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xStatiCa

macrumors regular
Original poster
Oct 7, 2009
157
1
Melkco Leather case Slimme (Vintage Black) for iPad 2

I wasn't going to take a chance at first because the only place I found these were from international sites but it finally showed up on Amazon from a US distributor so I took a chance. I thought I found the perfect solution with my existing Belkin Snap Shield and Apple Smart Cover combo (with back cover magnetic mod) and wouldn't want anything else but I kept getting that feeling that I wanted to find the slimmest and best looking real leather snap shield for a more professional look.

I ordered from amazon (they only had one in stock) and received it 2 days later (today) via USPS in a big brown envelope which doesn't fit in a mail box. There is no noticeable smell at all to it until you get your nose right up to it and then it is just a leather smell which is nice compared to AYL brand leather case that I had which had very bad glue smell that did eventually fade away.

This is easily the best looking case I have seen so far. I have seen the SGP Griff, Acase 3in1 (like original ipad case), Belkin Snap Shield (with apple smart cover), AYL leather 3in1 (fixed second version), and a few others. This is much slimmer than the SGP Griff and all the sides are even with the ipad top so nothing sticks up except on the corners a little where it snaps. You don't notice it though. The SGP Griff leather case you could feel that it was there on the sides but not with this case.

Likes:
- Slimmest real leather snap case I have found
- Soft feel
- Good grip
- Hand made
- Leather looks very high quality and the vintage look is very nice. The Vintage leather looks much better than the apple black leather.
- Has magnets in it to hold it to the front screen so that it doesn't flap down when held upside down. It doesn't flap open when carrying it. The cover stays in position even when trying to push it out of position so the sleep/wake functionality is perfect on it. I don't have to worry about the ipad turning on and off even if I throw it around a bit or put it in a travel bag.
- Good quality felt on the inside with Melko branding on it.
- Stitching is perfect.
- Nice and solid in the triangle folded position.
- You can hold the ipad up in portrait mode with your left had wrapped around the cover folded into the triangle position so that the ipad feels like it has a handle. If you do this with the apple smart cover it can come off and drop the ipad.

Could be better:
- When the cover has been unfolded closed for awhile and you fold the cover into a triangle it holds if you fold it all the way into a triangle and hold it for 1 or 2 seconds in that form before releasing. It stays in that triangle form after that. If you immediately take it from flat closed position when it has been that way for a long time to triangle shape and immediately release it after putting into a triangle it will unfold. I think this is just because the leather is so new and stiff and wants to unfold. If i fold and unfold the cover into a triangle a few times and then put it into triangle shape it holds immediately. I am hopeful that it will hold better as the leather wears from bending it into the triangle position. Even if it stays as is it is not really a problem for me but I figured it was worth noting for others. Holding it for a second or two is really not an inconvenience for me. They could have made the magnets a little stronger for the triangle position though I think. Only time will tell if the case becomes not as stiff after folding it up a bunch of times. It will be interesting if someone else gets one and experiences the same thing or not.
- Unlike the apple smart cover you can only fold the cover into a triangle one way and have the magnets in the cover hold it into the triangle shape (felt outside is the only way the magnets in the cover hold it into a triangle). It would be nice to fold it into a triangle the other way so that the felt does not touch the desk and get dirty.
- Could protect the very top near the 3g antennae more but at least the corners will protect it from most falls in that area.

Dislikes:
- Expensive but close enough in price to the Belkin snap shield with a leather apple smart cover
- Adds a little more weight than the Belkin snap shield and apple smart case combo. iPad 2 with Melkco slimme is about 1 lb 14 ounces and iPad 2 with belkin snap shield and apple leather smart case is about 1 lb 12.5 ounces (weight measurements obtained with a cheap scale). I wanted to put this in the Could Be Better area because it is not so heavy that it is a problem to me but I don't think they could get this any thinner than it is and still be as good as it is so I don't think it could get any better.

More features to make it even better:
- Metal strip on the back of the case (between leather and felt maybe) so that the cover will hold against the back when opened up all the way flat against the back. I will probably mod it to have this ability at some point.

Even though it is a little heavier and the triangle holds a little loose from folded flat position at first, the feel, design, and professional look of the Vintage leather case really makes it hard for me to decide between the Belkin snap shield with apple smart cover combo or this. I would say they both are about equal to me. It really just boils down to how often I might want to remove the cover but the whole case detaches easy enough that it might not be a big factor for the few times I might want the cover off. I could just remove the entire thing.

I will post a video of it later tonight.
 

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qoo77

macrumors newbie
Jun 9, 2010
25
0
Thanks for the review!

I had a feel of this case and the leather is the nicest of the cases out there I've seen so far. wishes there was more of a colour selection though.

Looking forward to your video review :) wanna see how easily the cover folds out compared to Smart Cover.
 

xStatiCa

macrumors regular
Original poster
Oct 7, 2009
157
1
Weight is about 1 lb 14 ounces with the iPad 2. You can see my previous thread about the SGP Griff to compare to the other weight measurements I took with the cheap scale I use (non digital). I am sure the scale i use is not very accurate but figure it is close enoigh to at least compare relative weight. The weight is close to the SGP Griff case but this one is not as bulky. It looks slimmer and wraps around the iPad closer along the edges than the SGP griff case. This case is more form fitting. I do like the grill on the SGP griff though as that really gives that back only case a nice look too.

I stll plan to post a video of the case in action hopefully today.

My SGP griff post:
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1155470/
 
Last edited:

yOyOYoo

macrumors 6502a
Feb 13, 2005
703
106
CA
Looks very nice, but wow $98!

I just checked looks like the vaja is $160+, this case isn't looking too expensive now.
 
Last edited:

yOyOYoo

macrumors 6502a
Feb 13, 2005
703
106
CA
Is there a product like this made of soft touch material, one piece instead of leather?
 

Xultar

macrumors 6502a
Dec 4, 2010
742
34
Beautiful. I love this case, but that price is prohibitive for me. But it is priced right. It is quite beautiful and doesn't cover up the front of the device.
 

swishbrade

macrumors member
May 1, 2011
52
0
Yes that is with the iPad 2 inside. If you look at his other post he has an explanation of the weight and some comparisons to other cases.

Yes I see that he added that info with an edit to his post after my query. Still, the fact doesn't disqualify my question as a silly one :D:D:D
 

xStatiCa

macrumors regular
Original poster
Oct 7, 2009
157
1
Well now that I have had it for awhile it is time to reevaluate it.

Short story is that I found a flaw that might be a big deal for some... Even with it though I am still having a hard time deciding if I want to keep it or stick with the belkin snap shield with apple smart cover.

Longer story...

The flaw I found is in the cover when opened flat against the back of the case and pushed up it triggers the iPad to turn off :(. I didn't notice it until yesterday when I started to use it on my lap when my leg is elevated to tilt the screen more towed me ( cross one leg over the other for example). I guess i never thought to twist the cover all the way up at an angle. I placed it down on my lap (home button down) with the cover opened flat against the back and the crossed one leg over the other. When I put the iPad on my lap the ipad slides down a little but the cover on the back just skews at an angle because it doesn't slide on my pants. This puts the cover at an angle to the iPad in the only position that incorrectly triggers the iPad to turn off. This problem does not trigger if I put it on my lap with the home button up.

If the cover is only slightly at an angle or angled down then it does not trigger the problem. It is only when the cover opened flat against the back and the cover is tilted up ( antennae side) from the iPad.

I just can't decide yet if I want to live with that on such an expensive case. It looks so good and functions well otherwise so I just don't know yet.

I posted a YouTube video showing the problem around the 2:22 time in the video.

The only other thing to note is that after using it for a few days the folding of it is not as stiff so it does stay in the triangle fold immediately now for me. Because of that though the magnets do not hold it to the screen if you close the covr and turn the iPad upside down. Not really a big deal to me as it still holds enough to keep it from flapping around when I carry it. It just doesn't hold if upside down.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4UJklyUDneU
 
Last edited:

Hellokittyutah

macrumors member
Mar 19, 2011
47
0
I am curious to know where did you buy this? Was it Amazon? I am concerned about the specific return policy of the seller listed. Can you return just because you dont like it?
 

laurenr

macrumors 6502a
Jan 9, 2008
937
31
California
Well now that I have had it for awhile it is time to reevaluate it.

Short story is that I found a flaw that might be a big deal for some... Even with it though I am still having a hard time deciding if I want to keep it or stick with the belkin snap shield with apple smart cover.

Longer story...

The flaw I found is in the cover when opened flat against the back of the case and pushed up it triggers the iPad to turn off :(. I didn't notice it until yesterday when I started to use it on my lap when my leg is elevated to tilt the screen more towed me ( cross one leg over the other for example). I guess i never thought to twist the cover all the way up at an angle. I placed it down on my lap (home button down) with the cover opened flat against the back and the crossed one leg over the other. When I put the iPad on my lap the ipad slides down a little but the cover on the back just skews at an angle because it doesn't slide on my pants. This puts the cover at an angle to the iPad in the only position that incorrectly triggers the iPad to turn off. This problem does not trigger if I put it on my lap with the home button up.

If the cover is only slightly at an angle or angled down then it does not trigger the problem. It is only when the cover opened flat against the back and the cover is tilted up ( antennae side) from the iPad.
.................

That has to be the absolute best looking iPad 2 case I have seen! Unfortunately, this "sleep trigger" issue has happened in quite a few of the first revision cases. Check out the Yoobao thread; this is a far cheaper case, but when it first came out, it exhibited that same behavior.
https://forums.macrumors.com/posts/12404434/

They corrected the problem in the next revision. I'm afraid this might be the case with the Melkco as well. I would definitely let them know about this, so they can work on the problem.
 

xStatiCa

macrumors regular
Original poster
Oct 7, 2009
157
1
I purchased this through Amazon. They only have a pink one available now. I got the only black one they had. They are probably testing the waters before stocking a lot of them. I have already notified them of the problem.

It is surprising that so many companies don't think to test for it. I had the first revision Yoobao leather 3 in 1 case that had the sleep trigger problem. That was a very big problem indeed. Every time I put the case back it would trigger the sleep almost every time. The problem with this case is not a very big one depending on how you use it. Just flipping the case back doesn't trigger the problem. The cover has to shift at an angle one direction for it to happen. It should get fixed for sure but it is nowhere near the huge problem that the revision 1 Yoobao case had. Yoobao (AYL actually) turned out to be a great company though and let many keep the flawed rev 1 case and then they shipped the new revision 2 case for free.
 

laurenr

macrumors 6502a
Jan 9, 2008
937
31
California
I purchased this through Amazon. They only have a pink one available now. I got the only black one they had. They are probably testing the waters before stocking a lot of them. I have already notified them of the problem.

It is surprising that so many companies don't think to test for it. I had the first revision Yoobao leather 3 in 1 case that had the sleep trigger problem. That was a very big problem indeed. Every time I put the case back it would trigger the sleep almost every time. The problem with this case is not a very big one depending on how you use it. Just flipping the case back doesn't trigger the problem. The cover has to shift at an angle one direction for it to happen. It should get fixed for sure but it is nowhere near the huge problem that the revision 1 Yoobao case had. Yoobao (AYL actually) turned out to be a great company though and let many keep the flawed rev 1 case and then they shipped the new revision 2 case for free.

Yep, I also have the Yoobao first gen iPad 2 case, but I was lucky - mine had none of the sleep/wake trigger issues. However, I am still on the lookout for a really high quality case that has a very slim profile. The whole "thing" for me, is that this new iPad has this skinny form factor, and I do not want to add any bulk to its silhouette.

I think I will wait a while, see what develops with the Melkco case, because it is definitely my favorite I have seen so far. Are you returning yours?
 

laurenr

macrumors 6502a
Jan 9, 2008
937
31
California
I bought the pink one and got it 2 days ago. Fast shipping and I like it. Real leather and good protection. I tested what the video shows, it does have such drawback but I don't think it's a big issue to me.

I like it because I don't think I could find better quality case than this one in the current market at the same price.

Oooh! The pink sounds gorgeous - please post pictures of it!:p Does it add a lot of bulk to the ipad?
 

xStatiCa

macrumors regular
Original poster
Oct 7, 2009
157
1
Oooooh, I just found out that they have the black case available again. I'm going to buy one for my iPad 2. The pink one is for my wife's. :)
Note that the one on Amazon as of now is the Black LC leather and not the Vintage black leather that I bought.
 

laurenr

macrumors 6502a
Jan 9, 2008
937
31
California
Nope, I don't think the case is bulky. It fits the iPad2 well without loose space. I think the best pictures you could find is from the Amazon site. I tried to take 2 pictures but they look so dim.

OMG! The pink is just soooooo stunning! Thank you for posting the pics!:D
 

batman75

macrumors 6502a
Apr 15, 2010
707
146
Some of you may be still interested and I'd like to share what I found today from the Melkco slimme case. I found the seller has more color choices now and the back snap cover for Smart Cover as well.

The seller also offers 10% discount now until 7/10. I think it's July 4th promotion.

Hope the info could help you searching the iPad 2 cases.

Which seller? The amazon one or carrymobile?
 

batman75

macrumors 6502a
Apr 15, 2010
707
146
Has anyone used this case on an airplane tray table?

I am wondering if the Ipad is stable enough to get through a flight without the iPad falling down while you're watching the movie (e.g. if you have some mild turbulence or gently knock the tray table).

I want to switch from my Maroo to something slimmer. but it has to be stable in stand position.
 
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