Fujitsu U810 case option: Elecom ZeroShock III

An inexpensive and increasingly popular alternative to the executive leather portfolio and other official cases for the Fujitsu LifeBook U810 mini notebook is the ZeroShock III zippered case by Japan-based Elecom. Designed for use with portable CD and DVD drives, the case actually fits the U810 so perfectly that some sites even list it as a primary selling point.

Since I'm always so chatty around here, what follows is a mostly silent pictorial documenting the blossoming relationship between my U810 and the ZeroShock III that I bought from eBay.

Note: This is not a review.

Packaging

Design

The inside of the case is lined with polyurethane memory foam to absorb shock, making it great protection for a device with moving parts.

Yes, that really does say "wavin' ravin' protective gear."

Size Comparisons

Here's the ZeroShock III beside the U810 executive leather portfolio (which is still being neglected in a drawer on account of its bulk and weight) and Tumi T-Tech Flow (which I use when traveling):

Fit

As you can see from the very noticeable bulge in the photo above, the fit is rather snug. It takes some effort to pull the zippers around the case at first, but it loosens up after a few zip-unzip cycles and isn't what I'd consider a real strike against it.

The Elecom ZeroShock III case is a bit tricky to find in stores, but it's been spotted at Shinza and eBay at prices ranging between $15 and $20.

Thanks for the tip, Geoffrey!

Comments

[luvmyumpc]

Well Jenn,

I have to agree with you on the leather fujitsu case. After using it on a week long business trip to the other side of the country, I am going to purchase one of these and see if it works any better than the leather one. Its just too bulky and I found myself clumsily removing the U810 from its case several times for many reasons. Its fine for carrying the U810 in, but this looks better suited to having my U810 in my backpack due to dust and debris that inevitably got into my U810s leather case. I am going to give looking for a hard case a few more tries, but this may be the one I end up with.

[orbitalcomp]

I must be the only one who likes the Executive case...I am always partial to the play-through cases, though. Its fit and finish is very good, plus it is soft and padded when using the U810.

I guess I just got used to this leather style with my PDAir version on my Libretto. By the way - PDAir also makes an Executive-style case for the U810 that doesn't have the 'wings' on the sides to hold the bottom in, it actually has plastic posts that lock into the bottom of the unit.

That ZeroShock case does look pretty well made, though...maybe I'll pick one up for my DVD drive.

[Urban Strata]

I have Fujitsu's executive leather case on my U810 and really like it a lot. It has definitely saved my device from several potentially nasty scratches, though the soft leather certainly shows scratches of its own. My biggest wish it that it covered the extended battery, which is left totally unprotected.

That said, I'll probably pick up the ZeroShock case, too. :)

[HG]

I also have the Fujitsu executive leather case and really like it. To me it really doesn't add much bulkness to the U810. It's like carrying a day timer. Everything fits pretty much flush with the U810 so looks very nice. When people see the case at meetings they think its a day timer and when I open it and use OneNote to take notes they all get surprized on how small of a computer it is; of course they ask is that a computer so show them and they are Wow'ed by the size.

[die]

I have the Elecom 10.4 - 11.1" Zeroshock III sleeve for notebook computers, which I use with the TZ, and it's pretty much identical to this one you are reviewing except it's obviously bigger. I definitely agree about the zippers. At first I thought I had a defective zipper line because the zippers kept getting stuck at certain points, but after a while of using it, it just goes.

The inner wave foam is something I'm worried about though; I've heard of two different people claiming that the foam leaves some sort of black/dark spots on the product you're transporting inside, so I've added two sheets of paper with tape (I know it sounds ghetto but it doesn't look that bad) to cover the top and bottom to help ensure this doesn't happen. I wish Elecom added in extra flat layers over the wavy surface because I can definitely see this happening. But maybe it was a case of a faulty product for those particular individuals who claimed it left spots. I've really heard nothing but glowing reviews otherwise about the Zeroshock III. Thank you for the pictorial.

[Jenn]

The leather portfolio is very nice but its weight and bulk impact my thumb typing and two-handed use too negatively for me to use it. It seems like a great case to use for taking notes in a business meeting (in either tablet or laptop mode) because of the classy Day Timer look HG mentions, but for my use at home, it just isn't right.

@ orbital: The PDAir case looks pretty good, although I don't like that the closure is on the back. Unless it's really flat, it'll make the case wobbly when set on a table right-side up, which means I'd have to set it upside down all the time. This is a common design for most organizer-style cases that I just don't understand.

The pop-up images aren't working for me right now, so I can't see anything else in much detail. But if it doesn't have that metal plate (or whatever the portfolio has that makes it so heavy) in it, I may have to get it.

@ die: Hmm. Unless they're being camouflaged by the U810's casing, I haven't noticed any dark spots so far. The foam really shouldn't be doing that, though, as I don't think dye that bleeds or rubs off would have been used. Do you know if the spots appeared after an extended period of time? If so, then it's definitely something I'll need to watch for in the coming weeks/months.

The one thing I do notice is that it sometimes leaves behind some pieces of fuzz/lint. I've been using tape to remove as much of the lint from the foam as possible, but it seems to regenerate every time I zip the case shut.