# Noreve Tradition Review



## kindlefan (Dec 4, 2008)

I recently got the Noreve Tradition Cover for my Kindle 3. I love it more than any cover I've had for a Kindle, and I've had the Kindle 1 and 2.

I had an Oberon cover before I bought the Noreve, but a couple of things drove me batty. I absolutely hated the wool on the back of the front cover -- tiny pieces kept getting stuck under the edge of the screen, and it was like a magnet for the cat hair in my house. (Yes, I know now that you can order it without the wool, but there was no indication of this on the Oberon web site at the time I ordered.) The Oberon also didn't fold back completely flat, which is how I prefer to read, and there was no way to keep the cover open when folded back. I didn't care for the bulk, and after using an M-Edge cover with the hinge for my K2, I didn't realize how much I would dislike the (IMO) ugly straps on all four corners.

The Noreve eliminates all of these problems. While the Oberon has roughly the same level of "stiffness" throughout, the spine of the Noreve is soft, while the front and back covers are completely rigid. Therefore the case folds back completely flat, and the snap that keeps the cover closed can be reversed to hold it open. Awesome.

The leather is smooth and beautiful, and the case has no bulk. The "rails" system keeps the Kindle completely secure without any straps at all, yet it's very easy to take in and out.

Also, I wasn't particularly interested in an easel, but the Noreve has one that is held closed by a magnet, so you really don't even notice it. It's only 1/8" thick, yet it works for those times when you might want to prop the Kindle up.

The price is competitive with Oberon. I used the code "generationmp3" (I'm not sure if it's still good, but hey, worth a try) for about an $8 discount, and the cover was $75.01 with shipping to the US. I ordered a red one, which took about a month to arrive. I believe the black ones are in stock to ship.

Basically, if you want a high-end leather cover, but the Oberon isn't for you for whatever reason, have a look at Noreve. Your Kindle will be ooo la la in Francais style before you know it.

Pictures!

Front with the cover closed. Nice smooth, non-pebbled leather, great shade of red (there are other colors and textures available):










Bottom of the case. You can see the rails holding the K3 in place. With the case closed, you still have access to the charging port, etc.:










Side view with the easel unfolded:










Back of the case. The easel stays in place with a magnet, so it doesn't get in your way when you don't want to use it. The strap holds the case closed with a plain old snap closure, and if you want to read with the front folded back, it reverses and holds the case open.










View of the open case. The slit on the front cover is big enough for a small notebook, envelopes, whatever. The rails hold the Kindle in case firmly, yet it's easy to take the device in and out of the case.










The case open, with the cover folded back for reading. The snap on the closure reverses to hold the case open:










(Slightly adapted from my original review on Mobileread.)


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## leslieray (Mar 16, 2010)

Very nice!!!


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## beama (Jan 28, 2011)

Could you post the dimensions of the case?  I'm wondering if it will fit in a Vera Bradley zipper Kindle case?


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## RiddleMeThis (Sep 15, 2009)

I love the rail system, and I love the colors they offer, but the IMO hideous easel completely ruins it for me. I got a sleeve first, and now an MEdge for the molded mounting system so no corners either..


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## kari (Feb 15, 2009)

Nice case and pics! Sleek, attractive and functional.  I don't particularly care for the look of the easel on the back, but it would definitely come in handy for me.  The only issue I see with it (for me personally) is no place to clip a light.  It's so thick looking - what kind of light could be used?  It would be awesome if they put a little pocket behind the Kindle to slip an M-edge light in.  

As a side note, I'm not sure I would have the patience to deal with Noreve and their slow shipping, but it sure looks worth it when it finally does arrive!!


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## LibbyD (Apr 28, 2009)

kari said:


> Nice case and pics! Sleek, attractive and functional. I don't particularly care for the look of the easel on the back, but it would definitely come in handy for me. The only issue I see with it (for me personally) is no place to clip a light. It's so thick looking - what kind of light could be used? It would be awesome if they put a little pocket behind the Kindle to slip an M-edge light in.
> 
> As a side note, I'm not sure I would have the patience to deal with Noreve and their slow shipping, but it sure looks worth it when it finally does arrive!!


Of course there is a place to clip a light. You fold the front cover back and clip the light to it, as you would do with any case (except the Amazon with the built-in light, and the M-Edge with the light that is held by inserting a blade-like part into a pocket).


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## PG4003 (Patricia) (Jan 30, 2010)

I am absolutely a Noreve fan, but I now have the Amazon lighted cover and I really do like it.  I probably won't buy a Noreve for my K3.


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## LibbyD (Apr 28, 2009)

Kindlefan,

So glad you like your Noreve.  You will like it even more as time goes by.  Noreve covers hold up really well.  The one I've had for two years is the one I use the most, and it still looks brand new.  (It's red, like yours.)


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## hudsonam (Jan 13, 2010)

Thank you for the review! Are these available in the US anymore? Oh, nevermind. I just saw what you said about shipping to the US.


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## kindlefan (Dec 4, 2008)

LibbyD said:


> Of course there is a place to clip a light. You fold the front cover back and clip the light to it, as you would do with any case (except the Amazon with the built-in light, and the M-Edge with the light that is held by inserting a blade-like part into a pocket).


Yes, exactly. I use a MightyBrite with it when needed. Since the snap holds the case open, it works great. Also, it's not thick at all, Kari. It's very compact.


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## kindlefan (Dec 4, 2008)

beama said:


> Could you post the dimensions of the case? I'm wondering if it will fit in a Vera Bradley zipper Kindle case?


It is a shade under 5 1/4" wide at the strap (the widest point) and a shade over 7 1/2" long.


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## beama (Jan 28, 2011)

kindlefan said:


> It is a shade under 5 1/4" wide at the strap (the widest point) and a shade over 7 1/2" long.


Thanks so much- it will fit- oh, no I just may have to buy another case!


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## kari (Feb 15, 2009)

LibbyD said:


> Of course there is a place to clip a light. You fold the front cover back and clip the light to it, as you would do with any case (except the Amazon with the built-in light, and the M-Edge with the light that is held by inserting a blade-like part into a pocket).


Ugh. Yeah, I remember having to do that with my Oberon.


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## kari (Feb 15, 2009)

kindlefan said:


> Yes, exactly. I use a MightyBrite with it when needed. Since the snap holds the case open, it works great. Also, it's not thick at all, Kari. It's very compact.


What I meant by thick is it looks like the Kindle in the cover is too thick to clip a light onto. And if you have to clip it to the front cover...well that's what I meant.


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## kindlefan (Dec 4, 2008)

I've never tried to clip a light to the Kindle itself -- the MightyBrite's clippy part is too long and would cover the screen.  But I've never had a problem clipping it to a cover, as long as the cover stays in place, which the Noreve does.


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## RiddleMeThis (Sep 15, 2009)

I clip my mightybright right to my kindle; diagonally across one of the top corners. Works perfectly and doesn't cover the screen.


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## Kindgirl (Jan 31, 2009)

I too, am a Noreve fan. I tried Oberon and strangedog with my K2, wasn't completely satisfied, then got a denim blue Noreve and loved it. When I got my K3, I thought I'd try out a few others - Amazon lighted case and Kate Spade this time. Again, I found that they weren't exactly what I wanted and got the pink for my graphite K3. The shipping time is slow, but all in all got it from France in about a month and that was during the holiday season. It was well worth the wait!

Also, the K3 with Noreve DOES fit in the Vera Bradley reader case.


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## beama (Jan 28, 2011)

Kindgirl said:


> I too, am a Noreve fan. I tried Oberon and strangedog with my K2, wasn't completely satisfied, then got a denim blue Noreve and loved it. When I got my K3, I thought I'd try out a few others - Amazon lighted case and Kate Spade this time. Again, I found that they weren't exactly what I wanted and got the pink for my graphite K3. The shipping time is slow, but all in all got it from France in about a month and that was during the holiday season. It was well worth the wait!
> 
> Also, the K3 with Noreve DOES fit in the Vera Bradley reader case.


Thanks so much for the picture- is that the pink or the orange Noreve? That is the exact Vera Bradley case I have (Symphony) and I love it! I'm presently debating Noreve colors before I bite the bullet. If I keep this up, I will be able to open my own K3 case store!


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## Linjeakel (Mar 17, 2010)

I bought a red Noreve case for my K2 last year - I reviewed it here on KB at the time. I found the quality and workmanship of the case to be excellent, the rail system, the way it folded completely back right out of the box and the snap closure were all things I loved about it. However, the deal breaker for me, as it was for others, was the wallet compartments on the inside front cover. It was too bulky and stopped the cover from closing completely flat - as can be seen from your photos - and the stitching and edges of the various parts made indentation marks on the skin I had on my Kindle. I was worried they would mark the screen in a similar way. I never used the wallet because that would have just made it even more bulky and put the screen in more danger of being scratched. Requests to Noreve to make a cover without the wallet fell on deaf ears.  I eventually sold the cover to someone here on KB.

Now, the new cover has an easel which just adds further to the bulk and makes it less streamlined than it was before and for no discernible reason the front fastening snap has been changed to fasten at the back, meaning it won't lie flat. And I never did like those cut outs for the speakers!

I find it very strange that Noreve already have all the covers (except the black ones) made to order - hence the long wait - and yet aren't willing to make some of the features optional. I'm afraid with my K3, I defected to the Amazon unlighted cover and have been very happy with it, well except for that elastic thingie .......


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## sleepy6553 (Nov 21, 2010)

Great review and great photos! I almost took the plunge--I wanted the red Noreve. But the easel on the back turned me off. I slip my K3 into my purse a lot and I was afraid the easel would not stay secure with the magnetic closure and eventually get damaged from opening up in my purse. What are your thoughts on how secure the easel is? I know the black is available without the easel, but I love the red. I even wrote them to see if they could make the red easel-less but they aren't flexible. You would think if they already make it in black, it would be a simple thing to just use red leather. Oh well, the French!

Oh, Linjeakel, you've added some more good points that I didn't know about. I think I will be taking it off my Wish List for now. The search continues for a quality plain leather cover.


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## mistyd107 (May 22, 2009)

how much pressure does the snap closure require


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## splashes99 (Aug 11, 2010)

So I read about the Noreve covers allll the time, but I don't know where to order them.  Can I just get them from their website?  Anywhere else?  I think I tried their website, but it wasn't very window-shopping friendly!

Thanks!


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## PG4003 (Patricia) (Jan 30, 2010)

splashes99 said:


> So I read about the Noreve covers allll the time, but I don't know where to order them. Can I just get them from their website? Anywhere else? I think I tried their website, but it wasn't very window-shopping friendly!
> 
> Thanks!


As far as I know, you can only buy them from Noreve.com, and you are right, their site isn't real window-shopping friendly. I wish they would show an actual picture of each of the covers, but you just can click on those little color swatches and they don't give you a real good feel for what they really look like.


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## splashes99 (Aug 11, 2010)

^Yes!  That's what I'd love to see also.


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## kindlefan (Dec 4, 2008)

sleepy6553 said:


> I slip my K3 into my purse a lot and I was afraid the easel would not stay secure with the magnetic closure and eventually get damaged from opening up in my purse. What are your thoughts on how secure the easel is?


The easel is extremely secure. It has never moved unless I wanted it to. I forget that it's there most of the time.


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## kindlefan (Dec 4, 2008)

mistyd107 said:


> how much pressure does the snap closure require


I don't know how to quantify this, I'm afraid. Just "normal snap pressure" I guess! I have the same kind of snap on my wallet, and you press it, it closes.


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## Kindgirl (Jan 31, 2009)

beama said:


> Thanks so much for the picture- is that the pink or the orange Noreve? That is the exact Vera Bradley case I have (Symphony) and I love it! I'm presently debating Noreve colors before I bite the bullet. If I keep this up, I will be able to open my own K3 case store!


That is the pink Noreve - I didn't notice how yellow that picture turned out! This is a more accurate picture of the pink:


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## TLM (Apr 8, 2010)

I love my Noreve for my K2i. (the Vintage.  Tan suede)  I don't think I would like the stand on the back though.  But, I like the wallet on the inside that many others don't like.  I actually use it quite a bit, tuck some money in it, kids pictures, I.D.  I don't find it ads a significant bulk either.  

It is worth the month shipping wait for this cover.


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## Kindgirl (Jan 31, 2009)

The front cover doesn't add bulk or damage the screen, and I have found it useful with travel.  

Also, the flap to sit it up is very flat and very magnetic so you don't really notice it.  I didn't think I'd like it either, and haven't used it yet, but it's ok since the cover is by far the best on the market.  Of course that's only this girl's opinion


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## PG4003 (Patricia) (Jan 30, 2010)

Kindgirl said:


> That is the pink Noreve - I didn't notice how yellow that picture turned out! This is a more accurate picture of the pink:


Oh I love that pink Noreve, I used to have one for my K2 and I still miss it. Looks like you bought the Vera Bradley case in Symphony in Hue pattern, very nice! I made myself a purse from Symphony in Hue fabric.


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## Ryan_Phx (Feb 21, 2011)

PG4003 (Patricia) said:


> As far as I know, you can only buy them from Noreve.com, and you are right, their site isn't real window-shopping friendly. I wish they would show an actual picture of each of the covers, but you just can click on those little color swatches and they don't give you a real good feel for what they really look like.


Has anyone had trouble ordering from Noreve? I get to the credit card step, but then it asks for the "visual cryptogram (the last 3 digits in the back of the chart)" and I don't see a chart, or any three numbers at all!. I tried four browsers on two different computers--all have java and flash enabled. Anyone else have this problem? I sent them an email but haven't heard back yet.


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## PG4003 (Patricia) (Jan 30, 2010)

Ryan_Phx said:


> Has anyone had trouble ordering from Noreve? I get to the credit card step, but then it asks for the "visual cryptogram (the last 3 digits in the back of the chart)" and I don't see a chart, or any three numbers at all!. I tried four browsers on two different computers--all have java and flash enabled. Anyone else have this problem? I sent them an email but haven't heard back yet.


I think they probably want the 3 security numbers on the back of your credit card.


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## Ryan_Phx (Feb 21, 2011)

PG4003 (Patricia) said:


> I think they probably want the 3 security numbers on the back of your credit card.


I tried that--it didn't work. I got an email saying "payment was refused."


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## PG4003 (Patricia) (Jan 30, 2010)

That is strange.  I would probably discard that order and start all over.  If that still happens you might need to call your bank.  But I've ordered 2 Noreves and I don't recall them asking for a number from a "chart" or anything like that.  They sometimes use different words than we do for things, but I don't know what that one is.  Did they ever answer your email?  I think they only work 4 days a week, and remember the time difference too.


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## hudsonam (Jan 13, 2010)

I got a response back today to a message I sent them over the weekend, so I think they are open today. Good luck! I didn't have any problems placing my order.


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## Ryan_Phx (Feb 21, 2011)

PG4003 (Patricia) said:


> That is strange. I would probably discard that order and start all over. If that still happens you might need to call your bank. But I've ordered 2 Noreves and I don't recall them asking for a number from a "chart" or anything like that. They sometimes use different words than we do for things, but I don't know what that one is. Did they ever answer your email? I think they only work 4 days a week, and remember the time difference too.


I haven't gotten an answer yet, but it's still early in the day. I have, of course, seen many sites use the CAPTCHA system, which is visual cryptography, so that's what I was expecting to see on Noreve's site, but there's nothing like that.

Actually, when I tried to place the order the first time, as soon as I clicked on "confirm" to place the order, it emptied the cart. So when I got the email saying the payment was refused, I tried again with a fresh order. Same thing. It's very confusing. If you haven't seen this, maybe it's something new that they're trying to implement.


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## bitofagypsy (Dec 5, 2010)

I am still waiting for the cover I ordered on the 7th of Dec.  I emailed them mid Jan. because I had not heard anything, they said it shipped but in never arrived.  Fedex says they did not pick up the package.  On the Fed. 8th they said it would ship out in 10 days.  No word.  

I am no please with Noreve at the present.  I just wish they would upfront and honest with me and if need be return my money.  I made this order for a traditional red as a test run for the vintage passion.  If I ever get the red one I don't think I will order from them again.


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## PG4003 (Patricia) (Jan 30, 2010)

Gypsy, it seems like they should have to provide a proof of delivery.  I don't blame you for being unhappy with them.  That's a big chunk of money that they won't refund you.


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## sleepy6553 (Nov 21, 2010)

Call your credit card company and report non-receipt. They will place the charge on hold and investigate I believe.


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## Ryan_Phx (Feb 21, 2011)

Ryan_Phx said:


> I haven't gotten an answer yet, but it's still early in the day. I have, of course, seen many sites use the CAPTCHA system, which is visual cryptography, so that's what I was expecting to see on Noreve's site, but there's nothing like that.
> 
> Actually, when I tried to place the order the first time, as soon as I clicked on "confirm" to place the order, it emptied the cart. So when I got the email saying the payment was refused, I tried again with a fresh order. Same thing. It's very confusing. If you haven't seen this, maybe it's something new that they're trying to implement.


I got a response from Michael at Noreve (thanks, Michael!) who said that the "visual cryptogram" is indeed the three-digit code on the back of the card. Thing is, I'm certain that the numbers were right when I entered it. Oh, well...I finally got an order confirmation, so all's well that ends well.

Thanks for the help.


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## PG4003 (Patricia) (Jan 30, 2010)

Good deal, Ryan, I'm glad you got it to go through.  You'll love your Noreve, it's worth the wait.


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## bitofagypsy (Dec 5, 2010)

When I contacted Noreve this week they responded that my cover was sent out on the 17, after emailing them that I wanted the tracking number I have been watching it progress from France to US shores to CT countryside.  It is now loaded on a truck, and I hope headed my way soon.  Bad news-I'm home sick, good news I will be here when it arrives!!!   My husband thinks I have lost my mind being this upset over a cover when I have one.  Of course I didn't tell him the cost.  Now I really want a Octo, but they are taking soooo long to get up and running, maybe when they run out of stock for the 2nd they'll start making for the 3rd, or skip to the 4th.  I had fantasies about the Oberon, but they look so heavy and stiff.  Ok I haven't even going they one I have waited almost 4 months for and am planning on another - not good.


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