Laptop Sleeve | Review | The EDC Zone

STM Grace Deluxe Sleeve 13"

PRODUCT INFORMATION

*Main compartment cradles your laptop in protective foam and plush, super soft lining
*Magnetized front flap for a clean look and easy access
*Front zippered pocket for pens, mobile phone, cords, etc.
*Tote straps make it easy to grab and sling over your shoulder
*Sized to fit the form factor of all current MacBook 13 inch offerings (MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, MacBook Pro Retina) as well as many other 13" ultra-book designs

Main material(s): 100% polyester
Outer dimensions: 10.3 x 14.8 x 0.8 in / 22.7 x 36.0 x 1.8 cm
Weight: 0.68 lb / 0.31 kg

Image courtesy of www.stmbags.com.au

Posted by Jason McIsaac

I currently own a few STB Bags, namely my large 15" Laptop bag and Linear 13" Laptop shoulder bag which I reviewed here I have found that STM Bags are rugged enough for Everyday use and have loads of room for taking those extra items and comfortable to carry to the wildest of locations.

I was recently asked if I would like to have a look at STM's latest range of Sleeves aimed at the Lady in your Family, and that would be my Wife Lisa, I said she would love to have a look, so was sent two great looking items the Grace Deluxe Laptop Sleeve 13" and the matching Grace Clutch in Deep Purple, which happens to be one of my wifes faourite colours.

Image courtesy of www.stmbags.com.au

Review Unit Arrived

The review unit arrived and to my surprise it also included a matching Grace Clutch case, this small double pouched Clutch is he perfect size to accommodate cords, pens, maybe your phone on one side leaving room to stash your personal necessities on the other. There’s no need to ruin a great day digging for a thumb drive. Tuck it away in your favorite bag or use alone when heading out.

The grace collection strikes the balance between simplicity and style, bringing harmony to your digital day.

*Two zippered compartments separate and organise smaller items and your daily necessities
*Expandable design accommodates more stuff than you’d expect
*Long, durable zipper-pulls for easy access even with a gloved hand

First Impressions

My First Thoughts – The Blokes View

The Sleeve looked great, the material was excellent and on par with all STM bags that I currently own, The Dark Purple colour was also a brilliant combo that looks striking yet very professional, this was a hit striaght off for my Wife.

The bag also gave enough pockets and carry options to even use it as a handbag if required. Would be great as carryon luggage for a plan trip or cruise. Also thought it was light weight and would be easy to carry.

Lisa’s First Thoughts – The Girls View

Must say I loved the colour combo Jace was sent, looks so nice and professional, will have to hide this from my daughter who has started liking a lot of my Handbags.

As Jace stated the material is really nice and the fact it has a two toned colour and material just adds to the overall look and feel of the bag.

Up Close and Personal

So the Sleeve has arrived now lets have a look at what it has and would enable my wife to carry in it.

Image courtesy of www.stmbags.com.au

Now my wife only has a 15" Laptop so could test it in this 13" Sleeve how every I do have a Surface Pro 3, I have a Urban Armour Gear Scout case on it, but for this review as most girls wouldn't have such a rugged case on it I removed the Scout case. As you can see the large internal pocket can easlily accomodate the SP3 with plenty of room spare. My Wife Lisa acutally carried her Smaung Tab 3 and the Grace Clutch in the main pocket.

The front pocket has a soft material to protect your laptop, tablet or other electronic device you might want to carry.

Testing

For the main sets of tests that we carried out we used the following items

Surface Pro 3 (no case)
Lumia 735 (in the Grace Clutch)
Lumia AC Charger and USB Cable (in the Grace Clutch)
WD 1TB Hard Drive
Pink 4000mAh Power Bank & USB Cable
Monarch 6 Flashlight
Leatherman Wingman
Swiss Army Knife (SAK) Cadet
Keys attached to internal Key Lanyard

Now some of the items might seem a bit strange for a woman to carry, but this scenario was based on my wife going out for the day to Fremantle or even work function etc., this could also be used if going overseas (minus the SAK and Leatherman of course) and in fact my Family and I are going back to New Zealand for two weeks to see Family that Lisa will be using the Grace Sleeve as her carry on luggage.

As I mentioned above the Surface Pro 3 fits perfectly in the main internal pocket, this would also accomodate any 13" laptop top/ notebook or tablet. Lisa found that the weight was still ok for her to carry it on her sholuder and was on par with her larger Handbag for weight.

In the front zipped pocket you can see in the photo below that we have a good amount of gear in there of different sizes and weights. the larger section pocket on the left easliy accomodated out 1TB WD Harddrive as well as Lisa's new Pink 4000mAh Power Bank, the smaller thin pockets would be great for Pens, USB cables, or other thin long items, another larger pocket similar to the one on the far left fitted three items a Swiss Army Knife Cadet, Leatherman Wingman and a Monarch 6 Flash light.

A close up of the larger pocket with the 1TB WD Harddrive with the Pink 4000mAh Power Bank

Testing the Linear bag carrying it around for the day

The front pocket also has a Key Chain Lanyard attached giving you a secure option to store keys or other items, you can also see that the zipper has a large leather lanyard attached to it, making it easy to unzip the pocket even in the mild of winter and wearing gloves, not that we do that here in Perth, Western Australia our winter days don't get below 15oC.

Grace Clutch

My wife loved the fact you can also get the matching Grace Clutch, for her she stored her Lumia 735 in on pocket and in the other the 735's charger.

With the added Clutch you could use it as a Purse, to store extra items that you don't wan't loose in the Sleeve, this could be Lip Stick, eye liner, tissues, or house keys.

If you are traveling you could also store your Mobile devices like iPod, Mobile Phone and all their cables so that they are all in one place and easy to find.

Lisa also liked the fact that the Grace Clutch matches the Grace Deluxe Sleeve is awesome.

My Conclusion

Would I recommend the STM Grace Deluxe Sleeve 13", yes and here are the main reasons

It fits well into my wife's busy life style
Looks professional yet very functional
Excellent material and workmanship
Light weight
Easy to carry
Has pockets for added items
Gives nice protection to Tablet or Laptop
Great range of colour options
Add-on item the Grace Clutch.

My wife & I have tried to find any real negatives for the Grace Deluxe Sleeve but just couldn't personal see any faults it ticked all of our boxes, the cost of the Sleeve might be a bit high for some at $69.95 (via JB Hi-Fi) but when you add all the advantages of the bag it will be a good investment.

Who would benefit from this bag?

Business Woman: The Grace Deluxe Sleeve is a Professionally designed Sleeve that would fit in at any boardroom or business function, the tote straps are comfortable for the Sleeve to be carried over the shoulder and with the range of colours available should have no problems finding the right one to match your business outfit.

Student College/Uni: The Grace Deluxe Sleeve would also be ideal for the busy College or Uni student as the Sleeve has options to carry your 13" Mac Book Pro, Surface 3 or Surface Pro 3 plus pen's note books and other items you might need for your classes.

At Home Mum/Grandma: Mum's are very busy be it working from home or being the Domestic Engineer having the ability to carry your tablet/laptop in a stylish Sleeve yet also carry some of your esential items like lipstick, pens, notebook, mobile phone is just such a added bonus.

So check out STM's wide range of bags and cases for your Laptops, Tablets and much more.