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Vaja Agenda Version 2

cinca said:
Looking forward to everyones feedback and help in figuring this out!
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Wow! Took to post 100 of this thread to find a very annoying flaw. So it is the oily smears not particles? Potential deal breaker for me. I agree that possibly this material and adhesive needs further curing and would then cease with the grease :). Good luck and keep us all posted. Thanks for the post.
 
I Am Canadian said:
Wow! Took to post 100 of this thread to find a very annoying flaw. So it is the oily smears not particles? Potential deal breaker for me.
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The issue is just the oil smears. There were a few tiny dust particles and what not in the pictures I posted that looked huge thanks to the camera flash but those were just random bits out of my bag... Didn't want to clean off the screen and affect the clarity of the pill smudges.

I don't know if i would consider it a deal breaker yet -- we will see if it improves with time. I found myself takin a microfiber cloth to it every few days before just fro, general use so (for me) it's not too much additional work.

I will be surprised and disappointed if it ends up being a lifelong problem for the case given that premium and expensive a product it is. If it does turn out to be a problem with thus case they should modify the design to sew in an additional cloth panel in the center of the inside flap to either cover the area touching the screen or act as a lift to eliminate the rest of the inside flap from contacting the screen.. I also wonder if removing the embossed logo "dimples" might limit the smudges in some way..
 
Just to be Captain Obvious here...I assume that the "residue" on your screen is not skin oils that are getting imprinted by the Vaio pattern from the inside of the cover. Try placing a tissue (or the thin sheets used to blot makeup or face oil) on the screen and see if "oils" are absorbed. I have an iVolution case (top/bottom) and do not have the residue issue. I acknowledge that the iVolution top and Agenda 2 tops may touch the iPad screen differently. I purchased from cases dot com and my iVolution does not have much of a leather smell that people like about Vaja cases.
 
Darth Maniac said:
A video would also be appreciated please :D
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I just put up a first impressions video on my blog (see link in my signature). It's just under 10 minutes long so it's hopefully thorough enough for most of you. ;)

SchneiderMan said:
Man these cases look like the Rolls Royce of iPad cases.
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You have no idea. This case has blown me away so far. It is absolutely stunning. :D

cinca said:
One disappointment is that every time I open my case, my iPad screen has a build up of what appears to be leather oil or 'grease' from the inside cover of the Agenda 2. I definitely know it's from the case as it didn't happen with the vaja case and there is a subtle but definite diagonal pattern to the smudges that match the diagnal design of the Vaja logo on the inside cover.

Has anyone experienced this with their agenda 2 cases? A quick swipe of a microfiber cloth takes care of it but it's definitely annoying to have my case MANDATE this... Especially poor feeling when I am showing someone my great new case and iPad and then there is a smudge festival happening on my screen.
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I have noticed this with my case as well but it's not really a big deal for me. I have an anti-glare screen protector on my iPad and I keep the screen fairly clean as it is (a habit formed even before I got this case). I don't feel like the case "mandates" regularly cleaning of the screen at all.
 
Great Review, Great Case, Some Limited Functionality

I am a long time Vaja fan and have had their cases going back to my Clio and Treos. That said, I waited to buy the Agenda 2 because of price. I had the Apple case, the second Yoobao and the Yoobao Magic. My Agenda 2 is chocolate brown with the smoke interior. Yes, it is the most beautiful, luxurious case I have seen. Yes, I love that the iPad is totally open when it sits in the case. The leather is, like all Vaja products, top quality and the fit is perfect. I will keep this case and use it as my main case, together with my Waterfield Exo case that gives that much more travel protection and has a pocket for my Verizon Mifi card. I also have a Quirky Cloak. The Cloak is much heavier and is the rubberized material and the plastic feels a bit cheap. However, it is very good from a functional standpoint and i miss the ability to prop up the case in a V format. The Vaja typing angle is a bit low for me and the movie mode feels a bit unstable. It doesn't stand vertically and I miss that. It is way too expensive, but I love my iPad and treated myself. The Yoobao Magic is a great case for $40 and if you don't mind the cheaper feel and faux leather, it is a better economical choice. But, the Vaja is beautiful.
 
So the cases.com sale ends today and I've been toying with picking one of these up... but based on the pictures in this thread and the video posted, I'm having a very difficult time pushing the purchase button.

Caveat: Yes I am definitely one of those anal "one dead pixel, take it back!" kind of mac people. So don't take any of this too personally.

In some of the shots I'm seeing these issues:

1) Fit and finish. Cuts & alignment of the leather can seem a bit off, and in some cases farther away shots lend to a blotchiness that appears to underscore uneven tensioning or padding. I understand the way the hinge functions. I understand this is hand made, and I do appreciate that. To me some of this still looks like a rush job. Granted, photography issues could be the culprit.

2) Puckering of the top. Probably one can tweak it to make it lay flatter, but I imagine it goes right back to puckering up once you use it in typing/movie mode a few times. This seems like a design issue caused by the material used to give the cover a soft touch.

3) Floppiness of the top. Macgirl touched on this - maybe minor annoyance to someone who travels with this in a bag, but if you hand carry the device everywhere this seems like it could be a real problem.

The comments in this thread all seem to be initial impressions. Anyone who's had the case for some time (at least a couple weeks of day-in/day-out usage) assuage my concerns, esp. those who consider themselves similarly anal? "Bad lighting/bad photography", "breaking-in fixed mine", "I love it to pieces and could never go back", that kinda stuff. Thanks :)
 
Beau10 said:
So the cases.com sale ends today and I've been toying with picking one of these up... but based on the pictures in this thread and the video posted, I'm having a very difficult time pushing the purchase button.

I love the product shots on Vaja's site - it looks totally tops. But in pretty much all the real life shots I notice

1) Fit and finish. Cuts & alignment of the leather seem off, and in some cases farther away shots lend to a blotchiness that seems to underscore uneven tensioning or padding. I understand the way the hinge functions. I understand this is hand made. I have plenty of hand made leather goods. I'm just talking about the cases look like either a rush job or done by someone not terribly good at the craft. Maybe with the case in hand this is not as noticeable as blown up shots of the product. But again, I see a clear difference between the product shots and what people are posting. The shots of the Agenda 1 do seem a bit better in this regard, so I almost wonder if much of this is due to the initial demand of this case.

2) Puckering of the top. Probably one can tweak it to make it lay flatter, but I imagine it goes right back to puckering up once you use it in typing/movie mode a few times. This seems like a design issue caused by the material used to give the cover a soft touch.

3) Floppiness of the top. Macgirl touched on this - maybe minor annoyance to someone who travels with this in a bag, but if you hand carry the device everywhere this seems like it could be a real problem.

Maybe I'm totally crazy, but for $200+ I expect the case to be dead on. The comments in this thread all seem to be initial impressions. Anyone who's had the case for some time (at least a couple weeks of day-in/day-out usage) assuage my concerns?
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I haven't written my final review of the Agenda 2 but I've been using it as my daily case since I received it except for a short time testing another case and I will say that it's still by far my favorite case so far. My case isn't incorrectly cut nor does it have uneven stitching. While it's not 100% flawless, which I wouldn't expect in a hand-made product anyway, it's still lovely and has not decreased my appreciation of Vaja's craftsmanship overall.

I do find that the cover will stay a little "bent" after I've been using it in stand/typing mode but I usually lay my iPad screen down when I'm not using it and this addresses that issue each time. The padding inside will compress a little after I've been holding it for a while and applying pressure to it but these spots go away after a while. I have no permanent "flat spots" anywhere yet. I think that what you might be seeing in some pictures may be imperfections, shadows, or just the natural texture of the leather itself, or some cases may indeed have flat spots.

The floppiness of the cover hasn't really bothered me at all (the video you mentioned is mine) and I tend to carry it spine down like I would a book and it hasn't been a problem. The only concern I have developed is that I don't feel like I can hold it open like a book given the weight of the iPad and how it could cause the case's spine to stretch. I usually find myself folding the cover over the back and holding it that way. Though I feel I should note that I haven't been able to hold the iPad comfortably like a book in my DODOcase or Portenzo cases either, which are both hard book-style cases that wouldn't be susceptible to stretching.

The Agenda 2 is a ridiculously expensive case. While I absolutely love it, I'm still not sure I would have purchased it had I not been able to sell some other older gadgets and accessories to essentially bring its price down to a more reasonable level. However, I'm still very glad that I bought it in the end. I kind of wish I'd waited until cases.com got it since they regularly offer coupon codes and this is definitely the purchase method I would recommend given the discount that can be had (I've never ordered anything from cases.com, or it's been so long that I can't remember the last time I did, and can't speak to their customer service, though).
 
r6girl said:
I haven't written my final review of the Agenda 2...
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Thank you r6/Macgirl for the update... well it seems you use the case much like I do and still feel quite positive about it; this is an itch I'm going to be scratching all day long and I have an important project at work I need to get moving on so... :D If I don't love it at least the cases.com discount will minimize the loss to resell.
 
I owned a Vaja iVolution that I purchased from cases.com. I liked the case but felt silly for spending so much and I wanted to buy a messenger bag. I sold the iVolution to buy a Tom Bihn Ristretto. I did not want a folio case as I use my iPad mostly in landscape mode for bed/sofa surfing and do not want the bulk of having the cover of the case flipped around to the back. I did not want a "stand" case as I do not do much typing or movie watching. I've tried several cases that only cover the back, but I want my screen to be protected while not in use. I do not like the film screen protectors and I like my bezel bare.

Bottom line - I re-bought an iVolution (a/k/a Limited Edition) from cases.com with the FALL coupon. I find it to be the best case for my uses.
 
I have a quick question about the price: on cases.com, it shows the price as $250.00. On Vaja's website, it shows 220,00. I understand that Vaja's site is using a different currency, but what is it? I can't think of too many currencies in the world that are actually worth more than the USD (I'm not trying to start a flaming/country war, please). So what type of currency is Vaja listing, that makes it cost 220,00? Or Is Cases.com using a different currency?

Sorry, I'm just all confused.
 
Cases.com is usually at or below the manufacturer's retail price. The other Vaja iPad prices seem to be consistent with MSRP, but you are correct that the Agenda 2 is listed for $30 more than the Vaja website. You could call cases.com to ask about the discrepancy. The Agenda 2 would have been cheaper than MSRP with the 20% coupon that ended yesterday.
 
So I got the brown/beige combo from cases.com. I'm a terrible photog but if anyone is interested I'll take some pictures.

My prior worries about build quality appear to be largely unfounded. The only things I can say is

1) I felt from the photos the cut of the interior leather was rather rough. Turns out they edge paint this to match the exterior, it's not the actual cut of the leather but bleeding from the paint onto the interior. Not terribly objectionable but could be a little cleaner.
2) The floppiness of the top when closing is better than I imagined. The top itself is a bit oversized relative to the bottom so its not so obvious when the top hasn't seated fully. The gripe here is mainly with the cover folded around the back for reading, it does slide around a bit. It does lay significantly flatter than my Yoobao Slim.
3) Slight alignment issue of the iPad in the bottom portion. The bottom edge of the iPad sticks out a but while the top is flush, and the bottom edge is a tad crooked where the bottom left sticks out a bit more than the right. But not too bad for a hand built item.

Overall, my biggest concern was that this might give a general sloppy impression, but it's anything but - only a nitpicker would notice this stuff. Build quality, materials, and cuts/stitchng is fairly high. It definitely feels like a $200+ case. Wonderful tactile sensation, smells great, and lightweight to boot (feels slightly lighter than my Yoobao and nearly as slim). Hopefully the folded back mode will get better as it breaks in. Probably for long reading sessions I'll pop it out of the case, which fortunately is rather easy.
 
Discount

I've just ordered from cases.com. I spoke with their reps and they are aware of the price disparity and more or less try and justify their price. When I told them all of their other Vaja products are priced at MSRP with Vaja's website I was able to gain a little sympathy.

I love how fast cases.com ships and how they always have decent discount codes. That is why I waited for them to stock the agenda 2. In a perfect world I was hoping for 15% off the $220 plus shipping. Well I didn't get that, but I will have my Black/Red Agenda 2 at my Canadian door next week for $221 all-in.

Thanks cases.com. For future buyers I strongly recommend them and you should always get 15% off. They just had a 20% that has now expired.
 
I love this case but it's just so dang expensive! I used to have their case for my Palm Treo and it's a good product.

I'm fighting the internal battle to justify buying it...haha
 
Beau10 said:
My prior worries about build quality appear to be largely unfounded.
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Glad to hear you like it! It is a lovely case and I even find that I use my iPad *more* because of it, as weird as that may sound. I also sniff it regularly enough to make my husband doubt my sanity. Why does dead cow skin smell so good? :p
 
I Am Canadian said:
I've just ordered from cases.com. I spoke with their reps and they are aware of the price disparity and more or less try and justify their price. When I told them all of their other Vaja products are priced at MSRP with Vaja's website I was able to gain a little sympathy.

I love how fast cases.com ships and how they always have decent discount codes. That is why I waited for them to stock the agenda 2. In a perfect world I was hoping for 15% off the $220 plus shipping. Well I didn't get that, but I will have my Black/Red Agenda 2 at my Canadian door next week for $221 all-in.

Thanks cases.com. For future buyers I strongly recommend them and you should always get 15% off. They just had a 20% that has now expired.
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Ordered Thursday and arrived Monday afternoon. Crossed the border and cleared customs so fast. Plus cases.com lists a lower price so we don't get stabbed with a duty charge. BTW...the case is truly better than expected and worth the money. Black on Rosso is all business on the outside with a little vibrancy on the inside. The $45 Apple case with lint and rough edge is now garbage and I love how the face is all glass with no frame. Can you tell I'm happy?
 
r6girl said:
I just put up a first impressions video on my blog (see link in my signature). It's just under 10 minutes long so it's hopefully thorough enough for most of you. ;)



You have no idea. This case has blown me away so far. It is absolutely stunning. :D



I have noticed this with my case as well but it's not really a big deal for me. I have an anti-glare screen protector on my iPad and I keep the screen fairly clean as it is (a habit formed even before I got this case). I don't feel like the case "mandates" regularly cleaning of the screen at all.
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Great review, thank you very much. One of the best around. I might suggest that when reviewing a leather product you might want to get some contrast by angling the product between the lighting and camera. So one could really see the grain of the leather. No big deal though, you did a few times. Again, great review. Thank you.
 
jw6961 said:
Vaja Agenda 2 now available in Mamut :D
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Wow.. this is my *dream* case. I love the natural 'unfinished' look of this leather when I saw it on another case but didn't like the style of that case.

I just went on the site and didn't see it as an option for the Agenda 2. How did you hear that it was available in Mamut?

This will DEFINITELY be my case... although now I need to decide if I pull the trigger on it for my current ipad or wait until the rumored second generation ipad next year which might have a totally different form factor -- or at the very least is likely going to have a back facing camera that requires a hole or corner be cut out of the current design.

Anyone else debating holding off on investing in a case before knowing if the iPad for factor is changing with the next iPad update?

= Chris
 
I don't like the fact that the top doesn't fasten shut. Other than that, it is an ideal case.

My cyberacoustics portfolio case has a couple of discreet elastic straps to fasten the top shut, and it makes it much better for carrying around, etc.
 
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