Some people underestimate box armor. The design of the Tiger and Panzer IV was from the 1930ies and sloped armor offered a better protection in general. But the disadvantage could be somewhat corrected by angling the armor yourself. Something every Tiger crew would have learned in basic training (Tigerfibel: Mahlzeitstellung). Most likely the enemy wouldn´t have to penetrate 100mm or 80mm of effective armor on the Tiger but a bit more. Then again one could argue that falls under the category "skilled crews".
A picture from the Tigerfibel about the Mahlzeitstellung/ meal-time-position:
Red dots indicate the best protection.
Another picture form the Tigerfibel: "T-34s aren´t allowed to get into the cloverleaf."
Green area: "I will get shot there."
Red dots: Mahlzeitstellung. "I can shoot him, he can´t shoot me."
Describing the Tiger as a piece of garbage is false imo. A good crew could get the maximum out of it. The design might be outdated, but those negative effects could be overcome by crews.