SkinIt Skin on Vostro 1700 - Review & Pics

I purchased the Dell SkinIt pictured below back on January 4th and received it on the 11th. There was a holiday coupon available at the time that saved me $8. Final cost with shipping was $25.99. The skin was packaged in a 3" x 15" cardboard tube.

I went for some fantasy art. I wanted a dark image for the black Vostro. The skin is much more brown than I had hoped but it still looks better than the plain ol' black.

Originally I thought that it would be difficult to install. I was looking into vinyl application fluid that helps clean and lubricate the substrate for easier positioning but it was difficult to find locally. I decided to just install the skin as recommended by the manufacturer.

In the picture below you can see the skin as it was sent to me, the instruction sheet and my laptop:



Here is the installation instruction sheet:



Here is the skin. As you can see in the photo, a ridge appeared in the skin when I flattened the sheet out to look at it. Since I got the skin through Dell.SkinIt.com, it came with the cutout for the Dell Logo:



The skin is printed on 3m Scotchcal Automotive grade vinyl:



Installation was actually quite easy. I wiped the lid with a slightly damp lint free shop towel. Then wiped it with some rubbing alcohol using the same type of towel. I let it dry for a minute or two. Then I carefully peeled the skin off the backing and positioned it over the laptop. I fully expected the skin to stick instantly to the lid but it didn't. I was actually able to slide the skin over the lid and position it easily. It wouldn't stick until I pressed down on the skin. If I didn't like the positioning, I was able to carefully peel it back and try again. It took me 3 or 4 tries to get it positioned the way I wanted it but it really wasn't that bad of a process.

I didn't need the application fluid so I'm glad I didn't waste the money. The only issue I had with the positioning was the adhesive sticking to my fingers. I would have it positioned and try to remove my hand to push it to the lid but removing my hand would move the skin... the adhesive stuck to my finger. Like I said it took me a few tries to get it just right.

Once it was positioned, I was able to use my finger to push out most of the bubbles and the ridge that was created when I first flattened out the skin. The ridge and a few small bubbles were still visible after the installation but a few days later they were hardly visible and now after a few weeks I don't see any bubbles or the ridge at all. I do see one or two small bumps like there is a grain of sand under the skin but unless you are really scrutinizing the thing you won't see them.

Here are a few pictures of the finished product. This is from directly above with no flash:



This one is from above at a slight angle using a flash:



This one is with the lid up. The picture is taken off to the side and a flash was used:



Another pic from above with no flash:



Here is one taken at a lower angle with the flash. I think this is probably the best representation of the colors:



These final two photos show the corners. No matter what I did, I could not get the vinyl perfectly flat in these locations. Even now a few weeks later there's a tiny bump at each of the corners:





You can also see in the picture with the lid up that the skin is already scratched up a little. It's not too bad and it's only noticeable when there is glare on the lid. Otherwise, the skin looks great and I've had quite a few positive comments. Like I said earlier I wanted a darker image to work with the black Vostro and from the pictures on the website, I felt this image would work the best. If I did this again, I would probably look at doing my own image. I like the dragon but it doesn't really match my personality. I think a nice picture of Falling Water would look fantastic. Next time they have a promotion I'll have to think about a change

 

That looks awsome!!!!! And Frank Lloyd Wright was a genius my favorite picture of Falling Water http://images.google.com/imgres?img...r&ndsp=21&um=1&hl=en&rls=com.microsoft:*&sa=N

 

THANKS! I agree that F.L.W. was a genius. I've been to Falling Water twice. That pic is really nice. I have a nice pic of me standing in front of it in a view similar to the pic in the link. I just need to get a really high quality scan and figure out the best way to get it on a skin

 

That should be a sweet laptop skin very original!!!!!

 

I like it! They aren't easy to put on especially having to go around corners. You did a good job with that and explaining how you did it. You deserve a rep.

 

Excellent, heck its practically a review. Rep for sure and I might get a skin for my toshiba.

 

I agree with fifa..nice review and incredible job on the skin. I would never have the patience to put one of those bad boys on

 

You should try a hair blower on those corners, maybe you can fix them with some hot air. Looks awesome anyway. Thanks to your thread I just placed an order for 3 pieces on that site.

 

Good review.. I am thinking of a skin for my vostro 1500

 

Got one for free for my HP DV6500t.

They're very easy to put on. Just make sure you clean up and wipe away any dust/dirt/fingerprints before you apply the skin. I used a microfiber cloth to smooth any bumps and wipe away any fingerprints I may have left behind.