[meson1]

I've owned my Norêve for a few months now and I'm pleased with it. I typically read with the front cover folded around the back, so my fingers grip the cushioned interior face. The extra weight of the case doesn't bother me. It's pleasant to hold and provides a nice reading experience.

@Joques, the front cover is about 5 millimetres thick, including the front and interior padding, but that makes it sturdy too. If you chose a plain cover instead of quilted, I think it would be about the same. It's not distracting at all, in fact the cushioning makes it pleasant to hold. Not only is it plush and luxurious to the touch, it also provides much more grip than the hard plastic case of the Aura HD by itself.

The whole thing is leather covered. Obviously the case probably uses internal materials that provides the strength and spring in order to grip and retain the device, but there is no plastic or metal on show. It's just leather all over. It makes it a quality cover.

The mechanism that holds the front cover closed is a grip that mechanically clips onto the side of the Aura HD. It's strong enough to hold the cover shut, but presents no problems to open and close it; it's not overly stiff and certainly doesn't mark the casing of the reader itself.

The hinge is a sturdy leather that isn't quite as long as the device is tall. It presents no problem to hold the Aura HD in the two handed fashion you describe.

I hope this helps.

[Edit:] I never did exchange my Aura HD. The magnetically activated autosleep mechanism in my Aura HD does not work. I just decided to live with it. But I can confirm that the Norêve case does have a magnet in the right place and should put a working Aura HD to sleep automatically.