KlearKase Offers Everyday Protection for Kindles

June 11, 2010 By Geoff Duncan

KlearKase wants to protect Kindles from everyday bumps, scratches, moisture, and dust...and be the case users leave on the device all the time.

Amazon’s Kindle ereader has been pushing the ereader market for a couple years now, but hasn’t really generated its own accessories ecoystems the way, say, Apple’s iPods did years before that. However, that doesn’t mean there aren’t any third party Kindle accessories: yesterday we noted a floating, waterproof case designed to take Kindles poolside, and now KlearKase has debuted its protective case for the Kindle. It may not let folks read underwater, but it is designed to be a protective case folks leave on their Kindles all the time to protect them from everyday falls, dirt, scratches, and moisture.

“The fully sealed KlearKase is designed so that you can leave it on all the time,” said Klearkase CEO Bob Mckenzie, in a statement. “Our founders, and their families, have broken more than six Kindles between them. The Kindle is an amazing product and we love it. But it is not designed to survive a hard drop, a soaking, or the threats of mobile life unprotected.”

The KlearKase is made from a specially hardened polycarbonate plastic, is full transparent, and adds about six ounces to the weight of the Kindle. The KlearKase doesn’t interfere with normal use of the Kindle, but does provide fully-sealed protection to protect the devices against spills, bumps, scratches, and moisture. Although the KlearKase is not designed to let people read their Kindles up to a meter underwater or neatly float them screen-side-up, it does claim to be able to stand up to the hazards faced every day by portable electronic devices.

The KlearKase should be available later in June from (of course) Amazon.com for an “introductory” price of $39.99.

Showing 5 comments

Carl Richards at 12:45pm 12th September 2010 I purchased the Klearkase for my recent seaside holiday. I can honestly say that it exceeded expectations and filled me with infinite confidence when near water and 3 children under 8. As far as I am concerned this is a must for all those who are going to put their precious Kindles near water/sand/dirt/children and other everyday hazards
Dick at 9:55pm 12th June 2010 Bob is right: of course the KlearKase can get wet. It can get soaked, drenched, and splashed. I've spilled cups of soda on mine and wash it regularly under running water. I've used it in the tub and the pool and it holds up fine.

Why then don't we call it water proof? Because waterproof means immersion proof and immersion is different. At some depth, the seals won't hold. If the removable plugs over the on-off switch and the charging port are not firmly set, the can leak. That's why we don't bill it as waterproof, even though it's pretty damn close.

If you need a truly waterproof case, we think the Guardian is great. But, waterproof comes with a price. It weighs more than a pound -- three times more than the KlearKase, and 150% the weight of the Kindle itself. A Kindle in the Guardian weighs almost 1.75 POUNDS. That's heavy. Also heavy is the Guardian's price: $80, vs $39 for the KlearKase. That's not because the Guardian folks are cheating you -- it costs more to make diving gear. And there are other problems. To turn on or off your Kindle in a Guardian, you have to open the case. So you have to actually open your waterproof case regularly to use your Kindle with the Guardian. How waterproof is opening your case in the pool?

The KlearKase, by contrast, is designed for everyday trauma, not water sports. It will protect against spills, splashes, drops, food, kids, scratches, pets, etc. It costs half as much as the Guardian and it weighs a third as much. It's designed for a different mission. And it's designed so you can leave it on all the time. All the controls work just fine with the case sealed.

Some very nasty folks, like Joe above, have shown up on the web to trash the KlearKase. They haven't seen it yet because it hasn't shipped. They lie and say you can't get it wet, which is of course nonsense.

I'm guessing they work for a competitor.
1. OMAR at 9:38pm 29th June 2010 i agree; JOE's reply seems to an example of juvenile prose --- while anyone has the righ to express what he wants, his comment certainly does NOT help in asisting those who may have legitimate questions in making informed decisions like myself. besides, there seems to be the glaring shortcoming of the m-Edge Guardian: the inability to turn on/off the power and charge the kindle when it encases it; sadly, this was a serious design flaw, as mentioned by other reviewers in other forums. anyway, IF YOU DRINK, DON'T DRIVE; WHEN YOU READ, WHY DIVE?
Bob at 12:41pm 12th June 2010 Not quite right. While our warranty and product use statements on KlearKase.com detail our official stance (and how we will back up the product), we believe that a short drop in the pool, ocean, or bathtub would not be likely to result in damage to your Kindle if it is removed from the water and dried promptly. Since some users may not secure the silicon plugs, we can't make promises about results from submersion. We founders of KlearKase.com have been using our KlearKases in our tubs and out by the pool without issue, but we cannot guarantee that a KlearKase falling into water will not leak. We created this 100% sealed case to provide Kindle protection against spills, splashes, and moisture but not to be used by scuba divers.
Joe Greenspan at 12:38pm 11th June 2010 Piece of junk, "waterproof" but it cannot get wet!