If my memory serves me well, I’ve worked in Gmask for about a year and then Skinjam for another. Both are gadget-skinning business with very similar expertise, but the latter is no longer in Singapore.

Therefore, my experience from wrapping/skinning the gadgets are what I based on as I write this blog entry.

Here are pointers to look out for if you’re considering to skin your stuff.

#1. Not all gadgets are suitable for skinning.
By far, Apple products are the best for wrapping/skinning due to their minimal design and lack of intricate joining points. Can’t exactly recall which devices are difficult to wrap/skin, but they are those that have irregular surfaces, and weird “joining lines”.

Also, the material of your device plays a huge role in terms of the durability of the skin. Most surfaces are okay, but those that are too smooth or textured will hasten the process of the skin “shrinking”. The “shrinking” process is inevitable, it is only how fast and how bad is the shrinkage.

Here’s my iPhone skinned last Sunday and already showing signs of “shrinking”:

#2. By skinning, you are cutting ON the phone.
I have come to terms with it already, but just so you know, unless the person skinning your gadget is a Shaolin Kungfu master, cutting ON the phone is unavoidable.

No, I’m not talking about careless mistakes of the knife going out of course. But unlike how the staff usually claim that they are “cutting in the air”, more often than not, the knives are sliding along the joining lines. Here’s an illustration to describe it:

Nothing is perfect, so the claim of the process of “cutting in the air” is a tad far fetched – even for the most skilled wrapper/skinner.

Don’t know to thank my experience or not, but I already found those lines that are not supposed to be there.

I feel the heartache. But, I have managed to convince myself that it is a small sacrifice for a almost perfect protection. Another illustrative description:

#3. Results may vary.
There are so many Gmask outlets and there are so many staff around. Everyone has gone through the training phrase BUT the almost perfected skills still vary from one staff to another.

If you’d previously skinned at Gmask and you think it was a job well done, do take note of who was the one who did it. It’s always safer to keep going back to the same person you “trust”. It’s a little like finding the perfect hairstylist.

#4. To err is human.
Apart from the skill level of a staff, you’ll have to understand that he/she is only human. And human make mistakes. So if you can, make the perfect situation for him/her to get the perfect results (or minimal mistakes).

- Don’t rush him/her to finish it within a time frame.
- Not advisable to go during peak hours. There’ll be more devices for them to do and sometimes when it gets too busy, he/she might tend to try to finish each device faster, hence a rush job.
- Please, don’t stay and stare at him/her doing it. It’s rude and it’s distracting.

#5. Taking care of the wrap.
Getting your device wrapped/skinned doesn’t mean it’s invincible against everything. After all, it’s just a thin piece of plastic. Scratching it (hard) with your nails WILL cause marks. Remember, it is resistant, not proof!

#6. The designs do fade, fast.
It actually depends on how you take care of the wrap/skin. But ultimately it fades. Especially those corners that is needed to be stretch during the wrapping/skinning process.

This is Fabian’s laptop:

It was wrapped/skinned 3 years ago and send for laptop servicing once. And it is still looking great.

On the other end of the spectrum, there is his iPod nano done 2 years ago:

Just in case you think the design is like that, No. It was originally vibrant green stripes.

Although laptop skins are thicker and therefore will be more lasting, it shows how human handling of the wrapped/skinned devices can affect the durability of it.

So before you listen to hearsay about how bad (or how good) Gmask is, this are the factors you should consider when Gmasking.