Customer Reviews

Cole Haan Hand-Woven Leather Cover for 2nd Generation Kindle,Light Bronze

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Although a black leather cover can be both functional and handsome, I needed color for the Kindle 2. I left my black leather-covered Kindle 1 in a NYC cab after it disappeared against the color of the seat. Although I was lucky and got the Kindle back, I immediately purchased an M-Edge red leather case which served me well.

This bronze Cole Haan woven leather cover was my pick for my new Kindle 2. The pattern is the bargello often found in needlepointed seats for dining room chairs. Despite my concern that the weaving would leave openings or gaps that could get caught on other items in my bag, the weave is quite tight and I foresee no problems.

The color is also a nice midpoint between a metallic color and a more generic medium brown -- distinctive without being too showy.

The inside has no clutter -- nothing but the four wide elastic corners and a pocket for a few business cards. Unlike the M-Edge products, there is no closure. Since the tab on the M-Edge showed wear and also often got caught between layers of the cover's construction, I prefer this style. The cover's woven pattern is more than enough visual complexity.

This case is a fine choice for both protecting and highlighting your new Kindle. I recommend it without reservation.

I agree with others on the quality of this leather cover - Cole Haan definitely makes top notch stuff.

But for a good Kindle cover this one has at least a couple of fundamental design flaws as I see it:
First of all the cover cannot fold all the way back so when you are reading with the cover on, the 'prev page' & 'next page' buttons located on the left edge of the Kindle are not conveniently accessible.
Secondly, the elastic strap on the upper left corner covers a good portion of the on/off power slide so if you want to access the slide you will have to undo the strap first. I am in the habit of putting my Kindle to sleep whenever I am not reading it to preserve battery so I found this quite annoying.

Overall a beautiful and sturdy cover, but between the high price and design issues mentioned above, I am sending this baby back. Too bad since I really wanted to like it. :(

I opened this Cole Haan case from its beautiful box today & had no qualms about wrapping my gorgeous new Kindle 2 in it!!! The leather is stunning, the colour beautiful, AND there is even space for SEVERAL business cards, just in case you want to network, you know when someone asks you about which they DEFINITELY will. Absolutely a perfect compliment to such a beautiful reading instrument!!

Finally, I can now use my lovely new Kindle 2 without getting sick. The cause of my malais was the no name black leather $29 Kindle cover. For some odd reason, it had a horrible stench. I figured mine had been tanned/cured improperly and was giving me headaches and nausea, so I ordered a replacement cover. More horror... the 2nd black leather cover smelled just as badly. Both were returned, with much regret (properly designed, but smelled soooo bad!).

So I decided to 'bite the bullet' and go with a better leather product. I am SO happy that I did. Although the Cole Haan costs around 4.5 times the amount of the no name black Kindle cover, it smells like a good leather purse or briefcase. Even better, it's attractive! The texture of the weave is pleasing to the fingers when handling the Kindle. The inside of the cover is suede lined, and of very good quality.

Others have commented on the corner strap overlapping their Kindle's power button. I don't have that problem. There's a 1-2 mm gap between the edge of the corner strap and the power button track. By bending the cover back and forth a few times, the weave loosens up and i'm able to fold my cover back completely, so the left margin button accessibility problem that others have mentioned is not present in my cover. The only button that is partially obscured is the lower right hand 'Back' button. But even that is only half obscured, leaving it highly functional.

My only reason for 4 stars, instead of 5 is the price. $119 for this cover is a bit high, which is why I initially purchased the $29 model. I think a more reasonable price for it would have been in the $79 range. But since using it doesn't make me sick or headachey, and it does protect my Kindle screen perfectly, then it's the cover for me.

Someone asked if I have the Bronze or Brown cover. The bronze was out of stock, so I purchased the dark brown. It's a lovely milk chocolate shade of brown -- nice and rich looking.

If you're looking for a perfect cover for your Kindle 2 and you don't mind over paying for a beautiful leather Cole Haan Cover, this is the one for you. The kindle 2 fits PERFECTLY inside with the four corners in snug elastic bands so you never have to take the kindle out of the cover while you're reading from it which is what I wanted. There is a credit card holder on the opposing page which I probably won't use but it's a nice feature if you have extra cards that don't fit in your wallet. The leather is excellent quality and the bronze color is lovely. The only down side is it is over priced for what it is, but I love it anyway. I didn't want a cover or protector that I took the Kindle in and out of, I wanted something that I kept the Kindle in when I read, so this was exactly what I was looking for and the fit is perfect. Plus I purchased the clip on light (Mighty Bright Xtraflex2) and it happens to fit perfectly on the back on the Cole Haan cover and slide between the cover and the Kindle snugly and securely when you're reading. So the two purchases together were ideal. My only criticism would be that if it were perfect it would have a zipper closure so that when I put it in my purse the Kindle is completely protected from the other garbage that I keep in there. In other words, the cover has no closure, ie: no snaps, zipper or means of keeping it sealed when you're not reading, but it's a minor issue.

I was really looking forward to this cover, but I have to say I am disappointed.

My biggest gripe: The cover won't lay flat and on mine the inside middle part is very tight and tugging on the elastic. If they didn't want it to lay flat (which I would prefer) then they needed to use a bit more material to lessen the tension.

It is simply a matter of time until opening the cover will cause the elastic to tear away from the suede fabric.

If this was a $30 cover I would just deal with it, however for $120 I expect better quality.

I also had some sort of rough grainy substance all on the inside over the suede material.

Is it pretty? Yes. However, for $120 it should be pretty AND durable/practical.

Cole Haan Hand-Woven Leather Cover for Kindle 2,Light Bronze
I purchased this cover in Bronze and the color is exactly like the picture, no surprises! The hand woven pattern is amazing and like all Cole Haan products the quality is top notch. The elastic bands hold the Kindle snugly and they do not cover any of the buttons. The top left elastic is right up aganist the power button but does not prevent easy use of it. The first time I put the Kindle in the cover it did not close tightly so I just wrapped a rubber band around it overnight and the problem is solved, it now lays flat aganist the Kindle without any help. I like to hold the Kindle like a regular book so I do not fold the cover back regularly but I did give it a try for those of you who do and it folds back very easily. I am very happy with this cover and feel like it was worth the high price.

I ordered and returned this Kindle 2 cover. The front cover would not lay flat, there was no way to keep the cover closed. Even the funky elastic strap on the original Kindle 1 cover would've been a better option.

Plus, the cover was too stiff to bend the front cover back behind the back cover for one handed reading while the Kindle is in the case.

At least the leather was nice. That's why the cover gets two stars.

I am enjoying my leather cover on my Kindle 2. It does a good job of
protecting the screen and makes holding the Kindle 2 easy. I would recomend buying this product.

This is so good looking and such good protection for my Kindle. It doesn't add much to the weight but is so convienient to slip into my purse.