Packaging
One thing that I have noticed with every Phanteks case that has arrived at my door is the way they are packaged. This package and others that I have received have always been double boxed. They insure that the inner and more fancy and expressive box is covered and protected by a slightly lower grade of plain corrugated boxes as seen below. This extra protection is done in a few other cases in the industry but it is special enough to mention because double boxing of a case is rare and usually left to its own single layer of thick or thin corrugation to make it to the next destination safely and without damage.
So the outer box of the Phanteks Enthoo Mini XL Case is a simple medium “BETTER” case corrugated box that acts as an exoskeleton to the inner “BEST” case that actually packages the case itself.
The category of box that the Phanteks Enthoo Mini XL Case is in the “BEST” Quality minded weather resistant thick corrugated and box. It is Black and grey with beautiful photos of the Case that lies in wait inside waiting to be opened and freed from its tight cocoon.
The two sides of this very thick case box is the case specifications and the along with the UPC code and registration code of the inner case itself. As it is evident by the six courses of double brad staples the box is wrapped around the product to give more tight fit to every case made at the factory. This way of boxing allows for every case interior to be tightly wrapped for shipping for less damaged cases coming back to the company due to damaged cases. The second side of the case explains the basic key functionality of the case in nine different languages but they are all Greek to me.
That back of the box explains the case as a totally different and re-engineered and completely convertible super micro-ATX case that leaves nothing to chance. The ten different pictures on the back explain the some exclusive features of this case. Overall the inner box is in the BEST Quality category and will make it to its destination unless it free falls a few hundred meters from the plane carrying it.
The Styrofoam interior packing solution is thick and in the “BETTER” material catagory but the “BEST” in thickness. In short, sure it is made of the cheaper Styrofoam packing but it’s so thick and well molded around the case that it is not likely to crack or break even at baseball bat type abuse.
I was very impressed with the single thick piece of Styrofoam that floats in the center of the front part of the case making sure that the front of the case is especially taken care of during transport.
The Plastic covering is in the “BETTER” category and not able to carry the case on its own strength but it can cover the case quite well and keep dust and humidity from breaking into the finely built case living inside.
There is a piano finish on the back or Motherboard tray side around the edges that keep the super smooth and reflective edging in perfect condition as it is in the process of being delivered to the store or your front porch.
The one thing that broke during shipping was a 30 cm long black wire tie that holds the accessories tightly inside the box. The wire tie needs to be upgraded in the future or another cable tie added to the tie down procedure during packaging to keep the inner box from breaking loose inside the case, but this was the only part that I found that was not up to par in quality, but adding just one more plastic tie down would possibly fix this problem without much re engineering or too much extra cost.
Overall, I did not count off for this snapped tie down as it was probably a rare occurrence and no damage was done to the interior of the case by the tie down snapping away and freeing the inner box. But Phanteks, if you are reading this review; just add one more tie down to inner accessories box inside the case, otherwise perfect delivery.
Package Rating
Overall the Case is packaged in the “BEST” Category. Though some of the materials used are cost effective every effort has been taken to ensure that the buyer ends up with the Phanteks Enthoo Mini XL Case in the same condition as it left the factory.
