Marlondo Leather Smartphone Wallet Review


Ma Londo, owner and proprietor of Marlondo Leather, is kind of an enigma. He burst onto the leather working scene a couple years back with some very cool and interesting takes on (what has become) the standard leather briefcase styles, and he also designed some smaller pieces like Dopp kits, belts, and wallets.

And then . . . Poof!

He was gone.  His website was taken down, there were communication difficulties, and all that was left were some very loyal fans and some really great leather pieces.

But now, he is back–with a streamlined operation, an Amazon storefront, and some new designs like this nifty little phone sleeve/card case.

Construction, Aesthetic, and Use

It is a pretty simple design–just a single piece of leather that is lined in pigskin, folded in half, sewn together, and then reinforced with rivets.  There is a second piece of leather attached to one side that will fit two or possibly three cards.

The sleeve is not specifically created for an iPhone, but its occupant definitely needs to be approximately iPhone sized.  I tried to squeeze my HTC One X+, which is slightly wider and taller than my iPhone, to no avail.11

The sleeve is great for a night out, or for traveling very light.  It will only hold your essentials–phone, ID, and a single credit or debit card–so it might not be suitable to be your everyday carry, unless you are very organized.  Challenge accepted?

To order something from Ma, check out his website here, choose one of his current designs, or talk to him about creating something specific to you.

BaytowneLeatherUSA iPad Air Leather Sleeve Review – $75

BayTowneLeatherUSA is an Illinois-based Etsy store specializing in handmade leather goods including leather folios, sleeves, wallets, and belts all created by a single leathersmith – Roge. Roge (short for Roger) creates all his products by himself in a 18×24 foot leather shop behind his home. Due to this single-crafter business model, he is able to customize any of his products or create new items from scratch according to the customer’s specifications. With a perfect 5 star rating from over 200 reviews in the last two years, BayTowneLeatherUSA is one of the most reputable leather stores on Etsy and it’s easy to see why.

CONSTRUCTION

All BayTowne Leather products are hand cut and made with 5/6oz full-grain leather. This particular leather iPad sleeve is made of a single piece of natural vegetable tanned leather with a coat of Carnauba wax for protection. Everything from the shape, waxed stitching, and leather strap/closure method can be customized and priced accordingly. There really is no limit to the customization offered by Baytowne Leather. After seeing a tapered cover on another website, Roger was able to edit this cover to match at no additional cost. He also offers free 3-letter monogramming.

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Roge handcrafts each piece in his 18 x 24ft shop.

FUNCTION

As a basic leather sleeve, it does its job. The strap is sturdy enough to maintain a tight closure at all times and can be used to clip on a stylus. The leather can be rather tight and stiff in the beginning, but stretches with time. If given notice, Roge now designs the sleeves to be slightly wider to accommodate cases. The thickness of the leather offers some shock protection to the iPad but is more functional as a barrier.

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Just big enough to fit an iPad with a Moshi Versacover case.

AESTHETIC

The natural vegetable tanned leather ages gracefully with time to leave a patina unique to the owner. This sleeve gained an unexpected tan-line after being left out in the sun and continues to tan even after eight months of use. On the other hand, if you aren’t one to wait for your own patina to mature, there is a hand stained “Antique Brown” option.  Neatfreaks beware: coffee stains and oily handprints are hard to get out but still manage to make the sleeve look beautiful. On the other hand, the leather with wax coating is rather resistant to scratches and does not show scuffs easily. The delicate balance between raw edges and smooth clean lines adds a bit of sophistication to this rustic iPad sleeve.

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BESTLEATHER CONCLUSION

The BayTowneLeatherUSA iPad Air Leather Sleeve is reasonably priced for a customized handcrafted iPad carrying case. If you are willing to wait a few weeks for a handmade, uniquely crafted case built to your exact specifications, this is the case (and the man) to go to. Make sure to order early around the holidays since a single leathersmith can only work so fast.  If you don’t have an iPad, you’re going to want to find something to stuff inside so you have an excuse to carry this around.

Click here to check out BayTownLeatherUSA’s goods on Etsy.