DLO Leather Case for Zune Review

Product Name: DLO Deluxe Leather Case for Zune
Manufacturer: DLO
Category: Case
Price: $34.99

DLO was generous enough to send the Wired Zune workshop a review model of the DLO Deluxe Leather case. As with all of our other case reviews, we put the product under a week long of testing.

Packaging
What is truly great and surely makes the customer feel safe with the DLO Deluxe Leather case is probably its packaging. Simply, the Leather’s packaging shines in the fact that the potential buyer can truly feel the leather before purchasing it! Unlike the silicone case industry, the leather industry is somewhat a bit more challenging and is somewhat of a risk for a buyer. There aren’t too many vendors who actually provide leather cases that last a while. DLO eliminates this risk for the buyer by allowing the top flap of the case to be tangible for the potential buyer without having to buy it.

Setup
Unlike the DLO Jam Jacket, we felt less of a “thrill” when slipping our Zune inside the case. Firstly, what was great about the DLO Deluxe Leather case was that the Zune actually slipped into the case, unlike the Jam Jacket where the Zune had to itch its way into the big 3” cut.

Design & Performance
The first impression of the DLO Deluxe Leather case was impressive. Having dealt with many low quality leather cases for the iPods, cellphones, and various gadgets, I thought, “Heck, for $34.99, what can you expect?” But actually holding the one made by DLO, I knew it was going to be different.

Firstly, the cover. The DLO Deluxe Leather case has been well polished in all aspects so that the greatest problem regarding leather, which is water, won’t necessarily destroy your case. Whether cheap or not, many leather cases tend to be vulnerable to water, soaking your device inside. The leather cover on the DLO Deluxe Leather case provides full protection of your screen and your buttons from not only possible water mess, but also any other objects that may go in. The design of the cover is also very simple and elegant, which only a small DLO logo placed in the center bottom half of the cover.

Another great part of this case is the magnet on the cover. If you’ve ever had an iPod case or any other case that has a top cover, you probably know that these things are pretty flappy. The magnet placed inside the leather cover and the case itself assures no such flappy movement from the cover.

Something that is also worth noting about the DLO Deluxe Leather case is the belt clip and the little pocket inside the cover. First, the belt clip is amazing. Although if you’ve got a weak belt itself, this little clip won’t do too much of a job, the clip itself is very sturdy and robust. You shouldn’t worry too much about it falling off your belt. Now, the pocket. A little pocket is placed on the inner side of the top cover. I personally am not exactly sure what you’d actually put in it as I tend to keep my Zune by itself, a friend of mine suggested possibly name cards, note papers, and even may a couple (the pocket won’t be able to handle many things, due to its size) flash cards if you’re a college bound student.

Now, my personal favorite part. Although Wired Zune never told them that we actually wanted this, DLO put a full clear plastic protection over the 3” screen and the D-pad along with the back and play buttons (these two being covered by the leather). Personally, I enjoyed this bit as a few times, I’ve had friends checking out the Zune and dropping a few crumbs here and there. With the DLO Deluxe Leather case, these actions were somewhat tolerable…

Finally, the cutting. The cutting of the case is fairly simple. There is a small cutting at the top of the case so that your earphones will be able to connect to. The docking port at the bottom has also been cut so that you won’t have to take the Zune out of the case every time you want to recharge it. We haven’t had much luck when trying to connect the Zune in a DLO Deluxe Leather case to a Zune speaker, but that is mostly the speaker vendor’s fault, not the cases.

Overall
As a whole, the DLO Deluxe Leather case definitely gives a custom the right bang for their buck. For an affordable Zune case, you couldn’t get any better. The new style that the orange and the black case brings to a Zune could never be better! It definitely is a case that is worth looking at and keeping an eye out for whether you’re a customer looking for a Zune case or a company looking to compete in the leather case market.

Aesthetics: 9/10
Utility: 8.5/10
Durability: 9/10
Soft Protection: 9.5/10
Hard Protection: 8/10
Quality/Price: 8/10
Overall Score: 8.7

Editor Rating: 8.5/10

Final Score: 8.6/10

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