Oh come on...
use it! It is cheaper than the reader! It will save it from accidental dings!
If you want my opinion, that box will survive that reader because you'll buy a new one when they get better and more powerful. Then you'll be stuck with a
half empty box with no more purpose, nothing else will fit in.
If it gets scratched, wood can easily be refinished, that's the beauty of it. Use it!