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Portenzo iPad 2 Case: Now a Smart Cover
- Thread starter Jeff5i
- Start date
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Just got my Portenzo and now I see what all the fuss has been about. Having had the Pad & Quil Octavo for almost a week now, I was really enjoying it but the Portenzo's quality is superior in several ways. The corners are a bit tighter, the wood frame is sanded better (much smoother finish) and the port holes are cut with more care. You can see in these images the port holes of the Octavo are crudely cut with sharp edges while Portenzo's holes are curved and sanded smoothly.
Also, with the stylus option, my Portenzo is just as wide as the Octavo which did not have any stylus holder. So that was nice.
So long as Portenzo can maintain some modicum of customer service, they will remain superior to other similar case makers.
Look for an Octavo on eBay soon.
Also, with the stylus option, my Portenzo is just as wide as the Octavo which did not have any stylus holder. So that was nice.
So long as Portenzo can maintain some modicum of customer service, they will remain superior to other similar case makers.
Look for an Octavo on eBay soon.
Attachments
How's the "Audio -Flow sound chamber work"? Using my hand to refocus the sound really makes a big difference. Wondering if this works as well or better than the hand method.
Thanks.
Played a few songs so far and sound is great. Audio definitely sounds like it is coming toward you without any muffling.
Based on how square the P&Q's cutouts look, it almost seems as though they start with the bottom layer, and glue the edge pieces on top. The Portenzo meanwhile looks a lot more like they begin with something that goes all the way around, and then router out the bits they want open. I'm loving how curvy and smooth things are. And no splinters or chips anywhere on mine.
According to the dimensions on the octavo its suppose to be slightly thinner than the portenzo. Can you tell?
I ordered the exact same case as you. From an earlier post by you in this thread, it looks like I also placed my order before you did. I can't get any clear answer about the status of my case. I don't mind waiting patiently for my case, but it steams me to see others who ordered after me get their items before me. That just doesn't seem right.
Kind of reminds me of the Seinfeld episode where George goes to the Chinese restaurant and keeps seeing people who arrived after him getting seated first. Cartwright!!
You can tell in the photos but the Portenzo looks so much better it doesn't matter.
I'm glad you had the chance to compare. The others aren't bad it is just that Portenzo is better.
Enjoy your Portenzo.
I like the rest of you hope portenzo learned their lesson about going dark.
I took a measurement and the Octavo is 1/16" thinner than the Portenzo.
The Octavo did feel lighter as well.
I did a fair amount of complaining on Facebook and by email to the point where Darin was emailing me back quite a bit. That might have made him think about shutting me up sooner.
Not suggesting you also stomp your feet but I would definitely make an inquiry, especially if it was a pre-order.
My experiences with customer service and why I'm getting a Portenzo
Hi everyone. So I've been flip-flopping around between the Ocatvo and the Portenzo for sometime now while I waited for my ipad to ship. My ipad finally arrived yesterday and today I finally decided on a Portenzo. Why? Contrary to many posts on
here bashing Portenzo and their customer servijce, I personally had a good experience with Portenzo. On the other hand Pad and Quill's service was lacking.
I had orginally planned to order the Octavo due to their mid-price range and the add-on of an inner pocket as well as influence from posts on this forum bashing Portenzo. Before I ordered however I emailed asking for a discount coupon code. They didn't respond. I sent them a follow up 2 days later, still no response. The lack of response was a total turn off for me and it wasn't my first negative impression either. I had emailed Pad and Quill once before about whether I could customize a case to not include a camera hole and they responded with a terse "no sorry", which I thought was really unprofessional. (I made a post about this a while back). The lack of response with the coupon inquiries was strike 2 and 3! Really they should respond to emails from prospective customers as well as paid customers. I should not have to pay someone for good customer service.
So, I decided to reconsider Portenzo. I emailed Portenzo the same question asking about a coupon code and told them I'd appreciate a response even if they can't give me one. I got a response less than 12 hours later with the following:
That was a fast response and it was not a "no sorry" two word answer! Portenzo wins in my book so I'm ordering from them. They might have goofed up before but I think Portenzo has gotten their act together now, and Pad and Quill is letting their success getting to their head.
Steviejobz's comparison review of the workmanship of both cases further backed up my decision.
Hi everyone. So I've been flip-flopping around between the Ocatvo and the Portenzo for sometime now while I waited for my ipad to ship. My ipad finally arrived yesterday and today I finally decided on a Portenzo. Why? Contrary to many posts on
here bashing Portenzo and their customer servijce, I personally had a good experience with Portenzo. On the other hand Pad and Quill's service was lacking.
I had orginally planned to order the Octavo due to their mid-price range and the add-on of an inner pocket as well as influence from posts on this forum bashing Portenzo. Before I ordered however I emailed asking for a discount coupon code. They didn't respond. I sent them a follow up 2 days later, still no response. The lack of response was a total turn off for me and it wasn't my first negative impression either. I had emailed Pad and Quill once before about whether I could customize a case to not include a camera hole and they responded with a terse "no sorry", which I thought was really unprofessional. (I made a post about this a while back). The lack of response with the coupon inquiries was strike 2 and 3! Really they should respond to emails from prospective customers as well as paid customers. I should not have to pay someone for good customer service.
So, I decided to reconsider Portenzo. I emailed Portenzo the same question asking about a coupon code and told them I'd appreciate a response even if they can't give me one. I got a response less than 12 hours later with the following:
That was a fast response and it was not a "no sorry" two word answer! Portenzo wins in my book so I'm ordering from them. They might have goofed up before but I think Portenzo has gotten their act together now, and Pad and Quill is letting their success getting to their head.
Steviejobz's comparison review of the workmanship of both cases further backed up my decision.
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I've tried to be patient because I recognize that they are a small shop that got overwhelmed but I am starting to be more of a squeaky wheel. it's too bad that it has to come to that though. I've been emailing more with Darin to get updates but still no shipping notice.
1/16th! Outrageous according to PQ it's suppose to be 1/8th thinner
jk Thanks for measuring though I really couldn' tell from the pictures and your measurements proved that. Hope you break even on eBay at least.headphone jack?
Thanks for all the photos that people are posting! The cases look great and are definitely making me hope the wingtip 2 comes out real soon.
I do have a question though: The cutout for the headphone port looks fairly small. I almost always use a pair of etymotics when I'm on the commuter train or an airplane, and they have a decent-sized L connector. Ideally that would sit in the cutout parallel to the ipad. Is the cutout big enough for that, or do that type of headphone have to be plugged in perpendicular to the ipad sticking up toward the face/screen?
Even better than your thoughts would be a photo of an L connector headphones plugged in!
Thanks!
Thanks for all the photos that people are posting! The cases look great and are definitely making me hope the wingtip 2 comes out real soon.
I do have a question though: The cutout for the headphone port looks fairly small. I almost always use a pair of etymotics when I'm on the commuter train or an airplane, and they have a decent-sized L connector. Ideally that would sit in the cutout parallel to the ipad. Is the cutout big enough for that, or do that type of headphone have to be plugged in perpendicular to the ipad sticking up toward the face/screen?
Even better than your thoughts would be a photo of an L connector headphones plugged in!
Thanks!
Well, as I have a smart case and a Best Skins Ever, I am going to stick with my original order... (hopefully all you impatient types cleared the way for my Morocco
Has anyone tried the Portenzo with a Zagg or BSE?
Mine has a BSE installed on the back and it fits fine.
@tgewin L-sized connectors don't work with the case. Luckily I bought a adapter/extender a long time ago when this was a issue during the iPhone 2G days.
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I emailed about shipping status and got the cut and copied list with dates per case type. But the 23.5 says ship BEFORE 9/11, which is Monday. Huh? Than I should have gotten a shipping notice today.
Before 9/11?
You got 5 months to go.
I emailed about shipping status and got the cut and copied list with dates per case type. But the 23.5 says ship BEFORE 9/11, which is Monday. Huh? Than I should have gotten a shipping notice today.
4/11? Lol.
iPad 1 Morocco Portenzo vs 23 1/2 Portenzo
Just a note. I put my first gen portenzo through the ringer (bike trips, camping, daily business and travel) that the first thing I did was put tape on the binding because I didn't want it to fall apart (like many of my favorite books). The binding has held up pretty well but you can tell from some of the pics that it has taken a beating. Hopefully you can see how Portenzo has kept the transition of quality in their products and why original owners looked to them first to protect their iPad 2. As always sorry for the bad quality and hope these pics help someone
Just a note. I put my first gen portenzo through the ringer (bike trips, camping, daily business and travel) that the first thing I did was put tape on the binding because I didn't want it to fall apart (like many of my favorite books). The binding has held up pretty well but you can tell from some of the pics that it has taken a beating. Hopefully you can see how Portenzo has kept the transition of quality in their products and why original owners looked to them first to protect their iPad 2. As always sorry for the bad quality and hope these pics help someone