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Speck SeeThru Satin?

cambookpro

cambookpro

macrumors 604
Original poster
Feb 3, 2010
7,237
3,398
United Kingdom
I have a 15" MBP. I travel with it quite a lot, in this case: http://axioluggage.com/hardsleeve15.html, however it is not designed for the unibody MBPs.

I was wondering if I should get a Speck case to put it in as well as that case, as buy last MBP got really scratched on the battery door.

A few questions for any Speck case owners:

1) Does it add much bulk to the laptop?
2) Is it generally worth it?
3) How easily is the case scratched?

Thanks.
 
I fitted one of these a few days ago, and am very pleased with it. Not a lot of extra bulk, good protection - I can use it on my commute now without worrying about people bumping it with their bags as they walk past me.

Not sure about scratches yet - haven't had it long enough - but am not too worried about this. For every scratch I get, I'll just be pleased that it's on the case and not the computer!
 
I want one of those too, but I'm not sure if spending that much for a plastic is worthy...
There are some clear cases on ebay for less than 15 dollars! Just a tip ;)
 
Speck is a good case

bruleke said:
I want one of those too, but I'm not sure if spending that much for a plastic is worthy...
There are some clear cases on ebay for less than 15 dollars! Just a tip ;)
Click to expand...

you get what you pay for! Put a cheap case on a expensive comp. that is real smart!
 
I would certainly recommend it, I've had mine for 2 months and I don't notice any scratches. Although, it has gotten scratches which over the course of the day seem to disappear, probably because the satin "fixes" itself.

They're almost $50 from Speck, although I purchased mine on Ebay for $25, and amazon also has some used ones for ~$20 and new ones for ~$30-$35.
 
When i first bought my speck case, i was skeptical just like you. But now I love the case. I don't seem to get any scratches on the case, only a few smudges that i can easily wipe off.
 
First off, I'd like to say putting it on and removing it leaves no scratches whatsoever. The aluminum's tougher than that and it'd be a somewhat worthless product if it did because it's designed to protect the macbook from them.

Anyway, I've had a clear speck case pretty much since the 2011 macbooks launched and there are a couple things I would like to note about it:

It's a thick sturdy case on the top and bottom. I drop my macbook pro rather frequently since I fall asleep on the couch with it and haven't really had any problems with it falling on the hardwood floor or rug below, thanks to the speck and the SSD. It usually just falls on the back of the screen.

However the side of the case is another issue entirely. Because of the need to have cutout s on the side, there's very little if any protection. I dropped my mac on the garage floor once because I set it on a soft laundry bag and it slid down unexpectedly. Landed right near the ethernet port. The case dented in such a way that the magsafe port is slightly elevated upon close examination. Additionally, that part of the speck case doesn't clip on secure anymore since I think a bit of the plastic came off with that accident but otherwise it remains pretty solid and there are no noticeable cracks.

I think the damage could've been somewhat worse with no case at all because it landed on its corner, and there is a little bit of shielding there. However it's not very much and I think it could've been much better off if there was some way to cover up that portion of the case when you have nothing in it, say like if there was a plastic clipon shield that plugged straight into the ethernet port. Nobody makes anything like that to my knowledge though.

Food gets caught in the bottom plate easily. Finally I think I didn't screw in some screws on my bottom plate tight enough since a couple seem to be missing. I mention that because there are a small number of tiny speck like pits on my laptop's bottom plate and I can't honestly tell if it's from the missing screws escaping somehow or pieces of grit that somehow got caught beneath. If I had to guess, I'd have to say it's probably the screws, judging by where the pits are. Either way, you'll want to clean out the bottom at least somewhat regularly because the crumbs can be unsightly because food, dog hairs, ect. can all work its way inside. (I've had this problem before I ever dropped it B.T.W. although it's a bit worse now)

Now my mother's 2009(?) macbook, which constantly goes unprotected has some pretty long noticeable scratches on both the top and bottom of it, even though she's relatively careful with it. Aside from the pits and some food smudges up top, my macbook is pretty pristine even though mine is treated more roughly. The case itself is noticeably scratched with finite scratches but it's better to have the cheap case scratched so it may be eventually be replaced than the expensive computer underneath irreversibly damaged.

Given that to make a long story short, it doesn't make the mac quite as untouchable as I'd have hoped when I initially bought it but it's a pretty good piece of kit. I'd go with a thick case like the speck over a cheap slipcover for some degree of dent prevention. It may also protect better against scratches than a thinner case because it's rigid, meaning there's no way something could rub up against the computer through the case and scratch it anyway.

Kinda sucked when I had to take an iMac in for servicing only to find that layers upon layers of linens stuffed in a suitcase didn't really protect it from getting scratched much at all. (I had to take public transportation...)
 
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Not to completely go against what the above poster said, but those case are a ridiculously tight fit, i cant ket them off without like a sliding a credit card or guitar pic between the case and the comp

The openings can indeed be spots for debris to enter the case, but i don't think that is at all a huge problem. they protect well, and dont leave scratches on your computer (due to tight fit, not much dust gets in)

i should also point out something, there is no clear satin speck case, the clear case is glossy, not satin. speck makes two types of cases, the regular kind, this is basically jsut plastic.. like he white macbooks, but a bit more slippery. the satin case has a nice coating (its more matte like, not glossy like the other cases) which are really nice to hold even with wet/damp hands, it gives your comp a bit of extra grip, but not so much as to become annoying.
 
unixperience said:
Not to completely go against what the above poster said, but those case are a ridiculously tight fit, i cant ket them off without like a sliding a credit card or guitar pic between the case and the comp

The openings can indeed be spots for debris to enter the case, but i don't think that is at all a huge problem. they protect well, and dont leave scratches on your computer (due to tight fit, not much dust gets in)

i should also point out something, there is no clear satin speck case, the clear case is glossy, not satin. speck makes two types of cases, the regular kind, this is basically jsut plastic.. like he white macbooks, but a bit more slippery. the satin case has a nice coating (its more matte like, not glossy like the other cases) which are really nice to hold even with wet/damp hands, it gives your comp a bit of extra grip, but not so much as to become annoying.
Click to expand...

i can vouch for these, after a while they get a bit annoying though because when u take it off u experience the full glory of the naked mbp
 
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