Leather Cases on Etsy: A Mini-Mailing Project

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Pomtroll

That is a beautiful cover. Sure can't hurt to petition for 350/650 cases there. When I sent a petition to M-Edge, they told me they had no plans for making 350 covers so to them.

I have to say this, but I will. M-Edge talks out their ass. There has been plenty of interest in cases for the Sony x50 line. But, M-Edge announced cases for the nook color before the nook color was even for sale and there definitely was not at much interest as there was for the x50 line at the time. So even if M-Edge decided to make cases for the x50 line, they know where they can stick them.

[astra]

Originally Posted by Prestidigitweeze

Astra:

I didn't intend to make patronizing remarks about your posts or anyone else's. What I meant to do was make a mission statement: to explain why, when I receive the TMC case, I won't review it in a reflexively positive way just because I own it. If I seemed to suggest otherwise, or slighted you or anyone else in any way, then you have my apologies.

No offence taken.
I am only grumpy sometimes.

Originally Posted by Prestidigitweeze

particularly when official cases are becoming harder to find. This is esp. true for the PRS-650 in the U.S.
{snip}
The PRS-350 is still available right now, but the covers have not been in Best Buy, Borders, the Sony Store, or any of the other stores I checked.

Sadly, the official cover for the 650 has not been not available Stateside for a decent price in any of the places I've looked but eBay. The person who runs the eReader counter at the Borders in Penn Plaza told me that she herself owns the 650 and that it's her favorite reader, but that she'd had to buy a third-party case on Amazon because her store was always out of it.

Unfortunately, it is the case in the UK too.
I don't know what is the situation right now, but half an year ago brackets on the original Sony cover for my 2 years and 9 months PRS-505 snapped. It was a real frustration when I failed to locate a new cover. Out of stock. I understand that it was almost 3 years, still I would expect at least Sony to stock them
I resorted to Tuff-luv but 2 weeks later sent it back. I opted to use the reader without a cover rather than suffer Tuff-luv experience. It was as its names states: Tough relationship

Funnily enough, after rising this issue over here, somebody started to sell brand new leather covers for 505 on ebay in quantities. A coincidence? Unlikely.

[Prestidigitweeze]

Originally Posted by Poppaea

BTW, I couldn't buy one of the covers in the photo. The stiches are not even and that would drive me nuts. Which only shows: I am nuts

Now there's an interesting consideration. Do you mean uneven stitches in terms of direction or individual length?

I once wrote an essay on the significance of the whipstitch in literature, and how the deliberately crude stitching on Frankenstein's neck in the 40s James Whale flick became a trope often used to humanize technology. The piece was published in my collection, Distorture, but also appeared somewhere else -- a magazine called Postmodern Culture, possibly.

At this point, uneven stitching might have the same effect on consumers as distressed fabric, newly made "vintage" jackets and boots, and leather treated to intentionally show signs of use. A decade ago, and perhaps a few years from now, I might be able to see that detail and be bothered by it, as you are. Right now, I'm conditioned to scrutinize the stitching you've pointed out and interpret it as an authentic touch as opposed to bad workmanship.

What do you think of this Saddleback Leather pouch?

[JSWolf]

Any photos of a 650 in the cover?

[Prestidigitweeze]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Any photos of a 650 in the cover?

There won't be any photos of Sony devices in HMC cases until they actually make the first two, which are being made for me and for someone else. I'm currently talking to Josh of HMC about changing my order and making a 650 case for me so that the model I review will be more helpful to Reader owners without cases. I hope he can do it.

BTW: I'm paying for this case. Sometimes you get a reviewer's copy of a thing, but the company rep then pressures you to write something flattering and gets angry with you if you criticize their product. That has happened with audiophile equipment in the past and I'd rather not go through it here.

Astra:

Glad we see eye to eyelet. Pity about the TuffLuv case -- was it the construction that bothered you or the functionality?

[Poppaea]

I am generally most impressed with Saddlebacks works.

To answer the workmanship shown in even stitches. BTW, I was talking about the length.

Have you ever had a look at handemade quilts? All stitches are the same. It is unbelievable. Awesome. No, it is not a sign of workmanship, I take it as a sign of haste. It is very hard to make then look alike, but this distincts the artisan from the worker.

Anyway I am nuts. And the Saddleback could do with less thread back-and-forth on the edges. Uneven, once more

[sabredog]

Well, my wife loves the leather cases shown here and she sort of "hinted" that I be a little more daring and not get a boring black clasp case and go with one of these.

I will get a "boring" black case for starters but once these are available, change over. The price is worth it for sure.

[Belfaborac]

I certainly wouldn't mind one of their hand tooled covers, if I can persuade them to make one for the 950 after I get one. The one thing I know for sure, is that I won't get a Sony cover. I bought one for my 505, which one day fell from the arm rest of my chair and onto the thick carpet below - which resulted in one of the pin mounts breaking. Has to be one of the least durable fastening systems I've ever come across.

[Prestidigitweeze]

Originally Posted by Belfaborac

I bought [a Sony case] for my 505, which one day fell from the arm rest of my chair and onto the thick carpet below - which resulted in one of the pin mounts breaking. Has to be one of the least durable fastening systems I've ever come across.

This is what I'm saying.

Ingenious, slender and light -- all of these qualities recommend the Sony. But having used one myself, I question the durability and level of protection. Nothing has happened yet, but I know from owning a Samsung Epic and official case that better protection will pay for itself eventually.

Still debating whether to pick up a PRS-650 and order the HMC for it instead of the 350.

§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§

Edit: For those who love their official cases with light but wish there were a way to keep the cover closed:

Have a look at this post from a user named Patricia on a DIY project that solves the closure issue. If I could sew, I'd probably try it myself.

[Poppaea]

No need for sewing. They do come in different lengths.

[Pomtroll]

I use a stretched out pony tail band for my 350 cover. Works just fine.

[hmcurriers]

Hi!

This is Josh from HMC. It's been interesting reading over this thread! I'm currently in the process of engineering a case for the sony e-readers, and (if you don't mind) I'd like to ask a few questions:

What do you look for in a case? Do you mind corner straps? Or is that a deal-killer? Why? What colors do you like?

I see someone mentioned the quality of the stitching earlier... every case I make is hand-stitched using an awl and saddle stitching
.
(the picture is of the first 2 cases I made, so my stitching has improved since then, while still maintaining the hand-made feel)

Thanks! I'm looking forward to hearing any replies!

[sabredog]

Josh

I believe the corner strapping is the best way to lock the reader into the cover. The trick is designing the straps so as not to cover on/off buttons or other buttons. This would be especially true for the PRS-650, with the on/off slider so close to the top left corner, along the edge.

[Pomtroll]

Corner straps are fine for me, but would have to be narrow for the top of my 350. I have straps on my Kindle3 & don't mind them.

My favorite colors are green (forest & lime), deep pinks, & blues. I have a pink 350 (which is actually a deep raspberry I would say) & a silver. So any colors that would go with them. Of course there are the red & black Sony 650s. Those are the hardest to find covers for.

Thanks for taking an interest in our Sonys. I do have the Sony cover, but wouldn't mind trying another type.

[sabredog]

Originally Posted by Pomtroll

Of course there are the red & black Sony 650s. Those are the hardest to find covers for.

Thanks for taking an interest in our Sonys. I do have the Sony cover, but wouldn't mind trying another type.

I was considering the dark brown for my black PRS-650 as it adds character. Sort of like the leather field book cover I used when I was on site more as a mere junior engineer back twenty years ago.