Waterfield Designs Suede Jacket Sleeve for Macbook Air
For this long time Mac user, Waterfield Designs has been a company that has been frequently recommended to me for their quality case construction, design and wonderful customer service. Based in San Francisco, CA, the company prides itself on its humble beginnings and tech oriented offerings. Upon entering the sfbags.com website, customers will immediately see that the Waterfield company is both Apple and PC friendy, and attentive to protecting gadgets from iPods to Kindles to digital cameras. The company has two offerings for customers to protect their Macbook Airs - their famous customizable Sleeve Cases, and their new Suede Jacket Sleeves. After a nice solid week of putting the Sleeve case through it's paces, Gadgetmac has a nice review for your reading pleasure!
The Suede Jacket Sleeve comes in various sizes, offering protection for your Macbook Airs, Macbooks, and Macbook Pros. It consists of a microfiber like cloth that is soft and silky to the touch. It is just what you would expect, made out of thick black suede cloth. The sleeve has fine stitching that is tight and and clean. You see no frayed or lose threads on this case at all and there is nothing hard in this sleeve that may scratch the body of your Macbook Air. Using suede as the material for this case is good and bad. It's soft and smooth, and can be used to keep your computer nice and clean. The downside of the material is that it attracts dust and lint, and the case can look downright dirty since it is made of black suede. It is unclear at this point whether or not the material will stretch, and for that, this reviewer will have to get back to you.
The case reviewed today has an opening on the shortside to allow you to slip your computer into your backpack standing up. Waterfield Designs offers customization allowing you to choose which orientation you want the sleeve to be in. The Macbook Air slides into the case smoothly and the fit is very snug. My computer has a Wrapsol skin applied and the fit was snug, not tight. If gripping your sleeved computer with the opening side down, you will not see any slippage! In fact, the fit is so snug, that this reviewer appreciated the little loops on the sides of the case to work a computer into the case. A very fine thought by the Waterfield Designs team! Furthermore, there is a nice neoprene like padding material on the bottom of the case to protect your computer while sitting upright in your computer or messenger. Not many sleeve makers are this attentive in design - just a bit more added protection in this very minimalist offering.
For those who are looking for the thinnest possible case for their Macbook Air 11.6", I can't imagine you can find anything thinner - and with the same thought put into the design. The material is top notch, the stitching strong and fine, and the little added pluses like the bottom padding and loops are great. However, there are a few caveats with using a case like this in general, and it is through no fault of the manufacturer. The thin material will obviously not protect your computer from drops or dents. Furthermore, while snug, the sleeve case doesn't fit the computer PERFECTLY. Since the Macbook Air has a wedge shaped design, one side of the case will not fit as well as the other. This reviewer found that the difference was negligible and does not detract from the fit and look of the sleeve.
So ultimately, this case is wonderful - for the right customer. If you want minimal thickness but quality construction at the same time, this is the case for you. If you are looking for more protection from dents and drops, look elsewhere. This reviewer appreciated the extra attention to detail and the tiny additions for computer protection and ease of use. For a sleeve case, the lint prone suede material and slight fit issues detract from the score ever so slightly to 4/5. Despite this - the Suede Jacket Sleeve is still this is a very strong offering from Waterfield Designs and continues with the company's record of quality products.
Pros: Snug fit, quality stitching, padded bottom, finger loops, customization high quality silky suede and THIN!
Cons: Lint magnet, not a "perfect" fit (but pretty darn close)
Price: $25
