Incase Hardshell for Macbook Review

I just went out and bought a black incase hardshell for my macbook because i wanted to keep the exterior in very good shape. The total cost came out to be $54.07 after tax.

So here is what it looks like brand new:



When you open up the box and take the hardshell out, this is what you will see. The red boxes show you the clips that are used to hold the hardshell onto the actual macbook:





Here is a close up of the installing instructions, which is very straight forward for this product :



I did notice some dust when I took the pieces out of the box, so I made sure to clean the insides of the two hardshell pieces thoroughly before I started installing it. The instructions tell you to install the bottom piece first by placing the macbook into the bottom tray, BACKSIDE in first. this is a very important step. The following pictures shows what happens if you don't put the backside in first:



You can see that the bottom piece doesn't quite lock in with the macbook correctly. After installing the bottom piece, this is what the top and bottom looks like:




This picture shows you how well all the ports match up with the hardshell casing:



Now on to the top piece. I did not want to risk scratching the top at all, so what I did was reuse the keyboard protection paper that comes when you first open a brand new macbook and placed it on the top of the laptop. Then I installed the top piece of the hardshell:




This is what the macbook looks like with both hardshell pieces on (notice in the 2nd picture how the backside looks now after i reseated the bottom piece correctly, putting the BACKSIDE in first):








Now to answer the big question about the incase hardshell: can I still angle the laptop screen greater than 90 degrees? Short answer: YES!! However, there is something you should know...



When you recline the laptop back to its greatest extent, the bottom of the laptop screen will touch the bottom piece of the hardshell. i don't know if this will be bad in the long run in terms of aesthetics, but so far it hasn't been a problem for me:

(I am limited to 20 images per post, so please look at my second post for the pictures of what this looks like)

Having the hardshell on the laptop did make the overall size a tiny bit bulkier. I'd say that the overall size has increased by 1-2mm. According to my scale, the laptop weighs 5lbs, which is the advertised weight of the macbook. However, it does feel SLIGHTLY heavier, but not enough to bother me. The only problem I have had is putting the laptop in my applesac sleeve. I can still put the laptop in, but it is a much tighter fit now because of the slightly larger size of the laptop.

Overall, I am very happy with this product. Like many others have mentioned, the material feels slightly rubbery, but very smooth. All the ports match up perfectly, including the air vents on the back of the macbook. I do think that the cost is a bit high, but i think it is justified because of the ease of installation and how well it protects the laptop. I hope this review helps others who are in the market for this protective case!

Here are the pictures for the RED caption above:




You can see that the macbook still manages to fit in my applesac sleeve!




This last pic just shows that the power cable and my usb wireless mouse fits into their ports just fine!!

thanks guys. i searched all over the forum for reviews of the incase hardshell, but didn't find any in depth reviews, so i decided to write my own. i'm glad that this has helped some of you and i hope it helps the mbp owners too when incase releases the hardshell for their laptops

ki2594 said:

where can i get one of those? does apple sell them or wat?

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heatmiser said:

You can buy them online from Apple, or directly from Incase, and perhaps in the physical stores as well.

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Yes you should be able to buy them at the physical apple store, but i recommend calling ahead of time to check whether they have them in stock and in what colors. I bought mine from my local apple store and they had only 1 white hardshell. they had plenty of blacks and purples, but no reds

looks perfect on black! maybe we can make this the official incase hardshell thread

just a side note: it is somewhat troublesome to remove the hardshell after install, which i think is a good thing. i really don't see any areas where dirt could seep in. it fits so tight around the case

anirban said:

Very informative, and thanks for the pictures. Although I do have one question- Can the mounting hooks on the side potentially scratch the macbook?

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i don't think they will. I've taken off the hardshell twice and checked to make sure the hooks didn't scratch the mb. once the hardshell is on the laptop, it never shifts around, so the hooks will never rub against the macbook. the only way the hooks could potentially scratch the mb is if you bought a hardshell that was improperly made (i.e. there is some pointy leftover plastic on the hooks that isn't supposed to be there). even though the hardshell hooks have not scratched my mb, i still check everyday to see if the hardshell is causing any wear on the laptop.

Stokes said:

I've a spare battery for my MacBook. Do you guys think that taking this shell on an off much will wear it out? Do those tables look hard and brittle, such that much stress will crack them, or do they look like they have enough elasticity that repeated removal wouldn't be a problem?

Thanks for your insights... you just about have me over the edge!

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I would think that constant removal/install would wear it out eventually and maybe stretch it a bit. Like I mentioned earlier, taking it off can be troublesome since it fits so tight. You really have to be careful with the little clips because if you do happen to break one, there's no way the hardshell is going to go back on. My suggestion would be to try to remove it as little as possible.

i'm glad that you guys found the thread useful. i had the hardshell on my mb for about 2-3 weeks before i sold it. when i took it off, there was no dust or scratches anywhere on the macbook. i do believe that it depends entirely on how well you prep before install. as long as you make sure your mb is absolutely clean and also that the hardshell itself is clean and dust/dirt free, it should not damage the laptop in any way.