Product: Nutshell Leather Case with Tab Flap for BB 8100

Website:wwwdottuff-as-nutsdotcom

Price: TBD

As soon as the Pearl was in my hands I contacted my favorite casemaker for help as the device was caseless. As usual these guys stepped up and made a spectacular case. Though it will be available I am sure in many configurations (pouch, full flap, no clip, loop, etc.), I asked for and got my usual - tab top, metal clip. This is a very practical decision as you can put them on your beltless outfits (scrubs, workout clothing) and you can put it on your suit. Again, as usual, this case is beautifully crafted. Leather is supple and thick and like no other. It has a patina somewhat similar to belting leather but much more flexible. The inside is the typical ultrasuede but again this is stitched in place and is very thick with a high nap. Best but not least for the cognoscente is the use of sleeper magnet in perfect position. Could it be improved - no I do not think so. Th quality is the best of any case I have owned (I have a drawer with cases for my 8700 from PDAir, Gizmoskin, Piel Frama, Vaja, RIM OEM, Sena, Seido, Monaco, BerryPak...). Theonly case that I wound up using for the 8700 was my Nutshell. I have just found the equivalent for the Pearl.

FIVE BERRIES

PS - though I am not a moderator I hope that this review will be allowed for those who are looking for a desparately needed 8100 case. Also please note I have no financial interest in this company though I was provided a case in exchange for assistance with magnet placement - which they got perfect on first shot.

Vey cool.. Here's the link until you hit your post count and can add them:

Tuff As Nuts

I know that Nutshell cases can be a pretty tight fit at first, until they get broken in a bit...
have you noticed that the trackball moves at all while putting it into the case?

Though the case is well sized it is not so tight that it moves the trackball. Additionally, the perfectly placed magnet shuts the unit off as it slides towards the bottom. I have had no problems with this very well made case.

the only problem I have is the $50.00+ pricetag

Maybe a different perspective. Cost of the case delivered is less than the 6 cases I would normally buy and still not be as happy. Sometimes the right thing really is worth it. JMHO.

Hi guys....

Thanks for the post.

We really do try our best to meet our market - that is all you folk!

goto: tuff-as-nuts.com/blackberry-8100-pearl-case.html

(copy and paste the address above...if I visited here more often, which I will, it would be easier).

In defense of our prices, our cases are all handmade to order - we are a relatively small company based in down-under New Zealand - so no mass production and cheap materials. Our leathers are home grown (local clean-green Kiwi cows) and our magnets are super-duper ones. The belt clip is the best we could find (sourced from the US of A) and our belt loop lets you hang the case from your hip several ways.

The cost?
Hey, nothing really good is cheap, and we do offer a three years' warranty.

But if it helps to ease the pain, quote 'BBFSPECIAL' on ordering and get 10% off!

(This offer is just for readers of these BlackBerry forums)

All the best,

I just got my nutshell in the mail. I like the construction and the design, but it seems a little too big height-wise. Just wondering if this is normal. How is the fit on everyone else's? Is it supposed to fit all the way bottom to top, or should there be extra space? It goes to just below where the flaps start (I have the pouch model). Any info would be great. Thanks.

Our apology.

It appears there has been a foul-up in manufacturing and some cases have been released that are not the correct size.

Naturally we will replace those that are too large and will respond individually to arrange replacements.

If anyone else gets a case which is obviously not right, please let us know (by emailing us and quoting your order number) so we can provide a replacement.

All the best,

Thanks Ian.

These guys are on top of it when it comes to customer service.

Can't wait for my new one!

Well my 2cents on this case is it is a waist of money, it fits so tight that when clipped to my belt I have to use two hands to remove the cel from the case or else the whole case detaches from my belt which is rather annoying. And I was so sure I would love this case I think I threw away everything it came in (receipt) so I'm not sure I could return it.

PM me with your name, the order # and/or the email address you used to purchase the product (you'll find you got an email confirmation).

The problem is not intentional. In defense we now have cases fitting more that 100 devices -and sometimes (not often) **** happens - like maybe our knife maker got it wrong - again .

BTW: Sometimes a new Nutshell may stick tight until it "breaks-in". That's what real leather does.

One quick-fix worth a try is to wet (not soak) the leather and stuff something large into the case (like a power-pack) and leave it to dry overnight.

Let me know.
Thanks

I think that the poster above yours (laz305) is talking about a different case. The Gizmoskin is to what he refers.

That's great - teach me to read the headers.

I do believe we had some initial difficulties with our early BB cases, mainly due to accurate placement of the magnet inside our cases.

It seems the BB design team went thru a time when they shifted the magnetic switch under the keyboard around for different models. Very confusing.

I have a pretty decent case eventhough it isn't leather... It's a horizontal case and it has the magnets placed just in the right spots so the phone lock is activated with no problem.

My case was too large. Nutshell is already in the process of sending me a new case. They seem to be aware of the issue and are correcting it.

There's some illness in our facilities - so if anyone feels we are deliberately ignoring them - we are not. Just short-handed.

PM me if you feel really pissed!

BTW: I have been promised the teething problems on the Nutshell case for the Pearl have been sorted.

I bought 3 Blackberry Pearl Cases from Nutshell before Christmas and paid for 2nd day delivery $60.00. Today is December 30th and after a half dozen emails to nustshell, I am yet to receive a response. I even used the liveperson button on their site. UPS shows the shipment stuck in Aukland since the 26th.

Darn. I hate it when this happens.....

Many apologies....down under it is our summer holiday season - warm, overecast, sunburn territory - until next Monday (January 08).....which I guess is not really an answer as to why your package has not been moved out of NZ by UPS...unfortunately it is New Years Day down here right now...so I cannot get an answer out of UPS locally until tomorrow at the earliest (that is assuming they are working tomorrow)...but....remember we are in the South Pacific...island time and all that...rest assured you are not being ignored....I'll do my best to get it moving ASAP. Promise.

Waiting patiently for some word. UPS still showing the shipment in NZ. I need to make sure you reroute the shipment to the other address I gave in my emails as I have been gone from the previous shipping address for days now. Thanks JD

Well we're not "down under" here in Georgia. It's 10:30 PM here and the close of another caseless day. I hate to be impatient but Nutshell's website didn't let me know not to expect much in the way of customer service around this time of year and we're not on Summer Vacation in the US. Didn't here from Ian yet today as expected. I just spent the last hour looking at other case options. Anyone have any recommendations?

Heard from Ian yesterday that they had accidently shipped the cases to Georgia USSR not USA. He offered to not charge me for shipping. Here was my response.......
Ian, I checked ups tracking this morning and they are not showing any progress of the shipment. Did it get a new tracking number? After giving it some thought I would like to comment that offering to credit the shipping seems like too little too late. My intentions were already to dispute any shipping charges. I would have expected a better effort on your part. But hey I haven't been on Summer Holiday the last couple of weeks so maybe I'm a little uptight.

Received my 3 Nutshell Blackberry Pearl cases today. We were excited. Nice cases actually. My business partner's was black Great! Mine was Chocolate Great! My wifes was chestnut and hers is large enough to almost fit 2 Blackberrys inside. It is twice as wide on one side as the other and the phone just sort of flops around inside...Oh well, we'll see how nutshell handles it and I'll let you know.

Here is my latest email to nutshell.

Maureen,

We received the replacement case yesterday.

Ian suggested to me awhile back that I would be refunded the shipping on my original order. I thought it wasn't much of an offer but having not received even that, I would now say that would be better than nothing. Also, I am wondering if it is necessary for me to actually pay to ship the unusable item back to you and wait for a refund of that shipping as well. I would like to recommend that I have spent enough of my time trying to get the cases I ordered and should at least receive a prompt refund of my shipping charges and be allowed to trash the unusable case.

I would like to say that your cases are very nice. I am pleased with the case but your customer response time is just something we Americans aren't accustomed to. I own a business myself and must respond to customers requests promptly and appropriately daily. I would recommend your cases to anyone who cannot find a suitable case elsewhere as was my situation. My recommendation to others would simply be if you have to order one from nutshell, be prepared for not much in the way of customer service response time and if you wait long enough you will eventually receive a very nice case.

Regards

JD

Owing to circumstances beyond our control we have launched a new website dedicated to making it more secure and easier for you to purchase our belt cases and other products.

Because of the short timeframe we had to get our act together, you may unfortunately experience an occasional '404' until we have all the links rebuilt.

The new site is hosted by Network Solutions and we believe it will allow us to offer an even better service than in the past.

We would appreciate a heads-up on any broken links you may find.

The link to our case for the 8100 Pearl remains the same..but other links may still be missing.

Many thanks. I appreciate your understanding and we look forward to your continued business.

Owing to circumstances beyond our control we have launched a new website dedicated to making it more secure and easier for you to purchase our belt cases and other products.

Because of the short timeframe we had to get our act together, you may unfortunately experience an occasional '404' until we have all the links rebuilt.

The new site is hosted by Network Solutions and we believe it will allow us to offer an even better service than in the past.

We would appreciate a heads-up on any broken links you may find.

The link to our case for the 8100 Pearl remains the same..but other links may still be missing.

Many thanks. I appreciate your understanding and we look forward to your continued business.