Review: Case-pc.com Laptop Sleeve

I have a Sony Vaio SZ. It is one of the fairly recent 13.3in widescreen offerings. As such, it has odd dimensions and it was difficult to find a laptop sleeve that would fit. Enter www.case-pc.com who make their sleeve in 5 different sizes, to better accommodate a snug fit for your laptop.

The Sony Vaio SZ is 12.5”(W) x 0.9”-1.3”(H) x 9.3”(D). The difference in Height is because there are two different LCDs, the premium and non-premium; with the premium being thinner. I bought the Extra-Small sleeve, whose advertised dimensions are 11.75 x 1.375 x 9.25. The laptop sleeve is a vertical orientation. You can see that the Sony Vaio SZ is .75in bigger than the advertised size of the sleeve. I took a chance and ordered the sleeve, hoping that the sleeve would somehow stretch, or have enough slack to accommodate my laptop.

I was lucky as the sleeve fit PERFECTLY. What ended up happening is that the flat that closes the sleeve only contacts about half of the velcro because the Sony Vaio SZ is technically bigger than the sleeves dimensions. However this is about 1/2in of velcro, and I feel that it is secure. Because of the wedge shape of the SZ, there is a little bit of wiggle room in the height dimension. You can feel this when handling the sleeve while the laptop is in it. I don't feel that this is a problem, and is probably helpful for easily sliding the laptop in and out.

I found the styling of the sleeve to be very attractive. It has a silver sharkskin looking fabric on the front with www.case-pc.com 's subtle logo. There are two rubberized inserts on either side of the case. Apparently these are there for grip when carrying or handling the sleeve. I commend this attention to detail. The back is a black nylon fabric with the www.case-pc.com name and a black cargo net. The cargo net could benefit from a stronger elastic, or perhaps a velcro tab. You can carry small items here, but you will have to pay attention that they do not fall out. I sometimes use the cargo net as a handle, haha.

The velcro on the flap is very generously applied. This is what accommodated my SZ even though it was outside the specs of the sleeve. The upside is security; the downside is that it is definitely noticeable when you open the flap, as the sound of the velcro is noticeable. I prefer the security and deal with the noise. I would reccommend inserting your laptop with the bottom facing the active/scratch half of the velcro. Even though it is plastic, I could see it scratching the finish of a laptop. Again, not a problem, it just takes some consideration.

As far as padding goes, I cannot be sure, but it feels that the case is probably stuffed with 3/16in neoprene. This will protect your laptop against rough handling, but probably not against major trauma, such as stepping on it or dropping a stack of books on it. This is probably typical for laptop sleeves. Personally, I just needed something that would provide a little protection as the laptop travels in my bookbag.

Finally, I'll address the customer-service and purchasing element of things. I purchased the sleeve from www.case-pc.com directly. If anyone is interested, they appear to be the same company as http://www.mac-case.com/ based on the fact they share a customer service telephone number. My order was processed quickly through the online interface, and shipped within a day or two. There was some kind of error with shipping, perhaps on behalf of the shipping company. I called case-pc and they resolved the situation to my satisfaction quickly and professionally.

The case can also be found on amazon.com, compusa.com (but not in stores), and ebay. Purchasing from Case-pc directly was the best value when I ordered.

I would give the case 4.5 out of 5 stars. For my personal needs it met all of my requirements. Other people may have different requirements, such as being more padded. I could easily give this sleeve 5 stars, I deducted only because of the minor room for improvement in the cargo net. The funny thing is, had they not included the cargo net, I may have given them 5 stars; even though the sleeve would have less features. With that in mind, it is better that they gave you the cargo net, so you at least have the option of using it.

Here are my pictures of the sleeve, with a ruler to give you some idea of dimensions.


http://www.32bitpimp.com/gallery/v/User_albums/media/images/reviews/02SEP06/

-PHiZ

 

Good Review...Do they sell it in a bigger size?

 

The answer is yes. Wouldn't it have been easier to click on the link and see for yourself rather than waste the time of making a response to ask a question?

 

He's too lazy, it's okay.

 

I have the Xtra large that I use with my Toshiba P105. Fits it just fine. I ordered mine from Amazon and it shipped from the mac-case.com site which after some research and a call to them confirmed that they are indeed the same company.

 

wow! i have SZ too... it's the best sleeve i've ever seen. perfect!