After previously issuing a fantastic and laudatory review of the M-Edge New Yorker covers, we have recently come into possession of one of the most fancy and beautiful e-reader covers on the market. They have received much acclaim from those who own one of their products and I'm about to do very much the same thing. Oberon Design, maker of genuine leather e-reader covers, was kind enough to send us one of their Kindle 2 covers for review and boy was it worth it.
Oberon Design is a small company that specializes in the ritziest brand of covers for e-readers, iPads and cell phones. They also manufacture belts and buckles, moleskin covers and even money clips. Yes money clips. If there's anything you need a high class cover for, Oberon is the company that will have whatever you wish available. They don't beat around the bush either. Half their site isn't composed of shields or screen protectors; it's just composed of cover after cover after cover, each more beautiful than the last.
We received a Kindle 2 cover depicting Van Gogh's Sky. The image that most of us would recognize is carved into the leather seemingly in a very caring fashion. The company, as previously stated, is very small so it wouldn't exactly be surprising if a tremendous amount of care was put into one of these as opposed to Amazon's sterile designs. They are bench crafted and include a wool screen protector on the inside cover of the jacket. That right there is proof that Oberon isn't just doing this to sell as many goods to you as possible; they could easily sell the two apart and make a killing but it all comes in one package.
This cover also seems to be more solid than most of the competition due to both the built in screen protector as well as the material the cover is made out of. The leather is hard enough to protect the Kindle but still flexible enough to allow for easy maneuvering of the device and the ability to keep the jacket open on its own. The only thing to worry about when it comes to the design is that, unlike M-Edge where the Kindle actually snaps in, Oberon's jacket merely holds it in with the aid of elastic bungee cords.
There is also a matching button on the outside that holds the cover closed when not in use by having a bungee cord wrap around it. It's hand cast from Pewter and classes up the cover to a tremendous degree. While the design is immediately what catches the eye, it's the hand cast button that will make you realize just how much care and effort was poured into this e-reader cover. A key charm of similar design is also included, exhibiting the caring atmosphere even further. It supposedly gives you good luck.
Oberon has also taken the time to map out any problems that your specific Kindle could have with your chosen cover. They include an insert that describes which buttons the bungee cord may overlap with certain Kindle models. For example, while the Kindle 2 has no buttons covered as this jacket was specifically designed for its use, the Kindle 3 may have one or two obscured. They've realized this beforehand and made sure you know about it going in. Smart move from Oberon.
The only downside is the rather exorbitant price of $72 compared to about half that for M-Edge products that don't look as good or catch the eye as well but have a similar ability to protect the device. However, since a screen protector is included in the deal and you're getting an item that's had a great amount of care and attention put into it, it more than makes up for the price. The rather high price is certainly worth it.
Oberon e-reader covers present a style that's like no other. Lifted from famous images and art, your Kindle can go from looking a sterile white or bland black to artistic in a matter of seconds. These covers are beautiful and it's hard to imagine there are better models on the market.
[Oberon Design Kindle 2 Covers] – $72.00
