Bellroy Lite Laptop Sleeve (14” Cover) – Black

Nice design and very sturdy. Funny that it’s supposed to be water proof but you can’t fully close the zip which is kinda stupid…

First of all, I want to say that I really love bellroy products and the company by itself. I also have some products of their’s like the follio mini wallet, venture sling, key cover plus and the airpods pro case. That’s why I love to treat myself with their products that are well crafted and always meet the high quality standarts, and so it’s understandable that I expect to receive that experience when choosing bellroy.

Unfortunately, lately I was disappointed by a bellroy product I purchased.
On black friday I bought a new laptop so I thought why not to buy the sleeve from them? The case I had before (incase brand) simply won’t fit the new laptop and I didn’t like the magnetic case they already make. So I decided to buy this amazing ochre color sleeve.
At first, I was very exited because the color is really nice, and it felt well made. Later I discovered that apparently, it wasn’t so well made after all.
For starters, the zipper isn’t aligned straight- on the curve of the case it goes to the side. I can only guess that it’s because of the thick water resistant zipper.
Second, the zipper physically doesn’t close all the way. It leaves this really small gap at the beginning- so what’s even the point of having a water resistant zipper if liquids can still get in?
Also, the fabric inside doesn’t sit well, seems like there is a small amount of excess fabric and it looks wrinkly.

And the last thing is what dissatisfied me the most.
I guess I can deal with the zipper issues, and to make sure that if I put the case in my backpack there will be no chance of liquid spilling inside and to close it shut when it rains.

But the biggest issue for me is that the zipper LEAVES BLACK MARKS on my brand new laptop, NO MATTER HOW MUCH I CLEAN THE ZIPPER FROM THE INSIDE- and it’s something I can’t deal with. How did bellroy let something like this happen despite of their standarts. They even postponed the all conditions pocket by a month because they wanted to make sure the product meets the high quality standard.

At the end of the day, it does it’s job- protect the laptop and keep it safe. But the zipper issue really bugs me.
The fact that I now need to always be cautious that no liquid is spilled in my bag, and that I now have to buy a hard shell plastic case to protect my laptop (14″ macbook pro 2021) from the sleeve is really ironic.
And the funny thing is that is was SPECIFICALLY designed for the 14″ macbook pro and all the promo photos are with the macbook only.

There weren’t any photo/video reviews online. Barely a few written reviews were left here on amazon, so I couldn’t really do my research (which I ALWAYS do, even with brands I’m familiar with) before I go and buy a new product. That’s why I’m here, to be the one to deliver.

Ps, the stitching is well done on the sides.

Unfortunately, and in my experience, this claim from Bellroy simply doesn’t hold up: “Dual-density foam padding provides 360º protection from life’s bumps and bangs.” My Apple Macbook Pro begs to differ. And it’s simply a fact that this case does not have dual density foam on all sides. This is because of the zipper design.

Here’s the story about my Macbook Pro, and how this Bellroy case contributed to its damage.

My Macbook Pro was fully secured within the Bellroy case and then further placed within my backpack’s laptop sleeve. Unfortunately, I hadn’t secured the laptop sleeve well, so when I went to move the backpack, which was sitting on the floor, the laptop (within the Bellroy case) came sliding out onto the floor. I hoped all would be fine (it wasn’t a big fall), but when I opened the Bellroy case, I found that my Macbook Pro was dented in the corner that hit the floor (a relatively thin rug atop a hardwood floor).

So how did the aluminum within a padded case dent? Well, the Bellroy case exposes the hard laptop to hard, metal zipper hardware. It was one corner of the laptop that took the main impact, and this corner was the one where the zipper wraps around a bit. It seems the sleeve design can result in a laptop hitting against the zipper hardware during a fall (even a relatively small one like what I experienced). Furthermore, it seems like the material choice for the laptop sleeve, which is quite slippery on the outside, contributed to the fall / the sleeve slipping so quickly/easily out of the backpack laptop sleeve.

As you might imagine, I’m pretty disappointed with this case because it failed at its core function – to protect my laptop. And I’m disappointed because Bellroy claims “360 degree” protection that the product design fails to deliver. I’ve had other, less expensive and way more basic neoprene sleeves better protect laptops over the years, and I’m kicking myself for not going that same route again.

Die Hülle hat eine sehr schöne Farbe, das MacBook Pro 14“ 2023 passt sehr gut rein, ohne zu eng oder zu lose in der Hülle zu liegen. Das Obermaterial gefällt mir sehr gut und wirkt hochwertig. Das Material auf der Innenseite ist eher glatt, hier hätte mir ein samtig weiches Innenfutter besser gefallen. Die Polsterung ist etwas dicker, wenn auch immer noch slim. Der Reißverschluss ist etwas schwergängig, macht aber einen soliden Eindruck. Insgesamt eine sehr schöne Hülle, welche ich weiterempfehlen würde.

la sleeve è di buona qualità, molto protettiva e perfettamente idrorepellente come da descrizione. il laptop entra alla perfezione, anche se la cerniera, se chiusa con troppo vigore, potrebbe rovinare i bordi del dispositivo. io personalmente uso insieme alla sleeve una cover con un profilo piuttosto sottile, e nonostante ciò all’inizio ho fatto un po di fatica ad inserire il computer, dopo un po il tessuto si è um ammorbito ed adesso non faccio più fatica. si sconsiglia fortemente l’acquisto a chi usa custodie tropo voluminose. Un altra problematica potrebbe essere lo spessore, tuttavia è una cosa che avevo messo in conto perché mi serviva una sleeve molto protettiva, se volete qualcosa con profilo sottile, questa sleeve non fa per voi

The product is a joke imo…

As usual excellent materials and construction but it won’t close if you have an M1 or newer MacBook.

It’s crazy. Why is this thing even being sold? I’ll tell you. Imo Bellroy does not care about customers and is happily dumping out dated stock to get rid of it and they’re doing it without even discounting the thing even though it doesn’t function correctly with products of the last 4 years!

Beware of Bellroy and their products until they get back to being a customer focussed company again. Just my opinion.

I hope you found this review helpful.