Eeyore
iPF Noob
Received my Black Piel Frama cover from cases.com. It is the one with the magnetic catch that was back-ordered.
The cover, sitting on top of the box
A close-up of the stitching
The inside with the Piel Frama logo embossed within the leather
Picture of the cover opened up
The iPad slides into the cover
Final Fit close-up
Close-up of the hole in the cover for the light sensor
Bottom cut-outs for the speakers and 32 pin connector
Side cut-out for the speaker volume adjust and orientation lock
Side of case, closed up
Side of case opened up in typing position
Same view without the ruler
Case standing in landscape mode
Final Impressions: The Piel Frama case is very nicely built. Both the front and back covers are nicely padded and easy to hold on to. Luxurious comes to mind. I tried the 3-shake test with the cover open to see if the iPad would fall out and it didn't budge. Leather, with constant use, will stretch a bit and I think this type of cover would not be good for someone who constantly takes their iPad in and out a lot.
Typing: In typing position, the cover is not good. The angle is slight and pushing down on the cover in this position causes the whole thing to sink down further. The distance from table to the top of the iPad with the Piel Frama is about 1 1/4 inches tall as can be seen in the picture. With the Apple case the distance from table to top of the cover is 1 7/8 inches tall. The Apple cover is definitely better for typing on.
Viewing in landscape mode is not a problem. Just like the Apple cover it will slip on slick surfaces but you can do adjustments.
Weight of the empty cover is 10.3 ounces based on my digital scale.
The Vaja Mamut Moro case is a Limited Edition case due to the small quantities of specially treated leather that they have available. Vaja makes enough cases until they run out, then removes the ad until more leather is available. It is called Mamut Moro because of the dark chestnut brown color and patterning that resembles elephant hide. (The leather is from Argentine beef, not endangered elephants.) The metal logo on the cover and side piece are sterling silver. Weight of the cover is 10.7 ounces according to my digital scale.
View of the cover from the top
Closer look
A view of the leather pattern
The bottom of the case, where the leather pattern is continued
iPad inserted into the bottom of the case
View of the bottom cover where speakers are
Side view cut-out where volume control is
Side view on/off button
Bottom of the case almost flush with the iPad
Close-up with cover loosely attached (No gap when top is down firmly.)
Top cover removed and attached to the bottom cover
Side view with top cover attached to bottom cover
Comments: The Vaja Mamut Moro cover is a "minimalist" cover, designed for people who want some protection for the iPad but are not bothered by not having various typing and landscape position orientations. The top cover is more padded in the center and less so as you reach the edges for protection against drops. The bottom cover is minimally padded and has a tight fit onto the iPad. It is a very luxurious case, both in the way it looks and the way it feels to the hand. Much more 'blingy' than the Piel Frama cover. Fit and finish are excellent. It arrived with a slight smell of adhesive that was used to put the case together but the smell disappeared in a few hours. Now it just smells of wonderful rich leather. There is no stitching used anywhere on the cover, which is different from other covers I have reviewed.
With the top attached to the bottom cover, the Vaja case does not sit 100% flat when on a table. When typing, there is no rocking motion that I could feel. (I do most of my serious typing with the Bluetooth keyboard.)
Vaja Customer service: I place my order on May 20th at 8:28 am. I received an order confirmation on May 20 at 8:42 am. On May 21 at 6:18 am I received a "scheduled to be charged on my credit card for this transaction" email. On May 27 at 12:10 pm I received the Fedex tracking notification and the package was received here in California from Argentina on Tuesday June 1st at 9:33 am. (Due to the Memorial Day weekend the box sat for 2 days.) One thing I did before placing my order was to call my credit card company to let them know I was purchasing an item from Argentina. Since 99.9% of my transactions are in the US, I knew this charge would be immediately flagged by the credit card company. As a result of the heads-up, there were no problems with the transaction.
Please note that I am only commenting on my personal transaction with Vaja. Other people have had CS problems with them.
All the Best!
The cover, sitting on top of the box
A close-up of the stitching
The inside with the Piel Frama logo embossed within the leather
Picture of the cover opened up
The iPad slides into the cover
Final Fit close-up
Close-up of the hole in the cover for the light sensor
Bottom cut-outs for the speakers and 32 pin connector
Side cut-out for the speaker volume adjust and orientation lock
Side of case, closed up
Side of case opened up in typing position
Same view without the ruler
Case standing in landscape mode
Final Impressions: The Piel Frama case is very nicely built. Both the front and back covers are nicely padded and easy to hold on to. Luxurious comes to mind. I tried the 3-shake test with the cover open to see if the iPad would fall out and it didn't budge. Leather, with constant use, will stretch a bit and I think this type of cover would not be good for someone who constantly takes their iPad in and out a lot.
Typing: In typing position, the cover is not good. The angle is slight and pushing down on the cover in this position causes the whole thing to sink down further. The distance from table to the top of the iPad with the Piel Frama is about 1 1/4 inches tall as can be seen in the picture. With the Apple case the distance from table to top of the cover is 1 7/8 inches tall. The Apple cover is definitely better for typing on.
Viewing in landscape mode is not a problem. Just like the Apple cover it will slip on slick surfaces but you can do adjustments.
Weight of the empty cover is 10.3 ounces based on my digital scale.
The Vaja Mamut Moro case is a Limited Edition case due to the small quantities of specially treated leather that they have available. Vaja makes enough cases until they run out, then removes the ad until more leather is available. It is called Mamut Moro because of the dark chestnut brown color and patterning that resembles elephant hide. (The leather is from Argentine beef, not endangered elephants.) The metal logo on the cover and side piece are sterling silver. Weight of the cover is 10.7 ounces according to my digital scale.
View of the cover from the top
Closer look
A view of the leather pattern
The bottom of the case, where the leather pattern is continued
iPad inserted into the bottom of the case
View of the bottom cover where speakers are
Side view cut-out where volume control is
Side view on/off button
Bottom of the case almost flush with the iPad
Close-up with cover loosely attached (No gap when top is down firmly.)
Top cover removed and attached to the bottom cover
Side view with top cover attached to bottom cover
Comments: The Vaja Mamut Moro cover is a "minimalist" cover, designed for people who want some protection for the iPad but are not bothered by not having various typing and landscape position orientations. The top cover is more padded in the center and less so as you reach the edges for protection against drops. The bottom cover is minimally padded and has a tight fit onto the iPad. It is a very luxurious case, both in the way it looks and the way it feels to the hand. Much more 'blingy' than the Piel Frama cover. Fit and finish are excellent. It arrived with a slight smell of adhesive that was used to put the case together but the smell disappeared in a few hours. Now it just smells of wonderful rich leather. There is no stitching used anywhere on the cover, which is different from other covers I have reviewed.
With the top attached to the bottom cover, the Vaja case does not sit 100% flat when on a table. When typing, there is no rocking motion that I could feel. (I do most of my serious typing with the Bluetooth keyboard.)
Vaja Customer service: I place my order on May 20th at 8:28 am. I received an order confirmation on May 20 at 8:42 am. On May 21 at 6:18 am I received a "scheduled to be charged on my credit card for this transaction" email. On May 27 at 12:10 pm I received the Fedex tracking notification and the package was received here in California from Argentina on Tuesday June 1st at 9:33 am. (Due to the Memorial Day weekend the box sat for 2 days.) One thing I did before placing my order was to call my credit card company to let them know I was purchasing an item from Argentina. Since 99.9% of my transactions are in the US, I knew this charge would be immediately flagged by the credit card company. As a result of the heads-up, there were no problems with the transaction.
Please note that I am only commenting on my personal transaction with Vaja. Other people have had CS problems with them.
All the Best!
