It’s a heartbreaking, almost shameful experience to use your iPhone with a cracked screen.  But it happens to the best of us… Yes, even me.  Go to your local Apple Store and ask a Genius how many cracked iPhone screens they see a day.  I’m guessing that it’s more than ten, probably nearing 20.  I’m not here to strike fear in your heart because you don’t use a case — I know how great it feels naked — I just want you to be educated when you finally straighten up and protect your investment.  If you think you’re careful, come back and read this post after you’ve paid for your replacement.

I took three of what I found to be some of the thinnest, toughest, and coolest cases and tried them out for you!  Here’s what I got: Clearshield for iPhone 3G, Clear Naked Case for iPhone 3G, HardSkin for iPhone 3G (Black).  I put these three cases to the test and came out with a clear winner, so read on for the hard-hitting action!

I tried these three cases with a series of three tests over the course of several days each: Overall Feel, Usability, and the dreaded Drop Test.  I’ll start with the worst because the results were surprising.  During the Drop Test, I let my iPhone 3G go (Yes, I was pretty scared) from about hand level at three feet from the ground.  I was amazed to find that the iPhone stayed inside all three cases and was not hurt a bit!  Please don’t try that to confirm… I promise I’m telling the truth.

The next test was the Usability test.  The Clearshield case was cool looking and seemed to protect the device well, but when it came to usability, I wasn’t all that impressed.  Even though the 3G gave me a flush headphone jack, I often found myself reaching for my old adapter because the case got in the way.  Moving apps from screen to screen on the phone itself became some what challenging as well.  The lip of the case tends to interfere with how far your finger must drag an app to another screen.  Lastly, the amount of dirt and pocket lint that ended up in the case had me cleaning it out a couple times a day.

The Clear Naked Case didn’t fair much better in the Usability test.  The headphone jack became a problem yet again, and while it has a great screen cover built right into the case, I found it to be a distracting dirt magnet.  Any small amount of debris that got into the case made its way to the front and caused the static cover to bubble.  It only got worse with time.  After a couple days I couldn’t even stand to look at my screen any more.  App dragging wasn’t a problem with this case because the screen protector is completely flush all the way to the edge.  However, this does leave your device a little bit more exposed to drop damage.

The last case to go through the Usability test was the HardSkin for iPhone 3G.  I must say that this was my favorite case to use and currently protecting my iPhone as it sits on my desk.  Again, I’ve some issues with certain headphones, the case is just a little too thick around the jack, but there’s no apparent way for debris to get into the case and mess up my aesthetics.  There’s also no problem with app dragging as the lip on this case is slightly thinner, allowing you enough space to properly drag the app to the edge of the screen.

Moving on to the last test: Overall Feel.  Admittedly, I dismissed the Clear Naked Case because it was very bulky and added a lot of discomfort to my pants’ pocket throughout the day.  The Clearshield felt good and didn’t add a whole lot of bulk.  It just ended up being a little too slippery for my taste.  The HardSkin on the other hand, seemed to be just the right thickness, just the right texture and just the right protection.  I was initially concerned about this case because it was noticeably thinner than the others, but I’ve come to love it… especially after the drop test.  The rubbery “skin” makes it very easy to hang onto.  Did I mention how thin it is?

For those of you who are like me… you prefer it naked: the HardSkin is the way to go all-around.  It doesn’t add too much bulk, the rubbery skin is easy to grip and it retains most, if not all, of the iPhone’s functionality and beauty.

If you have other cases that you think could beat the ones we reviewed, let us know in the comments.  So, how much was that replacement iPhone, anyway?