Slim Paperwhite case alternative

[Vmurph]

Originally Posted by jscris

Not wanting to have a panic attack, I pared it a little (Thanks, Vmurph!) and was able to get the PW back out with only a little effort and a dull butter knife.

I'm so glad that worked for you. At some point (if you're so inclined) you could shave it down a little more, so you'd no longer need the butter knife.

Oooor...maybe you can find a plastic tool that's firm enough to pry it out without leaving scratches. An old Tupperware grapefruit peeler would be perfect. One end is flat and tapered and would slide between the edges nicely.

The cover didn't lie perfectly flat on the outer edge (bottom corner with magnet met, top didn't), but a gentle bend and it's lying flat now.

Heheh, mine was like that, too, and I solved it the same way you did. It's been fine ever since, and I've had it almost 2 weeks.

[jscris]

Originally Posted by xendula

Thanks. Too bad we can't just upload images to non jail broken devices. Or at least have the option of seeing the cover of the book we are currently reading.

I've used a jailbreak with all my kindles since the first, which did allow personal screensavers. That's the main reason. But with the sleep/wake cover I'm more inclined to shut it when not reading, which means I can't see the screensaver anyway.

[jscris]

Originally Posted by Vmurph

I'm so glad that worked for you. At some point (if you're so inclined) you could shave it down a little more, so you'd no longer need the butter knife.

Apparently I did a better job with the paring than I realized because now I can pop that corner loose by pressing down on the corner of the case. Still a bit of a struggle to get it out, but no implements needed. Not likely to be taking it out a lot anyway, but I don't want to have a panic attack if I decide to do so.

[xendula]

What does "paring" mean? Like paring knife, you cut it?

[xendula]

Originally Posted by jscris

I've used a jailbreak with all my kindles since the first, which did allow personal screensavers. That's the main reason. But with the sleep/wake cover I'm more inclined to shut it when not reading, which means I can't see the screensaver anyway.

True, I see the screensaver for not even a second now.

[fauxpas]

Originally Posted by xendula

What does "paring" mean? Like paring knife, you cut it?

I'd be interested in that as well.. maybe someone can upload a picture of what they did to make it easier to get out?

[jscris]

Original post earlier in this thread:

Originally Posted by Vmurph

I own the cover mentioned in the OP. I purchased it from the same eBay seller, and it arrived in just 10 days.

I love it! Like everyone else, I wanted the official Amazon cover, but didn't want to pay $40 for it. Also the official one is much heavier this year, which turned me off. So I was thrilled to find this alternative.

The fit is absolutly perfect and the quality is very good. I also own an Amazon brand cover for the K4, and this one is almost identical. Obviously the "leather" is not *as* good quality as the Amazon one, but for $12...really...what more could you ask for. I'm not sure what "PU leather" is, but it looks and feels close enough to the real thing. If having genuine leather was important enough to me, I would've just bought the $40 Amazon one

Another nice thing about this one, is that no matter which color you buy, the border of the molded part is BLACK. I like that because the Paperwhite is black, so the cover's border just disappears around it, unlike the Amazon one which is the same color as the lid. Personally, I would find that distracting.

There is one thing I should warn you about. The edges of the molded plastic/vinyl(?) part is rigid rather than rubbery. So it doesn't flex like the Amazon one. So once the Kindle is snapped in...that's it. You're not getting that sucker back out. If you have no intention of remove it, then it's not even an issue. But if you're OCD like me...or if you buy more than one color and intend to switch them out now and then, then it's a problem.

It took me over 20 minutes to get mine out. LoL, I actually started to cry at one point. However, I came up with a great solution. Once I got the Kindle out, I took an exacto blade and shaved down the "lip" on the inside of ONE corner (the lower left)...of the cover, that is. Now that corner pops off easily. As long as one corner comes off, the rest will come off with no problem. It's just getting that first corner off that's the key.

If you're going to do that, I suggest one of the bottom corners because there's less edge coverage on the bottom, and therefore more kindle to grasp when pulling out.

Bottom line, I'm extremely happy with its build quality and the look and feel, especially for the price. I like it so much, I ordered another one last night, so I could have a colored one too. (my first one is black)

PS: oh and yes, it does have the magnetic sleep/wake function :-)

[xendula]

^ paring= shaving off a layer of plastic, then?

[Lyn2012]

Originally Posted by xendula

Thanks. Too bad we can't just upload images to non jail broken devices. Or at least have the option of seeing the cover of the book we are currently reading.

I quite agree, it is something I'm really going to miss coming from a Kobo Touch. I read without a case so will often see the screensaver - may end up jail breaking my PW for this option and to manage collections through Calibre.

[jscris]

1.
to cut off the outer coating, layer, or part of.
2.
to remove (an outer coating, layer, or part) by cutting (often followed by off or away ).
3.
to reduce or remove by or as by cutting; diminish or decrease gradually (often followed by down ): to pare down one's expenses.

So in this case, yes, a bit of the plastic. Shaving also is appropriate.

[BeccaPrice]

re #129 - can you manage PW collections via Calibre? I thought the collections manager plugin didn't work for the PW.

[xendula]

Originally Posted by jscris

1.
to cut off the outer coating, layer, or part of.
2.
to remove (an outer coating, layer, or part) by cutting (often followed by off or away ).
3.
to reduce or remove by or as by cutting; diminish or decrease gradually (often followed by down ): to pare down one's expenses.

So in this case, yes, a bit of the plastic. Shaving also is appropriate.

Thanks, I was not sure if that was something else. Any chance you could post a pic of what that looks like once it's pared/shaved off? Is it visible with the kindle inside that you cut some of the case off?

[jscris]

No, it doesn't show if you do it on the inside. I think a small emery board might work well, too.

[Vmurph]

Originally Posted by xendula

What does "paring" mean? Like paring knife, you cut it?

Sorry it took me so long to respond. "Pared" was actually someone else's word. What I had said was that I took an exacto blade and shaved down the tiny lip inside one of the corners. However, "pared" might actually be a better choice of words. In this case, though, the definition "outer coating" or "layer" doesn't apply.

For those of you who cook...if you've ever pared down the raised spine of a cabbage leaf, so the leaf would lie flat or be more pliable, you'll know what I'm talking about. The reason I used the word "shaved" is because the plastic is hard, so you'll literally have to shave it down a little at a time, much like a carpenter's plane.

If you look inside the corner, you'll see that the very top curls up and over. That's what grips the device. If the lip of just ONE corner is shaved down, the device becomes much easier to remove. As with all covers like this (including the official one) the key to removing it is popping off ONE corner first. Once the first corner is off, you'll be able to grip the device better (which is impossible with all corners snapped in) and the the other three will come off relatively easy.

There are TWO ways to do this. The easiest way is to shave the top of the corner down so that it's actually shorter than the other three. The disadvantage, of course, is that one corner will look slightly different than the other three. However, it's barely noticeable, especially when the device is in it.

The second way is a bit trickier, but has the advantage of being invisible. Instead of shaving down the height (top down), you'll shave the lip off from the inside outward, kinda like carving out a pumpkin. (just the lip, though)

One last tip. You'll want to do this to one of the BOTTOM corners...preferably the inner one (next to the hinge). The top corners won't work because the top edge covers the entire top of the device, therefore there's nothing to grab. The bottom edge has an opening in the center where you'll be able to grab to lift it out. The inner corner is less visible than the outer one, so it's a better choice in the event of accidental butchering

[xendula]

Vmurph, thank you. Thanks to your very precise instruction, I get it now