At what sale price would you buy a new Kobo Forma?

[Josieb1]

My Forma 32GB arrived today. The screen is yellow, not as bad as my Sage was but bad enough that at £230 I’m sending it back.

[LivresInOz]

To put it slightly differently...

What is a reasonable price to pay for a 32GB Forma? $250 okay?

(I will ask this question here since someone saw fit to delete a similar thread I put)

The Forma is currently on sale at Kobo US for $US 250.

1) Is this an acceptable price or would I be 'foolish' to buy it at that price?

2) If ALLOWED, can someone point me to a couple of sites I should check out as due diligence to see if I can get it cheaper? Or PM me if necessary
(I can go US, UK or other reputable market)

NOTE: I don't want to wait, because I definitely want new, and don't want to risk missing out on (what I understand is) a limited supply of remaining Forma 32 GB (I have zero interest in 8 GB btw).

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by zenji

To put it slightly differently...

What is a reasonable price to pay for a 32GB Forma? $250 okay?

(I will ask this question here since someone saw fit to delete a similar thread I put)

The Forma is currently on sale at Kobo US for $US 250.

1) Is this an acceptable price or would I be 'foolish' to buy it at that price?

2) If ALLOWED, can someone point me to a couple of sites I should check out as due diligence to see if I can get it cheaper? Or PM me if necessary
(I can go US, UK or other reputable market)

NOTE: I don't want to wait, because I definitely want new, and don't want to risk missing out on (what I understand is) a limited supply of remaining Forma 32 GB (I have zero interest in 8 GB btw).

"Reasonable" price is very subjective. I wouldn't pay more than 50 € for the Forma; others happily pay 250 or more. Only you can say what's reasonable for you.

[LivresInOz]

Wow, that seems low.
Is that mainly because its an 'old' device or other more specific things?

I like the fact that its an 8 inch device no heavier than the Libra H20 (a cpl of g) with a good battery life and a screen that many think is basically as good as the Sage.

I admit I am worried tho about getting a dud with a bad screen, including the 'wedge' problem or it being too yellow like Josie experienced...

...and also apparently the power button is too hard to press and you have to swipe it to unlock it, which might reduce my spontaneous pick-up-and-read moments...

[LivresInOz]

Does anyone have any reccos for stores apart from the Kobo one where I might get a good deal?

(PM me if its not allowed to say on the forum)

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by zenji

Wow, that seems low.
Is that mainly because its an 'old' device or other more specific things?

It's because I already have the Sage, which in my opinion is a better device, so I have no need for the Forma. But given that it's more lightweight and ergonomic, I'd be willing to cough up 50€ for it, just from curiosity.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by LivresInOz

(I will ask this question here since someone saw fit to delete a similar thread I put)

No, they didn’t.

However, if you think a post or thread has been moderated/deleted, it is not to be commented on in the open forum. Report a post or contact a mod privately. Please read the guidelines.

[harriska2]

I see the Forma is on sale on Amazon for $208. Seems high for something that you risk getting used as it is some 3rd party selling it on Amazon.

[Dr. Drib]

Originally Posted by harriska2

I see the Forma is on sale on Amazon for $208. Seems high for something that you risk getting used as it is some 3rd party selling it on Amazon.

I'm still showing $209.99 from Amazon.com

[jcf]

I just got a Sage, but I'm concerned I might regret the battery life issue. It is good enough when I'm home since I can easily recharge between reading sessions, but I really like the convenience of not worrying about battery, especially when going on trips. Aside from the battery, I do like the Sage so far.

But because of the battery issue, I am thinking about returning the Sage and getting a Forma instead, especially since I don't think I will be using the note taking features anyway.

I'm in Canada, in case that matters. The Forma is currently priced at C$259.99. It happens that I have an C$80 discount from Amazon (new business account), so the Forma will cost just C$203.39, tax included. This is around US$162 at today's exchange rate.

But as I read about the Forma, I can't help but be a bit concerned with what seems to be more than the usual complaints and that a lot of people are returning it. I've read about issues like a line (shadow) at the edge, near the buttons, the on/off button being very stiff, people having several units and all have the same issues, etc. So just how bad are these short comings, and how prevalent are they?.

Edited: wrong end price in initial post.

[Haesslich]

Originally Posted by jcf

But as I read about the Forma, I can't help but be a bit concerned with what seems to be more than the usual complaints and that a lot of people are returning it. I've read about issues like a line (shadow) at the edge, near the buttons, the on/off button being very stiff, people having several units and all have the same issues, etc. So just how bad are these short comings, and how prevalent are they?.

I don't notice any in regular use, but that's probably because I don't run my backlight at 100%.

The only real complaint is the power button, but I bypassed that by using a sleepcover or a small magnet that I hold to the back of the device where the Hall sensor is to bypass that step if it's not in a sleepcover.

My advice is to check one out in person before deciding on whether to buy. Chapters still had them on display, last I looked. Best Buy definitely does.

[jcf]

Thank you, Haesslich.

I usually read with the light at 50%. Would you mind trying that setting and see if you have this "shadow" issue?

Re: Power button. So, if I have a sleepcover, then this issue comes up only when I need to do a real power on/off?

Also, do you have a gut feel about how long your battery lasts? I know it differs depending on use, but can you compare it with another Kobo model, assuming you had one before the Forma? I have an Aura H2O and I'm very happy with the battery even after ~5 years of almost daily use. My gut feel is that the battery can last at least 30-hrs (maybe even more) to this day. It probably lasted > 40 hrs when it was new, with the light usually at around 50%.

Thanks for the tip re: Best Buy / Chapters. I'll go check it out as soon as I can.

[Haesslich]

Originally Posted by jcf

Thank you, Haesslich.

I usually read with the light at 50%. Would you mind trying that setting and see if you have this "shadow" issue?

Re: Power button. So, if I have a sleepcover, then this issue comes up only when I need to do a real power on/off?

Also, do you have a gut feel about how long your battery lasts? I know it differs depending on use, but can you compare it with another Kobo model, assuming you had one before the Forma? I have an Aura H2O and I'm very happy with the battery even after ~5 years of almost daily use. My gut feel is that the battery can last at least 30-hrs (maybe even more) to this day. It probably lasted > 40 hrs when it was new, with the light usually at around 50%.

Thanks for the tip re: Best Buy / Chapters. I'll go check it out as soon as I can.

Here's a shot I just took at 50% brightness just now under cloudy sky and interior retail light conditions.

For the power button, the answer is "yes, it's only an issue if you need to use it to force shutdown". And even then, I just press the very center of the button to do it.

For the battery, at the 20% I run the light at, a few hours reading brings it down several percent, with no WiFi active. I usually can go two weeks without charging, reading a few hours a day, and not be below 60% or so. Higher brightness will decrease the runtime you get, along with a lot of page refreshes.

I use the standard settings.

[jcf]

Thank you very much, Haesslich. That picture looks good to me. I have ordered the Forma from Amazon since they only have 3 left in stock, and I also wanted to make sure I can use my C$80 discount. That, and the fact that I also have a Sage (which I'm returning)... and, looking at the hardware specs, I figure they are very much alike in terms of look and feel.

[Haesslich]

Originally Posted by jcf

Thank you very much, Haesslich. That picture looks good to me. I have ordered the Forma from Amazon since they only have 3 left in stock, and I also wanted to make sure I can use my C$80 discount. That, and the fact that I also have a Sage (which I'm returning)... and, looking at the hardware specs, I figure they are very much alike in terms of look and feel.

The Forma is much lighter. I used to use my own without a case all the time because it was so light.... until I chipped off the front corner of the bezel with a 3 foot drop.

Now, I use the sleep cover whenever I take it outside.... and without half the time when I'm inside and not going very far. It's extremely nice - it's like there's nothing at all.