Pelican 1495 Laptop Case Review

Well this will be my first actual review of a product, here it goes .

For reference I also ran across these reviews that cover the 1490CC case.
Full review
Post showing laptop inside case


Pelican 1495 - Laptop Case

Back-story:

Every Laptop that I have ever owned has been a “project”. Someone either damaged it to the point that it was barely useable or they managed to kill 1 or more major component. I have always taken these broken sad units and nursed them back to their former glory, or as close to it as possible. I have been using “refurbed” laptops for years now and I finally decided to move into the present and actually buy a new laptop. After a few long months of hunting I was led to a Lenovo T61P. Alright I said, I have picked out what I want, I then looked across the room at my old Targus laptop back that while being an excellent bag it’s just a bag, not a case. So there my search began for a solid laptop case and since I was finally going to spend some hard earned money on the new laptop I figured I had better get something decent. This is where the hunt began.

I looked at many different brands of cases and bags and from what I read it fell to Pelican as being the strongest, sturdiest, and most durable case available. I originally looked at the Pelican 1090cc HardBack case w/ Computer Case Liner. But I wanted something that I could at least carry my power adapter in so as nice as the 1090cc looked it didn’t fit my bill. The search continued, my next stop was the Pelican 1490 Laptop Case. I hemmed and hawed over this case for a while but since the laptop that I ordered came with a 9-cell battery that protruded a little more than normal out the back of the laptop I figured a bigger case might be a safer bet, so the search continued one final time. I looked to the next size which was the Pelican 1495 Laptop case, almost identical the 1490 which I loved the looks and quality level of but just a hair bigger and which looked like a safer bet for the larger battery. I ended up purchasing the case from www.milestactical.com, this was one of the cheapest prices that I could find with all the options that I wanted.

The dimensions for the T61P fit very nicely inside of the 1495 with plenty of room for the power adapter, mouse, and extra batteries. I found the dimensions for my specific laptop here (Lenovo Only). I left a little extra “safety” foam around the outside just for a little extra protection.

Well I guess that that about covers all of the back story, on to the review.

My Experience:

Case Exterior:



Here you can see the entire external view of the case which includes the 4 latches, 2 optional lock slots, optional nameplate, rugged handle, center combo lock (stock), and shoulder strap.

Case Badge:



Made in the U.S.A.

Front Close Up:



Closer view of the front locks, latches, rubberized handle, and optional nameplate

Handle and Lock:



Close up of stock combo lock, rubberized handle, and pressure equalization valve

The case comes with detailed instructions on how to set your own combination.

I did run into a bit of an annoying issue with the lock, the center of the case did not loosely fall against the bottom of the case which would cause the combination lock to not latch. A very little amount of pressure applied to the center of the case above the combination lock will solve this. This is not a major issue, just a bit irritating. It could have just been a defect in my case, but it certainly didn't bother me enough to consider returning it.

Combo Latch:



Above shows the securely attached combination lock latch.

Close up of optional lock placement and latch:



There are 4 latches that hold the lid tightly in place all of which are 2 stage latches, stage 1 partially releases tension to the lower portion of the case and stage 2 releases the latch. There are also 2 optional lock placements located next to each of the two front latches

Latch fully closed:



Latch - Stage 1:



Latch - Stage 2:



(Optional) Lock Placements:

As stated above there are 2 places where additional locks can be added. Pelican suggests TSA approved locks for ease of travel, but any small locks will do the job fine. Both additional lock spots are reinforced for maximum security.

Lid reinforced lock placement:



Base reinforced lock placement:



Handle:



The handle is quite nice with a good solid feel and plenty of friction in the rubber to give it a solid grip. There is absolutely no wobble back and forth, the handle is securely attached to the case.

Pressure Equalization Valve:



The pressure equalization valve is a pretty self explanatory device, it equalizes the pressure making it cargo transportable in air-crafts.

Shoulder Strap:

This case comes in a couple of different configurations depending on where it is purchased from. I wanted the optional shoulder strap so I made sure to find a retailer that offered it.

Strap Anchor:



The strap anchors are located at the sides of the case closest to the handle.

Shoulder Strap Pad:



The shoulder strap comes with a nice wide padded piece to go over your shoulder which is quite comfortable.

Case Interior:

For size comparison I used a bottle top from a bottle of Yuengling, couldn’t find a quarter anywhere to use so Yuengling helped me out .

Open case with computer and accessories in place:



Case - Top View:



Case Interior Construction:

This case comes with 3 layers of foam I will start with them all out and put them back in piece by piece to show you the setup.

Empty Case:

Bare Case without any foam installed, this is an optional way of ordering the case so make sure you have the foam included when purchasing.



Case Lid:



Case Bottom:



3 Foam Levels:



As I stated above there are 3 foam layers, each layer provides a different level of protection to whatever is to be stored inside.

3 Foam Layers: w/ size comparison:



3 Foam Layers next to Lenovo T61P:



Bottle Cap to T61P Size Comparison:



Foam Layer 1:



The first layer of foam or the bottom layer is 5/8’s of an inch thick and is the base that your laptop sits on. It is the sturdiest of the 3 layers.

Foam Layer 1 in place:



Foam layer 1 along the bottom of the case.

Foam Layer 2:



The second layer of foam is the customizable layer. It has “Pick ‘N’ Pluck foam technology which is essentially hundreds of small slits cut into the foam layer which allows them to be picked and plucked out until the correct shape is created. There is a 3/4 inch border that is not customizable that goes around the outside of the foam layer, near the handle which is recessed it narrows down to 5/8’s of an inch. This foam layer is very thick coming in at 3 inches to provide excellent protection. Unfortunately this is where I ran into my first “issue” with the case. When removing and inserting the laptop the 2nd foam layer occasionally pulls out or comes unadjusted. I do believe that a bit of epoxy would resolve this issue in short order. This is not a major issue but worth mentioning.

Pic ‘N’ Pluck:



Non Customizable Border:



Foam Layer 2 in place over Layer 1:



Foam Layer 3:



The 3rd layer of foam is the layer that is inserted into the lid, it is of an egg carton design and is 1 1/8th inches thick at the peak and a 1/2 thick at the valley. Here is where I have my second issue. Like the 2nd layer of foam the 3rd layer has a habit if falling out of place, I haven’t gotten to it yet but I imagine a bit of epoxy would hold it into the lid and keep it from falling out. This is not a major problem, just worth mentioning.

Foam Layer 3 in place inside lid:



Rubber O-Ring:


The last thing to mention is the Rubber O-ring that circles the lid of the case. This obviously is in place to prevent any moisture, dust, sand, etc from entering the case and damaging the cases contents.



Well I believe that that is all I really have to say or show, I guess I move on to the pros and cons .


Pelican 1495 Laptop Case:

Pro’s:
- Extremely durable
- Offers an exceptional amount of protection
- Water Proof
- Customizable foam insert
- Comes with built in combination lock
- 4 heavy duty latches
- Reinforced additional lock placements
- 3 layers of foam padding
- Lifetime warranty
- Big enough to store accessories

Cons:
- Center of case does not loosely fall against the bottom of the case
- 2nd foam layer tends to pull out when removing laptop
- 3rd foam layer tends fall from lid
- There are many different configurations available, you can order the wrong configuration if you are not careful.
- Not particularly cheap but when you get all the features listed above you can’t really expect a cheap product.

I give it 9/10 dapht points .

 

US army approved. We almost every size case they make. They were worth their weight in gold in Iraq. Especially on the plane or when you have to pack it, they almost guarantee not to let the keyboard imprint in the screen. Water and dustproof is a must. Great cases. Nice review.

 

Excellent review! I've both 1490CC1 and 1495CC2, great cases. I like their new 10XX series cases.

 

I really loved that case, also was probably the most fun I had during a review.

I just wish they made something that worked with the 9 cell batteries usually installed in Thinkpads. to make the T60 fit I had to cut out a 9-cell battery outline in the bottom foam. Removing the battery just to put the notebook inside the case wasnt the most fun.