I've had my new Max for a full two days now, and I think I now have a pretty good sense of what I want in a case. I've been swapping between four cheap-ish cases I picked up on Amazon. The rundown on those:
Ranvoo Slim Fit Minimalist case in blue ($13) -
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07GYT5PW1/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 - I'm a sucker for blue cases, and this one seemed to tick some boxes for me. It's indeed very slim, and the color is nice. But it's slippery as hell.
VRS Design slim clear case ($11) -
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07G765JH9/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 - this one is...fine. Material is grippy enough, fit is ok. However, I'm not a huge fan of the ridged pattern on the back, nor of the red VRS insert.
Maxboost LiquidSkin Pro case ($7) -
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07GNTGC85/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 - I wanted to like this one. Interior microfiber is nice. I like the feel of the material, but it's a little slippery - even though the description claims "Excellent Grip". They should have described it as "Acceptable Grip". This case has a cutout on the bottom, which was a feature I wanted to try in hopes it would help a bit with gestures. What I've found is that gestures are easy enough to activate with any relatively small-lipped case; no need to cut out the entire area. And leaving the bottom totally open exposes it in a way I'm uncomfortable with.
Maxboost Hyperpro Hybrid Case ($5) -
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07H9HWQ9W/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 - my phone has spent most of its short life in this case. Even though it was super cheap, it is - far and away - the most secure/confidence-inspiring of the cases I've picked up. I think this is the only one that would allow the phone to survive a decent drop. I like almost everything about this case, except for the size. I suppose security has its cost: it's larger/thicker in every dimension than any of my other choices.
I never expected any of these options to become long-term choices for me. However, in the future, I think I might find myself using the Hyperpro now and then. I'm also toying with attaching a Love Handle (or some kind of loop) to the Ranvoo and using that combo for a while. I do like the look of this case.
So I'm most certainly still on the hunt for the perfect case. I'm toying with the Loopy (although I don't really want to give up wireless charging). Given all the rave reviews in this thread for the Caudabe Sheath, I think I'll pull the trigger and give it a shot. Perhaps the blue one. Does Caudabe ever run sales? Or should I expect to pay retail?