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Old 08-08-2009, 11:50 AM   #1
sayhello
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[UPDATE] Disappointed with my new Oberon Design cover

Yep, sad but true. I eagerly awaited the arrival of my lovely new "Tree of Life" Oberon cover for my beloved PRS-505. It arrived day before yesterday, and try as I might, I cannot get past my disappointment with the cover. The material it is made of is BEAUTIFUL. The leather, the tooling, the image, all magnificent.

The workmanship, not so much. There are so many little-to-big things wrong with this cover, that I am contacting Oberon to ask if I can return it.

First off, the loops that hold the 505 into the cover are WAY too large. The PRS does NOT feel like it will fall out of the cover, but it doesn't feel secure, either.



Plus, the excessive amount of extra leather in the loops causes the cover to bow out, especially when the bungee cord is looped closed around the button.



And the holes for the bungee cord were mis-placed on the cover, so that when the cover is closed, the edges don't line up (the bungee is placed lower on the back than the button is on the front).







The inside front cover is slightly larger than the outside front cover, so it bows open. The edges of the cover bend out where the loops are sewn on, which feels very awkward in my hand.

And, to me the biggest problem, where the bottom left loop is attached to the inside cover, it pulls up in such a way that there are already stress points on both the cover & the loop, which will eventually wear & probably tear.



I look at this physically gorgeous cover, and then look at my simple, unassuming M-edge Executive cover, and I must say, that although the materials of the M-edge aren't as sumptuous as those of the Oberon, the workmanship is FAR superior. My 505 fits in that M-Edge like a glove, and feels snug & secure in a way it just *doesn't* in the Oberon. I really wanted to love the Oberon cover, it is so lovely & rich-looking, so book-like, but I just can't.

I'm contacting Oberon, and attaching the pictures I've attached here. We'll see what they say...

Sayhello

Last edited by sayhello; 08-11-2009 at 10:31 PM.
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Old 08-08-2009, 12:04 PM   #2
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Disappointing, to say the least! I wonder if someone was just having a "bad day" when they made your cover, or is this the rule rather than the exception? It's a shame, because they are gorgeous looking covers!
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Old 08-08-2009, 12:44 PM   #3
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One of Oberon's reasons for their success has been the quality of their workmanship, both the leatherwork and finished product.

I"m sure they will deal with your problems to your satisifaction.

Please be sure and post again when you get results.
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Old 08-08-2009, 08:10 PM   #4
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I would definitely contact them and send them those pictures. The poor fit and misalignment detract from how beautiful the design is! For the price they charge, it should be pristine. Sure, it's hand made, but those are more than slight differences that would fall under the typical 'handmade items are not all cookie cutter perfect and may have some variance' disclaimer. Please let us know how they respond!
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Old 08-08-2009, 11:11 PM   #5
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I've sent the email & pictures to Oberon. I will let you know what they say...

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Old 08-09-2009, 09:17 AM   #6
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Sounds like the QC person was at lunch when that one was mailed out. I have one of their journal covers from ~10 years ago (small Bold Celtic in black) and it is flawless, so I ordered a Creekwood Maple PRS-505 cover in saddle a few days ago. Then your post was the first one I saw when I logged in! Yikes. However, I'm sure your cover was just a fluke and they will make good, because they really are known for high quality product.

PS On further reflection, the reason the loops seem too large may be that the Oberon covers are dual-use (i.e. they hold the PRS-505 and the PRS-700). The 700 is 1.7 mm thicker than the 505 (9.7 mm vs. 8 mm). Regardless, I would think that the loops would become more supple and have a reduced profile with repeated use of the cover.

Last edited by SippyDad; 08-09-2009 at 10:01 AM.
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Old 08-10-2009, 09:01 AM   #7
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You may want to push the 505 a little to the right.

Fit it good and snug against the outer (bungee side) loops so that they hold it tightly. The lower left loop should then have enough slack so that you can press it a little flatter. It should not lift up the leather behind the 505 quite so much then.

I found my bungee and button lined up perfectly - you may have to query yours with Oberon.

The bowing of the sides of the cover is merely due to the leather being new and stiff. It does soften a little over the first few weeks of use and lies flatter. I find that the only bend visible on my cover now is about the outside few cm of the outer corners.
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Old 08-10-2009, 01:46 PM   #8
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Huh, that looks awful. Your impression of the M-Edge is the same as mine -- fits like a glove. Post up what they say. Aside from workmanship, those loops do look too large.
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Old 08-10-2009, 08:05 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DanielCoffey View Post
You may want to push the 505 a little to the right.

Fit it good and snug against the outer (bungee side) loops so that they hold it tightly. The lower left loop should then have enough slack so that you can press it a little flatter. It should not lift up the leather behind the 505 quite so much then.

I found my bungee and button lined up perfectly - you may have to query yours with Oberon.

The bowing of the sides of the cover is merely due to the leather being new and stiff. It does soften a little over the first few weeks of use and lies flatter. I find that the only bend visible on my cover now is about the outside few cm of the outer corners.
I have it pushed as far to the right as it will go, and the left strap still pulls. The reader keeps sliding back to the left.

No amount of sliding the reader around has helped.

Actually, I already contacted Oberon, and not only have they replied, I had someone from Oberon contact me here, also! They really want to make it good, so I'm happy about that. We'll see what happens!

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Old 08-11-2009, 10:25 PM   #10
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Just wanted to let everyone know that Oberon did contact me, and then CALLED me, to offer to fix my cover for me, and make it right. So I will be sending the cover back, and will let everyone know how it goes. I am very impressed with Oberon's attitude about fixing this, and about wanting me to be a satisfied customer.

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Old 08-12-2009, 05:54 AM   #11
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That good to know. I am still thinking about buying one of their cover. Hope you get your cover back soon.
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Old 08-12-2009, 12:06 PM   #12
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Wow those pictures are very discouraging, but I'm happy to hear how responsive Oberon Design has been about the problem. Sounds like not only are they willing to fix it, but they really want it to be right.

Of course had a QC person just done more than a cursory look at your cover before letting it ship then all of this could have been avoided.

This is all of particular interest to me because just yesterday I ordered one of the extra large classic journals (Waterfall in Saddle color) for my wife's birthday. I've been planning on later ordering a cover for my 505 as well. Hopefully all this is resolved and I'm not left doubting whether I should go for it or not.
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Old 08-12-2009, 03:32 PM   #13
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After looking at the photos here and on Oberon's website I was also concerned with the looseness of the bottom two corner straps, presumably because of compatibility with both the 505 and 700..

I emailed Oberon to ask if I could have a cover with these straps tightened to suit the 505. They emailed back to say that this was their design and they were satisfied that it was correct, (ie No).

I ordered my cover & when it arrived I was satisfied with the quality of the materials and that the workmanship was no better than to be expected from a 'craft' item.

I do agree with the OP however that the bottom two straps are far too loose, (the right hand one being loose enough to insert a wine bottle cork), in my mind making the reader vulnerable. At $26.00 postage each way I do not have the opportunity to return my cover for correction.

When I get the opportunity I will take the cover to a local leather worker to see if I can get it corrected.
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Old 08-17-2009, 01:57 PM   #14
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My bottom two straps look the same - but they are not loose in any way. I can barely shift my 505 at all now that I've got it snugged inside.

There is nothing about these covers (or the one that I have) that I dislike.

Hmm. On second thought, if I look at the pictures more closely, it does appear as if there is more material used for yours than what was used for mine. For me, all three corner straps are the same - there isn't a difference between the top-right and the bottom ones. (Same with the one I got for my wife.)

I'm wondering why there would be a difference in the manufacturing process to cause this...

Last edited by JasonB; 08-17-2009 at 02:01 PM.
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Old 08-17-2009, 04:07 PM   #15
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Reply to sayhello

We've contacted sayhello and we're doing our best to make it right as quickly as possible.

We feel bad about this situation so we're planning something special for all our Sony users. Keep watching.
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