Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Do I need a case for my MBP? Hardshell... Wrapsol? HELP!

U

USAftw

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jul 22, 2010
2
0
Just to let everyone know, I am probably the most indecisivve person on the face of the earth. That being said, please back-up your answers & be paitient with me. :)

I will be a college student this upcoming fall, and have decided to go with the Macbook Pro 13".

I will definitely be getting a[n Incase] sleeve. What I'm struggling with is if I need an additional case. Speck seethru case, Incase Hardshell... Or maybe the Wrapsol. [no ZAGG.... I have a ZAGG cover for my iPhone & am throughly dissapointed. Every corner has peeled off].

The thing I am terrified about with the hardshell cases is that they might scratch my MBP? This thing is going to be my BABY, & I will not stand for anything scratching it!! But dust & tiny particles are bound to get in between the case & MBP.... and I've heard many bad reviews about that. :(

---------------------------EDIT:

I've also been looking into the Moshi screen/ keyboard skins. They seem great... but this is all getting to be pretty expensive, & how much of it do I really NEED anyways? Is the MBP really prone to scratches, say, if it's just sitting on my desk? [if it's anything like the back of the iPhone, then it is.]

I also think the MBP in itself looks gorgeous, and I'm not too interested in the idea of covering it with a piece of plastic.

ANY advice is MUCH appreciated. :)
 
I think that hard cases are a bad idea. They just increase the size of your laptop, and in my opinion, make a Mac look ugly.

Just be careful and enjoy your Mac.
 
I plan to re-sell my mac so I invested in a wrapsol and a speck hard case to protect it from scratches. I am especially rough with my computers so I think it will definitely help. The wrapsol will always be on there but I only plan on using the Speck while I travel because my bag gets bumped around like hell.

As you mentioned, when dust/dirt collects inside a hard case it can scratch your laptop. Either (1) clean it at least monthly or (2) combine a thin case and a hard case like I am with wrapsol and speck - although this is overkill for many

If you are getting the sleeve, the wrapsol is probably all you need to avoid the casual scratch while your using it. I really hate sleeves so hard case it is for me, I kinda like how the black satin speck case looks anyway.
 
I'm also considering either a Power Support or Wrapsol skin kit as well.

My new MBP is in transit to my house right now. Power Support seems to be clear skins with cloth for the key area while Wrapsol is all Matte skins.
 
my setup is as follows:

wrapsol on lid/bottom
moshi palmguard+trackguard
moshi keyguard

you cant tell the wrapsol is on the laptop at all.
the palmguard prevents any dirt/grime from building up on the area where your palms go and the trackguard prevents any signs of wear.
the keyguard prevents wear on the keyboard..

when you go to sell you can either leave these items on or remove them, if you remove them your macbook will look BRAND NEW, even the keyboard no matter how many hours you log on it. this is a HUGE resell point bc i know from personal experience ive never wanted a used laptop bc of how bad the keys wear away!

wrapsol = $30
moshi products = $40-$50.

i do have a speck hardshell but quickly removed it as i didnt like the weight or stress it added to the hinge for the screen.
 
Eh, I don't like that - don't want water anywhere near my MBP.

I guess Power Support is what I'll go with.
 
ihonda said:
my setup is as follows:

wrapsol on lid/bottom
moshi palmguard+trackguard
moshi keyguard
Click to expand...

Yeah I have all the Moshi products, I've only opened the clearguard though (the keyboard cover). I am thinking I might return the palmguard and trackguard if the black vinyl covers in my other post (link) are any good.
 
I ended up ordering both the Power Support Body Guard for the outsides of my MBP and the Protection Pack for the wrists and trackpad.

I can't see me needing a screen protector since I have a Glossy screen which I hear is just glass like the iPhone so it's easy to clean.
 
um if you know how to install the wrapsol water is NO issue.. i can do it blind folded.
 
Khryz said:
Eh, I don't like that - don't want water anywhere near my MBP.

I guess Power Support is what I'll go with.
Click to expand...

It's not a big deal... Wrapsol is worth the money. I had a hardshell for a day then returned it the next day.
 
if you're getting a sleeve then just go for the wrapsol or whatnot

hard case+sleeve is a little excessive

hard cases are good if you're not using anything else since it's 24/7 protection
don't know why people complain about a little bulk when a sleeve will add as much if not more bulk
 
ihonda said:
my setup is as follows:

wrapsol on lid/bottom
moshi palmguard+trackguard
moshi keyguard

you cant tell the wrapsol is on the laptop at all.
the palmguard prevents any dirt/grime from building up on the area where your palms go and the trackguard prevents any signs of wear.
the keyguard prevents wear on the keyboard..

when you go to sell you can either leave these items on or remove them, if you remove them your macbook will look BRAND NEW, even the keyboard no matter how many hours you log on it. this is a HUGE resell point bc i know from personal experience ive never wanted a used laptop bc of how bad the keys wear away!

wrapsol = $30
moshi products = $40-$50.

i do have a speck hardshell but quickly removed it as i didnt like the weight or stress it added to the hinge for the screen.
Click to expand...

pics
 
Did a wrapsol installation today. Only used the top, bottom, and rear corner pieces. Will be using something else for the palmguard and the trackpad (although not sure yet what).

Be sure to turn your computer completely off (i.e. not sleep) just in case.

You meed some patience and be generous with the liquid. I think I spent about 45 minutes total putting the top, bottom, and rear corner pieces on.

The top piece went on great. It seemed to be a little small at first, but its really just all the air bubbles and the liquid taking up space. After those were squeezed out, I got it on ALMOST perfectly edge-to-edge. There is a slight bit (maybe 1-2 mm^2) of non-coverage on the bottom (near the fan vent) which I couldn't get it to cover. Either way its basically invisible so you can't even tell from a foot away.

The bottom piece seemed to be too big! After everything I got it to line up well enough with all the screws so they can be removed cleanly, but there is a SLIGHT overhang near the rear of the computer. Not noticeable unless you touch it though or stick your face within inches of it.

Rear corner pieces were okay. I had to trim one slightly (with regular scissors) because it was overhanging into the mag-safe protector.

Overall, looks good, works well. No longer scared of scratches on covered areas.

Wishlist
(1) Bottom cutout should fit a teeny bit better. Might just be my installation though
(2) There should be more pieces for the front edges. The top and bottom are covered but what about all the aluminum along the 1" thick dimension? Only the rear corner areas (between the magsafe connector and the fan vent and the slot loading disc and the fan vent) are covered with the provided pieces.
 
I have the wrapsol on the 13. It's been great. Instead of going with a hard case on the computer option, i went with the:

wrapsol

+


hard shell SLEEVE/Case (STM Turtle)


Thus i keep the mbp scratch free in normal use and also heavier protection when needed when i have to carry it to school, work, etc.
 
ihonda said:
my setup is as follows:

wrapsol on lid/bottom
moshi palmguard+trackguard
moshi keyguard

you cant tell the wrapsol is on the laptop at all.
the palmguard prevents any dirt/grime from building up on the area where your palms go and the trackguard prevents any signs of wear.
the keyguard prevents wear on the keyboard..

when you go to sell you can either leave these items on or remove them, if you remove them your macbook will look BRAND NEW, even the keyboard no matter how many hours you log on it. this is a HUGE resell point bc i know from personal experience ive never wanted a used laptop bc of how bad the keys wear away!

wrapsol = $30
moshi products = $40-$50.

i do have a speck hardshell but quickly removed it as i didnt like the weight or stress it added to the hinge for the screen.
Click to expand...

I have the exact same setup and I love it.
 
My advice is to just buy an Incase sleeve to use when carrying around. Buy a Moshi keyboard cover if you want, but don't bother with any cases or something like that. Your Macbook Pro will only scratch if you bump it against things or just throw it in your backpack. If you just put the computer in a sleeve to move around, and then just leave your computer in one place when using it - you shouldn't have any problems.
 
Don't bother with cases except for moving the laptop around. They totally uglify the macbooks and make them thicker and more cumbersome.
 
I've used Speck cases in the past, but ultimately, they add too much bulk/weight for me.

I'm currently using a Wrapsol on my MBP to protect it from scratches during every day use, and when I'm moving it around, I have an Incase sleeve. It's the combo I like most, by far.

Good luck.
 
Does the Wrapsol come with a palmguard/trackguard? I thought it did, but then some people are talking about buying those products from Moshi?

And if it changes anything, I'm never reselling this baby. I'm going to have it until it breathes it's last. :)
 
If you're gonna use this laptop until it dies, its a good approach to protect it. As far as I'm concerned Moshi only produces a palm guard/track pad cover for the MBP ($20). Wrapsol on the other hand, has a full body protection for only $30. This includes top, bottom, palm guard, track pad and sides. Its definitely the better value.

I currently have the Moshi palm guard on my laptop but will purchase Wrapsol in the near future.
 
USAftw said:
Does the Wrapsol come with a palmguard/trackguard? I thought it did, but then some people are talking about buying those products from Moshi?

And if it changes anything, I'm never reselling this baby. I'm going to have it until it breathes it's last. :)
Click to expand...

It does. I think the Moshi set is soft, almost suede-like, which is why some people like to use that.

I'd rather just spend $30 and be done with it, the Wrapsol palm rest piece works great. I leave my track pad naked.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back