written by PhilWalsham on 17/03/2009
Stretch & Protect
Stretch & Protect sounds like the Elastic Band Police Force motto doesn't it?
If I wanted to, I could just say "It's a knitted sleeve that protects your TomTom" - review over. But that's not very helpful is it?
The question is - How much more advice do you need about a protective case?
OVERVIEW
The TomTom Sleeve for ONE or XL is a stretchy knitted sock essentially, the pack comes as a twin pack of sleeves, one Red and one Black. Also included within the pack is a Caribiner-style clip. Each sleeve is big enough to take a single TomTom ONE or a single TomTom XL - the ONE being slightly smaller is a better fit but the XL still goes into the sleeve comfortably. The sleeve comes with a TomTom tag and a loop. The loop allows the use of the caribiner clip, so you can attach the sleeve to a belt loop or something similar.
As a soft case which protects your lovely Sat-Nav from dirt and dust then it works wonders. If you want something that is going to protect your device from a drop from a great height then think again.
~~~My Experience~~~
I bought these after searching high and low for a suitable case, I objected to paying £10 for a single case (most ebay or online stores I found were about this sort of price range) but I chanced across the offer in Argos while buying a new Iron (review may follow!)
I've been using the sleeve for about 2 months and I honestly cannot fault it, it provides the level of protection I am looking for and is not obtrusively large or bulky. Whilst I agree with some reviews (on other sites) that this product is not specifically designed for the XL, it does fit - see my pictures.
The ONE, being smaller, is obviously going to be a better fit, but to my way of thinking as long as the XL doesn't stick out of the sleeve then all is well.The reason I bought the sleeve was primarily to provide protection for the screen, whilst the XL was in my pocket or bag, from incidental items such as pens or keys. Being a knitted fabric it will not stop small thin sharp objects from penetrating through but the question is - what sort of sharp pointy objects are you carrying in your pocket? And why? I suppose you could push a paperclip or drawing pin through it but again the question surfaces - why?
In all seriousness the only question I should be answering is would I recommend it - and the answer is Yes.
~~~Pricing~~~
Argos are currently (17/3/09) selling the pack at Half-Price - £4.99 - which in my opinion is a BARGAIN!
But even at full-price - £9.99 it's pretty good value.