Dermapad review

zero10 · 07-27-2010, 01:15 PM

I hope I am not violating any forum rules by posting this, but I just wanted to share my review of the Dermapad case.

As a Canadian Kobo buyer I was somewhat disappointed by the selection of Kobo cases/protectors available in-store. I bought the Kobo for my wife, and she wanted to be able to place it in her purse (as she would any other book) without fear of causing damage to the screen or other parts of the Kobo.

Unfortunately the cases available here fall into 2 categories:
1) Sleeves. The screen of the Kobo is protected, however it is also not visible and the device must be removed from the sleeve to be used. The sleeves available here do not have any cardboard or other hard material in them to protect the screen from impacts.
2) Skins. The screen of the Kobo is not protected, however the rest of the body is somewhat protected from impact. These are mainly for aesthetic purposes.

Unfortunately neither is what we were looking for. My wife wanted a case which had hard material inside to protect the screen from a direct impact, had the feel of a book and could flip open. Bonus points for being able to do this one handed.

The Dermapad case available through the Amazon Marketplace does exactly this. I have posted pictures at the bottom of this review.

The dermapad case contains a layer of cardboard both front and back to provide some stiffness to the case as well as to protect the screen. It also has 2 elastic straps and 2 fixed straps to hold the Kobo in place. Unfortunately the elastic straps slightly obstruct the SD card slot and completely cover the power button. This really isn't so bad though, because you can just pull the elastic to the side to get your SD card in and out, and once the card is in this is no longer a problem. I thought the elastic over the power button would be a much bigger issue, perhaps causing it to power on/off unexpectedly, however the elastic is weak enough that it does not cause any problem. It does hide the unsightly blue power button and in my opinion it is actually a positive feature, although it does indicate that there was an oversight in the design process since I can't imagine any company would deliberately obstruct a button so crucial as the power button.

I was initially concerned that the side buttons may get accidentally damaged or pressed by the spine of the Dermapad however after fitting the Kobo it is clear that there is sufficient room here to properly operate the buttons and they are well protected.

My final concern was about the D-Pad, that the hard cover would continually press on the buttons as this case bounces around in my wife's purse, however the leather straps are just thick enough to keep the front cover from contacting the D-Pad at all. Big thumbs up on this part.

The closure mechanism is magnetic, and fortunately it works both front and back, so the strap holds it closed and holds it open, and when it is open the case and e-reader fit comfortably in the right hand (it is somewhat awkward with the left hand because the d-pad is on the right).

There is a space for business cards inside the front cover for some reason. I do not care for this feature at all but it is not terribly obtrusive so I don't see it as a negative.

After currency conversion and shipping costs the Dermapad case is ~$30CDN, which puts it about on par with other local cases, although I did find the shipping to be a little bit slow (nearly 30 days from when I paid).

All things considered I would give it a 9/10.

Pros: Nice looking, sturdy, protects well, magnetic closure
Cons: Elastic retention straps obstruct power button, status LED and SD card slot

HamsterRage · 07-27-2010, 01:22 PM

Nice find. Thanks for taking the time to share this.

Pookeysgirl · 07-27-2010, 02:44 PM

Is that the same as this one? http://www.amazon.com/Kobo-eReader-L...7131475&sr=1-7
I found it in a previous post from Duiker. I was thinking of getting it.

dmacmart · 07-27-2010, 02:58 PM

Thanks for the review. I just bought it on eBay for about the same price, but hopefully shipping will be a little faster (vendor feedback indicated fast shipment). I like it because it is made for the Kobo, so is no bigger than it needs to be. (remembering to keep the magnet away from credit and ATM cards in the purse). You can see video here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0sBQnrtqno

zero10 · 07-27-2010, 03:52 PM

Pookeysgirl, that is the exact case I ordered. I didn't know the rules about posting links to products for sale in this forum so I thought I'd play it safe

The youtube video seems to be produced by the people who sell it given the way they plug the web site. I like how they say the elastic covering the SD card slot "keeps it from falling out". The card will most definitely not fall out on it's own, I find the Kobo's SD card retention to be very good. I thought the elastic may trigger the latch to release and the card to stop reading but it has not happened to me yet. I didn't know there was a youtube video review out there already, but perhaps everybody may feel slightly better hearing about it from a second source?

Excellent point about keeping the magnet away from credit cards and such. It appears to be a neodymium magnet so I suppose it may be strong enough to damage the data on magnetic stripe cards. In our case it is not of concern but I agree it is something to be mindful of!

I should maybe have mentioned in my first post, that the front cover has developed a slight bow to it after a few weeks of use, nothing significant but it is noticeably bent in where the magnetic strap holds it closed. It now touches the Kobo in this one spot so I suspect it won't get any worse. If anybody is worried about it I could post a picture of this bend, but it is rather slight.

sabredog · 07-27-2010, 06:09 PM

I also have one of these covers, purchased from eBay a couple of weeks back. Amazon's postage was simply too exorbitant for me to consider purchase from them.

It is a great product and truly compliments my Kobo.

I do agree about the slight bend at the clasp, but not an issue to worry to much about.

Mimzy · 07-27-2010, 08:31 PM

I have one (as a Yank, the shipping wasn't too bad for me) and I gotta say that I love the cover. It fits perfectly and I feel like it does a great job of protecting my Kobo.

Pookeysgirl · 07-28-2010, 09:00 AM

Have any of you attached a clip on light to this cover? I'm wondering if it would cause a permanent indent even if I remove it after reading.

dmacmart · 07-28-2010, 09:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pookeysgirl

Have any of you attached a clip on light to this cover? I'm wondering if it would cause a permanent indent even if I remove it after reading.

Haven't received the case, and I haven't got a light yet either; but I do plan on using a clip light. I don't mind a permanent indent on the back of the case - it's better than a scratch on my Kobo!

I wonder if you got a small scrap of leather (cut up an old purse or wallet, maybe) to insert between the clip and the case, if it would reduce or even eliminate any permanent indenting.

07-27-2010, 01:15 PM	#1
zero10 Member Posts: 18 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jul 2010 Device: Kobo	Dermapad review I hope I am not violating any forum rules by posting this, but I just wanted to share my review of the Dermapad case. As a Canadian Kobo buyer I was somewhat disappointed by the selection of Kobo cases/protectors available in-store. I bought the Kobo for my wife, and she wanted to be able to place it in her purse (as she would any other book) without fear of causing damage to the screen or other parts of the Kobo. Unfortunately the cases available here fall into 2 categories: 1) Sleeves. The screen of the Kobo is protected, however it is also not visible and the device must be removed from the sleeve to be used. The sleeves available here do not have any cardboard or other hard material in them to protect the screen from impacts. 2) Skins. The screen of the Kobo is not protected, however the rest of the body is somewhat protected from impact. These are mainly for aesthetic purposes. Unfortunately neither is what we were looking for. My wife wanted a case which had hard material inside to protect the screen from a direct impact, had the feel of a book and could flip open. Bonus points for being able to do this one handed. The Dermapad case available through the Amazon Marketplace does exactly this. I have posted pictures at the bottom of this review. The dermapad case contains a layer of cardboard both front and back to provide some stiffness to the case as well as to protect the screen. It also has 2 elastic straps and 2 fixed straps to hold the Kobo in place. Unfortunately the elastic straps slightly obstruct the SD card slot and completely cover the power button. This really isn't so bad though, because you can just pull the elastic to the side to get your SD card in and out, and once the card is in this is no longer a problem. I thought the elastic over the power button would be a much bigger issue, perhaps causing it to power on/off unexpectedly, however the elastic is weak enough that it does not cause any problem. It does hide the unsightly blue power button and in my opinion it is actually a positive feature, although it does indicate that there was an oversight in the design process since I can't imagine any company would deliberately obstruct a button so crucial as the power button. I was initially concerned that the side buttons may get accidentally damaged or pressed by the spine of the Dermapad however after fitting the Kobo it is clear that there is sufficient room here to properly operate the buttons and they are well protected. My final concern was about the D-Pad, that the hard cover would continually press on the buttons as this case bounces around in my wife's purse, however the leather straps are just thick enough to keep the front cover from contacting the D-Pad at all. Big thumbs up on this part. The closure mechanism is magnetic, and fortunately it works both front and back, so the strap holds it closed and holds it open, and when it is open the case and e-reader fit comfortably in the right hand (it is somewhat awkward with the left hand because the d-pad is on the right). There is a space for business cards inside the front cover for some reason. I do not care for this feature at all but it is not terribly obtrusive so I don't see it as a negative. After currency conversion and shipping costs the Dermapad case is ~$30CDN, which puts it about on par with other local cases, although I did find the shipping to be a little bit slow (nearly 30 days from when I paid). All things considered I would give it a 9/10. Pros: Nice looking, sturdy, protects well, magnetic closure Cons: Elastic retention straps obstruct power button, status LED and SD card slot

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07-27-2010, 01:22 PM	#2
HamsterRage Evangelist Posts: 435 Karma: 24326 Join Date: Jun 2010 Device: Kobo	Nice find. Thanks for taking the time to share this.

07-27-2010, 02:44 PM	#3
Pookeysgirl Wizard Posts: 1,705 Karma: 12696746 Join Date: May 2010 Device: K3, Kobo Mini	Is that the same as this one? http://www.amazon.com/Kobo-eReader-L...7131475&sr=1-7 I found it in a previous post from Duiker. I was thinking of getting it.

07-27-2010, 02:58 PM	#4
dmacmart Fanatic Posts: 531 Karma: 696908 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Ottawa Canada Device: Kobo Mini, Glo, Arc, H2O, iPhone, iPad 2, (husband)Touch	Thanks for the review. I just bought it on eBay for about the same price, but hopefully shipping will be a little faster (vendor feedback indicated fast shipment). I like it because it is made for the Kobo, so is no bigger than it needs to be. (remembering to keep the magnet away from credit and ATM cards in the purse). You can see video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0sBQnrtqno

07-27-2010, 03:52 PM	#5
zero10 Member Posts: 18 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jul 2010 Device: Kobo	Pookeysgirl, that is the exact case I ordered. I didn't know the rules about posting links to products for sale in this forum so I thought I'd play it safe The youtube video seems to be produced by the people who sell it given the way they plug the web site. I like how they say the elastic covering the SD card slot "keeps it from falling out". The card will most definitely not fall out on it's own, I find the Kobo's SD card retention to be very good. I thought the elastic may trigger the latch to release and the card to stop reading but it has not happened to me yet. I didn't know there was a youtube video review out there already, but perhaps everybody may feel slightly better hearing about it from a second source? Excellent point about keeping the magnet away from credit cards and such. It appears to be a neodymium magnet so I suppose it may be strong enough to damage the data on magnetic stripe cards. In our case it is not of concern but I agree it is something to be mindful of! I should maybe have mentioned in my first post, that the front cover has developed a slight bow to it after a few weeks of use, nothing significant but it is noticeably bent in where the magnetic strap holds it closed. It now touches the Kobo in this one spot so I suspect it won't get any worse. If anybody is worried about it I could post a picture of this bend, but it is rather slight.

07-27-2010, 06:09 PM	#6
sabredog Geographically Restricted Posts: 2,629 Karma: 14933353 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Perth, Australia Device: Sony PRS-T3, Kindle Voyage, iPad Air2, Nexus7v2	I also have one of these covers, purchased from eBay a couple of weeks back. Amazon's postage was simply too exorbitant for me to consider purchase from them. It is a great product and truly compliments my Kobo. I do agree about the slight bend at the clasp, but not an issue to worry to much about.

07-27-2010, 08:31 PM	#7
Mimzy Member Posts: 16 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Houghton Device: Kobo	I have one (as a Yank, the shipping wasn't too bad for me) and I gotta say that I love the cover. It fits perfectly and I feel like it does a great job of protecting my Kobo.

07-28-2010, 09:00 AM	#8
Pookeysgirl Wizard Posts: 1,705 Karma: 12696746 Join Date: May 2010 Device: K3, Kobo Mini	Have any of you attached a clip on light to this cover? I'm wondering if it would cause a permanent indent even if I remove it after reading.

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