SkinIt Laptop Skins Review

by Tim Utecht

Have you ever felt that the black top of your notebook was too dull and drab? Well you're in luck because a remedy has surfaced in the form of "Skins". These skinsare made by Skinit Inc, aleading manufacture for the personalization of mobile electronic devices.

So what is a SkinItskin exactly? It's as simple as being a large sticker that goes on the lid of your laptop to instantly personalize and change the look.SkinIt hastons of different skins to choose from for your laptop. They range from being just solid colors to Japanese anime. Anothernice feature is the ability to upload your own image to create a personalized skin.Prices for a skin start at $7.95 and go up in price depending on the size and design you choose. To check out SkinIt's website for laptop skinsgo to www.skinit.com/devices/laptop. SkinIt has partnered with Acer, Apple, Dell, Lenovo, Sony, Toshiba and HP to provide a guaranteed skin fit for a particular model notebook from each of these brands. If you don't own one of these brand laptops, you can just choose a laptop with equivalent size to the one you own and the fit should be reasonable.

For this review Ichose the "Rockslide" skin for my Compaq Presario v4000 laptop. The skin is made out of 3M professional-grade vinyl and is covered in a glossy finish. The underside of the skin is sticky but will not leave any residue on your laptop. I partially removed the skin after three weeks to see if any residue was left on my laptop, and I'm glad to report the laptop cover remained perfectly clean.

Here you see the rockslide skin in action working to camouflage the laptop outside! (can you see it) (view large image)

Closed view -- even better camouflage hey? (view large image)

Application:

Applying the Rockslide skin (view large image)

The skin is very easy to apply. First I would recommend that you wipe down the top of your laptop to remove dust and finger prints so that the skin sticks more easily. Then starting at one end slowly apply the skin. Make sure you do not leave any bubbles. If bubbles do form get a flat object to rub across the top of the laptop. A credit card works very well for this.

(view large image)

Appearance:

The skin that I received fromSkinIt was very nice looking. The skin has a glossy shine to it which I enjoy. The skin fits perfectly on top of my laptop and it is cut to the right size. The skin itself is very smooth. One bonus of using a skin is that it protects the top ofthe laptop from scratches and the skin itself appears to be pretty scratch resistant.

Pros:

• Does not cost very much
• Makes your laptop stick out from the rest of 'em
• Tons of designs to choose from
• Protects the top of your laptop

Cons:

• A little hard to apply
• Some skins can be expensive
• Only made for specific HP/Compaq computers

Conclusion:

If you are looking for a cheap, affordable way to make your laptop stand out from the crowd and protect your lid from scratches at the same time, give the skins from SkinIt a try!

Product Website: www.skinit.com/devices/laptop

 

Thanks for the review Tim. Pretty amazing the # of options available there for customization. Also, this seems cheaper than the product Chaz reviewed a couple of weeks back with "Schtickers" http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=2996 but I think that's because he took the personalized sticker route there.

 

Very cool review Tim.

Lol, I would hardly know your laptop wasn't a concrete slab sitting in the grass. J/K. xD

Seriously it looks great.

They have alot of cool designs. Even some stock Inuyasha images. I also like the Anakin Skywalker skin. Lol. Put some Star Wars on my lappy and a cute guy at the same time (<3 Hayden) would make my white bumpers alot more beautiful. =P

 

Looks nice, lots of options!!
now someone just needs to make a chart with laptop size equivalences.
So people without an acer/hp/lenovo can know what size to get.

 

Does it seem heavier now? It sure does look heavy with that granite design.

 

While you mentioned the lack of residue on your Compaq, I was wondering what material your notebook cover is made of? Is it similar to Chaz's model where the back of the cover was aluminum, or rather, is your notebook cover made of plastic?

Thanks for the review though; I'm planning on buying a E1505 and am hoping to get something to modify the appearance along these lines.

 

LOL...no it doesn't seem heavier now. Although it does look like it could weigh a ton. =P

LtdCorp:

My laptops lid is plastic. I am 99% positive that the skin would never leave any residue. It is just not that kind of sticker. It is kinda hard to explain...but think of it more as a window cling than a sticker. Although the skin does have a stickie supstance.

Thanks for the nice comments
Tim

 

=P I want one of these now. LOL
Tim

 

****...nothing for the Sager.

Anyway, its an interesting product, much less than a fullon paint job. Nice straight forward review.

 

That's a great looking mod, moreso than the Schticker I have on mine.

Agreed, a shame that they are not available. I'd be intested in picking one of these up.

 

Haha, a sticky static window clean? Sounds good...Any idea if cutting it (say to show a manufacturer's label or heck, even ordering a second sticker to trim to fit on the inside of the laptop around the keyboard/touchpad) would be easily feasible while leaving the sticker intact?

 

Yeah I'd like to get the Northwestern one and cut out just the N symbol of the sticker and slap it on. I love my alma mater!

 

For some reason this doesn't show up on their site, but did you know that SkitIn makes stickers for Roomba and Scooba? Linkie.



The eye one above is freaky! Wouldn't want an eye running around my apt.



I like the flower one, but on white background.

They've much better Roomba designs than laptop designs, IMO - but I think that's because Roomba had a say in this. Oh I wish I wasn't so broke and could afford a Roomba right now so I could apply those stickers - Hey does anyone want to trade a Roomba or a Scooba for a Dyson? Dyson's more expensive, it's a good deal, for real, I just don't have Room - pun intended!

Malia

 

That looks like a great and inexpensive way to mod your laptop. Even better if it is totally removable without leaving a mark.

 

Wonder what size would fit for the Asus S96j...hmm...Im thinking a toshiba that's 15.4 inch, or I suppose one should be specific.

 

I know this is a pretty old thread but I came across it in Tim's sig and figured someone still might want to respond. Any idea how well these things work with dell inspirons, the dell symbol is sort of set IN to the lid so it would seem like there would be an air pocket there? I really want to get one of the Air Force skins, they are AWESOME...now if I could only decide which one out of them...

 

Um I like the aluminum finish on my macbook pro. No thanks.

 

There's a cut out for the Dell logo.

 

Those look pretty cool and inexpensive and maybe an alternative to having it custom painted.

 

Hey Tim, if you still have that SkinIt on your notebook...how's it holding up? Also, any residue?

I'd be interested in knowing myself...one for the LCD back, one for the keyboard deck, and one for the LCD front. Complete paint job that can still be removed! I can see it now...a dark green nc8430 with black/gray highlights...or dark blue. Hmmm...time to think.

 

Yep I still have that skinit on there (I haven't taken it off since I got it ). It is really holding up well. It still looks brand new. It does have some hair line scratches from normal wear and tear but you can only see those if the lighting reflexes a certain way.

I am sure you could cut one and put it around your keyboard but I am not sure if it is worth it. The material is pretty tough and it would be hard to cut straight. You could give it a shot though.
Tim

 

I don't think it would be a problem cutting with a fresh blade of exacto knife along a nice metal ruler. I'd just practice on the part that would get discarded first to get a feel for how the vinyl behaves.

The problem I can think of is, edges on the part of the palmrest that's facing you might begin to peel since you're always touching them with your arms. Then again, maybe not. If you do it, post in Cosmetic Modifications with results

Malia

 

I just got my notebook skin from http://www.skinweaver.com . The skin surface is textured - not glossy, so I think it should stay scratch-free longer. They sell it for much less, but the down side is it comes in one size only (17" diagonal), so I had to cut it to size myself. Good thing it's pretty easy. I know my notebook loves me now - it's looking awesome!

 

^pictures.
I got one skinit for free when i ordered my fl90 from zipzoomfly... Only problem it had "zipzoomfly.com" written on it. Even though the crumbling reflection font was nice, I don't want to use my lappy as a bill board...

 

Well, you got it for free.

What do you expect? Haha.

 

haha! good point. so what did you do with it?

 

I ordered a Miami Dolphins running back one. They didn't have my Acer model listed but they had another Acer which was 15.4 like mine. I can't wait to see it.

 

Well i just got my skin today, my ex bf bought it for me for christmas and he gave it to me today, i highly recomend it. It is all pink and its cute. You people should buy skins from skinit, they r honest people, they dnt mess up with your credit card. MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL OF YOU AND HAPPY NEW YEAR.

 

Does it make the laptop cover feel more "grippy"?

 

Shame about my laptop's curved lid.

 

well there is a solution to the curved edges - www.myskins.co.za