We learned last time around that the AirPods case is a tough nut to crack, so this time (with some guidance from a community member) we turn to something with a bit more clamping force.

The vise deforms the outer shell just enough for us to wedge a blade into the seam, slicing through the adhesive underneath and freeing up the AirPod docking tubes.

It'll never look quite the same, but the case suffered a lot less damage with this technique.

Next, we spudger away the status LED, which is nestled between the AirPod tubes at the front of the case.