After more than six months of waiting for the Essential TPE Ultra Protection Sleeve, I finally received it today. I initially emailed Essential TPE about the slim sleeve in June of 2009, but for some reason their reply went straight to my spam folder. I finally touched base with them again in September of 2009, but the slim sleeve was being re-worked and they currently had none in stock. Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago when I received an email stating they had the 'new' and 'reworked' version in stock now. I received mine in the mail today and couldn't be happier with it.
When I bought my macbook pro, I looked all over the Internet (for weeks) searching for a sleeve that would suit my needs. I was looking for a sleeve that was not too thick but provided protection from not just bumping and short drops, but mainly against hits against the screen (or display lid). I noticed with my neoprene sleeve that I often had indentation marks from either cable connectors or pens that were loose in my bag. I think with enough pressure they could have dented the laptop or even worse....cracked the glass screen. Anyway, for these reasons I wanted a semi-hard sleeve. I opted for the slim 15, because I like the zipper-less design. I also like how the seam around the sides and bottom adds to the overall protection of the laptop. At $44.95 for the sleeve plus $5 shipping (from Taipei), it's very well priced.
The slim 15 sleeve is made from ballistic nylon on the outside and some type of super thin foam on the inside. It seems like the two are fused (glued) together. The final outcome is a thin, but soft (inside) sleeve, that's also semi-hard (kind of like cardboard but stronger of course). The seams and velcro tab are made of leather. The sleeve is definitely hard enough to protect the laptop but it's also very light. The quality of materials and construction is top notch. The fit is a bit tight but not so much that it's a pain. I'm sure it will loosen up a bit over time anyway, since the foam may give a bit. I'm a fan of the vertical sleeve because I like to use it in backpacks. Only time will tell how much I will really like this sleeve, but I'm already liking it much more than my previous neoprene one.
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