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Question about 12" PB/iBook cases

C

Col127

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Sep 13, 2003
286
4
Greetings,

I'm in the market to purchase a case for a 12" PB/12" iBook and have been looking up my options. I am looking for a sleeve or case that I can put into my school backpack, that will provide good, solid protection for my laptop and that also has room for the power supply and mouse. Do you have any recommendations? I do live in Canada, so shipping costs are also important to me.

I've read about a case called the "Brain Cell" by Tom Bihn (www.tombihn.com) and was wondering what your experiences was with it (if any). It seems like a decent case, but it doesn't have the "shock protection" that other cases have.

Any thoughts for recommendations or on the Brain Cell would be much appreciated! Thanks.
 
Omg that is awesome.
I've been using those UPS covers to protect my VAIO superslim laptop.
I guess it's time to get these cases for my new powerbook (errr soon to be when the new ones are released).
 
I'm in a similar situation. I'm either looking for a really nice sleeve or laptop bag. Do they normally provide equal protection? Can anyone recommend a case, or a site that reviews all the various cases?
 
i saw the sleevecase from WF designs. it seems like a pretty good case, but the shipping to Canada is ridiculous. how well is the protection of the case and can you store a power adapter, mouse & ethernet cable?

has anyone had any experience with the brain bag? how well does it protect? thanks.
 
i was in the same situation about 2 weeks ago, and i attend university so i needed something that could protect my laptop and fit into my bag, or something that could protect and carry books, so i decided to go with this

http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APP...cXjUDbFdq2WYN5SCekhIRZtS/2.3.0.5.10.3.15.13.0

i love it, it has a great padded pocket for the laptop, and pocket it doesn't go to the bottom of the bag so if you drop it by accident you should be okay, also there is a front pocket for your mouse, iPod, and anything else really, and on top of that there is also a rear pocket for your books, and it is fairly spaceous, very nice for carrying books around. I really like it, and fully packed it does not really stick out that far :)
 
Brenthaven seems to have the best reputation. I ordered a Brenthaven Professional 12 Shoulder case along with my 12" Powerbook. The case should be here tomorrow (although no laptop until late September, grr!) and I will post a first impression when I see it.
 
the brethaven bag looks interesting, but it's quite pricey. how much protection does it offer for the laptop? i mean if it fits all apple laptop sizes, won't it be jostled around in the bag when moving for smaller sized laptops (like the 12")?

did you purchase a sleeve for your laptop as well, or did you simply stick it into the compartment for it? i'm just worried that it might get damaged in there!
 
Originally posted by Col127
the brethaven bag looks interesting, but it's quite pricey. how much protection does it offer for the laptop? i mean if it fits all apple laptop sizes, won't it be jostled around in the bag when moving for smaller sized laptops (like the 12")?

did you purchase a sleeve for your laptop as well, or did you simply stick it into the compartment for it? i'm just worried that it might get damaged in there!
Click to expand...

I don't know about other models, but the Brenthaven Professionals include a laptop sleeve and then the sleeve goes in the bag. Since it's all designed as one component, the cushioning from the bag is designed to complement the cushioning in the bag itself to provide sort of double protection.

I agree they seem expensive (although this is my first laptop bag so I don't have anything to compare to), most of the drop test reviews I've read say "you get what you pay for".
 
i'm not willing to pay $155 for a bag. i know lots of people think that is irresponsible because the laptop costs $2500, but i know i won't be dropping it and stuff. i just don't want it to get scratched/hit by books in my bag ... thus i'm looking for something to protect it.
 
Originally posted by joeyjojoe
i'm not willing to pay $155 for a bag. i know lots of people think that is irresponsible because the laptop costs $2500, but i know i won't be dropping it and stuff. i just don't want it to get scratched/hit by books in my bag ... thus i'm looking for something to protect it.
Click to expand...

That's fair, but you really don't know what's going to happen. You've never dropped your bag? No one else has ever picked it up for you? You may be careful but you don't know what other people will do. I know that if I had carried a laptop in my backpack when I was in college it probably would not have survived. I'd much rather pay for a good laptop bag that also has room for books.
 
Originally posted by Lord Bodak
That's fair, but you really don't know what's going to happen. You've never dropped your bag? No one else has ever picked it up for you? You may be careful but you don't know what other people will do. I know that if I had carried a laptop in my backpack when I was in college it probably would not have survived. I'd much rather pay for a good laptop bag that also has room for books.
Click to expand...

I see what you mean. Its true I can't see into the future, but judging by the past I think its probable that the bag won't be dropped.

Even then, could you recommend a laptop bag that isn't $150? I'm willing to spend up to $80, but after that it gets ridiculous. The bag doesn't protect against nuclear fallout, I don't see why extra padding should drive the price up so high.
 
Originally posted by joeyjojoe
I see what you mean. Its true I can't see into the future, but judging by the past I think its probable that the bag won't be dropped.

Even then, could you recommend a laptop bag that isn't $150? I'm willing to spend up to $80, but after that it gets ridiculous. The bag doesn't protect against nuclear fallout, I don't see why extra padding should drive the price up so high.
Click to expand...

I would if I knew of one to recommend. Like I said, the Brenthaven Pro 12 is the one I ordered.
 
lol, to be quite honest, i'm leaning towards the "brain cell". it seems like it'll provide really good protection for an ibook/powerbook, and it's within a decent amount of money. it's offered for $50 us (unless you add a strap), and $5 us for shipping to canada.

i thought about the brathevan mobility backpack, but at $155 it seems pretty steep.
 
I use a Tumi, but that seems out of the price range you're looking for. The one that I have, though, does take any worry out of the day for me for a four grand laptop. I literally throw my case into the passenger seat when getting into my car because I have no fear (after the bag + belongings dropped 4 ft onto concrete with no damage to case or laptop, a little thing like throwing a bag into a passenger seat is nothing.)

These days I'm looking for something just as resilient but a lot slimmer for trips to Starbuck, etc. where I don't need any books with me. Crumpler Bags is where I'm leaning because the materials are really good and resilient and the foam padding is not volumous but rigid, which both gives the bags form and at the same time some added security (plus the cordura weight they are using feels like carbon fiber and the lining + exterior are waterproof.) I have friends who have always used Crumplers for their photography equipment and say they last and last. The other things is the size that fits the 12" and 15" are among the smallest sizes they make so the price is fairly low (the larger ones can get pricey and the pics on their website and eBags show the items as deceptively small-- look at the actual measurements to decide if you're looking at the right bag)
 
just to add in another USD$0.02, i assume most of you know about The Gadgeteer's site at

http://www.the-gadgeteer.com/

this has been a useful resource for a lot of tech goodies and accessories. specific to this conversdation are some links on bags:

Tom Bihn Smart Alec http://www.the-gadgeteer.com/tom-bihn-smart-alec-review.html

Tom Bihn ID Bag http://www.the-gadgeteer.com/tom-bihn-id-bag-review.html

Waterfield Cargo & sleevecase http://www.the-gadgeteer.com/waterfield-cargo-review.html

Waterfield Racer-X http://www.the-gadgeteer.com/waterfield-racerx-review.html

Waterfield Cozmo http://www.the-gadgeteer.com/waterfield-smallcozmo-review.html

i would look through these to get some idea of whats out there too. You should be aware (i assume you already know this) that the Sleevecase and the Mitre are intended to be used to bascially hold just the laptop, the idea is you put this case inside another large case.
 
Well my Brenthaven arrived today. Wish I had a Powerbook to put in it! lol

My first thought was, wow this thing is small. I am very impressed... seems like there is a lot of space inside but the case is not huge like it seems it could be.

The sleeve is _big_. Looks like it will hold the 12" PB perfectly but it is VERY thickly padded (1/4" of foam on all sides at least, which is more than I expected).

Seems like a very comfortable bag to carry, it's really not heavy. Don't think it'd be good if you needed to carry textbooks or anything, and I'm not sure it'll hold my digital camera & charger... but it will definitely take PDA, charge cable, cell phone, cell charger, the laptop, etc.

Hopefully my Powerbook will ship early (current estimate is 9/24.... booo!) and I am planning to take it out of town in early-mid October, so I'll really get to see how well it works.
 
I own a Brethaven backpack and I love it

I used to carry my PB 12" in a case my shoulder bag. I slipped on some Minnesota snow, fell on the PB in the bag (landed on the Superdrive giving it a nice curve with Warcraft 3 CD jammed inside). Luckily, insurance had it covered and had it all repaired to new. First thing I did was get a Brenthaven to cradle my PB in.

Feels very sturdy and I occassionally use the Brenthaven sleeve in my shoulder bag when I have to go to places where the backpack seems a bit out of place.

I got mine from Powermax, no tax, yada yada.
 
i decided to purchase the brain cell by tom bihn. i'll let you guys know what it's like when i get it in the mail. thanks for all of the suggestions!

i finally purchased a 12" pb today, after waiting months about months for it to get updated :)
 
col, have you gotten the brain cell yet? i'm interested in seeing if it has much padding on the edges, because i intend to put it in my backpack which has no padding on the bottom.
 
hey,

well i live in canada, so i don't expect to receive it that soon :p things seem to take about a 1-2 weeks to ship from the states, so hopefully i'll get it sometime next week?

from what i know, the brain cell doesn't have padding on the sides, or at least not a lot. it's basically front,back & bottom. so that's why they recommend you to only carry it or place it in a backpack in the landscape format (meaning, more width than height).

they create a product called monolith if you have to place the notebook in a portrait format (meaning, more height than width), so that remedies the problem. BUT, they don't make a case for the 12" ibook/PBs!

but i'll definitely post my thoughts about it when i get it!
 
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