What do you guys think of the Speckel hard see through cases for MBP? Anyone use one?

Im thinking about getting one, they fit really well but man $70 But do you really have to pop the cases off every now and then to clean it? will it leave marks on the MBP casing?

YouTube - Speck Seethru case for the macbook pro 13" (removal, cleaning and imperfections.)

 

I use to have the same on my 15 inch MBP. I used it for about 4 months and tossed it.

I did occasionally have to take it off to clean particles that got stuck inside. When you put it on for the first time you'll hear/feel a pretty substantial click sound when the clips get a hold of the edges of your computer, and this scared me a little at first.

When I had to take it off the first time, it was sort of hard, I just stretch the edges of the case and dragged it off. It lever left any marks or scratches which I was thankful for. The part that attaches to the screen was especially scary to take off...thought I was going to break my screen!

Once I did get it off I was glad to see no marks on the computer. I threw it away because I carry my computer in a padded laptop backpack anyway, and the extra bulk/weight wasn't worth it. The plastic also scratched easily, and started to look bad.

 

I have had one on my 15" MBP for about 8 months now, as CanadianDude said, it does get scratched up a bit but, the way I see it, I'd rather have a $25 hard case (got mine on eBay) get the abuse than my MBP. When the Speck gets too crappy looking, I can toss it and get another.

Overall, I like it and would get another, if I could get it again in the $25 range; $50 for these cases is too much, IMO.

 

i am using a clear case and it saved me many dents and scratches. so when it was time to sell the buyer got a perfect computer. i kept the clear case and transferred it to my new macbook pro. I got my case from amazon for 40.00 usd not 70. I know some people even put those full body wrap skins on their machine then put the pastic case over it to further protect it. so its like a double whammy.

 

I don't know...I think the whole protect your mac thing is overrated. Sure, if you tend to get your things beat up then I suppose it's a good idea. But if you are reasonably careful with it there is no need to put those things on. I've had my MBP since late 2008 and it still looks new. The aluminum is a lot more durable than you think.

 

that is true dude. I only use a polyurethane sleeve on mine right now when i carry it around. When its on a desk i just make sure the table wont scratch it and that im super careful with it. I never walk around with it, without it being in the sleeve. The sleeve has a zipper and it can scratch the MBP when i put in/take out but im jsut really really careful and do it slow.

 

Those polyurethane and polypropylene sleeves tend to be rather bad when it comes to actually protecting products. I had one for my HP Mini netbook and the lid of that (which was glossy plastic) was still scratched quite a bit.

I also had an black translucent shell for my MBP that I returned back to the Apple Store. Too many particles would come between it and the aluminum, the ports were still open, and the thing was rather expensive for what it was. I took that back and picked up an Incase sleeve for $10 less. It is some type of nylon-type material but it is lined on the inside with faux fur. It also has about a little over 1/4 of an inch of foam that absorbs a bunch of abuse. The zipper is also nice as there is a layer of this foam and fur between it and my MBP so that I don't have to worry about it scratching the aluminum. I also don't have to worry about my MBP when I take it out of the sleeve as the zipper opens up so much that it kind of bends outward.

 

This discussion turned out to be much more than I thought it would.

Most every thread I've seen on this very subject turned out to be a group of testimonials in favor of the Speck type cases, with hardly any mention of first hand experience with infiltrated dirt leading to marring of the finish. As I mentioned in another similar thread, I had experience with my first iPhone that had a clear poly shell that really degraded the aluminum finish on the rear panel. For that reason I have always been a little gun-shy to try the same thing with my Macbooks.

I've never had a problem with soft cases, and my notebooks have never had a problem. But you would think a semi-permanent case would add peace of mind to protect from denting. But alas, there is an apparent cost to that, with some of the experiences I've read in this discussion here.

 

Oops my bad its a neoprone sleeve i have. Theres no way this thing can scratch aluminum. Even the inside it has material lining outside of the zipper. And mine is like yours, the zipper goes down 2 complete sides so the top corner bends out.

 

Actually mine only opens up at one end and doesn't unfold. The zipper part is layered so that it does not touch the MBP when it is taken out or put back into the case. It is also about 4 times thicker than the majority of sleeves out there and definitely couldn't fold over like those pictures even if the zipper opened half of the thing up.

Neoprene sleeves are better than the poly sleeves though. The Apple Store had this one Incase polypropylene sleeve for $30 (mine was $40) that was paper thin and really provided no protection. Spending the $10 more was well worth it for me as I have a sleeve that even competes with the really high end ones in terms of protection and scratch resistance (contrary to popular belief, brushed aluminum can scratch especially when it is put under the right conditions). It doesn't scratch as easily as glossy plastic but it still can scratch.

 

Shouldn't a skin be enough. MBPs are already heavy and speck cases would just add more volume to it. I would also be afraid of putting in a plastic lid at the bottom since I think the purpose behind the aluminum would be transfer heat at the bottom.

 

It's too much weight to add to my already heavy 15" MBP. But the protection is nice, so I only use the bottom portion. That's the place likely to get the most scratches as you lay down and pick up your computer everywhere you go.

So, the most used part is protected, it's barely noticeable and doesn't look like crap and is half the weight. Booyakashan.

 

The Apple store is probably the last place id buy a case - its appaulling how overpriced they are. Mine has Zagga Invisible shields for $80, Speckel cases for $60 and generic sleevs for $40! Ridiculous.

My sleeve I paid $20 for it a year ago, its a Belkin from Dell. Its great but im keeping my eye out for a 3 side zip up sleeve. Where you can basically unzip it and unfold it like a book on a table, then put the MBP in and the flap goes right over so no chance the zipper scratches the MBP.

Mine now I have to be very careful because i basically have to put it in corner first.

 

The cases I were interested in were the same price at the Apple Store as they were at Best Buy, Amazon, and many other places. I refuse to use eBay as I have been screwed way too many times that my $500 purchases (over the period of 3 years) ended up costing me almost $1000 in the end simply because some sellers were butt munches (I eventually got it back). Ridiculous.