Crux 360 vs Clamcase ?

[JeremyV]

Is there a major difference between these two? Does anyone have either? I have not been able to find a lot of information on either. Thanks for any information.

 

[Blackbelt]

The common issue is that either cases are not yet available. I think you can pre order them however. I like the clam case as I do not care for the Crux cover design.

 

[Surculla]

My Opinion

Is there a major difference between these two? Does anyone have either? I have not been able to find a lot of information on either. Thanks for any information.

Hi, I work for engadget and was lucky enough to test out the ClamCase, the Crux360, and the ZaggMate. All of them seemed to work very well, and I didn't experience any major problems with any of them.:ipad-keyboard:

The ClamCase was my personal favorite of the 3 and it is $99 compared to $149 for the Crux360 and the same $99 for the ZaggMate. I found the ClamCase and the Crux to be extremely similar and I even liked the ClamCase a little better because I felt is was easier to get in and out and it looked more like a net book. :ipad-keyboard:

The ZaggMate was also cool and was a little different from the other two. It was much easier to insert and remove and adds much less weight and thickness to the iPad, however I wouldn't recommend it. I would chose the ClamCase and I hope this helps:ipad-keyboard:

 

[MattIM]

Is there a major difference between these two? Does anyone have either? I have not been able to find a lot of information on either. Thanks for any information.

Hi, I work for engadget and was lucky enough to test out the ClamCase, the Crux360, and the ZaggMate. All of them seemed to work very well, and I didn't experience any major problems with any of them.:ipad-keyboard:

The ClamCase was my personal favorite of the 3 and it is $99 compared to $149 for the Crux360 and the same $99 for the ZaggMate. I found the ClamCase and the Crux to be extremely similar and I even liked the ClamCase a little better because I felt is was easier to get in and out and it looked more like a net book. :ipad-keyboard:

The ZaggMate was also cool and was a little different from the other two. It was much easier to insert and remove and adds much less weight and thickness to the iPad, however I wouldn't recommend it. I would chose the ClamCase and I hope this helps:ipad-keyboard:

Are you going to elaborate further on your review? Why would you choose the ClamCase over the other two products? (because it makes the iPad "look like a net book"???)

I like brevity but you really need to explain your findings with a little bit more detail. Is there going to be an Engadget review posted on your website?

Are you speaking as a representative of Engadget (and thereby lending you a lot of credibility). If you are, I am taking you to task for making recommendations unsubstantiated with any more verbiage than "I felt is easier to get in and out of...." type comments. I often read Engadgets reviews of many products, and your posting is not up to Engadget's standards.

I apologize for coming on very heavy here. I don't mean to denigrate you personally but do understand, people make buying decisions based on reviews from forums such as this one and from websites like Engadget. Linking this forum and Engadget with your posting, muddies the veracity of both.

 

[Surculla]

Is there a major difference between these two? Does anyone have either? I have not been able to find a lot of information on either. Thanks for any information.

Hi, I work for engadget and was lucky enough to test out the ClamCase, the Crux360, and the ZaggMate. All of them seemed to work very well, and I didn't experience any major problems with any of them.:ipad-keyboard:

The ClamCase was my personal favorite of the 3 and it is $99 compared to $149 for the Crux360 and the same $99 for the ZaggMate. I found the ClamCase and the Crux to be extremely similar and I even liked the ClamCase a little better because I felt is was easier to get in and out and it looked more like a net book. :ipad-keyboard:

The ZaggMate was also cool and was a little different from the other two. It was much easier to insert and remove and adds much less weight and thickness to the iPad, however I wouldn't recommend it. I would chose the ClamCase and I hope this helps:ipad-keyboard:

Are you going to elaborate further on your review? Why would you choose the ClamCase over the other two products? (because it makes the iPad "look like a net book"???)

I like brevity but you really need to explain your findings with a little bit more detail. Is there going to be an Engadget review posted on your website?

Are you speaking as a representative of Engadget (and thereby lending you a lot of credibility). If you are, I am taking you to task for making recommendations unsubstantiated with any more verbiage than "I felt is easier to get in and out of...." type comments. I often read Engadgets reviews of many products, and your posting is not up to Engadget's standards.

I apologize for coming on very heavy here. I don't mean to denigrate you personally but do understand, people make buying decisions based on reviews from forums such as this one and from websites like Engadget. Linking this forum and Engadget with your posting, muddies the veracity of both.

I apologize that my posting is not up to Engadget's standings. I am relatively new to reviewing products like these, so none of my reviews have actually yet been published yet. I am being told that after submitting these reviews, my coworkers are very satisfied with my improvement with reviewing. Engadget is truly a great company to work for and I would never try to degrade their name in any way.

Here are my full reviews:

ZaggMate
Quality Of Construction: 7/10
Ease of Use: 9/10
Value: 6/10
Overall: 7/10

The Good:
ZaggMate is made of a high-grade aluminum that is very similar to that used on the back of the iPad itself. It is very easy to insert the iPad into this case, as all you need to do is postiton it on it's stand, and removal is just as easy, as all you need to do is lift it from the stand. The ZaggMate only adds about 1/4 of an inch of width to the iPad, as the iPad sits inside of it. It is also much lighter than the @ClamCase and @Crux360.

The Bad:
Unlike the @ClamCase and @Crux360, this case has nothing to secure the iPad with, so it is very succeptable to falls and dings. In addition, this case is limited to two viewing angles, while the @ClamCase and @Crux360 has an unlimited amount. Also, the ZaggMate feels cheap, and the plastic keys feel like they are made crappily (you see, I'm inventing words).

The Verdict:
ZaggMate really is no better than the iPad keyboard dock when it comes to this type of stand, and at least that has a full size keyboard. When it comes to picking out the perfect keyboard case, this certainly isn't it.
________________________________________________________________

ClamCase

Quality of Construction: 9/10
Ease of Use: 8/10
Value: 9/10
Overall: 9/10

The Good:
ClamCase feels very solid when you hold it and looks and feels exactly like a netbook. It is made in the USA of high-quality ABS plastic. It has an unlimited amount of viewing angles, and just like a tablet computer, you can fold it all up and lock the keyboard away and hidden from view. For $99 it is a much better, stronger, and more versatile solution than the @ZaggMate, which is currently selling for the same price.

The Bad:
It looks and feels just like a netbook; a pretty heavy one. It adds quite a bit of weight to the iPad as well as the width added, which makes the iPad pretty thick. The keys are smaller than on a full-size keyboard and take some getting used to.

The Verdict:
For $99, the ClamCase is the best keyboard iPad case around. It is wallet and user-friendly, is made well, and is a great addition to any iPad.
________________________________________________________________

Crux360

Quality of Construction: 8/10
Ease of Use: 7/10
Value: 8/10
Overall: 8/10

The Good:
The Crux360 is made of high-quality ABS plastic just like the @ClamCase, which I like. This also has a netbook look and feel. It is actually quite similar to the ClamCase, which is pretty darn awesome. It does feel a bit more natural to use though, as is is slightly lighter and bigger than the @ClamCase. It, like the @ClamCase is way better than the @ZaggMate.

The Bad:
The keys feel rubbery, which I personally hate. Like the @ClamCase, the keys are undersized, although not quite as much as the @ClamCase. The quality doesn't compare to the @ClamCase, though and after testing it on drops, the @ClamCase provided much more protection for the iPad. At $149, it is priced above all of it's current competitors. Also, nobody seems to know exactly when the Crux will ship, however the @ClamCase is set to ship next week.

The Verdict:
The Crux360 case is certainly cool, but cool in itself isn't good enough. I feel that too much time was spent on making it look and function well, and not enough was spent on making sure this provides protection for the iPad. It still is a very nice case that will certainly show off well.
________________________________________________________________

I hope that this addresses all of your concerns with my writing style. Please do not assume that Engadget is only as good as me, as I don't have enough experience to be at the level of many other fantastic Engadget writers. I am always open to writing suggestions, and thanks for helping me become a better writer.

-Urculla S.

 

[MattIM]

THANK YOU Urculla S. Now that is more like it! I'm glad you did not react so hard to my posting and went ahead and posted your real findings. I do appreciate your reply. I hope everyone that reads your reply will find it also useful and helps them figure out which is the best case to meet their needs.

In the future, if you post more, you'll have the ability to paste a link to Engadget, I think that is allowable. Engadget includes videos with their reviews, will your case review also include a video? If so, can you come back and post a link?

Thanks again.

 

[Surculla]

THANK YOU Urculla S. Now that is more like it! I'm glad you did not react so hard to my posting and went ahead and posted your real findings. I do appreciate your reply. I hope everyone that reads your reply will find it also useful and helps them figure out which is the best case to meet their needs.

In the future, if you post more, you'll have the ability to paste a link to Engadget, I think that is allowable. Engadget includes videos with their reviews, will your case review also include a video? If so, can you come back and post a link?

Thanks again.

Here's a photo of the ClamCase.

 

[Surculla]

Zaggmate

Here's a photo of the ZaggMate.

 

[Surculla]

Crux360

Here's a photo of the Crux360

 

[xune]

Here's a photo of the Crux360

That looks like the Brookstone keyboard case.

This is the Cruxcase360:

 

[Quantus]

How much weight does each add?

 

[Gellio]

Thanks so much for your comparision review. I had been debating which one of these to get and got the Zagg for the simple reason that the other two basically transform the iPad into a net book. Zagg offers the advantage of using the iPad naked, which to me is the most comfortable way to use it. The other two seem like they would be odd, heavy and bulky to hold while not using the keyboard. I got a skin to protect the iPad back and a shield to protect the backing of the Zagg. They are ordered. Once they arrive, I will hopefully have finally found the ideal iPad case.

 

[Surculla]

Here's a photo of the Crux360

That looks like the Brookstone keyboard case.

This is the Cruxcase360:

My mistake. I accidentally attached the wrong photo. Thanks for catching that.

 

[Surculla]

Weights

How much weight does each add?

The ZaggMate adds about 3/4 of a pound to the weight of the iPad.

The ClamCase adds about 1 and 1/2 pounds to the weight of the iPad.

The Crux360 adds about 2 pounds (maybe a little less) to the weight of the iPad.

Hope this helps.

 

[Blackbelt]

Part of my interest is driven from the fact that the case offers clips to hold the ipad as oppose to cases that cover the back frame of the IPAD thus crowds the screen.