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.
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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