Home > Consumer Reviews > OCTO Faux Leather Slip Cover (Fits 6" Display, Latest Generation Kindle) - Dark Brown

I wanted the slimmest case possible so as to take up as little space in my bag as possible. I also didn't want the traditional binder cover that others are buying because I wanted the flexibility to hold the Kindle at any angle and it seemed to me that a binder cover would add bulk to the Kindle.

I was impressed with the Octovo sleeve as soon as I opened the box. The Octovo box is very high quality cardboard and nicely done. The actual Octovo sleeve is harder than I expected; I was expecting a soft shell and it's actually quite rigid. The Kindle fits in snugly - definitely won't fall out accidentally. There is a slight cut out at the top that leaves the Amazon Kindle logo visible.

Overall I am very pleased with this case.

This seems to be the perfect sleeve for a Kindle 2. The body is a nice smooth leather backed by something very firm. The exterior is a bit like a smooth football. The interior is a soft suede-like material.

I've added some pictures to better illustrate the case in use. That lighter brown rectangle with "Octovo" on it, is actually the sleeve's box, it's not another view of the sleeve itself. The sleeve only has a subtle embossed name.

The sleeve is stiff on the outside. The Kindle requires a little bit of force to slide it into the sleeve. Once insde, I don't think the Kindle could fall out accidently. When you do wish to remove the device, that top opening is just the right size to grab the Kindle body. It pulls out fairly easily and smoothly.

I'm a road warrior, I fly a lot. Travelling with the Kindle is a bit of a quandry - put it inside a carrying case with other things, like this pretty Octo travel pouch OCTO Travel Pouch for the Kindle 2. Or buy a cover like the Amazon cover Amazon Kindle 2 Leather Cover, and turn it into a book that doesn't smell good. Or use one of the fancier M-Edge series stand or book style. Or buy that Zagg series plastic shield stuff, and just sort of carry it around semi naked?

After thinking for a long time, I settled on this sleeve. To me the advantages were huge - solid firm case that will protect the screen, didn't add much of any bulk to the device, and I can take it completely off easily and love the beautiful feel of the Kindle's smooth plastic front and metal back. When I'm in a plane, slide the sleeve off, put in the pocket in front of me, and read away. When the flight is over, grab that sleeve and put it away (no confusion on where to put the cover). I can toss this easily into my laptop bag (it's a thin messanger style bag) or the bottom of my carry on bag - doesn't matter the sleeve protects the device.

I've read that the Amazon leather case has a nasty odor - didn't want to spend weeks airing it out. I also wasn't a huge fan of, well now I have this book with a flap on the left that does nothing, holds nothing, it's just there.

The M-Edge deals seemed really cool at first. But then I got to the same deal as the Amazon case, that left flap. The tripod flap stand deal, well, didn't think I'd use that much - I sort of hate airplane tray tables. And reading in a chair or bet - well it would get in the way. And these two things added bulk.

That cool Octo carrying case really looked great. I could put other junk in there with it, a book light, passport, boarding passes, money, AC adapter, a weeks worth of clothes (joking). And then I got to thinking, this thing adds a ton of bulk and I already have a place for that other stuff. And the Kindle sits in the outside pocket, seems more prone to trouble there. And I'd have to deal with that same silly left flap deal. And I'm holding all that other travel junk in my hand while reading - I don't want to do that (what if somebody pinches my Kindle - they just scored all my other good stuff). And that baby is way expensive.

I also considered the Octo sleeve. But shoot they were pricey, just a little less than the Octo travel pouch. Way more than this sleeve. And the leather looks nice, but this sleeve looks almost as good.

So in the end, and that was a long thought process, this reasonably priced sleeve won out. I'm happy I purchased this one.

May 6, 2009 update: I've travelled a bit with this sleeve, and can report that the Kindle is very well protected. The Kindle will never fall out all on it's own. The only down side I see to this sleeve - the leather is not as wonderful feeling as I'd like. It's a bit stiff / hard. For a lot more money you could have soft leather. Price / benefit ratio on this sleeve - I love it still.

I don't want a book-type cover, as I don't want to add any thickness to the Kindle as I read it. That said, it needs some sort of protection so I can toss it in my bag without fear of the screen getting scratched. This sleeve is fitting the bill perfectly.

It's fairly rigid, and the Kindle 2 just barely squeaks in. I can't get it to fall out of its case without shaking it very hard, yet it is not difficult to remove.

The brown color is very nice & understated. The texture is good.

It is absurdly over-packaged-- the box it comes in may be nicer than the sleeve itself, and the sleeve comes delicately wrapped in transparently-thin paper. Very nice, but I'd rather have paid a little less & had it come in a simpler package.

Overall, I'm very pleased with this sleeve.

I was disappointed in this product given the other reviews I've seen for it. The quality of the faux leather was low compared to other products I've had, giving the sleeve a cheap appearance. The lining of the sleeve had no finishing edge at the top to protect it, and started to deteriorate within the first day of use as the Kindle scraped against it every time I took it out or put it back.

Worst of all, the fit was so snug that it took a tremendous amount of effort to pull the K2 out each time. While the plus to this was that it certainly never would have fallen out on its own, it was nearly impossible to budge without a lot of work. I do have a DecalGirl skin on both the front and back of the Kindle, but that microthin layer shouldn't be enough to interfere with the normal manufacturing tolerances of this type of product.

No idea if it was simply a bad unit or if this is a trend, but I returned the sleeve and went with another brand.

This is a great sleeve case. I didn't really get the appeal for the book-style cases. (The Kindle feels great all by itself. Plus, who wants the extra bulk?) So I searched the Web far and wide for the best sleeve case.

This one looks really nice, simple and warm. It fits the Kindle 2 perfectly, soft-lined on the inside and it only comes out if you pull it out. Finally, it's pretty stiff, making me feel totally comfortable putting it into my laptop bag or carry on.

For the price, I think it's the best case out there.