I don’t find them useful. Unless you’re talking about a huge sponge of a case, or those crazy corner ball ones, it doesn’t really make a difference. If a phone is prone to cracks it’s going to crack, with or without the case.
Sure, but I don’t carry a sewing needle with either. Probably should, actually. The reason toothpicks are there is because it’s the only thing at hand in those rare case when you need it, mostly middle of fuck nowhere and far away from home, when only one of the phones has charge but the other has reception.
Dunno, just my personal observation is that the heavier the phone is the more likely it is to crack, just from the sheer amount of mass the case has to dampen. I’ve seen heavy phones, in protective cases and even those marketed as “rugged” crack from minor falls, and lightweight cheap shit survive the nastiest of falls. What you’re probably referring to is those cases with thick rubber pads on the corners, but most cases are like half a mm thick wraps, which, IMO, won’t help squat in a fall.
I lose mine last month :( (telegra.ph)