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BestSkinsEver for 13" MacBook Pro Review

AlphaDogg

AlphaDogg

macrumors 68040
Original poster
May 20, 2010
3,417
7
Ypsilanti, MI
As per the title, this is a review of the BestSkinsEver full-body skin for my 13" MacBook Pro found here for $28.99. I have has this skin for about 3 months, yet it still looks brand new (as does the MacBook Pro). This is my second skin for my MacBook Pro from them. I replaced it after ~6 months because it had a greenish tint to it. This may be because I take it to school with me, and use it everywhere; so it picks up dirt from its surroundings.

Anyway, on to the review. I love the texture of this skin. It is a lot smoother than InvisibleShield by Zagg. I know this because of an iPhone skin I had from Zagg a while back. It makes the MacBook Pro very glossy; and coming from a White MacBook, I like the glossiness. It covers the wristrest area, trackpad, bottom panel, top part with :apple: logo, hinge cover, and the sides. I do not have my trackpad skin on my trackpad, because mine got all gunked up, and I realized how much I like the bare texture of the trackpad. And also the trackpad does not need a skin because it is glass and will not wear down like plastic trackpads of MacBooks past.

The holes for the screws on the bottom plate go all the way outward to the edge of the skin, rather than having a small hole for the screw. You will see what I mean in the pictures:
DSCN0926.jpg

DSCN0927.jpg

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You can see on the side of my MacBook Pro that there is a slot cut out for the battery indicator button, and that the area around the ports are not covered:
DSCN0913.jpg


You can see how well the skin covers the side of the MacBook Pro:
DSCN0914.jpg

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The skin for the front-side (with the thumbscoop) is made of two pieces as you can see here:
DSCN0917.jpg


The area around the optical drive slot is not covered as shown in this picture:
DSCN0920.jpg

DSCN0934.jpg


The area around the keyboard is not protected; only the place where you rest your wrists is protected:
DSCN0929.jpg

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The plastic hinge cover is protected, along with the bit of aluminum on each side:
DSCN0936.jpg

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DSCN0938.jpg


The aluminum lid with the Apple Logo is quite well protected:
DSCN0910.jpg


Keep in mind that a skin is not for you if you want any actual drop-protection/dent-protection. It will actually make a dent more noticeable, because of the way that light reflects off of glossy surfaces as opposed to matte surfaces. It does a great job at what it is made for, though. This is to protect from any scratches.
 
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nice review, I'm actuall gonna buy the bse from BSE once the macbook pros 2011 come out.
they're much cheaper and better/same quality as Zagg plus they cover the sides of the macbook
 
I don't see no skins! Did you really put a skin on their or are you pulling our leg ;)

Very nice and great review! It looks like they really spent time designing it right to give the user maximum functionality while maintaining good protection coverage. I may have to get myself one.
 
NickZac said:
I don't see no skins! Did you really put a skin on their or are you pulling our leg ;)

Very nice and great review! It looks like they really spent time designing it right to give the user maximum functionality while maintaining good protection coverage. I may have to get myself one.
Click to expand...

It is definitely noticeable in person when you are using it. But it is not very prominent.

Edit: Oh and also, I spent like 10 minutes uploading the pictures just for you guys ;)
 
NickZac said:
I don't see no skins! Did you really put a skin on their or are you pulling our leg ;)

Very nice and great review! It looks like they really spent time designing it right to give the user maximum functionality while maintaining good protection coverage. I may have to get myself one.
Click to expand...

Haha you can definitely see the skin... It is what is causing all the reflections. Nice write up OP!
 
DIMEZ said:
nice alternative instead of a hardcase
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Thank you :)
peapody said:
Haha you can definitely see the skin... It is what is causing all the reflections. Nice write up OP!
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I think he was kidding. But thank you, peapody. :)
EarthDawn said:
I wish there was a video of the install. Looks great by the way.

I searched YouTube but found no videos....
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It is the same to install an invisible shield. Maybe try searching for that. It is difficult to apply the skin, let alone apply it while being filmed. However, it is not difficult for me, as I have applied multiple bestskinsever/invisibleshield skins. Next time I replace this skin (in about 3-5 months), I will try to take a video. Then I will resurrect this thread and link the video back here.
 
peapody said:
Haha you can definitely see the skin... It is what is causing all the reflections. Nice write up OP!
Click to expand...

No you don't; it just is a shiny model :p

Overall color wise, other than the shine, it appears to not change the overall color; it will be interesting to see long term durability as I once used a skin that got yellowed and cracked quickly, but that was a long time ago on on a laptop which only knew catastrophe in every possible way.
 
NickZac said:
No you don't; it just is a shiny model :p

Overall color wise, other than the shine, it appears to not change the overall color; it will be interesting to see long term durability as I once used a skin that got yellowed and cracked quickly, but that was a long time ago on on a laptop which only knew catastrophe in every possible way.
Click to expand...

Yes. The only things that have started to change color are the wrist-rest protectors (greenish tinge) and trackpad protector(I ruined by trying to clean with rubbing alcohol). Does anyone know how the Zagg InvisibleShield feels tacky? When I originally bought my first bestskinsever skin (wristrest/trackpad protector for my 2007 MacBook), it had the same texture. After about 2 months, that piece of garbage turned deep yellow. I fired off an email to them, and they sent me a replacement that was made out of their new material, that they have used ever since. After about 14 months of use, it had only started to become discolored.

I am very satisfied with this product, and will definitely buy again.
 
Im kind of on the fence about getting it for my computer, I guess its probably the best way to protect against scratches eh? How much scratch resistance does it really provide? If you cn convince me its worth it, I think I'm going to order one tonight.
 
JamesGorman said:
Im kind of on the fence about getting it for my computer, I guess its probably the best way to protect against scratches eh? How much scratch resistance does it really provide? If you cn convince me its worth it, I think I'm going to order one tonight.
Click to expand...

I have set it on a table with tons of sand and dirt on it. The skin and MBP came out unscathed.
 
Thank you for the insightful review.

I'm debating between this and and a Speck see through case for my 15" i5.
I'd go for the speck right now, but the problem is I want to buy it on amazon, and am waiting to find something that's an extra $7, so I can get free shipping. :p
I was looking at the Invisible Shield earlier, and am trying to decide what to go with. I know the speck gives an allusion of more weight, but I feel more comfortable using one if I drop it. (Although I never have, since my first 12" PowerBook G4) *knocks on wood*
I have a few questions for you, AlphaDogg;
Have you had any problems with the corners or any part of it coming up, then being exposed and getting dirty so you can't put it back on?
How easy would you say it is to scratch this? Can I take it out of my bag 4-5 times a day do you think, without it looking like a Matte protector at the end of the month?
If you've owned a speck case, how would you rate this in comparison?

Thank you
 
mgartner0622 said:
Thank you for the insightful review.

I'm debating between this and and a Speck see through case for my 15" i5.
I'd go for the speck right now, but the problem is I want to buy it on amazon, and am waiting to find something that's an extra $7, so I can get free shipping. :p
I was looking at the Invisible Shield earlier, and am trying to decide what to go with. I know the speck gives an allusion of more weight, but I feel more comfortable using one if I drop it. (Although I never have, since my first 12" PowerBook G4) *knocks on wood*
I have a few questions for you, AlphaDogg;
Have you had any problems with the corners or any part of it coming up, then being exposed and getting dirty so you can't put it back on?
How easy would you say it is to scratch this? Can I take it out of my bag 4-5 times a day do you think, without it looking like a Matte protector at the end of the month?
If you've owned a speck case, how would you rate this in comparison?

Thank you
Click to expand...

The bestskinsever will not provide ANY drop/dent protection whatsoever. I take my MBP out of its bag and put it in its bag about 10-15 times per day. Also keep in mind the pictures above were taken after 3 months of everyday usage. On my last skin (which I owned for 6 months), I had not had an issue with any of the skin peeling up; and on this skin (have owned it for ~3 months), I have not had any issue whatsoever with it peeling up. On my last skin, there were a couple of what appeared to be small cuts in the skin. After I peeled it up, I figured out that they weren't cuts, but rather they were scratches. The only part of the skin that could possibly get scratched is the bottom panel. I can assure you that as long as you don't take a razor blade to it, nothing will scratch you MBP.
 
AlphaDogg said:
The bestskinsever will not provide ANY drop/dent protection whatsoever. I take my MBP out of its bag about 10-15 times per day. On my last skin (which I owned for 6 months), I had not had an issue with any of the skin peeling up; and on this skin (have owned it for ~3 months), I have not had any issue whatsoever with it peeling up. On my last skin, there were a couple of what appeared to be small cuts in the skin. After I peeled it up, I figured out that they weren't cuts, but rather they were scratches. The only part of the skin that could possibly get scratched is the bottom panel. I can assure you that as long as you don't take a razor blade to it, nothing will scratch you MBP.
Click to expand...

Hmm, it seems I will have to get this coating/case then.
Thank you
 
Thanks a lot for the pics. I'm in the market for a new MBP and i want to make sure its protected this time. :)
 
Thanks for the great review with pictures! I may just have to get me one of them there skins (haha I love using bad grammar ;)).
 
Looks interesting. I think the most I'd do with that though is just the top and bottom case so it wouldn't accumulate scratches when I move it. That's my main concern. Nice job though ; what is hard to install? I'm thinking of getting one for my iPhone.
 
wordoflife said:
Looks interesting. I think the most I'd do with that though is just the top and bottom case so it wouldn't accumulate scratches when I move it. That's my main concern. Nice job though ; what is hard to install? I'm thinking of getting one for my iPhone.
Click to expand...

I have a BestSkinsEver skin on both my iPhone, and MBP. The MBP skin was much harder to install, as it has a much larger surface size. However, my iPhone skin only took about 10min to install (this is a screen protector, as well as a back protector that I have on my iPhone).
 
wordoflife said:
Looks interesting. I think the most I'd do with that though is just the top and bottom case so it wouldn't accumulate scratches when I move it. That's my main concern. Nice job though ; what is hard to install? I'm thinking of getting one for my iPhone.
Click to expand...

I think I might do the same. Does this install require any sort of application fluid? I am afraid of causing damage to my iPhone!
 
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