Invisible Shield or Incase Hardshell for MBP?

[AGIPSY]

Hey guys. I have penryn 15" MBP, and want to add a little more protection to it in my college environment. However,I can't decide between getting an InvisibleSHIELD or the incase hardshell case. I already have a neoprene sleeve, so the hardshell might be a little excessive and add more weight, but i'm not sure how reliable invisibleSHIELDS actually are.

Can anybody offer an opinion?

Thanks,

Amy

 

[Nikos]

I have never used any type of case/shield, but have heard great things about the Speck See Thru hard case.

 

[AGIPSY]

I have never used any type of case/shield, but have heard great things about the Speck See Thru hard case.

I've heard good things about it for the current unibody macbook pro, but not for the previous generation--i heard it scratches the aluminum and is extremely hard to get off, have you heard about that?

 

[Pika]

The invisible shield make your MacBook pro looks ugly due to bubbles and it is very very hard to install and you need to apply liquid to your machine... Wich could kill your warante if a single drop get inside your machine if contact the liquid sensor... Your f...ed

I recommend you the case because it's very easy to install, it's removable, it gives the machine a stylish look, all and all, you don't need to apply liquid to it.

A friend of mine applyed the invisible shield to his MacBook pro... He then went to the apple store for a clean up and they found that all the liquid sensor inside the MacBook pro turned red and completly dumped the warante and marked as "defective".

The apple store guy asked him if he droped water to the computer.
He said no... He tryed to explain about the invisible shield and all...
The apple store guy didn't beleive.

 

[AGIPSY]

The invisible shield make your MacBook pro looks ugly due to bubbles and it is very very hard to install and you need to apply liquid to your machine... Wich could kill your warante if a single drop get inside your machine if contact the liquid sensor... Your f...ed

I recommend you the case because it's very easy to install, it's removable, it gives the machine a stylish look, all and all, you don't need to apply liquid to it.

A friend of mine applyed the invisible shield to his MacBook pro... He then went to the apple store for a clean up and they found that all the liquid sensor inside the MacBook pro turned red and completly dumped the warante and marked as "defective".

The apple store guy asked him if he droped water to the computer.
He said no... He tryed to explain about the invisible shield and all...
The apple store guy didn't beleive.

hmmmmm, do other people agree with this?

 

[emotta]

hmmmmm, do other people agree with this?

just installed one last week. it is a pain to put on. im not sure about the water sensors though. I was afraid of that when i originally purchased it. i would say just be very careful when doing the installation. overall it seems to work very well. very grippy!

 

[Intense]

hey ... I have an Early 08' Penryn MBP as well and after hours and hours of reading reviews, searching forums, etc... i bought the BSE "Best Skins Ever" film, fraction of the cost of the InvisibleShield which is exactly like InvisibleShield without the lifetime warranty and without the liquid solution (soap+water) and squeegee. Google: Best Skins Ever. In addition, I purchased a speck hard case on discount since my model is discontinued for around $20 from a store called Futureshop (a best buy company here in canada). Speck has a current 50%-off all the old macbook pro cases, I didn't buy it from Speck as my shipping came up to around $30. I will be installing the "Best Skins Ever" transparent shiny protection, I will let that settle for 24hrs then I will cover my machine with the speck hard case.

Last night I installed my brothers' Invisible Shield from Zagg on his 3g iphone and it was not an impossible task but very annoying and frustrating, as I feared getting water in-between the cracks. I am already dreading the installation of the "Best Skins Ever" invisible protection after reading the above comment about the apple store genius finding water traces inside the machine and canceling the warranty. I would not be able to handle that kind of stress if my warranty becomes void. I depend on my machine too much. The reason I bought two types of protection, according to my little research, I have found that dust gathers inside the speck thru and those little tiny dust particles end up scratching the surface of the macbook pro. So my mini-strategy is to clean my macbook pro's surface of any dust then install the shiny "Best Skins Ever" transparent film (eventhough i despise the extra shine), this way, if dust particles slip-in under my Speck case, then it wouldn't scratch the actual surface of my macbook pro as it will be protected by the "Best Skins Ever" transparent film. I also purchased a zcover keyboard skin.

 

[AGIPSY]

hey ... I have an Early 08' Penryn MBP as well and after hours and hours of reading reviews, searching forums, etc... i bought the BSE "Best Skins Ever" film, fraction of the cost of the InvisibleShield which is exactly like InvisibleShield without the lifetime warranty and without the liquid solution (soap+water) and squeegee. Google: Best Skins Ever. In addition, I purchased a speck hard case on discount since my model is discontinued for around $20 from a store called Futureshop (a best buy company here in canada). Speck has a current 50%-off all the old macbook pro cases, I didn't buy it from Speck as my shipping came up to around $30. I will be installing the "Best Skins Ever" transparent shiny protection, I will let that settle for 24hrs then I will cover my machine with the speck hard case.

Last night I installed my brothers' Invisible Shield from Zagg on his 3g iphone and it was not an impossible task but very annoying and frustrating, as I feared getting water in-between the cracks. I am already dreading the installation of the "Best Skins Ever" invisible protection after reading the above comment about the apple store genius finding water traces inside the machine and canceling the warranty. I would not be able to handle that kind of stress if my warranty becomes void. I depend on my machine too much. The reason I bought two types of protection, according to my little research, I have found that dust gathers inside the speck thru and those little tiny dust particles end up scratching the surface of the macbook pro. So my mini-strategy is to clean my macbook pro's surface of any dust then install the shiny "Best Skins Ever" transparent film (eventhough i despise the extra shine), this way, if dust particles slip-in under my Speck case, then it wouldn't scratch the actual surface of my macbook pro as it will be protected by the "Best Skins Ever" transparent film. I also purchased a zcover keyboard skin.

are you sure the BSE will fit under the speck seethru?

 

[uiop.]

The invisible shield make your MacBook pro looks ugly due to bubbles and it is very very hard to install and you need to apply liquid to your machine... Wich could kill your warante if a single drop get inside your machine if contact the liquid sensor... Your f...ed

I recommend you the case because it's very easy to install, it's removable, it gives the machine a stylish look, all and all, you don't need to apply liquid to it.

A friend of mine applyed the invisible shield to his MacBook pro... He then went to the apple store for a clean up and they found that all the liquid sensor inside the MacBook pro turned red and completly dumped the warante and marked as "defective".

The apple store guy asked him if he droped water to the computer.
He said no... He tryed to explain about the invisible shield and all...
The apple store guy didn't beleive.

hmmmmm, do other people agree with this?

No, no, no, no. You're supposed to apply the spray to the shield, not the computer. And also, you're supposed to use the squeegee to push the bubbles out right when you install it. Those are errors your friend apparently made.
Get the Invisbleshield. Zero bulk.

 

[Intense]

are you sure the BSE will fit under the speck seethru?

Hmmmmm.... I am worried now, are you asking this from experience
If that's the case, then I am kind of screwed... My decision on installing both, is that I "Remember" reading a "Recommendation" to apply both.

Now, thinking back to how late through the night I stay to research this stuff, I might have made that decision while under the influence of no-sleep.


oh no

 

[AGIPSY]

Hmmmmm.... I am worried now, are you asking this from experience
If that's the case, then I am kind of screwed... My decision on installing both, is that I "Remember" reading a "Recommendation" to apply both.

Now, thinking back to how late through the night I stay to research this stuff, I might have made that decision while under the influence of no-sleep.


oh no

no, not out of experience. i just know from iphone experience that a lot of cases don't fit on the phone w/ an invisibleshield or Bestskinsever.

 

[AGIPSY]

And I guess I'll consider the speck seethru as well.

 

[Patriks7]

I've heard good things about it for the current unibody macbook pro, but not for the previous generation--i heard it scratches the aluminum and is extremely hard to get off, have you heard about that?

Yes that is very true. I would advise you buy the Incase shell.

 

[Intense]

There are several user reviews of the speck case for the (Classic/silver) macbook pro online that can help you with your choice.

The cases available on the Speck website right now are the updates of their cases. Speck redesigned their cases for the classic older macbook pros. Even though many people still have problems with durability of the plastic hinges that clasp to the bottom back of the macbook pro, problems with scratching, with dust, with the fit, with the ports being aligned, with the screen not opening fully, with the case adding too much weight to the overall weight of the macbook pro and to the case actually wearing out the hinges much faster. I decided to take the plunge myself and experience the problems. What motivated me to do so, is that many others found the case to be of great use, specially in protecting from scratches and I am a bit OCD in terms of protecting the surface of the machine.

 

[Diseal3]

I say go skinny dipping with it and just use a sleeve.

 

[AGIPSY]

There are several user reviews of the speck case for the (Classic/silver) macbook pro online that can help you with your choice.

The cases available on the Speck website right now are the updates of their cases. Speck redesigned their cases for the classic older macbook pros. Even though many people still have problems with durability of the plastic hinges that clasp to the bottom back of the macbook pro, problems with scratching, with dust, with the fit, with the ports being aligned, with the screen not opening fully, with the case adding too much weight to the overall weight of the macbook pro and to the case actually wearing out the hinges much faster. I decided to take the plunge myself and experience the problems. What motivated me to do so, is that many others found the case to be of great use, specially in protecting from scratches and I am a bit OCD in terms of protecting the surface of the machine.

Ok, great. What's your experience been with it thus far?

 

[isaki87]

No, no, no, no. You're supposed to apply the spray to the shield, not the computer. And also, you're supposed to use the squeegee to push the bubbles out right when you install it. Those are errors your friend apparently made.
Get the Invisbleshield. Zero bulk.

+1. Invisible Shield is the way to go, no bulk, no bubbles, adds grip and is very easy to apply (for me it was). I get compliments on it all the time.

Just remember to spray shield, not the computer. If you want, I can post pics when I get my unit back from Apple, hopefully later on this week.

 

[bugout]

+1 Invisible Shield too..

 

[Liquidpics]

I don't think so

I have never used any type of case/shield, but have heard great things about the Speck See Thru hard case.

The Speck case is garbage! Get the incase hardshell because how in the world is a SOFT case going to protect anything and a invisible shield will help with scratches but not dings. The hardshell will prevent scratches and dings. Hello common sense....ooooh common sense where are you?

 

[Intense]

I don't know the forum policy about the external link that I am about to post. The link contains a video that is NOT a thorough review or anything fancy in terms of information about the case, but here's the video. You have a very normal user in the video who has used the speck case for a few months and then bought another one because of the green color that he wanted, and he does the removal of the speck case right in front of the camera. You can see he's having a bit of a hard time removing the case, yet, he does not seem to be suffering a great deal either. Then he installs his new case and done.


isaki87

If you have any pictures of the installation and if you have any tips or care to share a little bit on how to make a perfect installation and prevent water from leaking through, that would be greatly appreciated. I am receiving my BestSkinsEver in the mail in a week or so, and I am fearing the installation process.

 

[isaki87]

isaki87

If you have any pictures of the installation and if you have any tips or care to share a little bit on how to make a perfect installation and prevent water from leaking through, that would be greatly appreciated. I am receiving my BestSkinsEver in the mail in a week or so, and I am fearing the installation process.

Are you planning to cover the palm area with the BSE?

I don't have pics of the install(my laptop is with apple at the moment), but the first thing that I did was, thoroughly clean the laptop, then separate the pieces and aligned them to corresponding location to where they are supposed to go. Once you have that sorted out, just peel the pieces away from the backing, and spray the back of the piece with a lot of solution that comes with the kit and lay the piece on the laptop and align. I applied mine on the unibody MBP, and I removed the battery cover and applied that piece separately. When you apply the shield to the top, take the squeegee and start in the middle and swipe down.

As for the palm area, I didn't install anything there, because I already had the moshi palmguard and I felt that fit and looked better than what came with the invisible shield kit.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

 

[Intense]

Wouldn't spraying that much solution be of great danger to the laptop ?


How were you able to prevent the water from going into any kind of opening on the laptop ? Also, were there a bit of very tiny dot like air pockets after the installation, or did you have a perfectly installed, flat transparent film without any air pockets at all ? Did you have to remove the film completely at some point and then re-apply it or did you get it from the first time.

I just tried to find a detailed and thorough review online for the installation process but all the reviews were very quick and very marketing inclined, they praised how great it was or how bad it was without any reference to the installation experience in detail.


thank you for your patience with my extensive questioning.

 

[ljay]

The installation process on my unibody took about an hour. I have no bubbles and I prety confident that I didn't void my warranty by having solution seep into my laptop either. I've installed the invisible shield on my previous MPPRO twice due to issues with the hardware and I put the free liftime replacement warranty to good use. I've also installed them on my ipods soon after purchase. The unibody was more difficult to install due to the fact that the surface seemed to be more porous than my old 17" corduo MBPRO. The key to install is to in an environment that is as dust free as possible and also be very very patient. I would start with the large pieces ie. top cover and apply enough solution needed to allow you move the shield once you lay it on the computer and then center it for best fit, I always spray a little solution on the back of the shield to make the squeegee process easier and I also squeegee onto a lint free cloth traveling from the center of the area to shortest distance to the edges possible. I think the hardest part for people is to wait for the smaller bubbles to dissipate. You need to do the install when you leave your laptop off for at least 18 hours and ignore the small bubbles that may be present after first install.

Les

 

[ljay]

The installation process on my unibody took about an hour. I have no bubbles and I prety confident that I didn't void my warranty by having solution seep into my laptop either. I've installed the invisible shield on my previous MPPRO twice due to issues with the hardware and I put the free liftime replacement warranty to good use. I've also installed them on my ipods soon after purchase. The unibody was more difficult to install due to the fact that the surface seemed to be more porous than my old 17" corduo MBPRO. The key to install is to in an environment that is as dust free as possible and also be very very patient. I would start with the large pieces ie. top cover and apply enough solution needed to allow you move the shield once you lay it on the computer and then center it for best fit, I always spray a little solution on the back of the shield to make the squeegee process easier and I also squeegee onto a lint free cloth traveling from the center of the area to shortest distance to the edges possible. I think the hardest part for people is to wait for the smaller bubbles to dissipate. You need to do the install when you leave your laptop off for at least 18 hours and ignore the small bubbles that may be present after first install.

Les

 

[Intense]

The installation process on my unibody took about an hour. I have no bubbles and I prety confident that I didn't void my warranty by having solution seep into my laptop either. I've installed the invisible shield on my previous MPPRO twice due to issues with the hardware and I put the free liftime replacement warranty to good use. I've also installed them on my ipods soon after purchase. The unibody was more difficult to install due to the fact that the surface seemed to be more porous than my old 17" corduo MBPRO. The key to install is to in an environment that is as dust free as possible and also be very very patient. I would start with the large pieces ie. top cover and apply enough solution needed to allow you move the shield once you lay it on the computer and then center it for best fit, I always spray a little solution on the back of the shield to make the squeegee process easier and I also squeegee onto a lint free cloth traveling from the center of the area to shortest distance to the edges possible. I think the hardest part for people is to wait for the smaller bubbles to dissipate. You need to do the install when you leave your laptop off for at least 18 hours and ignore the small bubbles that may be present after first install.

Les

Thanks a lot Les, it seems that you sprayed the film with a lot of solution and you didn't exprience any leakage problems at all ... I learnt that the bathroom is the place with the least amount of dust, so doing it there might be exaggerated but somewhat a bit cleaner.