Review: Slappa HardBody PRO Carbon Elektra (lots of pics)

The HardBody PRO Carbon Elektra is Slappa's newest HardBody laptop case. It features their xEVA Hadbody shell, a vibrant red interior, and 3 interior pockets for your gadgets. After many e-mails to Slappa, I decided to purchase this instead of a standard Incase sleeve for my Macbook Pro 13. Slappa President, Dominick Martinetti, answered all the e-mails very promptly, even sometimes during non-business hours.

Unboxing:


The first thing you will see is a free Slappa sticker, a letter from Dominick, and your packing slip. The letter you get is actually a nice touch, making it seem like a personalized experience.


Next up is the actual case, which is wrapped in a black protective back, and a standard plastic bag.

Here is the final product

Zippers

D-Rings for optional shoulder strap
Inside:

The red interior is a more canvas type fabric, although it is not scratchy, and feels extremely durable.

My Macbook Pro 13 fits extremely well, although it wiggles around a little bit.

Samsung vibrant w/ charger, laptop charger, Buffalo Ministation.

When the Macbook charger is in the bottom right pocket, since it's so thick, it causes the case to bow a slight bit on the outside. Kind of hard to see, but it's there. Even if the charger isnt wrapped up it still happens.

My Opinion:
Overall I am very satisfied with my purchase. The outside of the case feels very durable. It is a leathery, plastic type of material but doesn't feel cheap. The zippers feel strong, they slide really well and never come in contact with anything inside. I wish the inside pockets were a little bit larger, since my macbook charger causes the case to flex out a little bit. I would then be able to put my external hard drive in one of those pockets instead of the top, and put the charger in the top. I'm sure that would eliminate the flex issue.

I also wish the case came with a shoulder strap, instead of spending $13 on a Slappa one (although the 17 inch version comes with the strap). No, I am not going to set this thing on fire like the original review NBR did, but if it's made out of the same material, I trust this one is fire proof.

Traveling:
Very easy to travel with. Just put it in the little bin provided to you at the airport and let it run though. Since it is considered butterfly style, it is TSA approved, so you don't have to remove the laptop from the case. Just make sure to keep your eye on it. Case is very light and easy to carry.

update: Ok so at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport they just let me run it through, unzipped. At O'Hare (I much prefer Midway, but don't get me started) they made me pull the laptop out because there couldn't be cords above it (????). Whatever. So I guess it depends on where you fly out of.

Pros:
- Durable
- Cheap, although the 17 inch is expensive.
- Provides good protection
- Fits laptop very well

Cons:
- Some may consider the interior pockets small
- No shoulder strap
- Large items in the pockets can cause case to flex out

 

^^You provided lots of pic's which will be very helpful for those looking at buying this laptop case! And, nice review along w/the pros & cons! + to you!

Cin...

 

great pix. I have a slappa bag and they make great products. did they throw in a bunch of other free goodies with your order?

 

Nah I just got a sticker lol. What did you end up getting?

 

they sent me a car sunshade. 4 cell phone/small device pouches a few stickers.

 

Does any one know the internal dimensions of the laptop compartment for the 17" case?
Or has anyone experience this case with the alienware M15X?
I have the M15X with 9cell battery which make my laptop 2.5 in thick. I dont want it to be a tight fit with a mouse and charger in the bag.

 

Looks pretty good, but the vivid colour on the inside gives a slight headache.

 

18.5"(w) x 13.25"(h) x 2.75"(d)

Taken right from their site.

 

Updated with travel section.