Baronfig has recently released its own version of the cocoon Grid-it style of tech gear organizer. They have taken a good idea and made it in their own style, but I think they still have some refinements that I hope to address so they can make version 2.0 better!
The case starts off with a really good build quality and design elements like the wide elastic bands with the rubber grips added. This allows for large items like an Apple Magic Mouse to be added. Everything is held very securely and I tried lots of variations of putting things into it.
If you are like me and need to keep all your tablet accessories together, this case holds everything nicely.
The Details:
8.75” x 11.75”
12oz
$29.00
Heavy-duty elastic straps
Rubberized grips for secure placement
Padded microfiber tablet sleeve
20+ versatile layouts
However,
The iPad and the fold-over magnetic case don’t fit inside! I keep my cover on my iPad constantly due to the fold-over stand and this Utility Board is so tight holding the iPad that there isn’t a millimeter of room to accommodate the extra width. This is also the case if you have a keyboard case!
The tablet pocket doesn’t have a closure mechanism so it uses the tight space to hold the iPad securely. Now, this is okay if you don’t have the extra case cover, but there is also an issue of padding. The interior of the pocket is padded to protect the screen but the back is left unpadded and can be an issue when dropped.
I generally don’t pick on Baronfig’s line-up of great products, but the use cases of this Utility Board is so small that I find it impractical for my iPad. I believe it does a great job with the organizer so I hope that they will design this a little better going forward.
I also wouldn’t be so hard on it, but I found a similar case by Cocoon called the 11” Accessory Organizer with Tablet Pocket. This has a padded back pocket with a Velcro fold over closure with a 0.5in wide pocket and goes for $32.99.
Cocoon Case
Shown here is the Grey Medium sized Grid-it board compared to the Black Baronfig Utility Board. They are similar in size and the pattern of the grid is very comparable.
So, the Baronfig Utility Board is very handy, however, it isn’t perfect and I hold Baronfig to a very high standard. I may be acting unfairly, but, I don’t think I am wrong in asking them to fix this. Let me know if you agree or believe I am wrong!
Thanks for visiting!
Mike
As always, I purchased this case and did not receive anything in return for this review. My thoughts are my own.
