Top critical review
3.0 out of 5 starsAmazon Kindle Cover - Looks Good, but Too Lightweight and Much Too Expensive
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 17 March 2013
The case fits the Kindle very well - the black plastic basal section (covered with leather) holds the Kindle securely and because the plastic is semi-rigid the back of the Kindle is very well protected. However the rest of the case suffers from a number of design flaws which simply should not be present in a case which is priced at over thirty pounds. The screen of the Kindle is protected by the leather front of the case which is hinged by a single layer of the leather itself; of reasonable quality, but really quite flimsy. It is lined with a type of synthetic suede which gives it slightly more substance, but it is clear that it would only protect the screen underneath from light knocks. Then the major flaw becomes apparent - the cover has no fastening to hold it closed to that in a briefcase, bag etc, it is prone to open and allow objects to touch and scratch the screen. I find this bizarre - in practice to avoid the front cover opening one has to resort to an elastic band, ribbon or putting the whole case in yet another cover or case to avoid damage to the screen. In my case I took the recommendation of another reviewer and for GBP2.99 bought a Kindle Fire / Key 3G Black Neoprene Pouch Case from ShockSocks. This, by comparison with the Amazon case is excellent value, as well as being robust and of good quality and is of a size to allow the Kindle inside its Amazon to fit neatly inside. Back to the Amazon case; the positives are that the quality of the leather is good and the appearance of the case with Kindle inside is neat and classy, it is lightweight, easy to hold when reading and all buttons are fully accessible. However for those who bought the Amazon Kindle 3G case there is little comparison between the two in terms of robustness and quality - the earlier case was much better. It also cost over thirty pounds, but the quality was such that one didn`t feel ripped-off. Considering that the only buyers for the new case are we Amazon customers who have already bought a Kindle and presumably are regularly buying ebooks I feel that Amazon are exploiting us with the pricing of the new case - twenty pounds would have been a reasonable price, twenty-five expensive, but over thirty is taking us for a ride.