“Fake Moleskine Notebooks” has developed into an entire gadget case category, although ironically Moleskine’s own effort is quite awful. The idea is that you cover your new-fangled tablet or cellphone or e-reader with an old-fangled faux-leather book-cover. I have tried two of them out, the original Dodocase and the The Case from Pad & Quill, both for the iPad. I bought the Dodocase myself, and the Pad & Quill case was sent for review.
Both these cases have a rigid frame which holds the iPad at the corners with compressed rubber pads, and this sits inside a case made with traditional book-binding methods. And right there the similarities end.
Put them side by side and the quality of the Pad & Quill jumps out. It is sturdier, the cover is thicker and better made and, unlike the bamboo frame of the Dodocase, the wood frame holds the iPad so tight you can’t shake it loose. Given that the cases both cost $60, the answer seems obvious. It isn’t.
Much of the strength of the Pad & Quill comes from its size. The case is deeper, and almost an inch wider and longer than the Dodocase. As you can see from the pictures of them together, the wooden frame is chunkier at its edges and it also extends around the back of the iPad.
You’ll also notice that the cut-out for the iPad’s ports and switches are quite different. While the Dodocase opens up the entire top and bottom, the Pad & Quill has individual slots for everything. Especially good is the speaker-hole, which covers the speaker when closed, but reflects sound forward when in use. The Dodocase’s open ends don’t support the card cover when closed, either, offering less screen protection.
The sturdiness continues to the fastener. The Dodocase has a Moleskine-like elastic strap, which isn’t quite strong enough to keep the case closed should the iPad come loose inside (and it will). The Pad & Quill has a thick black ribbon secured by a sturdy press-stud. This also doubles as a strap to hold the case open in an A-shape for use as a landscape-oriented stand. Finally, the card itself is thicker on the Pen & Quill, and is covered inside with a lining that is stronger than the Dodocase’s actual cover (itself lined with paper).
But all this strength comes at a price. The Dodocase is both much smaller and much lighter. On my kitchen scale, the Dodocase weighs just 258 grams (9.1 ounces), while the Pad & Quill is a hefty 464 grams, or a shade over a pound. That’s almost double the weight.
This isn’t to say that the Dodocase is badly made (well, apart from its iPad-dropping habit). You’ll need to choose whether you want a lightweight, slimline case that offers less protection, or a juggernaut that will probably last longer than the iPad it protects but also makes it a little awkward to handle.
Which one do I prefer? Neither. I have settled on Apple’s own case, which is cheap (ish), slimline and protective. If these two faux-Moleskines could be described as Victorian chaperones, making sure that their charges remain virgin and untouched at the expense of being highly intrusive, the Apple case is more like a Durex Featherlite: it offers protection, but you hardly know it’s there.
Photos: Charlie Sorrel
The Case [Pad & Quill]
Dodocase [Dodocase]
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