CUVR leather iPP 12.9 carry case/kickstand

[Mac2me]

I saw this product a few months back on Amazon when I was looking after the holidays at covers for my iPP 12.9-inch.

http://www.amazon.com/CUVR-Leather-...srs=13956614011&ie=UTF8&qid=1460761286&sr=8-7

It's PU vegan leather and I was a bit hesitant to order due to the price. At that time I think it ran either $49 or $39. It had decent reviews and the photos of it looked nice. I liked the zippered case and carry handle for times when I might need to leave home with my iPP and liked that it served as a kickstand as well (thinking better for watching movies in bed than my Apple cover which has a narrow base on a soft bed with a tendancy to fall over). Checked Amazon today and it's now selling for $19.99. I think they are clearing out of it thus the price drop. The one drawback a number of people had was that it doesn't have a cutout for the backside camera and some said you could only take photos but of the inside of the leather carrying case since it was strapped in*. A back camera hole in a case is something I can easily live without on a 12.9-inch iPP. I ordered this case along with some other items today to qualify for Amazon's free shipping (not a Prime member). I didn't see anyone here mention owning one so will come back with comments (delivery by 4/23).

CUVR does make other porfolio covers in leather which are also sold on Amazon at near retail price. There was a comment I read which said if they did a second production round they would include a camera cutout however there's been nothing about any update. Here's their company website. A UK company.

http://www.cuvr.co.uk/#director

The carry case with the handle is shown at the bottom of their site and you can swipe right for more photos. It doesn't seem to be a featured product any longer (Product Name and description text are gone) like I remember from the beginning of the year so it makes me think it could be discontinued soon. Great price if it meets your needs.

BTW if you sign up as a VIP you can get discounts for reviewing their products. Noticed lately there were a lot of Amazon reviews by apparent VIP members.
[doublepost=1460767020][/doublepost]*BTW I did read a review on Amazon (Msparis 2/22/16) that said the velco strap that holds the hard plastic iPad shell case in place in the product can be released and therefore allows you to take photos with your iPad's back camera. I kind of wondered about this. Maybe the reviewers didn't spend enough time with it to realize this. The reviewer said you just reattach the velco afterwards. There is no camera lens hole in the actual outer leather case but if you can remove the iPad while still in it's plastic shell case which everyone says does have a camera hole that should satisfy people. Duh. Especially funny because many people in their reviews mentioned the plastic holder has a cutout. Oh well. I'll be sure to check this out when mine arrives.

 

[Mac2me]

Had my "commuter" CUVR case for a bit now and been giving it lots of use in bed since that was the main reason for the purchase (have the Apple case and cover already). Happy to report that it's a great buy and works well as a stable stand in bed, on top of the covers or your lap. Very nice quality product. My husband saw it and said it was much nicer than the case he was using and was surprised when I told him it was vegan "leather".

So here's some photos for you guys. Click on photo for larger image. It comes with minimal packaging that could be easily gift wrapped for your kid's graduation gift (and would make taking that iPP around campus convenient).



It has secure and sturdy handles for when your iPP leaves the bed and travels with you. They collapse flat to the case when not in use. The double zippers slide around the case easily and keep the case contents secure.



Notice the stitching on the case and the graining of the PU leather.



Here's the inside with my iPP inserted into the hard shell case that is hinged to the product. You have room for driver's license, credit card, business card, etc. as well as some paperwork. Note also I'm storing my Apple Pencil. The Pencil holder is elastic and the Pencil could slip out when the case is open and tilted so I'd recommend adding one of those old pen clips on to your Pencil to attached to the elastic band for extra security.



Here's the case with the iPP lifted up exposing the hinge. There is a small velco strip below the hinge which attaches to another velco strip on the back of the case cover. Keeps your iPad/shell case securely in place when laying flat or transporting in the closed case. The interior is lined with a soft microfiber material.



I found for my use that I would either position my iPad in a nearly vertical stance for when the case sat on my body while lying in bed for a good reading angle closer up. The bottom the iPad catches nicely at the second edge of leather where the IDs go.



The second way I positioned it is with the iPad resting against the zipper edge. This would be the fullest extention of the interior hinge strap. Makes for a nice viewing angle for us sitting in bed watching a video for example.



Here's a photo from the Home button side to show the cut outs. Same can be seen on the camera side. I didn't grab a photo of the cutout at the long zipper edge, but the volume buttons are well exposed as well. Due to the viewing angle of the iPad it can be a bit tricky to reach back there and feel them but you always have the iPad's swipe up from bottom Control Center to adjust from the screen itself.



A negative, for some I guess, is there isn't a camera cutout in the leather case from which to use the rear camera. Being hinged to the actual case means you can't remove the iPad in the shell case as one piece. I personally don't take photos with this camera like I do with my iPhone. I can see using the front camera for Facetiming. Now on the Amazon listing it says it was done to provide rain protection of your case's contents when commuting with it. I also like that people wouldn't necessarily notice you have a tablet inside, with the camera cutout maybe they would. Anyway for me this is a moot issue.

This case works great for using you iPP in the landscape mode, which I do the majority of the time. It's a bit awkward in the portrait since you can't fold the non-iPad side behind the iPad. You have essentially a large open book with the iPP on the right. You can comfortably slip your left hand through the handle on the back side and use that to support the weight of the iPP in that orientation. It works pretty well actually and gives stability.

I also will mention that I did notice the chemical odor from the PU leather. It's been sealed in the packaging and outer plastic sleeve since manufacturing I assume but the odor has dissipated since using. Others have commented on this as well. My husband didn't it, but I have allergies and noticed it. Didn't cause me any issues but I'm more sensitive to smells than he is.

So Amazon for $19 right now. If the lack of camera cutout doesn't matter, I really don't think you could go wrong with it. Oh, and there's no automatic cover sleep feature like you have for example using the Apple cover. Kind of miss that but no biggie. Have to say since I've had this CUVR case I haven't felt compelled to reinstall my iPP in my Apple case and cover.