iMore Verdict
Bottom line: This hand-crafted premium leather case protects your MacBook beautifully.
Pros
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Upscale aesthetic
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Hand-crafted in California
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Durable leather
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Charge your MacBook while in the case
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No company branding
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Customize for free with laser engraving
Cons
- -
Case is open along one edge
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Pricey
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Sure, you can pop your MacBook into a cheap sleeve to protect it on the go, but perhaps it's time to upgrade to something more luxurious. Picaso Lab's Classic Plus MacBook Case is a sleeve with suspenders that snap to keep your laptop in place.
Luxurious protection
Picaso Lab Classic Plus MacBook Case: Features
Picaso Lab is located in California. Each case is made there from scratch, which takes two or three days. Picaso Lab makes several different types of sleeves; the Classic Plus is like the Classic (sleeve), but with the addition of suspenders that snap closed to hold your laptop securely inside the sleeve.
The open side of the sleeve is reinforced by the maker's "solid-edge" process, which he developed in his 35 years of leatherworking experience. This hard edge gives your MacBook a bit more protection than if the edge were soft. Suspenders snap to hold your MacBook in the sleeve and unsnap to release it. The decision to leave the edge open and use suspenders instead of say, a zipper to secure the MacBook has both positive and negative implications. The positive: the USB-C ports are all exposed, so you can charge your MacBook or connect it to peripherals even while it is snugly ensconced in the case. Plus, the MacBook can "breathe" a bit from inside the case. The negative: with so much of the case open, your MacBook exposed to outside elements such as dust or moisture, which can easily enter the closed case.
This hand-crafted leather case protects your MacBook beautifully.
The outer seams of the case are stitched with large criss-cross stitches all the way around. There is no Picaso Lab branding on the case at all. If you wish, you can order the case with laser engraving to personalize it for free. The case actually comes with red suspenders, but when I mentioned I wasn't a fan of red, Picaso Lab made mine with black suspenders instead. They'd be happy to do the same for our readers; all you have to do is ask. The interior of the case is felt.
The Classic Plus sleeve comes in five colorways, each with red suspenders. But as I mentioned, Picaso Lab is happy to make your suspenders black instead, if you ask. The colors are Black, Black & Red, Brown, Brown & Red, and Blue. The "& Red" in some of the colorway names refers to the stitching; the other colors have black stitching. Picaso Labs offers sizes for the following Macs: 13-inch MacBook Pro with or without Touch Bar (2016 to current), 16-inch MacBook Pro, and MacBook Air (2018 to present). Get 10% off your Picaso Lab purchase with promo code iMore10.
Protect and charge
Picaso Lab Classic Plus MacBook Case: What I like
This is a high-class protective sleeve made just for me. It fits my MacBook Pro like a glove, and the sturdy suspenders are easy to use. It's great to be able to charge my MacBook Pro or connect it to peripherals while it's still cozy inside its case. I like that Picaso Lab doesn't put its own branding on the case; instead, you can choose your own laser engraved personalization if you wish. The suspenders and the solid-edge construction will protect my MacBook Pro even if it suffers a drop on the open edge of the case.
Open side
Picaso Lab Classic Plus MacBook Case: What I don't like
Still, this is a sleeve with an open side. If you're traveling with it on a rainy day, moisture could get in the opening. Or, if you stick it in a bag, the other contents of your bag might get in and scratch your MacBook.
Handmade leather luxury
Picaso Lab Classic Plus MacBook Case: Bottom line
Picaso Lab's Classic Plus MacBook Case is a beauty, hand-crafted in a tiny California shop. Premium, durable leather outside, felt inside, the has suspenders that securely hold your MacBook inside the sleeve. Since the one edge is open, you can actually charge your MacBook or connect it to peripherals while it's safely inside the case. But the open edge also allows debris to get in. The case comes in three sizes and five colorways, but you can make custom adjustments if you like, as I did getting black suspenders instead of red. You can also customize your case with laser engraving at no charge. Be sure to use promo code iMore10 for 10% off of your purchase.
Elegance
This hand-crafted premium leather sleeve protects your MacBook beautifully with suspenders to hold it securely in place.
