Hello.... I have been lurking here for a month and first registered today. I was unable to find much info on the Marware Eco Flip/Eco covers and posted a thread on amazon discussions a week or so ago which did not get any responses. I went ahead and ordered the case on Tuesday and received it yesterday. I think this case is wonderful, protective, durable, high quality made, comfortable to handle, and nice to look at, too! I am positively thrilled with this case!!! In my excitement, I posted a rather long "review" of it at amazon last evening, just to make other kindlers aware of this great cover option that so few know about. Imagine my surprise when I saw posts about the Eco covers here today..... just to put more info out here, here is what I posted at amazon last evening:
I took a chance and ordered the Eco Flip cover (for the Kinde 2) from Marware even though I did not have any feedback or customer reviews to consider. I love, love, love this cover and want to share because I think many Kindlers in Kindleland will love it, too, and it is not sold or reviewed on Amazon; nor are there customer reviews on the Marware website. (BTW, Marware does have cases and other products for cell phones and other electronics on Amazon and most have very high ratings/reviews.)
I love, love, love this cover.....oh, did I say that already? Let me tell you why I love it so much and how it compares to other covers I had/have:
I had and returned a leather (pebbled pink) Medge Go cover: Color was good and quality was very good except the cover did not line up well when closed and I did not like the hinge mechanism that much and thought the cover almost doubled the weight of the kindle, plus the case did not have a closure.
This Eco Flip cover is excellent quality; feels like real leather (and not like cheap synthetic leather); it feels softer than the Medge, has the same thickness of the Medge Go, but is lighter weight and very protective. The faux suede interior feels like real suede and is darker than the Medge interior, and in my opinion, looks and feels nicer. The Eco Flip is "platform" style but without the extra width/edge I see on the Medge Platform images. The kindle slides into the suede holders - no scratching...fits snug with decal girl skin on, and would not slide out even if the case did not have the little soft flap on top to hold it in. The Eco Flip stands very well on every surface I have tried it out with (kitchen counter, glass coffee table, bed, couch, etc.) and doesn't slide, even without a securing flap like the Platform and Mivizu Sleek covers have. The elastic/suede band is a great holder when the case is flipped back and you can hold the kindle and turn pages if you hold with your left hand without worrying about dropping the kindle. I am right-handed, but it feels good holding it that way with my left hand and turning pages with my left thumb. The elastic part of this holder strap is excellent quality and does not seem like it's going to stretch out too much even with lots of use.....the suede part adds extra protection to the kindle glass when closed. The exterior elastic strap that will keep the cover closed is much narrower than it seems on the website images; very unobtrusive (is that a word?) and very strong and tight. I highly recommended this Eco Flip case to anyone who wants good protection, quality product, and not heavy or bulky coverage for their kindle---and it looks stylish, too. It took me a while to decide if I wanted the Eco Vue (book style) or Eco Flip. I am so very happy with the Eco Flip, and maybe down the road I will order the book style, too....just holding out for more color options. The Eco Flip is $39.99 plus $3.00 for US priority mail. Great, wonderful cover!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I have the blue Mivizu Sleek cover (which also "platform" style). I was one of the lucky ones to get this at the promotional $11 price with shipping. While this cover is the absolute lightest and sleekest available and is surprisingly adequate protection considering it has no cushioning/padding, visually, there are minor quality control issues on the sides/corners of the case, and I don't think the corners/design that holds the kindle in the case will hold up in the long term. I do really like the cover, but do not think it is a good enough value at regular pricing - almost $45 with shipping. In my opinion, this cover should have a total cost of $20 or less.
I have a Belkin zipper case from Target...on sale at $3.24..... good zipper, neoprene protective case for the kindle in or out of other covers.
Dakota Case for Kindle 2 from Protec---$42.99 and free shipping -- in brown leather: I hated this case. While well-made and very well cushioned/padded and somewhat light weight, this was a very bulky, cumbersome case in regards to one-handed holding. There is leather over the binding of the zipper so when the left side is folded behind the kindle, it was very uncomfortable for me to hold with one hand, especially on the left side. I think even most men would find this too bulky in comparison to other cases. Personally, I did not like the look or feel of the dark brown leather that much, and the interior is a very dark gray suede that did not blend well at all with the brown exterior. While this case was not for me and back it went, I do think it offers very good protection to the kindle at home or in transit.
Inexpensive "pleather" case from Ereadercenter--- was just about $18 with shipping. Extremely light weight and slim; looks decent, not fancy, has snap closure, and corner straps hold kindle in securely....but since no interior padding with this case, I would highly recommend it go inside the Belkin zipper case (or something similar) for travel inside a purse or backpack.
While the Cole Haan and Noreve covers look light and slim and of quality leather, I just can't rationalize their price tag (bigger, leather designer purses can cost less) so I have not ordered one. I can, however, rationalize the cost of the Oberon covers because of the quality and really beautiful hand-tooled designs; I may find myself getting one in the future (if I can ever decide on a cover design and color combo), but what has prevented me from ordering one (at least so far) is their bigger weight and dimensions.......
I really wanted excellent protection for KiKi, light-weight/slim design, and somewhat stylish look with reasonable pricing. The Eco Flip from Marware provides all this........I love this case. My obsessive kindle cover search has finally ended! (But the only color option is black, so I might get a new skin from decal girl....LOL) I don't know anyone at Marware but I just wanted all Kindle Addicts to know about the Eco Flip and Eco Vue covers, because despite all the brands/styles available, I know many people feel like they are compromising some of their likes and dislikes with the covers they do get. In addition, these covers are environmentally green. Check them out and if anyone does have one or gets one, I'd love to hear what you think, too.