These two iPad 2 cases from Skech, which they call Custom Jackets, are very good general purpose covers, giving more than adequate protection for the iPad in normal day-to-day usage.

They are made of a durable hard material which covers the iPad front and back, with very well positioned cut-outs for all the ports: charging, volume control, camera, Bluetooth, etc. For some reason they have chosen to leave the top bezel of the iPad completely exposed, other than the corners, which is as bit of a shame and does lessen the protection slightly. The back clips solidly onto the iPad and the front flaps open and does perform the all important automatic sleep/wake mode. Any cover/ case that ignores this at this stage is truly shooting itself in the foot.

When flipped over the front cover inserts into a hinge fitting on the back allowing for two different stand positions. This means that you can easily put your iPad in a position ideal for Internet browsing or word processing, and just as quickly turn it over for watching movies, reading or whatever.

All functions of the Skech cases work really well and the finish of these cases is excellent. I favour the tan leather-effect version, the slightly thicker case of the two, which looks extremely classy and, at a quick glance, fools most people into thinking it is the genuine thing. However, the truth is that this material will probably keep its good looks for longer than leather. The all-black case, with a soft rubber feel, linen effect is also very smart and, although completely identical in moulding, has a completely different appearance and quality of its own.

To sum up, if you are looking for a reasonably-priced, slimline hard shell for your iPad, then either of these two Skech cases are well worth considering.