I took a good long look at this case.
I really ding it. Why?
It's a departure from what I feel is the "oh-so-over-done-and-beat-to-death" designs with two long straight seams in the back with rivets or lacing. Some case makers have their signature design that uses that construction feature and I have nothing against their cases. Some of them are among the best that are made. I am just tired of seeing it. I don't want to have to look for the differences, I want them to be the most prominent thing. I want to see new ideas.
This case dispenses with the straight lines and incorporates a layering design that really gives it dimension without a lot of wild tooling. The lines and layering really make it interesting to look at and make it more elegant than a case with so many straight lines. Amazingly, the back is as nice as the front! And it wasn't done by just tooling the leather, the back really is thoughtfully designed and elegant on it's own without the decoration. The decoration simply brings out the nice features of the design. Like a nice dress and makeup on a beautiful woman...she is beautiful even without it and the addition does not overwhelm the undelying beauty.
The pockets and lid/handle still scream "same old case" to me, but the body of this thing looks smashing.
I want to see people pushing the envelope in case design like we see some cue makers. Yes, I know we see some amazing tooling, but that's not what I mean at all.
The Eastwood cases are amazing, but take away the tooling and decoration and what we have is a basic case constructed with hog rings. Hog rings? OK. Kind of a novelty at first but it's getting a bit old and it is no longer a striking feature of those cases for me. It is perhaps a "signature" feature, but no longer so striking. The interior tubes look interesting but everybody seems to be so busy going ape-shit over the tooling I have never seen any substantial comment about the interiors.
I would love to see more like this but with new takes on lid/handle and pockets. The basic idea is perhaps seen in other cases, even some mass produced ones, but at least it isn't the same old basic construction that we have seen so many times.
I am not saying that people are not doing new things, I just want to see more of it.
What I would really like to see is somebody who really breaks new ground with a single case that has a new body design, a new pocket design, new lid/opening design, and new handle design. And I don't mean an "art" case, I mean new practical design and construction.
Thanks for showing off! :thumbup:
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