Verdict

Pros

• Wonderfully soft leather finish
• Flexible stand mechanic
• Great value

Cons

• So much Velcro!

When looking for a leather case for your iPad, you need to ask yourself whether you want the real thing, or are happy with a synthetic alternative. The Tuff-Luv Stasis case uses high-quality leather, but as such means it costs around double what you’d pay for a synthetic folio.

There are benefits to spending that extra, though. The Tuff-Luv’s leather surface is lightly padded and feels wonderfully soft. Fake leather cases often look the part, but generally fail to recreate the tactile experience of genuine leather. The smell is also, naturally, completely different – and something that many like. The inside also has a very luxurious finish, topped with ultra-soft felt.

For a case with a standard folio layout, with a book-like flap protecting the front, the Tuff-Luv is quite heavily adorned with extra bits. There are five little velcro flaps on the front that give it a busy look that will put some people off. Each has a function, though. On the back is a big triangle-shaped flap with its own spot of Velcro at the end. When the front flap is flipped around to the back, this patch meets the front flaps to turn the case into a stand. It lets you hold the iPad at six different angles, making it one of the most flexible folios around in this regard.

It goes one step further too. You may assume that the thick diagonal seams on the front are just there for the look, but you’d be wrong. They let the edges of the front cover fold back, to act as a stand while the iPad’s in portrait orientation. So, that’s eight stand options in total. The portrait ones feel a little less secure, but they’ll likely also be the least-used.

The Tuff-Luv Tri-Axis does add some bulk and weight to your slender tablet, though. Weighing 295g on its own, it’s almost half as heavy as an iPad and the extra padding of the leather makes it ever-so slightly chunkier than some other basic folio cases.

However, in practice this isn’t off-putting because of the high-grade leather used. It’s just too comfortable to suffer too much from its potential build complaints.

Aesthetic issues are a little to harder to rub away. The use of Velcro is practical, but it occasionally feels crude – like the strip used to secure the iPad inside. Not only is it arguably superfluous but most folio cases use a clasp here that folds under the back of the tablet, making it invisible. The up-top design here is anything but.

Velcro tends to start looking a little straggly after a while too, and even fresh out of the box, it’s not as neat as a popper or magnetic alternative. That Tuff-Luv is so keen on showing off its style, we can’t call this a mistake. It’s merely a design choice not everyone will like.

In its functionality and materials used, we have no complaints at all, though. The Tri-Axis even handily takes your iPad in and out of sleep mode as the case is opened and closed.  

When the Tuff-Luv costs just £10 more than bargain basement faux-leather cases nowadays, it’s a bargain if you care about comfort. There are also fake leather, or “veggie leather”, options available if you want to save a few pounds or are concerned by the ethics of using cow hide. It comes in a range of colours including black, pink, purple, red and, as here, green.

Verdict
The Tuff-Luv Tri-Axis case is a little obsessed with Velcro flaps, but while its style may put off a few, at least it makes it a little different from the oh-so-many near-identical folio iPad 2 cases out there. And thanks to its use of leather and felt, it’s one of the softest cases you can buy. Now that the price has dropped a little, it’s an excellent choice if you don’t mind a little extra bulk.

Trusted Score