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Case Logic HDC-3 Review

Bojan Kotur | Guest Reviews
January 5, 2009

In Slovenia Case Logic is best known for their CD/DVD cases as well as MP3 player, camera and hard drive cases. While I was looking for a case suitable for my Psion Netbook Pro, I stumbled upon a hard drive case that I've never seen before. On paper it seemed perfect for the Netbook so I ordered one.

Case Logic HDC-3 is a simple yet attractive case originally intended for external 3.5" hard drives. It's made of synthetic materials, nylon with a good amount of Ethylene-Vinyl Acetate (foam rubber) for shock protection. The case is available in black only.

Figure 1: HDC-3 in its packaging

The bottom of the case is reinforced with a material that feels like synthetic leather. The case has a carrying handle and a detachable shoulder strap. Both are functional yet the shoulder strap feels quite flimsy and doesn't come with a shoulder pad like most laptop bags I've seen. There are two nylon loops sewn to the case that are used to attach the shoulder strap via plastic clips. Considering the low weight of what it's going to carry, this shouldn't be an issue but it does reflect the low price.

The cover is held closed by a zipper and when open provides easy access to the inside. Zipper pulls are made of rubber instead of metal. In the long-term this could present a problem since rubber is known to deteriorate over time. Overall, the case appears to be well made and I couldn't find any manufacturing flaws in the review case.

Figure 2: The inside of the case with the shoulder strap in the foreground

The compartment measures (9 x 7 x 4 inches / 22.9 x 17.75 x 10.15 cm) and contains a foam divider which attaches with velcro. The interior is well padded and big enough for a handheld, power supply, cables, wireless PC Card with still more room to spare. I missed having a few pockets for CF/SD cards but considering it's not a handheld case this is understandable. The case is also suited for many other handheld's as well as 7-9" UMPC's (as the sticker says). Sadly, it's just a bit too small to fit a NEC MobilePro 880.

Figure 3: Complete with accessories

Protection is fairly good and should you drop the case while getting out of the car or bump it into door frames and similar, your H/PC should be fine.
I believe it would probably survive a drop from table height as well, however I am not prepared to drop mine from any heights in order to test this statement.

In my opinion this is more of an every-day work case to be used inside office buildings or to/from the car since it's too small to be practical for anything but the handheld and accessories. As a field case and for economising users, I wouldn't want to carry an extra case such as this and would prefer a simple neoprene sleeve which I could throw in the backpack - but that could just be me.

Visually, the case doesn't look like a laptop case at all. In fact, my mother said that it reminded her of a woman's purse or a cosmetic bag. I fail to see the resemblance but it is a bit chunky which might put some people off. If you're looking for a case that will only hold the H/PC without the power supply, you will probably skip this one.

At a price of roughly £20.00 EUD (£20.00 GBP, $24.20 USD, €23.00 EUR¥3,613.00 JPY est.) and with a 25 year warranty this case is hard to beat. While it has the looks but it also has some flaws, overall you get what you pay for and I'm quite happy with mine.

 

System Requirements:

Internal Dimensions: 21.59cm x 8.25cm x 16.51cm (8.5" x 3.25" x 6.5")

Buying Resources

on eBay
on Amazon
Search for Case Logic HDC-3 at UsedHandhelds.com

More information on Case Logic HDC-3 can be found at
http://www.caselogic.com/

Ratings

Cost: 5- Star Rating
Usability: 4- Star Rating
Built-in Help: 3- Star Rating
Overall: 4- Star Rating
Pros: Good price. Nice design and simple access. Just the right size for the Netbook Pro.

Cons: Flimsy shoulder strap, plastic clips. No shoulder pad. Rubber zipper pulls.

Further Discussion

Let us know what you thought of this review and the Case Logic HDC-3 in the Community Forums!