

Comments

coyote: Pelican should start selling the UMD jackets by themselves. I don't want to have to purchase the Face Armour in order to get them.

EX0: I have the pelican armor and jackets, I would give them the same rating. Very good jackets, dont take up too much extra room. The armor is very cool, hinge needs to have more resistance at first like said, but thats why I want to get a leather case.

JR Muller: I got one of these with my new PSP, seems pretty durable so far. What's nice is the fact that it gives it some sunlight light protection. Being the geek that I am I figured out an easy way to dash mount my PSP in my car so I can listen to my MP3's and watch Spiderman or Speed Racer on long trips. This cover works perfectly to shade the sun making the LCD easier to see. Now if I could just find a 20gig Memory Stick Pro Duo, I could get rid of my iPod.

Hans: Unfortunatly I can't recommend it. Turns out that the screws are to short (how can they "screw" this up so badly) and I can't attach it to both my PSP's. Instead I'm waiting for logitech's PlayGear Pocket protective case

Bill: I agree, a very good package. The only complaint I have is that when you put UMDs in the cases, the UMDs get a little scratched up because of the two little indents on the cases that secure the UMDs. Nothing that affects the UMD performance-wise, but a minor concern if you care about maintaining the UMD's appearance.

Ken: I have the same problem as JR. One fo the screws is too short and it can't be screwed in. I confirmed that its a problem with the face armor, not the psp itself. I swapped with a friend and his attached perfectly.

Reese: I got one with the short screws too. Was completely upset about it and figured it was a crappy product.

Jerky: Same problem here, one screw is too short. The UMD jackets are simple and effective though.

emory: Careful, mine broke at the hinge. It makes an awful creaking noise when I flip it open, and there is a hairline crack along the top where that little pin slides to let it swivel. That totally sucks. I'm going to get that aluminum case from Expansys, I think.

Mike: My boss at work has this face armor. I saw it and had to have it... So i bought it. (working in a video game store has its advantages) but there is one design flaw i have a big problem with. I didnt notice it at first but with some time, it had become clear. The screw on the right side ( umd eject side ) when tightened too much will cause the eject button to not function properly or even get stuck open. What a pain. Otherwise this is a very good product, best screen protector i have seen yet, and i have messed with quite a few so far... and stay away from those plastic sticker things that claim to be screen protectors... As for the UMD jackets, they are awesome. much better than the bucket cases that hold 3 UMDs. I agree they should be available separatly.

ejworthen: I had the problem with the screws too. The one on the left is too short and won't screw in. Hing looks like it could break any second. A very low quality product. Do not buy this face armor. The disc jackets work fine.

steve: how can i git a psp faceplate instade of haveing black u can have differt colors.

m diddy: cool product for under ten bucks...

dan: mine is ok but i had to shave off a bit of the plastic because the screws were to small be carefull when u put it on cause the screws will take off the silver top part if u take them out to quickly

jordan: I have the same problem with the right screw causing the UMD not to eject. Its really annoying I have to take the faceplate off whenever I want to switch discs. Does anyone know if they would replace it for me or do you know of any fixes for this?

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