iPad Ultimate SleeveCase Review
Looking for an iPad case is always a long, tedious and expensive project. I only ended up finding a case for my original iPad that I actually enjoyed a month or 2 before I went out and purchased the iPad 2. The issue I couldn’t decide on with the original iPad was whether I wanted to use it “naked” or mask its beauty in an ugly cover. Unfortunately I ended up buying a case that completely covered the iPad. Though it did not look good, at least my iPad was protected.
On too the iPad 2. I loved Apple’s idea of using the iPad 2 in all its glory, so I purchased a black leather Smart Cover on launch day. While I do love the smart cover, there was no way I was leaving my house with my iPad 2 essentially unprotected. I started searching for “sleeves” or “bags” and eventually stumbled across SFbags.com. They have tons of different bags, sleeves and cases for Apple products. After reading and watching some reviews, I decided to give this fancy little sleeve a try!
WaterField Ultimate SleeveCase
The sleeve ended up costing $67.00 which may seem a little steep but actually makes sense once you realize the quality of bag you are getting. I could have gone with some other options as well such as a strap but my goal was too find a case that I could carry and throw into my laptop bag.
I am just going to come out and say it: the quality of this bag is incredible. You can tell just by feeling the ballistic nylon and leather that only the best materials were used to make this bag. It feels like it will last a long time and a ton of abuse! Secondly, the bag looks like it could be used in both my professional and casual life. This is important to me because I plan on bringing my iPad into meetings with customers as well as using it when I am out with my friends.
I ordered the bag that fits the iPad 2 with the Smart Cover on and the main compartment more than accommodates this:
Main Compartment of SleeveCase (Notice the thick padding on the sides)
The iPad 2 slips into the bag and leaves just enough play so I do not have to wrestle with the iPad 2 to get it back out of the bag. I found that the iPad 2 always sat snugly in the bag and the padding seemed like it would more than protect the iPad 2 from any bangs or falls. Gary (who designs the bags for SFbags.com) really put a lot of thought into this bag because he actually placed a little tab on the bottom of the case to assist the user in removing the iPad 2. It may seem silly at first but after repeatedly taking the iPad 2 in and out of this case over the last couple of days, it really becomes apparent that this is a nice little touch.
Tab at Bottom of SleeveCase to assist with removal of device
The last part of the bag is the back. Now most sleeves are just that, sleeves, and do not have anything else to them. Once again, Gary and his team came through here and thought of how they could make the users life easier. They ended up putting a nice slanted pocket on the back which easily fits the charger block, cables and a pair of in-ear headphones.
Pouch on the back of the SleeveCase that accommodates all types of small Apple goodies
To sum it all up: It’s the little things that make this bag incredible! Not only can you tell that Waterfield really cares about the quality of the bag but you can see that they really thought about how the end user would use this bag on a day to day basis. My recommendation: If you are in the market for a well built, stylish and practical sleeve for your iPad 2… Look no further because this is it!
P.S. I also ordered the 11″ Muzetto Bag to go along with this but they seem to be so popular that I will not receive mine for about a month! You can look forward to a review of that bag as soon as I have some time to test it out.
Link to buy: http://sfbags.com/products/ipad-cases/ipad-cases.php
-Anthony
themacfanatic 