The Griffin Survivor for the iPad2 :: a Review from the Field

I have never written a review of a product before but I thought I would share some thoughts about the Griffin Survivor case for the IPad 2.

Several months back my in-laws bought me an IPad. It is my first Apple product. The machine is fantastic and has truly changed the way I approach business in the field. Mainly in that I can have my business with me anywhere. Now, I happen to know that Apple products are pretty tough. I have a carpenter friend who takes his Apple laptop on the job site daily. But still, I had some pretty strong reservations about taking this delicate, wafer thin tablet computer along for my daily bumpy ride. That is until I wrapped the little bugger up in the Griffin Survivor case.

If you read the packaging for the case you will learn that it meets military standards. These standards have numbers that are printed on the box. I was moderately impressed by this but more I was taken by the design compared to some of the other ruggedized options, which seemed bulky and overly stylized to insure that we are aware that our case is heavy duty. The Griffin case, like others has a two layer system of protection (hard plastic with a rubber outer sleeve) but it does so with a design which seems to be looking to solve a problem rather than saying something about the problem it is solving.

The Survivor case was 80 bucks so I was slightly reluctant to buy it fearing that it might prove to be yet another expensive foible. My fears were amplified when I got the machine in the case for the first time and found the rubber to be slippery. Fortunately, 4 Jackson’s was enough of an investment to make me ride out those first couple of days with the Griffin case. In the span of a week the rubber literally went from slippery to feeling very secure in the hand. Add to this a pretty smart design of ridges and valleys that fit the hand and gives your fingertips plenty of places to take hold.  You end up with an IPad that you can handle in much the same way as you would a clipboard. Being able to grab the machine and go, or set It down without thinking about damaging it is a real plus for me. A little bump, here or there, as I walk through the house working is no worry.

I use my tablet mostly for data entry and communication so some of the major drawbacks of the case are not a problem for me. Namely that the flip back covers for the camera and microphone are a real fumble. This was also true on the Otterbox Defender case I had for my phone so I think this problem runs across the board in the world of ruggedized cases. Another drawback is the poor performance of the removable stand which comes with the Griffin case. It is useless and I quickly discarded it. For extensive typing I use a stand which is designed for a small laptop that inclines. Also, the Griffin case comes with clear screen protection but no actual screen cover so, for travel, I slip it in a protective sleeve that I keep in my satchel.

The Griffin Survivor case also cleans up well. Sawdust and dust can be wiped away in moments to make your machine presentable for client meetings and such. For my purposes, Griffin has done a bang up job!

You can read more about it HERE.

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