Pad & Quill's Cases May Be Nicer Than the Device You Put in Them

Because the upgrade cycle on phones and computers has sped up so much, lots of people have just given up on investing in high-quality cases for their devices. If the design's going to change by the time you get your next one, why invest in a nice one? Here's one reason: if you're using a device all day every day, then that tool should warrant a good case.

Pad & Quill makes beautifully designed accessories out of materials like wood, leather and linen and sells them for a surprisingly reasonable price.  Even better, the company is American-owned, based in Minnesota, and over half of their products are all handcrafted in the USA (including both cases I'm writing about here).

The company makes a wide selection of shoulder bags and backpacks, Apple Watch accessories and cases for iPhone, iPad and MacBook. This post looks at the Luxury Book iPhone 7 Plus Case and the Cartella Linen for MacBook 12 Case.

Luxury Book iPhone 7 Plus Case

This case is made of full grain American leather and comes in Whiskey Brown, Galloper Black or Dark Chocolate with a contrasting color interior choice. It's beautifully made and offers a 25-year warranty on the leather and a lifetime warranty on the birch hardwood cradle. Let's be real: no phone's going to outlast that warranty.

The case will lay flat when you open it and has room to hold a drivers license plus 5 more credit cards. There are rubber bumpers in each corner of the wood cradle that do a good job of holding the phone in place. There's a small ribbon accent that makes the closed case look like a notebook with a cloth bookmark and an elastic band to hold the cover closed.

This kind of craftsmanship is a throwback to the days before post-WWII mass production. The iPhone 7 Plus model sells for $109.95 and there's a iPhone 7 model that sells for $99.95. You can also still get one for an iPhone 6 or 6s ($99.95) or an iPhone 6 Plus or 6s Plus ($109.95). If you were going to use your phone for the next 5-10 years, it would be an easy decision. But even if you upgrade your phone every 2-3 years, this case might just make you so happy that you won't regret the expense. There's a 30-day money back guarantee if you want to see if it's worth it, but be warned: you won't want to send it back.

Cartella MacBook 12 Case

Pad & Quill's Cartella MacBook 12 Case offers the same birch frame and rubber bumpers to hold your computer in place. When it's closed and the strap in holding it in place, your computer looks like a notebook and not a computer, something that could help prevent a theft. If you lug your computer around it a shoulder bag, that's worth considering.

The case comes in three color combos (Dark Chocolate with Merlot interior, Cranberry with Slate Gray interior and Gray Tweed with Deep Sea Blue interior) and the outside is make of Linen Buckram to make it look and feel like a bound book. There's a 1-year warranty on the cover and a lifetime wood warranty.

The case folds wraps backs over to make a perfect laptop stand. It retails for $99.95. Pad & Quill makes similar cases for the MacBook Air 13" and the Macbook Pro 13" Retina 2013-2015 models plus a new Slim version for the newest MacBook Pro 13" and MacBook Pro 15".

If you work in a business where you need to make an impression on client or even if you just want to buy something nice for yourself, check out the full line at the Pad & Quill website.