No thread, no glue, no rivets, no zippers, no buckles…NO PROBLEM. That’s right…you won’t find any of those things included in the design and creation of a PACT product. PACT has created quite a buzz among the guys here at BestLeather.org. The first time I stumbled onto their website, my initial reaction was “no way” – then the next day I was sitting in a coffeehouse across the table from Darrin Griechen, one of the founders of PACT and the principle designer of their product collection. After closer inspection of the actual products, my second reaction was, “WAY!”. Innovative, cutting edge, stylish, minimalist, built to last, yet utilizing a classic material (high quality US tanned leather) – those are the things that come to mind when I think of the prototype products Darrin gladly shared with us.
About Pact
Keeping it simple is what it’s all about for PACT. Based in Spokane, WA this new startup is dedicated to crafting leather cases and satchels, made by hand in the USA designed to complement digital devices that we all use everyday. They guarantee their products for life and this is very evident in the attention to detail in construction and the methods used to construct their pieces.
Construction
The construction of the PACT Small Tablet Sleeve deserves appreciation and close inspection. We’re pretty sure you’ve never seen vegetable-tanned leather cut, folded, and fitted together in this fashion. The design of the connection tabs (for a lack of a better word to describe them) seems to gain strength with age. With any leather product, there is some stretch that occurs over time, but the security of these tabs, after inspecting one five year old prototype piece, appears to be rock solid.
Function
The PACT Small Tablet Sleeve is sized just perfectly for an iPad mini or similarly sized tablet device. Staying true to form, the premise of its function is simple. Protect your tablet in style using quality leather. The easy fold over flap and slip in cross piece are easy to manipulate and completely uncomplicated (no clasps, buttons, latches, buckles). And, it’s only leather – nothing there that can potentially scratch your screen or cause any other type of damage to your device. It has a small footprint, carries easily on its own, or stores in another bag without bulk.
Aesthetic
One of the things I like to do is put a product out in front of people and see how they react. I always attempt to do this in a not-so-obvious fashion because I really do want to see how observant people are and gauge their honest reaction to standout products. My ‘testing’ method proved itself to be flawless with the sleeve from PACT. It consistently incited questions, comments, and the always good to hear question, “where can I buy one for myself?”. It’s amazing to see how a piece of leather, expertly designed and crafted, can create so much positive dialogue. So, in light of my taking the case to several meetings and outings, the aesthetic value of the PACT Small Tablet Sleeve is impressive…not only in my personal opinion, but in the general public as well (at least those people who have to endure sitting in meetings with me, eat their dinner next to me, sitting in the same pew at church…you get the picture). It garnered consistent questions and positive comments
Conclusion
Darrin and Ben, the founders of PACT, have invested a great deal of time, energy, skill, and thought into all of the PACT products. They’re in the early stages of a Kickstarter campaign and my guess is that both of them are constantly refreshing their browsers to get the latest updates on pledges. These guys are committed to creating a great company with great products. And, they’re dedicated to building them in the US. In light of the time I’ve spent with the PACT Small Tablet Sleeve my conclusion is that it is a buy it for life product. The leather will just get better looking over time and the ingenuity in design will keep it functioning perfectly for many years to come.
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