Both Judie and I reviewed the Acme Made Courier laptop bag, and it remains one of our absolute favorite laptop bags. The bags are nicely designed, well made and have both stood up to some serious use (and abuse) since I did my “second opinion” post as a follow-up to Judie’s full review.
Well Acme Made also offers a variety of cases for eBook readers and the iPad. Today we’ll take a look at the Slick Case for Apple iPad. Is it as stylish and well-made as the Courier? Read on to find out…
From Acme Made:
The perfect solution for the road warrior, Acme Made’s new Slick Case can be used for in-case protection or to protect your iPad™ while on-the-go. The fully zippered case allows ease of access along with a scratch-proof cable compartment for your charger or other small accessories.
Features:
Dual-use case protects the device while in use and/or for on-the-go protection.
Full-size protective pocket for storing cables while traveling.
Acme Made’s unique StretchShell™ neoprene is water and stain resistant while protecting the iPad with minimal bulk.
Exceptional protection in a compact form makes this case perfect for the traveler.
My Take:
As you can see from the first few pictures, the Slick Case is constructed from a neoprene material that serves as a zippered sleeve when transporting the iPad from place to place. It is well constructed, has a nice feel to it, and has a rather small but noticeable logo toward one side of the surface. If you take a look at the seam to the right of the logo in this picture, you will see that the seams are tight and straight. As has been my experience with the company’s other products, this is true of every aspect of this case. It is well constructed and should handle serious use and abuse for quite a while.
When you unzip the Slick Case you find that the interior has functionality on both sides.
The left side is intended for the iPad. The device is held in place by four corner bands of stretch material; these hold the device quite securely. This isn’t my favorite way for the device to be secured inside a case, however these bands are unobtrusive enough that they didn’t limit my use of the iPad significantly while inside. In addition, the elastic is strong and tight enough that the iPad, once secured, doesn’t shift. There is no risk that it will fall out.
Here’s a closer look at the elastic, as well as a close-up so you can see the high quality construction of this case. (I focus on the quality of the construction primarily because it’s well-made and yet, as you’ll see at the end, it’s also well priced.)
Here’s a look at the iPad once inside. As you’ll notice, the elastic gets a little bit in the way of the corners, but not so much so that I found it had to use the iPad without removing it.
The other side of the interior has a pocket that is secured at three points by permanent elastic. There’s a tab in the middle of the bottom and there are tabs on either side that hold it securely. The side running along the length of the Slick Case is open.
At first I slipped my iPad inside. (shown in this picture.) It fit perfectly but that isn’t the intended use. No, this pocket is intended for accessories such as a charging brick, cable or the camera adapter. This is key to the use of this case and is, why I suspect, my father-in-law is going to like it when I give it to him later today to try out. That’s assuming he can pry his iPad out of my mother-in-law’s hands; she now refers to it as HER iPad! 🙂
When my father-in-law first got his iPad I gave him a case that is somewhat similar to this design but not of the same quality. He likes it quite a bit. He likes the total protection he gets for the iPad when the zipper is closed, and he doesn’t mind using the iPad while it is still inside. The elastic material holding the iPad doesn’t bother him.
The reason he hasn’t wanted to try any of the other cases I have offered him is that the case he is currently using has an outside pocket where he keeps his charging cable and camera kit. This case has all of the features that he likes about the other case, includes a pocket for holding those accessories, and it looks and feels more substantial. We’ll see what he thinks, but I suspect he is going to like it very much.
In short this is an excellent case as long as you like this particular design for protecting your iPad. When the zipper is closed the iPad is completely protected from anything other than being crushed. It has a nice feel to it, and it is light enough that it doesn’t feel bulky. The neoprene material used for the exterior of the case is water and stain resistant, while the material used inside is soft and will not scratch the iPad’s back or screen. The interior pocket runs the entire length of the case which means that none of the accessories come into contact with the iPad screen– something that’s always a concern for me. And best of all, at an MSRP of just $39.99 this offers a high-quality case for the iPad at an extremely reasonable price. No, this design isn’t my personal favorite, but for someone like my father-in-law who loves this type of case this is a home run.
The Acme Made Slick Case for iPad is available directly from Acme Made in Matte Black or Gloss White.
MSRP: $39.99
What I Like: Offers excellent protection for the iPad; allows full use of the iPad without removing the device from the case; includes a pocket for accessories and is designed in a manner that the accessories won’t damage the iPad; exterior material is water and stain resistant
What Needs Improvement: Absolutely nothing–in this design is attractive to you this is an excellent choice