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iPad Anybody get the Speck Durafolio?

L

LadyCiel

macrumors member
Original poster
May 31, 2011
58
7
I just received the Speck Durafolio iPad Air case, and I've got two major issues with it. I'm wondering if it's a bady copy, or a broader issue. Anybody else get one to compare? I emailed Speck about the first issue (won't hear back until Mon I'm guessing) before realizing the second, but it's #2 that could be a total deal breaker.

1) The rubber looks stretched out/malformed around the volume buttons, so no matter how the iPad is put in the case doesn't sit flush against the bezel in that spot (looks bad, lowers protection). I suspect this is just a bad copy issue.

2) It triggers the auto-wake WAY too easily. The slack/slip in the front cover when closed doesn't bother me too much from a protection standpoint, but it's waking the ipad up just when I pick it up or shift my weight with it sitting beside me on the couch. It's easy to catch it doing this with the password screen turned off and sound turned on - it clicks when it goes back to sleep. I pick up the case...click. I turn it in my hand...click. Slide it into my bag...click. Sit it down....click. Ugh.
 
i'm hoping you receive more feedback on this case. I love my Poetic iPad Air case and I was hoping that the durafolio would provide then same good features plus more protection.
 
Just received mine (and like it)

I just got mine directly from Speck; it's the blue/black one. I've been using the Apple Smart Case, which I think is really underrated. However, it's only leather and (I suspect) some kind of lightweight plastic frame, and I needed something to protect my Air from harder knocks. Some very initial thoughts on the DuraFolio:

-Although it is reasonably sleek (but clearly bulkier than the Smart Case), it's not light. It really adds some heft to the Air, putting it somewhat back into iPad 3 territory in terms of weight/density. That's the tradeoff for protection, and the combination inner hard-plastic shell and outer TPU cover makes the case feel very protective. I suspect it's a lot lighter than some of very protective case alternatives, and it has a nice cover.

-I really like that the shell/case extends all the way around the iPad's edges. The cover is lightweight, but quite rigid. It would have been nice if the case had a lip that extended above the screen/bezel a bit, but I suspect that would have made it harder to engineer the cover.

-I don't have a problem with the sleep/wake magnets; the OP's unit must be defective. On my case, at least, you can hold the iPad upside down with lid closed, and the magnets are strong enough to keep the lid closed (and the iPad asleep) even when you give it a very good shake.

-The rubber/TPU around the volume/mute-rotation buttons is somewhat loose on my unit; there's a bit of a gap where it meets the bezel that you can see if you are looking for it. There's a gap in the hard inner shell at that point, and I suspect it was difficult to get material soft enough to allow for button-pushes molded tight enough so that it fit flush, but it also may just be a QC issue. It's really not a big deal unless you obsess about such things. Speck probably should have just put a cut-out in that area.

-I have a Spigen screen protector on my Air, and the DuraFolio doesn't cause any issues with it.

-Overall, Speck paid attention to the details with this case. I really like the lid/cover, and how it's held in place in the back with a magnet (so it operates easily like any other folio/book style case) but also opens up easily to form a stand. It uses a small lip along one edge of the case/shell and very shallow grooves on the inside of the cover to provide a number of viewing angles (like the Devicewear Ridge), but without a lot of bulk. You can also set it up easily for a typing angle. This part of the case is really implemented well. The buttons work well, with the power/hold button having better tactile feel than the volume buttons.

Given the level of protection it provides, it's hard to see how Speck could have made the case much thinning/sleeker. Weight is the biggest downside, and it would have been nice if it were $20 cheaper. I've been looking for something like the DuraFolio ever since I got my Air, and for it does, it's a really good case (albeit an expensive one).
 
I received my Speck Durafolio for my mini retina today. I ordered the Slate/Peacock. The fit is good, the cut-outs are accurate, and the tilts seem good so far. I was using the Switcheasy Canvas, and now I think I may like the Durafolio even better! The Switcheasy Canvas, while protective and a great case, does lack the button protection provided by the Speck Durafolio.

Will see how the Durafolio goes for the next couple of weeks.
 
OP, here. I wanted to clarify that the magnets do wake and sleep the ipad, and the magnets are strong enough that I can turn it upside down and it stays closed. However, my issue is that slight shifting of the cover from the "perfectly" closed position causes the magnets to fall out of alignment and the iPad to wake. This happens with so little movement that you can't actually SEE the iPad screen turn on. All it takes is enough sideways movement of the cover to where you can see about half the thickness of the lip of the back cover, less if there is also any up/down slip. What gives it away is that with 1) sound turned on, and 2) lock screen disabled, the iPad makes a click sound every time it goes back to sleep. The amount of movement needed to cause this is so little that today, while talking to my boss with my iPad in my hand, gesturing with my hands was causing it to repeatedly wake/sleep/click.

I'm in contact with Speck customer service, and they're currently waiting on the transfer of some stock so they can test it for themselves. I have full confidence they'll get this storted out. Hopefully it's a single case problem and not a flaw in the designed magnet placement. Or, hopefully it's not an issue with the magnet placement in my iPad. I guess I could take my air to the Apple store and test it with a Smart Cover to be sure.

I agree that the case is not the lightest thing out there. Personally, I find that about 6oz is the limit before I notice the extra weight. The iPad air Durafolio weighs 10oz. However, for the amount of protection promised, I am impressed they kept the case as sleek as it is. After losing my last iPad to a shattered screen after my cat jumped onto it from 4 feet up, I've decided I can trade the weight for the increased peace of mind.
 
Ladyciel, I am guessing that maybe you did get a defective case. Because when testing my new case out, I find the magnet lid to be quite secure. Namely, it does not move or jostle out of place. The magnet keeps it shut in place, not accidentally waking the iPad up.

I hope Speck resolves the issue for you and sends you a new and improved case. Good luck!

On a side note, the Durafolio is what I consider to be my ultimate folio case. It is sleek, has the on/off feature, completely covers the back of the iPad so that nothing is exposed when it is in tilt mode. The tilt is easy and accessible (I found my Switcheasy tilt a bit cumbersome due to having to unlatch the middle to tilt). The power button, speaker holes, and volume buttons are covered and protected. Like PP mentioned, it would have been nice if there was more of an extension from the bezel. But like PP mentioned, that probably would have interfered with design of the lid. Overall, this is the most complete folio for my needs that I have found.
 
Kangda said:
Ladyciel, I am guessing that maybe you did get a defective case. Because when testing my new case out, I find the magnet lid to be quite secure. Namely, it does not move or jostle out of place. The magnet keeps it shut in place, not accidentally waking the iPad up.

I hope Speck resolves the issue for you and sends you a new and improved case. Good luck!

On a side note, the Durafolio is what I consider to be my ultimate folio case. It is sleek, has the on/off feature, completely covers the back of the iPad so that nothing is exposed when it is in tilt mode. The tilt is easy and accessible (I found my Switcheasy tilt a bit cumbersome due to having to unlatch the middle to tilt). The power button, speaker holes, and volume buttons are covered and protected. Like PP mentioned, it would have been nice if there was more of an extension from the bezel. But like PP mentioned, that probably would have interfered with design of the lid. Overall, this is the most complete folio for my needs that I have found.
Click to expand...

This does look nice. Does the cover fold back under if you want to hold it like a book? Thanks!
 
Is it difficult to use the camera with the durafolio on? I can see that there's a cut out around the lens but it's not clear how to hold the cover out of the way.

I like to use the iPad camera when I'm working on art projects because while the pictures aren't the same quality as the ones I take with my camera they're good enough to use while working and they're available immediately full screen.

I'm going to a mosaic workshop in August and I want a more protective case for my Air. Right now I have 2 light poetic cases so I have very little invested in cases - I've been waiting for my ideal blend of protection and light weight to come along.
 
The case is not lightweight per se, but it is lightweight compared to the bulkier, heavy duty cases like Otterbox, Griffin Survivor, and Lifeproof cases. I would say it is comparable in weight to the Switcheasy Canvas, but slightly less bulky in feel.

In terms of the camera, you do have to hold it open like you would any other folio when using the case. Holding it open in order to take pictures is par for the course for any folio style case.
 
Kangda said:
Ladyciel, I am guessing that maybe you did get a defective case. Because when testing my new case out, I find the magnet lid to be quite secure. Namely, it does not move or jostle out of place. The magnet keeps it shut in place, not accidentally waking the iPad up.

I hope Speck resolves the issue for you and sends you a new and improved case. Good luck!
Click to expand...
Kangda, can you do an experiment for me? Disable the lockscreen, and turn up the notification volume. If you open and shut the case, the ipad should click. Then, try slipping the cover just a tiny bit with the case closed, push it back to normal, and see how far you can go before it clicks. You aren't opening the case, just nudging the front cover to the left or up/down using the slack in the spine.

It's not that the case flops around on its own, it's that it takes very little movement, caused by your hand, other items in a bag, etc, to trigger it (at least on mine).
 
LadyCiel said:
Kangda, can you do an experiment for me? Disable the lockscreen, and turn up the notification volume. If you open and shut the case, the ipad should click. Then, try slipping the cover just a tiny bit with the case closed, push it back to normal, and see how far you can go before it clicks. You aren't opening the case, just nudging the front cover to the left or up/down using the slack in the spine.

It's not that the case flops around on its own, it's that it takes very little movement, caused by your hand, other items in a bag, etc, to trigger it (at least on mine).
Click to expand...

I don't have my iPad with me, but I actually did exactly what you described: disabled the lock screen and turned up the volume to see if jostling the cover caused the iPad to wake. (Thanks to your initial post, I was paranoid about this.) I couldn't get it to turn on short of actually opening the cover. Maybe the magnets in your are reversed or defective/weak somehow.

As somebody else mentioned on this thread, this is an impressive case. The last Candyshell I had for my iPhone 4S was only OK at best, so I was somewhat skeptical about this case, but so far, quite happy with it.

I had a Tumi case for my previous iPad 3, and although the materials and build quailty were unmatched (and it was quite protective), the ergonomics were just tolerable, and it weighed a ton. The DuraFolio is a huge improvement in terms of overall protection and ergonomics, and weighs less. Much cheaper, too.
 
Speck shipped me a replacement case to try. Should arrive on Monday. At the very least it will solve the issue of the bad edge around the volume buttons - remains to be seen if it will be any better re: the magnets. Stay tuned.
 
LadyCiel said:
Speck shipped me a replacement case to try. Should arrive on Monday. At the very least it will solve the issue of the bad edge around the volume buttons - remains to be seen if it will be any better re: the magnets. Stay tuned.
Click to expand...

Be interested in how it turns out. With my iPad in hand, I can see how the iPad "wakes" if you move the cover off center enough. That said, it's not something that happens easily, and I suspect may be same for other covers out there. I have my iPad on mute always, so whether this is happening or not is something I don't really notice.

Can you post a picture of the rubber/TPU around the volume buttons?
 
LadyCiel said:
Speck shipped me a replacement case to try. Should arrive on Monday. At the very least it will solve the issue of the bad edge around the volume buttons - remains to be seen if it will be any better re: the magnets. Stay tuned.
Click to expand...

Ok, so I was completely wrong. The replacement case did NOT solve the problem of the rubber around the buttons. I'm pretty frustrated with the guy at customer service who supposedly hand checked this case before sending it out. He at least opened the box, as the return shipping slip was inside the box with the case. I'm attaching a photo - replacement case on bottom with iPad inserted, original case sitting on top. It looks EXACTLY the same.

Magnets are just as fickle, if not worse. I've emailed this photo back to the rep asking how he wants me to return both cases. I'm not sure if I want to try again or not. We'll see what he offers up.
 

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LadyCiel said:
Ok, so I was completely wrong. The replacement case did NOT solve the problem of the rubber around the buttons. I'm pretty frustrated with the guy at customer service who supposedly hand checked this case before sending it out. He at least opened the box, as the return shipping slip was inside the box with the case. I'm attaching a photo - replacement case on bottom with iPad inserted, original case sitting on top. It looks EXACTLY the same.

Magnets are just as fickle, if not worse. I've emailed this photo back to the rep asking how he wants me to return both cases. I'm not sure if I want to try again or not. We'll see what he offers up.
Click to expand...

Hmm. I have the exact same case, purchased directly from Speck. The rubber around the volume buttons on both certainly looks worse than the unit I received, but I'm not sure. All I know is that once the case is on, it's pretty hard to notice unless you are looking for it.

As far as the magnets go, have you compared these two to other sleep/wake-enabled cases? As I mentioned in an earlier post, I could replicate what you are concerned about, but I frankly don't notice anything with day-to-day use. I'm generally very happy with mine.
 
JulesK said:
Hmm. I have the exact same case, purchased directly from Speck. The rubber around the volume buttons on both certainly looks worse than the unit I received, but I'm not sure. All I know is that once the case is on, it's pretty hard to notice unless you are looking for it.

As far as the magnets go, have you compared these two to other sleep/wake-enabled cases? As I mentioned in an earlier post, I could replicate what you are concerned about, but I frankly don't notice anything with day-to-day use. I'm generally very happy with mine.
Click to expand...

It's bad enough that I noticed it as soon as I put the iPad in when I got the first case. At first I thought I hadn't pushed the iPad all the way in or something. It's not absolutely gaping open, nor is it a super obvious defect like the mold didn't fill all the way and left a void. If the case cost 20 bucks, I might excuse it. However, it costs $70, and IMO that's too high a price for an iPad case that isn't just right. The rest of the lip matches the edge of the bezel perfectly....and then this spot you can see pretty much the entire bezel, even from the side like in the photo.

This is the first case I've gotten for my Air, so I can't compare it until I get time to take it to the Apple store and ask them to let me test a smart cover with it. My folio case for my 3rd gen was a moshi without much flex in the cover or spine. It had an elastic strap to keep it closed, and I NEVER noticed it clicking like this one does. Not once. I did try pushing a smart cover around on a mini retina last time I was in a store, and I had to push it a good quarter across the screen before it woke up.
 
I received my black Durafolio for the iPad mini retina. They should have left cut outs for the volume and power buttons instead of covering them. The rubber around the volume buttons on mine is slightly different (not as raised) than the rest but not as bad as yours. Not much of my bezel is showing, maybe a millimeter or two difference.

Give the link to this thread to Speck customer service in case others report the same. Maybe they will revise their case if enough users complain.
 
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Wow, and the case looked so promising. I wonder if one could try using a hair dryer to tweek the soft rubber near the buttons. Soften it and push inward. (Note: I do not feel that one should have to fix cases at this price, but I have needed to tweek several of my cases anyway. If it's easy enough, it comes down to tweek or send it back. This trick worked on the soft rubber of my Magpul, anyway) Anyway, thanks LadyCiel tor the thread on this one.
 
LadyCiel said:
Kangda, can you do an experiment for me? Disable the lockscreen, and turn up the notification volume. If you open and shut the case, the ipad should click. Then, try slipping the cover just a tiny bit with the case closed, push it back to normal, and see how far you can go before it clicks. You aren't opening the case, just nudging the front cover to the left or up/down using the slack in the spine.

It's not that the case flops around on its own, it's that it takes very little movement, caused by your hand, other items in a bag, etc, to trigger it (at least on mine).
Click to expand...

I did the above test, and my mini retina only clicked when opening and shutting the case. Slight movement did not cause any clicking.

Also, like OP and PP mentioned, there is a slight looseness in the area above the volume buttons. So it is not as tight a fit right above the volume buttons. However, my looseness is not as noticeable as OP's and I do not think it would interfere with the function of the case.
 
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