Customer Reviews

uPro Protective Skin

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

The Upro GPS is the best on the market, but the protective sleeve is poorly designed. Since the GPS unit needs to be charged on a regular basis taking the sleeve off and on causes wear to the plastic silicon. I use the unit a least twice a week and it only lasted three weeks. When the sleeve was on it was fantastic, but product is cheaply designed with poor manufacturing. Uplay needs to come up with a better idea. I feel that this item was a complete rip off for the price. The cost should have been under $10 so that you could replace it regularly.

As an added note (2/17/09): Upro contacted me and was willing to replace the protective skin with the new one which has fibers included in it. Beyond the product failure the customer service was excellent! They called me directly twice to follow up. I would highly recommend their products if this defect is solved.

How disappointing. I love the upro gps and I got excellent support from their staff, but this cover is not worth the $24. It does not protect the crystal face at all. You have to take it off every time you need to charge the unit which is basically every time you play a round. Made in China the markup on this is way out of line.

the "Protective Skin" tore the first time I attempted to place it on the uPro. Not well made at all.

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Content of original review - applies to skin without charging hole
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I love my uPro. It has completely transformed the way I play golf and I now play several times a week.

But I live in the Pacific Northwest and golf year round. So moisture protection for my uPro is not an optional accessory. To say the 'skin' is not the ideal solution is probably overly kind.

PROS:
- Some protection from rain/splashes. Likely adequate for most golfers.
- Tight fitting, underlying buttons protected but feel and work fine.
- Display is unobstructed.

CONS:
- The skin must be removed to recharge your uPro (unless you cut a hole in it for the micro USB jack, in which case you severely compromised the skins sole virtue).
- It is NOT easy to put on and take off. This is subjective, of course - other reviewers claim it is. But I feel I am of at least average dexterity and intelligence and I say "NOT EASY". Your mileage may vary.
- It IS fragile. If you pull at the windows edge it WILL tear. I destroyed my first one almost immediately with that mistake. My second, I got to last a couple hundred or so rounds by pinching and pulling at one of the top back corners when removing or putting it on. This method minimizes tensing the windows edge and greatly improves the skins life expectancy. But eventually my second tore as well.
- It does not make your uPro water tight. Submersion for any length of time will likely damage your device.

ALTERNATIVES:
- A fresh zip-top sandwich bag (no golf bag should be without a few of these) actually provides better moisture protection. Screen can be viewed and buttons manipulated adequately through the plastic. I use one in lieu of the skin anytime I expect to get totally drenched.

CONCLUSION (and confession):
I am writing this review upon buying my third skin (you may now call into question my intelligence claim ... but I am dexterous, no, really I am). And why you ask? The uPro buttons are easier to manipulate, the screen easier to read, and the unit just looks nicer (hey, appearance counts for something) with the skin as opposed to the sandwich bag. Despite the skins problems, it is still worth the cost and inconvenience for me but just barely.

MUSINGS:
Perhaps Calloway will build a uPro with connectionless, pad charging. The skin would lose almost all of the downside if it didn't need to be removed for recharging every use. Hmm...

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REVIEW UPDATE 10/24/2010:
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I received my third skin yesterday. It now has a hole for the charging plug. You no longer have to remove the skin to charge which should allow the skin to survive much longer. However the charge/usb connector is now exposed. So too is the audio jack - now covered only by a mere 1/8th of an inch of skin. The USB plug of the uPro has a built-in cover which should help protect it but the audio jack does not and will be exposed because capillary action draws water under the skin.

PHYSICS LESSON (next two paragraphs):
Ironically, capillary action is what helped the old design keep water out. Once enough liquid was pulled in around the display hole of the old skin to form a continuous perimeter, air pressure inside the skin rose until equilibrium was reached with the force of the incoming water. The result was a theoretical water-tight seal. In actuality, because of external forces (like jostling around in a pocket or golf bag), occassionally the seal is overcome, air escapes (burps), and the seal advances until equillibrium is again met. Imperfect. But usually, in my experience, adequate for keeping water from reaching a hole to the interior of my uPro device for 18 holes.

With the addition of a second hole in the skin, two seals must be maintained and the new one is severely compromised by the presence of the audio jack hole in the seal zone. Also, the dynamic of what happens to the seals when external forces are applied changes dramatically. To draw simple analogies: A vessel with one hole is a cup. A vessel with two holes is a pipe. Those external forces can now literally pump water through your device with the new skin on.

NEW CONCLUSION:
What modest protection from moisture the old design provided is gone. I cannot recommend this product on any level now. It's back to the baggy for me...

All in all this product is very well worth the price. The protective skin is easy to slip onto the uPro GPS and, because of its soft texture, seems to provide good protection for the unit should one drop it on a tee box or fairway. It very effectively covers the control buttons and the power input to protect the unit from water seeping in when playing in reasonably wet weather (light to moderate rain). Unfortunately, though it would surely help a great deal, since it doesn't fully enclose the uPro I'm reasonably certain it would not provide a reliable waterproof seal and protect the unit from water in really wet or stormy conditions. (Hence the manufacturer's description using the term "water resistant" v. "waterproof".)

The neoprene skin for the uPro is a one-piece cover that stretches easily over the unit. It protects it from scratches and keeps it from bouncing around in a golf cart or your car when not in use.

It is a very good product, but I certainly can't see why it needs to cost $25. I suspect that Callaway's view is if you can afford $400 for the uPro, you can certainly find $25 for the case.

Just right for the uPro. fits right, looks fine, serves purpose to protect from being kicked around in cart and home. Was considering not buying with uPro but am very glad I decided to get it.

In other reviews this was downrated because you had to remove it to charge the uPro and it eventually tore. They have now added a cutout so you don't have to remove the skin to charge.

The uPro Protective Skin was exactly what I was looking for. Now I can lay it in the golf cart cup holders between holes without getting it all banged up. The touch buttons still work under the skin "easily"