# Are the official Kindle cases worth it?



## Kindlebar.com (Apr 25, 2011)

I can't help but feel that £50 for a case for a device that costs £111 is a bit steep. Even the IPad 2 SmartCovers are cheaper than that. 

Has anyone got one of the official cases? Was it worth it?

I've decided until now to go without a case, the Kindle feels hardy enough. Anyone had any damage that would have been prevented had they had their Kindle covered?


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## AshMP (Dec 30, 2009)

I think cases are very personal things...what is worth it to you, may not be worth it to someone else and vice versa.  

I feel like there is a certain amount of humor in the fact that people (myself included) spend nearly as much on accessories for the Kindle as they spent on the Kindle itself.  But, with that said, I do it happily as I'm sure everyone else does.  

If you feel that the price is to steep, then maybe you should explore less expensive cases--there are lots of them, such as M-Edge.    

People seem to love the Amazon case...but look into your options, I mean, what can research hurt?


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

I agree with Italia, a cover is a very personal thing. I have several covers, I've easily spent more on covers than I did on my Kindle itself. But there are cheaper alternatives out there, and they are nice covers. Take a look at Ebay, you can find something for less than $20. The M-Edge covers are nice and I think you can get one of those for around $40. Spending $60 or $70 (or more) on a cover is something that's certainly not _necessary_, it's just what some of us choose to do.

I do have the Amazon lighted cover, which is $60 I believe if you purchase from Amazon. It's a very nice leather cover and the built in light is the epitome of convenience. Watch the Buy, Sell, Trade threads here where people sell them used sometimes.

Personally, I can't imagine handling my Kindle without a cover, it makes me nervous. But I have pets and grandchildren, better to be safe than sorry


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## chilady1 (Jun 9, 2009)

I really loved my Amazon cover until the hinges caused the rebooting issue.  It was exactly what I wanted.  It had the hinges which I really like (seems secure) and I loved the bungee on the outside which kept the cover closed when not in use.  Once the issue of the rebooting occured and it started happening to my case, sadly, I had to send it back.  I have since purchased an Oberon and I love it - the only downside is that the cover doesn't have hinges.  I can live with that.

Lastly, there are so many great colors to choose from.  Very nice.  Good luck on your search, as mentioned, covers are so personal, it depends on what you want.  I am sure you will make a good decision.


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## jaylie (Mar 1, 2011)

I have the lighted cover from amazon, and I love it.. its a very simple cover that covers all my needs.


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## pmmom2 (Jan 28, 2011)

I have heard of people finding a small hairline crack, near the bottom right of the screen.  I am not sure, if they had their Kindles in cases, or not, but I feel that the cases are a more secure way of handling the Kindle.  I have mine in a case, and I just can't imagine not.  I find that any protection for any type of accident, is worth a little extra money.  It doesn't have to be an expensive case, just one that offers protection, in case you drop it.


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## Carol (was Dara) (Feb 19, 2011)

One option is to buy a used case here on KB. We have a special section for buying, selling, and swapping Kindle accessories. That's how I got my Oberon cover and I love it.


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## gina1230 (Nov 29, 2009)

I love my lighted Amazon cover.  It has a light that's always conveniently available and I never have to buy batteries.  I think it's a great value.


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## ayuryogini (Jan 3, 2010)

When I had my Kindle 2 I spent a lot of money accessorizing it, and had about 5 different cases plus skins. 
Since getting my Kindle 3, I have only the Amazon lighted cover, and love it so much, I haven't felt the need to buy another case, so in a way it has saved me a lot of money.
For me the biggest selling point is the built in light; I love having that available. It's also compact and protective.


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## blackcat (Jul 2, 2010)

I have recently purchased a non lighted cover (new release of them), and I love it!


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## tingaling (Dec 9, 2010)

I just picked up a lighted amazon kindle cover black for my k3 and its perfect for my situation, [I only read in bed at night.

I also have an oberon cover i picked up in Jan. Best looking cover IMO but I am going to sell it soon as it hasn't got much use lately.


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## jd78 (Dec 8, 2009)

I got the Black Amazon Lighted Cover and I think it's worth it. Then again, I only paid $14.99 through Amazon Warehouse Deals. It stated it was "Used-Very Good" condition, but when I received it, it showed no sign of ever being used!


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## malligator (Jul 1, 2010)

I got my Amazon lighted case yesterday. Instead of starting a new thread to give a small review I'll just jump on this one. I think it's worth it. I would never carry a separate reading light with me so having one built in will work much better. The case is thick and well-built. The light is bright. The hinges are sturdy. The Kindle feels secure in the case. 

If you look at its cost compared to the Kindle, yeah, it seems like a little much. If you consider the price of your Kindle plus all the books you've paid for to put on it the price is not as significant. I won't be buying another case. I'm happy with my lighted cover so a $60 one-time fee is fine with me.


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## Barren (Apr 20, 2011)

We have two k3's and two lighted amazon cases.  The case isn't flashy, which I think is a good thing.  It protects it from harm and theft.  It looks like a day planner.  The light is great, no batteries to deal with.  And the hinges are great, it will never fall out.  I highly recommend it!


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## Tom_HC99 (May 6, 2011)

The official Amazon cases are nice and all but personally, I prefer Oberon cases. I'm a fan!

They just have such a great unique mix of styles and colors on their covers that fit perfectly with the device.
I personally am using a Kindle case that I bought from eBay... not too fancy but it's sturdy enough and
does the trick.


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## laurie_lu (May 10, 2010)

I was in Best Buy yesterday.  I held one of those Amazon cases with the light.  Even in the light cardboard packaging, the case was really heavy.  Personally, I prefer a lightweight Kindle case.  I don't want to feel like I'm holding a huge hard cover book.  But that's just me.  Once my Kindle 3 arrives, I am going to order another Boxwave case like I have for my K2.  They're sold at Amazon.


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## Crissy (May 16, 2011)

Wow £50 is just so expensive. You can find kindle covers that are cheaper than that but really works great.
What kindle cover you're planning to get? Are they the ones that has built-in lights? Well, maybe you might be interested
to take a look at the kindle covers here http://onlinegiftsdeals.com/index.php?cPath=3. They are much cheaper. It will really
save you a lot.

Cheers!


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## lalapurple (Jan 11, 2011)

For my 2 cents worth, i love my kindle lighted cover, its the only one i own, the light is fantastic, dont let the price put you off
jen


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## meowzart (Mar 29, 2011)

ayuryogini said:


> When I had my Kindle 2 I spent a lot of money accessorizing it, and had about 5 different cases plus skins.
> Since getting my Kindle 3, I have only the Amazon lighted cover, and love it so much, I haven't felt the need to buy another case, so in a way it has saved me a lot of money.
> For me the biggest selling point is the built in light; I love having that available. It's also compact and protective.


Exactly what she said - recently got the lighted cover and I do love it. Yes it is heavier but it does include the light. I have bought 4 or 5 different lights in the last two years which easily costs more than this one cover, and this one cover is exactly what I need  except I'd really like it in another color too...sigh...


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## meowzart (Mar 29, 2011)

oh and nobody talked about the yummy feeling felt stuff on the inside - so much nicer than microfibre   (and no I did not spell fibre wrong - I'm Canadian)


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## inBOOK (Jun 7, 2011)

This is definitely a personal decision. Interesting that everyone is missing the point on the lower costs of all the e-readers. Its the old razor, razor blade marketing approach. Lower the cost for the e-reader (razor), expands user base and sell more content (blades). In one year or less there will be a free Kindle/Nook or both and the war ramps for users to secure their back-end content sales. Personally, I owned a Kindle for three years and never bought a case for it. It is dinged up and cracked, still works, but I finally got around to inventing my own case that many of you have seen. And yes since it is a personal decision my inBOOK case will not meet everyone's needs, but if you are looking for protection, ergonomics that reduce hand fatigue, unique styling and hand-made. Check us out at http://kck.st/mFu95F, pre-order for $30. Full US retail distribution by late summer.


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## Picatsso (Mar 24, 2011)

Only have the lighted Kindle cover..(red!) and that is all I need.  And I DO need it.....I can read anywhere anytime, no matter what the light situation and I don't have to carry a separate light!  How cool is that?


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## milky (Jun 12, 2011)

In relation to the price of the device itself, it may seem impractical but the Kindle quite reasonably priced. The E-ink display alone costs around $100. If you ask me Amazon makes their money on the service side.

The case is genuine leather after all but there are alternatives to it, try the link in my post in this this thread.
http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,70794.0.html


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## Hadou (Jun 1, 2011)

Any case for your Kindle is worth it.  Be it official, or not-so-official.


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## SamIam (Mar 3, 2011)

Hadou said:


> Any case for your Kindle is worth it. Be it official, or not-so-official.


Agreed


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## Jizo Statue (Jun 16, 2011)

While the lighted version is quite pricey, I still think it's well worth buying particular if you travel a lot like I do.
Everything is integrated, with no batteries of extraneous parts to worry about.  The form factor and fit-and-finish are second to none as well.

I feel the official lighted case makes my Kindle $60 better in many ways.


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## Alan Ryker (Feb 18, 2011)

I have a $35 Marware case, but my favorite case is one that cost me $6 including shipping (from Hong Kong!) off ebay. I think that personal preferences are really varied, and those qualities often don't have much to do with price.

I didn't like the suede internals of the Marware case. I liked the back strap for my fingers to make one-handed reading easier, but it didn't go far enough. My new case has a semi-hard shell and is zippered, and can be zippered in reverse to really hold my hand. It seems like it was actually made for the K2, because there's way too much room around the edges, but I've found that that leaves the perfect amount of space for my thumb. I can completely forget the kindle and page turning and the case while I read.

But I can easily imagine someone else not liking the case at all.


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## spotsmom (Jan 20, 2011)

my inBOOK case will not meet everyone's needs, but if you are looking for protection, ergonomics that reduce hand fatigue, unique styling and hand-made. Check us out at http://kck.st/mFu95F, pre-order for $30. Full US retail distribution by late summer.

I just looked at this and it's a really interesting concept.

Personally, I went through a lot of covers to decide on one (well, I admit I still look). But before I got my first cover, I simply slipped the Kindle into a padded mailing envelope. Cheap. I saw the "official" cases at Best Buy, but quite frankly felt that for $60 I could find something better. And I did.


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## maries (Dec 29, 2010)

For $35 the NEW unlighted case is nice - and no problems like with the original one.    It is solid and comes in a good selection of colors.    If you buy a separate light it would probably be $20 or more so that brings you to the cost of the Lighted Cover.  The lighted version is heavier though.  

It isn't nice leather like a Noreve or Oberon but it is a solid, functionally good case.

I have this for my summer cover in apple green.


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## sports1691 (Jun 19, 2011)

I got the lighted case and my Kindle fell from about 6 feet with the case on and it broke.  So it is not complete protection, but I'm sure it helps for smaller drops.  The light was the main reason I bought the case though.


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## dax123 (Jun 9, 2011)

I hope to receive my lighted kindle case Monday or Tuesday. Hopefully it will be to my liking. I choose the black one. 
I was contemplating getting a Oberon case but could not decide on a color as I wanted the Hummingbird but none of the colors really appealed to me. Now if they had it in fern green I would have ordered in a second. 

Plus it's easy to always have a light with you if you need it without having to drag a seperate light with you. I'll just be curious to see how heavy it is. As my hands sometimes give me trouble, especially when I have to hold something for a longer period of time. 

I did order a handmade slipcover for the lighted cover on Etsy.com, so I can change the look of the lighted cover once in a while. 

Still might get an oberon cover in a few months. My birthday is coming up and normally I don't know what to ask, but might go for an oberon cover this time. If I could just decide on a color for the Hummingbird. Or maybe I'll go for a different design, eventhough I love the hummingbird. 

Also about the protection. I think cases like the lighted kindle case are more meant to protect against scratches etc..not really against drops, I don't think they even claim that.


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## maries (Dec 29, 2010)

dax123 said:


> I hope to receive my lighted kindle case Monday or Tuesday. Hopefully it will be to my liking. I choose the black one.
> I was contemplating getting a Oberon case but could not decide on a color as I wanted the Hummingbird but none of the colors really appealed to me. Now if they had it in fern green I would have ordered in a second.
> 
> Plus it's easy to always have a light with you if you need it without having to drag a seperate light with you. I'll just be curious to see how heavy it is. As my hands sometimes give me trouble, especially when I have to hold something for a longer period of time.


I hope it works out for you. I was using an Oberon before changing to the lighted cover and thought the lighted Amazon felt heavier. It might be more that the weight is mostly in the back so it felt better holding it folded back. And the Oberon has a little bit more to hang on to.

Oberon fern green is a lovely color. I find it a very soothing color. I bought my husband the Bold Celtic in fern and it looks very nice. I have the Ginkgo in red. It took me a long time to decide since like you I saw a design I liked but not in a color I loved. Although I love red and the ginkgo design was much nicer in person so the hours deciding ended with a good pick for me. I wasn't too sure when I ordered though. I don't quite understand why they limit the color options. Based on what I have read about how the case is made it seems like they could offer any color. I thought it was that the 3 colors they pick are just the 3 they think would look best or sell best. Or you should at least be able to search by color to see what cases are made in the color you like. Anyway keep looking and hopefully you will find a design in fern that you love.


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## Cardinal (Feb 24, 2010)

dax123 said:


> Still might get an oberon cover in a few months. My birthday is coming up and normally I don't know what to ask, but might go for an oberon cover this time. If I could just decide on a color for the Hummingbird. Or maybe I'll go for a different design, even though I love the hummingbird.


I don't think you can go wrong with any of the Hummingbird covers. 

I bought the Amazon lighted cover and was going to use it exclusively for the first month but didn't last that long, I couldn't wait to get back to my Oberons (my Kindle is currently in the lovely red Hummingbrid cover). I think the Kindle is easier to hold in the Oberon cover, it felt heavier in the Amazon cover but the light is convenient.


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## dax123 (Jun 9, 2011)

LOL Now i'll be even more curious to see how I will like the lighted cover. 

I'm a touch OCD so choosing is always difficult for me. I'm afraid with the red hummingbird that it will be too red, the blue was kind of attractive, but I was afraid it was a bit faded away, the hummingbird pattern..and although purple looks great in some pics, on others it looks very dark again, but have to admit I fell in love with the Hummingbirds seeing it in red on the Oberon site. 

there are some other patterns that I like, like the Celtic hound (love how it makes you look like you're reading an book from centuries ago).


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## maries (Dec 29, 2010)

dax123 said:


> LOL Now i'll be even more curious to see how I will like the lighted cover.
> 
> I'm a touch OCD so choosing is always difficult for me. I'm afraid with the red hummingbird that it will be too red, the blue was kind of attractive, but I was afraid it was a bit faded away, the hummingbird pattern..and although purple looks great in some pics, on others it looks very dark again, but have to admit I fell in love with the Hummingbirds seeing it in red on the Oberon site.
> 
> there are some other patterns that I like, like the Celtic hound (love how it makes you look like you're reading an book from centuries ago).


Oberon red is a beautiful red. It has been described as Heinz Ketchup red so it isn't like a fire truck red. I do love red but also love the fern green.

If you like the old book look and fern, you might like the Bold Celtic. Quite a few "tree" ones come in fern. So does the ginkgo leaf.

I thought some that recently bought the blue said it was more teal but that was a couple of months ago that I read that so not sure if the current ones are still more of a teal blue.


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## dax123 (Jun 9, 2011)

Well I'm certainly going to look some more into it..might just ask one (or two) for my birthday in September. *grin* Normally I never know what to ask, and they end up giving me money or gift certificates for a Dutch online store. Now I might just ask them to order a cover for me, if I manage to finally make a choice. LOL
Walking to the fridge to see if I have a Heinz ketchup in there to see what kind of red it is.


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## Barren (Apr 20, 2011)

I love my lighted amazon case but I have to say that I take my kindle out of the case to read quite a bit during the day.  Still very happy with the case though.


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## sebat (Nov 16, 2008)

I'm not one for buying lots of different cases but I tried a few as I've upgraded Kindles.

K1...Medge Executive cover.  Loved the weight of it but didn't care for the inner liner because the pale gray microfiber got dirty pretty quickly and didn't clean well.

K2...Oberon.  Beautiful cover.  I love everything about it except the weight of the thing.  I started reading it without the cover when I was at home and only using it when going out of the house.

K3...Amazon Lighted Cover.  I like everything about it except the fact it's not real leather.  It's light weight, has nice dark interior felt, and is very nicely padded.  I love the light!  While it's not as bright as my old book light, it's about perfect for reading in bed at night.  

I would definitely say it's worth it!  I think it's the best one I've had yet!


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## dax123 (Jun 9, 2011)

Well I received my lighted cover. It's quite a bit heavier then the Gecko cover I had on it before. But I like the light. I'll see how it goes with my hands while holding it. 
Now I'm just waiting for that secure cover clip that I ordered with it, just to be on the safe side and I won't accidently flip the kindle over and seperate it from the backside.


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