Backlit eink reader recommendation

[church mouse]

In the Kobo range, spending more than the cost of the Clara gets you a bigger screen (and waterproofing - though I have never damaged with water an ereader I have owned).

Many like the extra reading acreage of the bigger screens, others (including me) prefer the compactness of a 6" reader.

If I was to buy a >6" reader, then I would jump straight to the top of the range Aura One.

Whatever you buy, factor in a decent case. Eink screens are far more fragile than an LED tablet screen.

[murraypaul]

Originally Posted by PippoPeppe

I think I saw the Clara HD (EDIT: oh, right, now I'm not sure if it was that or the Aura H20) in a shop today and it was quite good. I am actually thinking about taking that one.

I also received a payrise today so I feel more generous (it's a gift) so I am also happy to get to £200 if you think a more expensive model is worth the price difference.

In the UK, by far the most common Kobo device you will see is the Clara, you should be able to find it alongside a Paperwhite in most PC Worlds, for example.
Getting to see the other models in person is a lot more hit and miss. I managed to see a H2O in one PC World, and a One in a WH Smiths, but it did feel like everything else was being phased out of retail. Similarly, I couldn't find a Kindle Oasis 2 hands-on either.

From Clara to H2O you get waterproofiness and a larger screen, but more size and weight.
From H2O to One, you keep the waterproofiness, get a larger screen again, more size and weight again, and a flat-front screen design like a tablet, rather than having the screen recessed inside the bevels like most eReaders.

If you want a compact, lighter, cheaper model the get the Clara.
If you want a bigger screen and portability isn't as important, consider the One.
The H2O is an odd man-in-the-middle. It doesn't really seem to have a place in the market, given that the devices aren't that far away in price.

I went for the One for the flat-front screen, easier to keep clean.

As far as buying one, the Clara is easy to find, the other two I'd recommend Argos as the best place to reliably find them. Don't order from Amazon, they overcharge for all of the Kobo eReaders.

[PippoPeppe]

Originally Posted by murraypaul

In the UK, by far the most common Kobo device you will see is the Clara, you should be able to find it alongside a Paperwhite in most PC Worlds, for example.
Getting to see the other models in person is a lot more hit and miss. I managed to see a H2O in one PC World, and a One in a WH Smiths, but it did feel like everything else was being phased out of retail. Similarly, I couldn't find a Kindle Oasis 2 hands-on either.

From Clara to H2O you get waterproofiness and a larger screen, but more size and weight.
From H2O to One, you keep the waterproofiness, get a larger screen again, more size and weight again, and a flat-front screen design like a tablet, rather than having the screen recessed inside the bevels like most eReaders.

If you want a compact, lighter, cheaper model the get the Clara.
If you want a bigger screen and portability isn't as important, consider the One.
The H2O is an odd man-in-the-middle. It doesn't really seem to have a place in the market, given that the devices aren't that far away in price.

I went for the One for the flat-front screen, easier to keep clean.

As far as buying one, the Clara is easy to find, the other two I'd recommend Argos as the best place to reliably find them. Don't order from Amazon, they overcharge for all of the Kobo eReaders.

Originally Posted by church mouse

In the Kobo range, spending more than the cost of the Clara gets you a bigger screen (and waterproofing - though I have never damaged with water an ereader I have owned).

Many like the extra reading acreage of the bigger screens, others (including me) prefer the compactness of a 6" reader.

If I was to buy a >6" reader, then I would jump straight to the top of the range Aura One.

Whatever you buy, factor in a decent case. Eink screens are far more fragile than an LED tablet screen.

Thank you. I went for the Kobo Aura One.

Before unpacking I'll ask my partner if she prefers it smaller (that sounds terribly wrong ), if so I'll return it and get the Clara HD.

Picked the Aura One because the screen looks quite nice (although I had no luck in finding any shop with one on display so I had just to watch comparison videos)

It feels like it is a bit big, but she will love the aesthetic of the screen. Thanks also for the suggestion of the case, that will be my next purchase after she decides if she wants the One or the Clara HD.

[haertig]

It's pretty personal deciding what you want. Initially I had a Nook. And because of that, I thought I must have buttons on my next reader. I was wrong. I get along just fine without the buttons. I even like it better without the buttons. I also thought I'd never need a built in light. I was wrong. I would not buy an eReader without a light now. And I thought I only wanted an epub format reader since that's the more widespread format across different manufactures. I was wrong again (with Calibre you can convert between formats so easily, it just doesn't make a difference what your eReader uses). I further thought that I must have a case for protection. Wrong again. It is so much more pleasurable reading with a light thin device that with a cumbersome case.

One thing I thought I needed and was right about, is lightweight. I often read in bed, on my back, holding the eReader up in the air with one hand. Try that with something heavy!

The above are what I personally have learned. But everybody is different. Think about where you will mostly be using the device. Think about how computer-literate you are (a computer guru has no problem using Calibre software, a computer newbie might be intimidated by all its features). If you are computer literate, you don't need to worry about what format eBooks your reader will display - just convert them as necessary.

One thing I found, the amount of memory in an eReader is a non-issue for me. Even the basic ones come with enough memory to store 15 gadzillion books.

The eReader I use these days is a Kindle PaperWhite, for what it's worth. I don't know that there are too many bad choices ... they're just different choices.