Grove iPad 2 cover

I'm bumping this thread, hoping that since the Grove products have been out for a while now that someone might have some thoughts about the cover. I'm really interested in one of their designs, and would want to use it with something like the switcheasy coverbuddy. Anyone know if they would work together?

I'd be interested in any other reports about the cover, too. Does it stay closed pretty well, or does it shift around very easily? How has the leather worn?

Thanks!

I have one. I got a plain black cover with an amber case. I love the case. It is very well built out of excellent materials. My only (small) criticisms are the alignmnt of the camera hole and the mic port. The camera hole is a little off center but doesnt affect use of the camera. Same for the mic port.

The cover itself... The materials are great quality. The construction is top notch. The design... not so much. It works well in viewing position, although I have some concerns it will fall (did once, no damage). In typing it doesnt work. They designed the cover to fold opposite of the Apple one (with the screen side in to protect it). When typing, the magnets give way and the iPad slides to the desktop. Also, when in either the typing or viewing orientation, the cover is bowed as the magnets reach to the spine and the corners are left about 1/4" behind. Now, that is with the case. I would expect that without the case you will still have the typing issues where the magnets dont hold.

I would not buy the cover by itself. Too expensive, and the design doesnt work. I WOULD get the cover as part of the case, but I would (and am) go back to Grove and ask them to resolve the issues with the cover.

Thanks very much for the reply. It's not what I had hoped to hear, but I'm glad to have heard it before I went ahead and ordered. Too bad-- they are fantastic looking, but the design problems you describe are exactly what I don't want.

I have a Grove iPad 2 case and one thing is for sure - it is slippery and you don't want to drop it! I dropped mine while getting a few items out of my car and it shattered on the driveway from about two feet. I was able to superglue it temporarily and emailed Grove to see what my replacement options were.

As Grove is very busy, it took them several days to respond to my question about whether or not I could buy the case without the cover. They sold it to me for 50% off, so about $38.00 or so (plus shipping). It took several more days to go back and forth because they required me to send photos of the broken case (a fair practice - I had no problem with that at all) and once the order was placed, I had to send them an order number so they would bump my replacement to the top of the list. Average response time to each email was about three days. I am in Toledo now on business and my girlfriend called last night to tell me the case arrived. Not a moment too soon, because the old case has now cracked at the top end for no apparent reason and ever broke off. I went to at the closest WalMart and bought small bottle of wood glue to fix it temporarily while traveling.

My thought is that this is a very nice case and the cover is good too, but it is a little too slippery and not very durable. Lack of durability is definitely a because of the use of bamboo plies, but it is still a gorgeous case. I may try an experiment with the old case and coat it with a hardwood floor coating to see what effect it has on the color and durability of the case.

Oh yeah - other complaints:

- Headphone port limits use to headphones with small plug or adapter.
- Smart cover magnets could be stronger so iPad is better supported when in typing position.

A big positive is that Grove's replacement policy is very good. I was afraid I had to buy the whole cover and pay full price for it too. Yes, they were slow in getting back and forth with me, but that is minimal when I saved 50% on a case that I broke after dropping it.