Review: iPad Case – The Ridge by Devicewear

Having taken advantage of the recent Best Buy trade-in program and securing myself a shiny new iPad, I found myself in need of a case.

My old iPad 2 case didn’t quite fit the fourth generation model. I like slim cases that don’t cover the bezel, and I decided to try the Ridge model by Devicewear. While it’s a decent case, it didn’t ‘wow’ me.

First, we’ll start with the good stuff. It is slim and doesn’t add much bulk or weight to the iPad. It’s a bit bulkier than the Apple-branded Smart Case (which is what I ended up using instead), but not much. You’d only notice it if you set them side by side.

The vegan leather feels good and smells decent out of the package. There’s a slight chemical odor but nothing close to what you’ll smell on plastic cases.

There are supposedly six different positions for the case, and assuming one of them is flat, with the case folded over, I found all six. The case has ridges and a little lip that fits in the ridges to keep the case secure in the upright positions, like this one:

I’m not as happy with the flat typing position (for using the on-screen keyboard). It didn’t feel secure and kept collapsing on me. The Smart Case is far more secure in this position.

It also seems prudent to warn you that getting the iPad into the case is a hassle. To be fair, I had similar problems with the Smart Case, but it’s at least flexible, and I was sure I had the iPad securely in the case. After fiddling for a while with the Ridge, I thought I had it in there, but I wasn’t certain.

I returned the Ridge and kept the Smart Case, which doesn’t have as good positioning for typing with a Bluetooth keyboard but was slimmer, and I was able to be sure I had the iPad inserted securely.

Update: I take back what I said about the iPad not being secure in the case. When I went to take it back out of the case, I couldn’t. It’s definitely secure. So secure, in fact, that I think I’m stuck with this case, even though it’s not my preference. I have no desire to break either my iPad or the case by messing around with it further.

So if you want a case that’s so secure you’ll never be able to remove your iPad, this is the one for you. But for obvious reasons, I can’t recommend that, which is why my rating is so low.

TeleRead Rating:

Buy The Ridge by Devicewear for iPad

Manufacturer: Devicewear
Benefits: slim, vegan leather case for iPad 2, 3 and 4
Price: USD $49.95
Availability: Out now

A slightly edited version of this post originally appeared on GadgeTell.