stanlemon

I ordered a DODOCase back in July right before they increased their prices. I had seen some photos on their website and had heard a lot of great reviews. I had tried out the Apple de-facto case for the iPad and was sorely disappointed, so I passed it on to a colleague. I had moved onto a Hard Candy Bubble Sleeve, which I used throughout the summer while I traveled. I really like that case, and it was perfect when I wasn't tossing my iPad into another bag, but inside of my laptop bag or elsewhere it had a larger profile then was really necessary and thus consumed too much space.

There were some other disadvantages to the Hard Candy case that kept me searching, one of which was that it didn't really lend itself to being used in the case. The Hard Candy case was great for moving from point A to point B, but once I got to where I was going the iPad seemed to spend most of it's time out of the case. I also struggled with the casual look of the case. Granted, it fits my personality... I am a stay-at-home dad/software engineer who wears khaki shorts and Teva Sandals until it gets cold enough to upgrade to Jeans and Teva Shoes. At any given time I'm wearing one of seventeen different polyester collared short sleeve shirts that sports eight different patterns in an assortment of earth-tone colors. Casual, that's me… But there are times when I want to be taken seriously and whipping the iPad out in a serious case makes a serious statement. Take for instance the 8am coffee at Starbucks, there amidst my peers I want to pull out my iPad and look like I am ready to do business.

So back to the DODOCase. It's a classy looking case, modeled after a Moleskine notebook. You know what a Moleskine notebook looks like, the leather covers and binding with a hard wood trim around the edges to protect the paper. Serious writers sport these bad boys to protect their pride and joy and they look pretty slick too. The beauty of the DODOCase is a glorious marriage of the old-world of books and the new-world of personal tablets. It's really spectacular to look at, and it meets my criteria of a small form factor, usable in the case and it has a professional look. So I ordered one. When I ordered my case there was a serious backlog at the nest and it didn't arrive until a month and a half later. When it came I noticed a serious problem, the wood edge were bowed and prevented my iPad from resting inside of the case flat. In my opinion, this made the product virtually useless. I e-mailed DODOCase and they explained to me how bamboo can warp and has a natural desire to go anywhere but straight, and so they suggested using a process to gently crack the wood to make it straight. That was terrifying! So I asked for a video. The support gurus over at DODOCase thought this was a great idea, but they weren't going to do it so I was left to fly solo. I gave it a shot and it well, sort of worked. I used my DODOCase on and off from that point not entirely satisfied with it, but also realizing I had just been seriously dissed by the support gurus and was not simply out of luck and out $60.00.

Fast forward three months and pictures of DODOCase are emerging on the web and people are raving about how great they are. As I see these pictures I began to realize my case had problems beyond warped trim. The wood itself had never been put on correctly, and it actually hung over the bottom of the cover. Finally I decided to e-mail the nest again, this time with pictures and an explanation that I was fairly certain I had a defective product.

I have to admit that I had low expectations. I wasn't thrilled with my initial experience with DODOCase support and I really didn't expect them to improve the experience. I was wrong. I got a reply back in very short order saying that my case didn't hold up to the high standards of DODO and that they would replace it immediately. They asked for my order number and address and next thing I know a new DODOCase was on its way.

The new case arrived yesterday in the mail, and boy what a difference three months make! All of the materials in the new case look superior. The wood was flat and smooth and mounted correctly. The leather was noticeably softer. The corner rubber pieces were actually attached. The printing on the inside jacket was so much more crisp then the previous case. The entire device holds more snuggly inside of the case as well. This was a far superior product. I'm not honestly sure if I just got the ugly duckling from the nest or if the construction quality has just improved that dramatically, but needless to say I am very please with my DODOCase and the support I received from the nest.

If you're looking for a sharp looking classy case for your iPad, the DODOCase is a great fit. Despite my initially subpar product I really recommend this case, the new one is a testament to a great hand-crafted product.