(Another "help me decide" thread) MBP 17" Case/Sleeve/Skin: Are these any good?

[psychosis]

Hello. I'm new, so, first off, let me say that reading this forum for the past year or so has been a big help to me whenever I've needed Mac info, as it's answered a lot of my questions, so thanks everybody! But this time I couldn't find an exact answer, so I joined

I just got my MBP 17" back from having the logic board replaced due to liquid damage (yeah, oops, not something you want to have to do... I was silly to not have any kind of case or skin on it; believe me, anybody out there with "naked" laptops, it's not worth it!), and now it's time to get something to prevent this from happening again, since it could have been prevented by having a keyboard skin on it, and of course, some form of protection for the rest of the laptop so nothing else will get damaged (at least, as much as I can help).


So, I read through this thread, this thread, the buying guide, and several others on keyboard covers and laptop cases, but I'm still stuck by a few potential issues/questions:

First off, the keyboard cover/jimmy: I never got one in the first place because I am not fond of the way some silicone feels to the touch (like those silicone cupcake molds) and I didn't want to have to press any harder to type, but since I would never want to take the chance of damage again, I know I must get one. I was considering this ISIS one, the pink iSkin, and a Carapace. Could anyone please tell me, out of these choices, if you have any experience with them, good or bad? Again, my main concern with these things were: icky silicone feeling (plus fear of them actually attracting dirt), having to work too hard to type with them on.

Then we come to the part I've been agonizing over for two days now... The case/sleeve/skin choice. I want a way to make the laptop liquid-resistant, scratch-resistant, and cover as much of it as possible at all times (so no non-leave-in sleeves or cases), and add as much protection against anything else that may happen to it (bumps, etc.). Basically the issues are:

• With skins, which sounded like a great idea because they don't add any bulk (so they can go in jacket-style cases for added protection), I am in fear (for obvious reasons) of the amount of liquid I've read that is required to get them properly positioned and secured. I'm just paranoid now of getting any liquid anywhere near any part of the computer... But the skin seems like an economical way to protect most of the surfaces (with all other products you'd still have to get a palm protector too, and none of them seem to cover speakers)...
  So, has anybody had any experience with skins where you didn't have to get everything too wet? And how wet was it, really? Can you keep a keyboard jimmy on at least while applying these things, since that's the area I fear for most?
• I wasn't initially considering hard shell cases (fear of notorious Speck scratches, but this has been allayed by further investigation of other brands that don't have such a reputation), but especially when I read about the aforementioned liquid issue (and that not all hard shells are evil), I reconsidered. Now the issue I have, after thinking about this InCase, is that I have read reports that you can't open the laptop past 90 degrees without damaging something. That would probably drive me crazy. That, and the fact that it would be harder to give the laptop a jacket with this thing on. Would it be okay to put this in a regular bag without a jacket, or do you still need the shock-absorbing properties of foam that cases provide?
• Lastly, I was thinking about getting this MacCase Binder. I liked it because it's a leave-in that allows for proper ventilation and protection against liquid, and provides decent all-around protection without being too costly. Nobody on here has mentioned this case, according to searches, and I was wondering if there's something wrong with it (there were others I liked the look and fit of better, but they either were waaay too expensive or weren't made for 17")? Does anybody have experience with one? Are there better leave-ins I have missed that cover tightly and all the way up around the sides of the laptop and offer liquid resistance and ventilation (for under USD $60)?

Thank you so much for anybody that can offer any insight!

 

[techound1]

Okay, let's see if I can touch on a bunch of stuff.

1) keyboard skin/cover. I have experience with marware's on a macbook in a commercial environment. When it's not on the mac it does feel like a silicone cupcake mould. On the mac, I feel little to no difference - it doesn't impede the keys at all. Yeah, it collects dust, but I figure that's better than it falling between the keys and it's easy to wash off.

2) body skin. Stay away from the Binder and similar - they actually trap heat on the bottom of the MBP. I tried a Speck case on my MBP and it seemed like it got unusually warm, but lots of members use them so I may just have been neurotic about it. Total-body skins like invisible shield require an advanced degree to get on correctly, but once on they are divine. A good compromise for you may be to go with just a top skin - something like they make at uniqueskins.com.

In all cases, be sure to google (or yahoo, or whatever) for coupon codes - their are a ton floating around out there for almost everything you're looking at.

 

[psychosis]

Thank you so much for your insightful post techound1 It actually doesn't look like you need liquid to apply the Uniqueskins, so that's definitely a consideration, but I would have to have something for the bottom too, since that's the part that would be more likely to get damaged when sitting on a desk...
I also appreciate the warnings about the binder... I guess I've changed my mind about that.
I ordered a silicone skin for the keyboard yesterday and it should be here on Wednesday, so I'll see how I like it and probably post a follow-up here.
Thanks again! If I go with any kind of invisible shield skin I'll use the discounts you offered too

Well, I was hoping more people would have some experience with some of these products, so, if you do, a post would be very helpful. Now I just don't know if I should get a shell or a skin with a shell or a case and top skin...