Drive By :: Aecraft Peak (Giveaway)

Aecraft, the kinda-new kids on the block, produce quality laptop and iPad sleeves. They’ve been around since early 2013 but have recently started adding to their line of products and will soon be branching into the world of bags. Currently on offer are very attractive-looking sleeves to protect your most prized electronics made of “top grade Merino wool”, “premium vegetable tanned leathers”, or a combination of both. The three-person team behind the products are based in Belgium, where the products are handcrafted. Let’s see what this Dutch crew has come up with so far.

We reviewed the most recent addition to their lineup. Called the Peak, it’s a laptop sleeve with a flap closure that can be folded into a laptop stand of sorts, not unlike the Apple iPad covers also become a stand for the iPad. The Peak is the second laptop sleeve they’ve created, the first being Flow which is a very simple, yet elegant, sleeve with a magnetised closure that comes in both laptop and iPad sleeve varieties.

First Impressions

The first thing you notice is that this sleeve will probably outlive the life of your laptop. The wool is very sturdy and thick, providing great protection for your laptop as well as a good feel in your hand. The stitching is industrial strength, giving a pleasant sense of quality craftsmanship. The edges are soft to the touch and the overall shape feels right. The flap enclosure makes it feel thick for a laptop sleeve, though it’s designed that way to solidly hold your laptop when it’s in “peak” mode.

How I Used It

I put the Peak through its paces by taking it back and forth to work for a month and everywhere inbetween. It was my go-to sleeve for a trip to the cafe or a weekend train trip to the country.

The Good

Quality craftsmanship. Enough said. The small touches are done right, making you feel good about dropping some coin on a quality product. Both the sleeve body and the flap are durable, appearing like they’ll easily take years of abuse. The aesthetic is also nice. It has an understated elegance that caught the attention of more than a couple of friends.

Converting from “normal” mode to “peak” mode is just a matter of folding the flap and snapping it into a second metal button hole. It took a bit of getting used to but was easy enough to use.

The Not So Good

When in “peak” mode the back of your computer is meant to rest on the top of the peak (with the intersection of the body and screen “inserted” on the top of the triangle) which keeps your laptop propped up at an angle. The angle is great but the flap can only be set into one position – if it’s not the angle you were looking for, and adjusting the screen doesn’t help, then you’re out of luck and will have to go back to your stack of coasters or travel magazines you’ve been using since your college days.

There was one other small niggle that irked me: when using it in “peak” mode it wasn’t 100 percent fool proof. Granted, it’s darn sturdy when you’re sitting at a desk, but when I tried it on a beanbag in my lap for instance, it slipped off as I jostled around for comfort – but I put this mainly down to the use of Merino.

This may be less of an issue in the all-leather option, since the leather is probably a bit grippier, but I think the design could be improved upon by putting a little ridge or something for the front of your laptop to catch and hold it in place.

Verdict

If it’s a nice aesthetic and quality craftsmanship you want, Aecraft is certainly a good choice. The beautiful aesthetics and quality craftsmanship speak for themselves. The new Aecraft Peak attempts to build a case and stand into one and makes some small compromises along the way. You get a thicker sleeve and a stand that is, on rare occasions, awkward, and unadjustable. If having a stand built into your case seems like a convenience of great value then you might be willing to overlook the Peak’s minor flaws and be living happily ever after; otherwise, you may want to check out the Flow and a companion stand for your laptop. Aecraft’s basic sleeve, the Flow, is a quality sleeve and doesn’t try to be anything else.

Giveaway

So, speaking of the Flow, we’ve got one to give away to a lucky carryologist who has a hankering for a home for his/her shiny laptop…

How do you win?

COMPETITION CLOSED.