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review
£19.99
VERDICT:
Nicely designed and does a simple job well at a decent price
Weight:
82g
Contact:
At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.
What the road.cc scores meanGood scores are more common than bad, because fortunately good products are more common than bad.
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The See.Sense phone pouch is a padded, splashproof wallet for your phone, keys, cards and cash. It offers decent protection for your valuables, but only comes in one size which might be a little large for some.
- Pros: Large, padded, splashproof
- Cons: Not fully waterproof, only one size
It's fair to assume that you carry your phone with you on rides and that you store it in either a bike bag or your jersey pocket. I have always been a pocket-carrier, but this leaves my phone vulnerable to crashes, bounce-outs, rain and perspiration. The See.Sense phone pouch is a reasonable solution.
As you can see from the photos, the design is inoffensively unassuming: black with a small fabric loop in 2012 era Team Sky blue. A waterproof zip reveals an interior in the same blue.
Inside there are two main sections separated by a robust divider, plus a little pocket the size of a credit card and a zip compartment. It's a good, functional layout that helps you keep your phone screen away from keys and coins.
The pouch is lightly padded without becoming too cumbersome and there's plenty of firm material around the edges to soften the impact should it and its contents hit the deck.
It looks to be put together well enough and it's hard to see how it would suffer substantial wear and tear anyway. I gave the zip a prolonged and vigorous ragging as that's the one part that will get a bit of use and it still seems perfectly fine.
As See.Sense says in the blurb, the pouch is water resistant rather than waterproof. The material can withstand quite a lot of moisture and while a bit of water got in when I literally ran the zip under the tap, it was a lot less than I'd expected. The pouch failed a submersion test in the sink – but to be fair it's not designed for that. It'll cope with a very decent amount of rain.
> Emergency essentials: 10 things to take with you every ride
Its rrp of £20 seems to be a competitive price for this kind of thing. Not many cycling phone wallets are significantly cheaper and some, like the £51 Zilfer Cycling Phone Wallet and £45 Silca Borsa Americano, are a good deal more expensive.
You don't get full waterproofing and you can't use your phone without removing it from the pouch first, but it does the job.
There is only one size, though. At 19 x 10cm it should be big enough for pretty much any phone, but those with smaller phones might prefer something a little less roomy.
Verdict
Nicely designed and does a simple job well at a decent price
road.cc test report
Make and model: See.Sense Phone Pouch
Size tested: Dimensions: 10 x 19 x 2.4cm
Tell us what the product is for and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?
A protective pouch in which to store phone, keys, cards etc during a ride.
See.Sense says, "With room for your phone, keys, cards, some cash (and a snack for your rides), the new See.Sense Phone Pouch will become your new favourite ride companion - both on and off the bike. The phone compartment with a handy divider to keep your phone separate and protected is roomy enough for most smartphones - including larger devices such as the iPhone Plus models and Samsung Galaxy Plus models."
Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?
See.Sense lists these features:
Water resistant & splashproof
Waterproof zip closure & totally secure
Internal zip pocket and card slot
See.Sense blue detailing
Dimensions: 10 x 19 x 2.4cm
Rate the product for quality of construction:
8/10
Robust without being weighty, it's stiff around the edges to protect your phone from falls. The waterproof zip closure is an excellent and necessary detail, as is the divider to keep your phone screen separate from anything that might scratch it.
Rate the product for performance:
7/10
As the manufacturer says in the blurb, it's water resistant rather than waterproof. The material itself can withstand quite a lot of moisture and while a bit of water got in when I literally ran the zip under the tap, it was a lot less than I'd expected. The pouch failed a submersion test in the sink.
Rate the product for durability:
8/10
It's a bag. There's only really the zip that could go wrong. I've given it a vigorous zipping and unzipping workout and it still seems fine.
Rate the product for weight (if applicable)
7/10
It's a good balance of weight and protection. If you consider this unnecessary weight, you maybe don't want a phone pouch at all.
Rate the product for value:
7/10
£20 seems to be a competitive price. Not many are significantly cheaper and some, like the £51 Zilfer Cycling Phone Wallet and £45 Silca Borsa, are a good deal more expensive.
Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose
Everything fitted in. Everything was pretty well protected from falls. Everything was pretty well protected from rain.
Tell us what you particularly liked about the product
Well designed, keeps everything in one place and protected.
Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product
Those with smaller phones might want something a little shorter.
Did you enjoy using the product? Yes
Would you consider buying the product? Yes
Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes
Use this box to explain your overall score
There are more sophisticated phone wallets out there – and full waterproofing would be nice – but for £20 this does a perfectly good job.
About the tester
Age: 41
I usually ride: Scott S40 My best bike is:
I've been riding for: 5-10 years I ride: A few times a week I would class myself as: Experienced
I regularly do the following types of riding: general fitness riding
Alex has written for more cricket publications than the rest of the road.cc team combined. Despite the apparent evidence of this picture, he doesn't especially like cake.
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Add new comment
7 comments
I've had three generations of their lights
First one - charging port was very flimsy and broke off easily - replaced under warranty
Second one - fantastic lights, couldn't fault them
Third Set - SeeSense Ace - just sold them because I no longer ride at night. Functional enough with lots of good mounting options but I seemed to be constantly charging them. Probably not an issue for a regular commuter but for a couple of rides a week they seemed to lose a lot in standby in the shed.
Came here for sandwich bag comment, was not disappointed
There cheap and work great so why not ,I used one for years.
Food bag with a plastic zipper top, keep using the same one for months on end.
I would rather they spent their time making their lights work as advertised rather than creating an overpriced makeup bag.
Agreed. I bought into their first iteration of lights and liked the design and concept but they failed...no other lights I have had have been so unreliable
I've had them since November when BC were doing a special deal on the first iteration. A few blips on the anti theft thing with it alerting whilst at home but I stopped using that anyway and a recent charging issue which they fixed when I sent it back to them. The only other thing I would like is it remembering the brightness I set on the app instead of defaulting to high all the time.