Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Every so often something comes along that just makes me happy. Happy to look at, happy to feel, happy to own. This is one of those rare things that fits all three. I am a huge leather fanatic. I know a lot more than most people about leather. That also has the unfortunate effect of my disliking almost all leather that is out there. Simply put, I know too much about it. In a way, it is a little sad. I remember my first bonded leather book, and how excited I was to get it, and for such a reasonable price! Now I know all about what bonded leather is, and what it isn't, and I'm no longer impressed. So, when I saw this was available, I ordered it right away, even though I already had the standard Kindle leather cover, and I didn't have particularly high hopes. I was irritated that I didn't know about this one in advance, and that I already bought the regular leather one, too. The standard version is a traditional coated leather, which is hardly leather at all by the time they are done with it. It is shaved, painted, and coated with plastic. It isn't fake leather, but it is too close to that, and it has that slippery plastic feel from the coating, along with the uniform look that happens when leather is painted with a thick coating of paint. Overall, disappointing. I guess it is better than the all plastic version, but I can see the argument against that. It certainly isn't worth the price. I just got it because it is better than plastic (to me), and there wasn't a good alternative. But, now there is an alternative. And it isn't a marginally better cover in an exclusive color, it is actually really good. Like, astonishingly good. So good, I dropped what I was doing and wrote this review, because I think everyone has the right to know about this. They are calling it a limited edition. I don't know what that means, but it might mean you can't buy this forever. Do you have a Kindle Voyage? If so, buy this. Right now. Before you can't. This is aniline leather, meaning that instead of painting over it, they dyed it. Painting leather covers everything. It hardly matters what is underneath, because you can't see any of it in the finished product. Aniline leather is a different story. Because it is dyed, you can still see the actual leather underneath. That means it has to be at least a certain quality. If done right, like this one is, it has a matte finish, not shiny at all, and has natural color variations at the creases. The picture of this is actually very accurate. The lighter areas at the creases are really there, and it looks absolutely fantastic. I'll add a photo of mine, both front and back, so you can see that you are truly getting what you are paying for here. Do not, under any circumstances, put leather conditioner on this cover. Doing so will obliterate the lighter areas and make it all one dark brown tone. That would be a shame, because it looks so good out of the box. The back of the case is often ignored, but is a great subtle matte finish, with a terrific feel in the hand. I'd buy the case just for the improved back. It sounds odd, but the matte finish makes the Voyage much easier to hold, and feels great. It doesn't look as great as the front, by any means, but it looks a lot better than the shiny coating of the standard leather case. It does have the same magnets and origami folding action as the other official cases. So, if you like that, it is there. If nothing else, it gives great lines to the leather, so that's a good thing. And, the on/off action of the magnets is extremely useful. This isn't just recommended. If you have a Kindle Voyage, you should absolutely get this. Seriously, don't even hesitate. It really takes the Kindle to the next level. You will look on it with pride every time you see your Kindle. That's worth a lot! Sean P. Logue, 2015