Waterfield Smart Case for 13"

I picked up the 13" Waterfield smart case a couple weeks ago. Overall I think it's a great case, and I plan on keeping. It does have a few drawbacks though.

First, it isn't as sturdy as I was expecting. It does have a plastic insert, but it is hardly rigid. The case itself is flexible, and you can tell the plastic insert is very thin. That doesn't necessarily mean it won't offer some extra protection, but don't expect a rock solid hard case. I bought mine to use as a sleeve that I will be putting in another bag, and I think it offers enough protection for me.

Also keep in mind that the case is designed to be used with a vertical messenger bag or backback. The MacBook air is pretty snug in the Smart Case, but give it a few small shakes and the MacBook will start to slip out. So you if you lay it on its side in a horizontal bag, the MacBook might start to come out of the case as you're walking around. Also, there is very little space between the end of the computer and the top of the case. So if you happen to drop the case on its open end, the computer will slide out and hit the ground. Not a deal-breaker for me by any means, just have to be careful how you use it.

This sounds like a negative review, but I think people should understand those points before buying. Everything else about the case is great - typical Waterfield quality. The nylon on the outside seems like it is durable, and the inside is very soft and provides a little bit of padding. So the case may not be as versatile as others out there, but it fits my needs and I am happy with it.

Let me know if you have any other questions about it

i was entertaining getting the smart case for my 11" but in the end i decided that having some sort of flap or enclosure to prevent my laptop from sliding out would be a better idea. The smart case looks sweet and all but I opted to spend half as much and got the sleeve case instead which probably protects it just as well.

daonesteven said:

i was entertaining getting the smart case for my 11" but in the end i decided that having some sort of flap or enclosure to prevent my laptop from sliding out would be a better idea. The smart case looks sweet and all but I opted to spend half as much and got the sleeve case instead which probably protects it just as well.

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I was torn between the smart case and the sleeve case. I think the sleeve case is probably more practical, but the clean lines of the smart case won me over.

NDDL05 said:

The MacBook air is pretty snug in the Smart Case, but give it a few small shakes and the MacBook will start to slip out.

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I already need to amend my own review. Playing around with the case just now, I've found that the case is not as snug as it was when I first got it. If I hold the case upside down the computer slides out pretty easily. Just something to keep in mind.

I have them for my 13" air and for my ipad. I love them. I put them in my non-vertical bag with no issues, but I don't really have any other items in the area where they go. It's also a nice sleeve for "around the house".

Mayo7 said:

EDIT: also, if anyone has experience with the boxwave elite envelope case (i know it's completely different from the waterfield), I have some questions regarding that case as well.

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I've got the box wave envelope for my 13". Go ahead and ask what's on your mind! ;D

Mayo7 said:

iswimmin: just a quick question. how protective is that sleeve? is it just good enough to prevent scratches, or would it be able to handle some bumps and knocks?

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I keep it in my backpack when I take it to school, and so far, it has done well preventing any scratches on the laptop from the many notebooks in my bag. I wouldn't say that it will protect the mac if it were to fall off of a table, but tossing it on the bed, hasn't been disastrous as yet.

Plus, its cheap compared to other cases. That was the main reason I got it. On amazon, you can get it for 20 bucks.

I received my Copper SmartCase from WF Designs this morning. I have three other WF products and this one is of the same quality, extremely nice. Like the other owner who posted I also was expecting the described plastic inserts in the sides of the case to be more rigid.

I have the MBA 13" and was looking for something to keep it from taking any dents while in my bag. I first started out with a locally bought Brenthaven zippered sleeve. This sleeve has a "fur" interior with neoprene padding all the way around, but was very flimsy. It offers full protection, but the hard plastic interested me in the SmartCase because I will be carrying the MBA in a WF Cargo bag with some books and other accessories. I have had some real ******s shove their crap into my bag in the overhead on planes. I did not want a stray external HD or power supply to dent the MBA when I run into these creatons.

While the plastic is less rigid than I expected, I think I will stick with the SmartCase because of the quality and a little more added protection than the Brenthaven sleeve. Also, one other thing that was bugging me about the Brenthaven is that the metal zippers could scrape the side of the air next to them if they are pressed against it. I tried this and could hear the metal on metal sound of the zipper against the air's case.

Hope this helps.

drake3 said:

I have had some real ******s shove their crap into my bag in the overhead on planes. I did not want a stray external HD or power supply to dent the MBA when I run into these creatons.

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Wait....other passengers stuffed their hard drives and power supplies in your bag?? Did you know these other passengers? WTH? That is bizzare; I am usually the paranoid type and I lock my bags with expensive gadgets incase somebody goes snooping....

Mayo7 said:

daonesteven: i haven't bothered looking at the sleeve case until now. but wow, this actually might be the sleeve i'm after! I read that it has 6mm of neoprene padding.. does it get fairly thick with the air inserted? also, how well do you think it will protect the air from drops?

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it's got a really nice "gel"-y interior that protects it from minor impact but I don't think most sleeves would protect the computer from a drop unless you were lucky. I really like mine.