There are many case manufacturers for PDA’s, cell phones and handheld devices. Many of these cases are mass produced in developing countries or simply stamped out in high production OEM facilities. We typically don’t even give those cases a second look. Every once in a while a manufacturer will come along whom painstakingly produces a truly fine crafted leather case; a couple of names immediately come to mind like Vaja Cases and Piel Frama.

This week I had the privilege to look at a new line of cases from some old friends who have truly reinvented themselves, n-Signia Cases. A couple of years back we reviewed the Flack Jacket from Silicon Web of Australia, this was a finely crafted leather case. Over the last couple of years they have refined their processes and completely overhauled the whole PDA case business in Australia with the launch of handmade exotic leather cases under their new name n-Signia cases.

n-Signia cases specializes in handmade exotic leather cases using leathers from various hides such as Kangaroo, Ostrich, Shark, Barramundi, and Crocodile. What the hell is Barramundi you’re probably asking…yeah we did too. The Barramundi is a type of giant perch that is common in tropical coastal and freshwaters in northern Australia…more on exotic leathers later in the article.

There is more to a case than just its materials and how it was made. To make this reviewer sit up and notice a case in today’s sea of PDA cases it has to bring a little something extra to the table. It has to innovate and be original. It needs to have something that will set it apart from the legions of similar products out there. So what does n-Signia have that meets those requirements you might ask; beyond the fact that they are handmade and use exotic leathers? Glad you asked, n-Signia has added a unique belt clip system to their cases that finally solves the issue of what type of belt-clip system to purchase. They have included a landscape and portrait mounting system into each case allowing the purchaser to have either configurations or none while still keeping a stylish looking case.

n-Signia includes a metal mounting lug that screws into the back of the case for the mounting clip. This can be attached at either the portrait or landscape positions. There is a nifty little plastic cover with their logo that hides the unused mouthing hole.

The case is padded on the front and back; while this does add some thickness to the case it should provide ample protection. Overall fit and finish is top notch, the case was a bit snug and I am told that they are that way by design as leather will stretch and the added snugness will ensure a long lasting fit. I do recall a leather case from about a year ago that my XDA Phone slid out of and the PDA screen broke as a result of a loose fit; its nice to see someone is thinking about these issues in the design process. After a week of toting an iPAQ 2200 around the case still holds its firmness.

They have included 3 credit card slots, a money pocket, and two SD memory card slots on the front flap of the case. They also employ small metal rivets in lieu of button holes for the function buttons of the iPAQ while leaving an ample space carved out for the D pad and sync cable.

Additionally, when you buy an exotic leather case, you can choose what style (book or flip, what color you prefer, whether or not you would like the removable belt clip option AND you will be able to enter up to 4 initials to be embossed on your case to really personalize it. Each case will be made to order (necessary for the embossing of the initials) and will be shipped within 15 working days of order.

n-Signia has offered to extend a 15% discount to the first 100 readers who order a case between now and Dec 31st. This does not apply to their clearance items. The coupon code is: ZPJBQ9AS. Add the code at the checkout page when ordering for the 15% discount.

If you want a custom handcrafted case with exotic leather and a stylish look and feel try a case from n-Signia you will be glad you did.

Pros:
Quality leathers
Good stitching
Innovative clip system
Handmade
Tools included for clip installation

Cons:
More expensive than mass produces cases

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars and our Innovative Product award.

--Bill Landon

We asked Graham Walker of n-Signia cases about the use of exotic leathers and how he would respond to various concerns about wildlife preservation. This is what he had to say:

We asked Graham Walker of n-Signia cases about the use of exotic leathers and how he would respond to various concerns about wildlife preservation. This is what he had to say:

Our products are made from a variety of leathers and there are a number of leathers that we are looking at using in the future. Some of these leathers, like cowhide, are extremely common and usually cause no problems. Others are just a bit unusual, like Barramundi and Ostrich, and other types of leather, such as the crocodile, are more controversial.

We make sure that all of our leather comes from either a farmed animal, a government approved culling program or a byproduct of regulated human consumption.

For instance the Shark leather as well as the Barramundi leather, is a byproduct of the regulated fishing industry in Australia. This industry is carefully controlled to ensure that fish stocks in Australian waters are always maintained. The skins of fish that are caught and processed for human consumption are usually just thrown away. In Australia there is one company in Western Australia that takes these skins and tans them for use in leather products. To me this is a commendable enterprise rather than one that should be maligned.

The Barramundi and Shark leathers have interesting textures to them and make a very unique PDA case. The Barramundi is a fish with a large scale pattern and even though the leather originates from a fish the resultant leather after tanning feels and smells just like any other leather. Currently we use buffed shark leather. Natural shark leather is like sand paper and is actually used as sand paper in the medical industry. Buffing the leather reduces the abrasiveness of the leather while still providing a rough feel that lets you know that it is shark leather.

The Ostrich leather that we use is from farmed Ostriches. Ostriches are farmed all over the world for meat, leather and feathers and are not an endangered species.

We do not use the skins of wild Crocodiles. The Crocodile leather that we use is from farmed animals. There are only about a dozen or so crocodile farms in Australia. Each of these has to be run according to strict guidelines and have an approval number and certificate from Environment Australia. When we purchase these skins to make our products we always ensure that we get this approval information from the farm. When we ship the product we have to obtain a CITES export certificate from Environment Australia where we quote the approval certificate of the farm that provided the skin. This certificate is quite expensive and is part of the reason for the cost of the crocodile products as well as the very high cost of the leather itself.

The Kangaroo leather is from tanneries that obtain their skins from Environment Australia approved culling programs. These are strictly controlled programs to ensure that Kangaroo numbers don't get too low in drought periods (we actually have a drought at the moment so Kangaroo leather is quite hard to obtain due to reduced culling) or too high in high rainfall periods (where the Kangaroos would have a very high chance of starving to death once the weather returned to normal and food disappeared). The Kangaroos are used for both meat and leather so there is no wastage. If you own a pair of leather running shoes you most likely already own a Kangaroo leather product. The majority of Australian Kangaroo leather is used by large shoe companies as it is one of the strongest leathers available (about 6-8 times stronger than cowhide).

At present we don't have any snake or lizard leather products; however we are looking at making these products and will again be making sure that we get out leather from farmed animals only.

I hope this has helped clarify our position and has helped to show that we do not use endangered wild species and are careful to always obtain our leathers through legitimate, legal channels.

--Graham Walker