Review of Bobarra Kindle covers by Graydog

[Graydog]

Bobarra makes covers for Kindle 1 and Kindle 2 in four styles.  I ordered two of them for my Kindle 2 -- The Dickens, and The Austen.

My Dickens cover is chocolate brown leather with topstitching which matches the lining.  It has a firm inner core with padding front and back, and it folds back easily.  The closure can tucked into its carrier so it stays out of the way while keeping the front half of the cover in the folded position.  The leather is smooth to the touch but has the subtle grain markings which appear during the tanning process.  The lining is a gorgeous terracotta color microfiber fabric which looks and feels like suede.  The same fabric was used for the three interior pockets.  Four wide bands of elastic hold the Kindle 2 securely -- all four corners the same, as in the Cole Haan covers, which is a look I much prefer to the asymmetry of the M-edge Prodigy and the Oberon with corners plus elastic.  The Dickens is also made in black pebbled leather with a handsome green microfiber lining and matching green topstitching.





The Austen is available in a choice of three fabrics.  I chose the Frog Print -- a sturdy canvas-type black fabric with a design done in shades of green, gold, and brown with red accents which remind me of ladybugs.  The edges are bound with leather and the flap closure is secured with magnets.  As with The Dickens, the Austen cover has a firm interior core covered with padding.  It folds back easily.  (I fold the right side first, then the left, and both stay in place while reading.)  The lining is black microfiber, not suede-like as the Dickens lining but very soft and pleasant to touch.  There are three handy pockets on the left side, and four wide elastic corners to hold the Kindle securely.  The other fabric choices are Blue/Brown Batik and Blue/Yellow Flowers.

These Bobarra covers are very well made, and are both practical and aesthetically pleasing.  Both are slim and compact while providing excellent protection and security for Kindles.  A very welcome bonus is that they come in a microfiber bag which is perfect for travel or storage.

A final note: This is a small company.  Excellent Customer Service is provided by the founder, Andrea Nadosy.

Amazon link: Bobarra Kindle covers

http://www.bobarra.com/cart/home.php?cat=251

[Britt]

Love those Austen covers. They're so pretty!

[Graydog]

The brown cover shown above is for Kindle 1.  The Kindle 2 version is the same except for the way the Kindle is held in place. 

[NYCKindleFan]

The frog cover is so cute!

[eirual]

How is the Kindle held in place for the Kindle 2?

[intinst]

The chocolate brown is gorgeous, but I Don't Need Another Cover! (There, I hope I convinced myself)

[Graydog]

How is the Kindle held in place for the Kindle 2?

As I said in the review:

Four wide bands of elastic hold the Kindle 2 securely -- all four corners the same, as in the Cole Haan covers, which is a look I much prefer to the asymmetry of the M-edge Prodigy and the Oberon with corners plus elastic.

[Cuechick]

Could you post pictured of the interiors? I would love to see those, the site is not showing the interior you described.

[Graydog]

The interior photos on the Bobarra site are of the Kindle 1 cover.  The interior of the Kindle 2 cover has the same pockets on the left side.  The right side looks exactly like the Cole Haan cover.  There is a wide band of elastic at each corner.

I don't have my own photos.  (All of my cameras use film and my cell phone is only a phone.  Yes, I am pathetically out of date.) 

[Kindle Convert]

After emailing with Andrea at Bobarra, I decided on a custom cover that she had which is in the Thoreau Style, but it has the Austen style print in a subtle pink and green.  The outside of the case is outlined in a brown leather (?) and the inside is a rich dark brown suede (feels like it) with pockets on the left and 4 elastic bands on the right to hold my K2.  I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!  It holds my K2 snugly, and feels great in my hand when I fold back the front of the cover to read one handed.  Couldn't be happier! 

[Candace]

I got the Bobarra Austen frog cover after seeing Graydog's picture of it and received it two days after ordering! They must have had it already packaged up ready for mailing when I ordered because I went directly back to my email and there was already a shipping notice, approximately 30 seconds after I had placed the order. Anyway, the cover is extremely cute, just like Graydog's photo, and I like it a lot. No need to add anything to Graydog's very thorough description. My only caveats: the magnets are not strong at all and hardly hold the covers, and the page buttons can accidentally be pressed through the cover if you grab it there before the Kindle goes to sleep. These are not deal killers at all, but just so you know. I would definitely still get the cover, and you sure can't beat the service! That custom frog cover described above sounds darling...

[Candace]

This is a P.S. or even a Mea Culpa addition to my post above. When I got my Austen frog cover, I was so excited to get it so quickly (USPS Priority mail, shipped apparently 30 seconds after I ordered it!) that I didn't even look at the invoice. Today I finally got around to looking at the invoice. There, handwritten in what looks like genuine fountain-pen ink (kudos!), was a very nice note saying that Andrea, the maker of these lovely covers, was refunding 10% of the price, a promise she made to readers of the Kindle Board a few months ago! I was not aware of this offer when I ordered my cover but I was certainly happy to hear of it, and I wanted other readers to know of it and perhaps encourage them if they are on the fence about ordering a Bobarra cover for their Kindle 2. Thank you, Andrea, for the beautiful cover, its excellent workmanship, the fantastic customer service, and the bonus of the 10% discount for Kindle Board readers! Above and beyond, for sure!

[pawsplus]

My only caveats: the magnets are not strong at all and hardly hold the covers, and the page buttons can accidentally be pressed through the cover if you grab it there before the Kindle goes to sleep. These are not deal killers at all, but just so you know.

That's weird.  The magnets on mine are great.  They "SNICK" into place and hold great, both when the cover is closed and when it's folded back. I think you should contact them about this, b/c that sounds like a mistake.

[imallbs]

I'm thinking about getting the Kerouac cover.  For anybody who has a cover with the magnets, does it fold back easily for one handed reading?

[Laine]

Just wondering, I am going to order the Bobarra cover Jane Austin Case - Frogs..it has a place for entry of discount coupon?
Does anyone know of the coupon?

Thanks so much. I have enjoyed reading about all the covers and think I am going with this one.

[pawsplus]

I'm thinking about getting the Kerouac cover.  For anybody who has a cover with the magnets, does it fold back easily for one handed reading?

I have the Austen, not the Kerouac, but mine folds back beautifully. I love it that the magnets catch both to keep it folded back and to keep it closed.  I'm crazy about mine!

[mistyd107]

I have the pink/green austen as well and I adore it so much so in fact that I am strongly considering the blue/yellow one as well. my only complaint it doesn't fit real easily into my BB travel bag but Melissa is helping me with that

[Sugar]

omg the blue/yellow one is soooo cute

It's like the best of both worlds a cover and a bag because of the fabric

[koolmnbv]

I love the austen cover. so cute.

[nadosy]

Just wondering, I am going to order the Bobarra cover Jane Austin Case - Frogs..it has a place for entry of discount coupon?
Does anyone know of the coupon?

Thanks so much. I have enjoyed reading about all the covers and think I am going with this one.

Hi Laine! This is Andrea- the only person behind bobarra . If you just mention in the customer notes when you are checking out that you are a Kindle Board member, I will deduct the 10% when I process your card (I don't process you card until after the item is shipped). I hope that this helps!
Kindest Regards,
Andrea

[mistyd107]

I recently received a Bobarra Thoreau cover and after using it consistently for about a week I wanted to say for anyone who thinks they want a simple yet very elegant cover please give Bobarra covers a shot I can pretty much promise you won’t be disappointed.  Bobarra is a small company that provides exceptional customer service.  They offer different styles in both the professional and pleasure vain.

I have an Austen cover that I absolutely love but I wanted something in blue.  After speaking with Andrea I decided to try the Thoreau.  The Thoreau cover is a very nice book style cover. The Thoreau cover is a cover that to me is one that is very slimming in the sense that there is NOT a lot of extra/wasted space.  I am told the Thoreau style is the same size as an Oberon so if you use a BB travel bag it will work just fine.  Though it comes with a very nice sleeper drawstring pouch.
  My cover is in a blue/ brown batik fabric print.  The blue is a soft sky blue.  The fabric soft and padded but not too thick so the K2 is protected, but it is not bulky by any means.  The inside of the cover is very soft to the touch in what looks like a soft baby blue suede material and it has a couple of small pockets which I find handy for keeping notes in specifically in my case books series in order so I know which order to purchase them in.  The Kindle is held in place very securely by four elastic bands on the corners.  I am not one to fold back a cover while reading; however I did for the purposes of this review and had no problems at all doing so.  The one thing I expected to dislike about the Thoreau is that there is no closure, but that does not bother me at all as a matter of fact I feel like I’m reading a very good book soft to the touch without the weight.   The Thoreau is available  at Bobarra.com in black or  brown leather as well as the blue/brown print, a black white bamboo print and a very cute frog print if you like frogs. (I’d be all over that in a heartbeat if it were a lab puppy print.) And at Amazon as well.  
If you want a cover that is classy yet simple at the same time that offers great protection and is backed by fantastic Customer service give Bobarra’s Thoreau(or any of their covers)  a try you won’t regret it
  

[Margaret]

I just received my Bobarra Austin cover in pink and green. It is beautiful.  I plan to take my Kindle to school and wanted something that offered more protection than the cover offered by Amazon which my husband purchased for Christmas. This cover seems to fulfill my needs and I really like the way it looks and feels. The magnetic closure feels quite secure and the cover has enough padding to protect the Kindle in my bookbag.

[cheerio]

pics

[kevindorsey]

I can't even see the ones at the top of the page anymore 

[cheerio]

that is why i was hoping for pics

[kevindorsey]

May be they will magically reappear.

[cheerio]

fingers crossed

[loca]

You guys keep hoping 

[cheerio]

I will

[nadosy]

Hi Margaret, Cheerio and Kevin,

This is Andrea from bobarra. Thank you so much for your kind words. I am so happy that you like the cover!! It is a very small operation over here (just me) so when a customer is happy, it really means a lot to me. So, truly, thank you.

I am having some trouble attaching the photo of the pink/green batik, but here is the link

http://www.bobarra.com/cart/the-austen-cover_pink-green-flowers.html

I attached some photos of the pink/green batik cover. I was also out of the blue/yellow flowers cover for quite some time, but now they are back. I haven't had a chance to add them to the site yet, but here is the Amazon link:

http://www.amazon.com/Austen-Kindle-Display-Latest-Generation/dp/B0023E3F30/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1262979246&sr=8-5


 Please let me know if you have any questions: andrea@bobarra.com. Also, remember to use the 'kindleboards' discount code for 10% off! If you purchased a cover in the past and did not get the code (Margaret, I think that this may apply to you) please let me know and i'll happily refund you for the 10%.


Andrea

[loca]

Hi Margaret, Cheerio and Kevin,

This is Andrea from bobarra. Thank you so much for your kind words. I am so happy that you like the cover!! It is a very small operation over here (just me) so when a customer is happy, it really means a lot to me. So, truly, thank you.

I am having some trouble attaching the photo of the pink/green batik, but here is the link

http://www.bobarra.com/cart/the-austen-cover_pink-green-flowers.html

I attached some photos of the pink/green batik cover. I was also out of the blue/yellow flowers cover for quite some time, but now they are back. I haven't had a chance to add them to the site yet, but here is the Amazon link:

http://www.amazon.com/Austen-Kindle-Display-Latest-Generation/dp/B0023E3F30/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1262979246&sr=8-5


 Please let me know if you have any questions: andrea@bobarra.com. Also, remember to use the 'kindleboards' discount code for 10% off! If you purchased a cover in the past and did not get the code (Margaret, I think that this may apply to you) please let me know and i'll happily refund you for the 10%.


Andrea

Andrea, keep up the good work, we appreciate it.

[cheerio]

It still amazes me all the people who use KB. KB has it all from consumers to distributors and manufacturers

[loca]

It all ties into a specific consumer interest. NOt that much different from everything else.

[cheerio]

I think it has a lot to do with Harvey and his networking

[angelad]

Um...I guess Harvey is a busy bee then.