TinyLightbulbs.com is a ingenious young company that specializes in bringing independently funded and crowd funded projects to greater public awareness. Recently they turned me on to a product called The Flex Kit. Here is a case solution that stands out from a very crowded field of iPad cases. Uzibull has created a versatile and unique product, a protective and functional line of accessories for the iPad that is The Flex Kit.
The Flex Kit’s back cover snaps snugly against the rear of your iPad and allows you to either attach NOTHING to it and proudly display the Apple logo on the tablet’s back, or, using customized clip-ons you can hook your iPad up to a tripod, a hand grip, a suction cup, a clamp or a heavy duty shoulder strap.
The Flex Kit is a great concept, and in the right situations, would make the perfect case. One of the most outstanding and exemplary attributes of this case system is the versatility you gain by being able to add all sorts of useful and practical attachments.
The tripod attachment allows you to set your iPad in a supported and secure position just about anywhere. And if you are often around smooth surfaces (like a kitchen, a bathroom or a vehicle window) then the suction cup arm attachment might be perfect for you.
The hand strap feature comes in quite handy, especially for folks in situations where they need extra reliability when it comes to being able to securely grip and hold the iPad, like a nurse or doctor for instance, or a construction worker or lab technician.
And the shoulder strap can be put to good use in a great number of ways, whether it's for a student, a professor, an office executive, a coach or a medical professional. With The Flex Kit you have no shortage of ways to carry your iPad with you, safely and securely.
Further more, The Flex Kit also includes the specialized Ekto shock absorbing external skin. The Ekto skin will definitely add some shock absorbency to your iPad, with its honeycomb interior texture and thick plastic covering. It also has contoured ridges on the backside to help make your grip on the iPad even more tenable.
That said, the Ekto silicone skin is one of this cases shortcomings. In a nutshell, it could be designed better. Firstly, it's a loose fit. In fact, not only is it a loose fit when used in conjunction with the Flex Kit which includes the underlying Flex shell, Uzibull even sells the Ekto skin by itself and says it works just fine without the Flex shell. The fact of the matter though, is that there is a great deal of wiggle room when the iPad is encased in the Ekto skin, with or without the Flex shell underneath it. I did an experiment: with the iPad encased in both the Flex case and the Ekto protective skin, holding the iPad firmly by the long side between my thumb and fingers. As long as I held the iPad horizontal all was well, however, if I held the iPad up and down, vertically, the minimal weight of the device would cause the skin to peel back and slip off and at from the iPad. It's that loose that it just slips off. So that's something I'd like to see Uzibull improve the design of, if they make a new iteration of The Flex Kit. My other quip with the Ekto skin addition to the Flex Kit system, is the fact that, while intended to be protective, it is rather bulky and heavy, leaving the user with a much heavier, much larger iPad than they initially got out of the box.
So keeping in mind, that in my mind the optional heavy duty, protective skin of this case kit is too loose fitting and a bit cumbersome, I will say that under normal, mild-use circumstances, this case will provide adequate protection for life's little hazards.
With or without the Ekto additional protective covering, The Flex Kit allows for unobstructed access to the volume, headphone jack, speaker, dock connector, camera and power button. With the Ekto skin on however, the mute button is not accessible, but that's the only feature that isn't accessible when using the Ekto case modification.
If heavy duty, Otterbox-type protection isn't what you need, then this case system is an excellent option. For anyone looking for a minimalistic, clip-on shell that is different from the rest of the field of clip-on shells, the Flex Kit will greatly expand your horizons as to how and where you can set up your iPad to be safely and securely utilized.
The Flex Starter Kit can be purchased for $50.00 at TinyLightbulbs.com.
The Starter Kit includes:
- The Ekto2 protective silicone skin
- FLEX undercover frame
- Padded shoulder strap
- Comfortable hand strap
- Quick release rotating pivot with 1/4" tripod thread so that you can connect a variety of accessories
As always, thank you for reading.