SkinIt Laptop Skins Review

[Tim]

by Tim Utecht

Have you ever felt that the black top of your notebook was too dull and drab?  Well you're in luck because a remedy has surfaced in the form of "Skins".  These skins are made by Skinit Inc, a leading manufacture for the personalization of mobile electronic devices.

So what is a SkinIt skin exactly?  It's as simple as being a large sticker that goes on the lid of your laptop to instantly personalize and change the look.  SkinIt has tons of different skins to choose from for your laptop.  They range from being just solid colors to Japanese anime.  Another nice feature is the ability to upload your own image to create a personalized skin.  Prices for a skin start at $7.95 and go up in price depending on the size and design you choose.  To check out SkinIt's website for laptop skins go to www.skinit.com/devices/laptop.  SkinIt has partnered with Acer, Apple, Dell, Lenovo, Sony, Toshiba and HP to provide a guaranteed skin fit for a particular model notebook from each of these brands.  If you don't own one of these brand laptops, you can just choose a laptop with equivalent size to the one you own and the fit should be reasonable.

For this review I chose the "Rockslide" skin for my Compaq Presario v4000 laptop.  The skin is made out of 3M professional-grade vinyl and is covered in a glossy finish.  The underside of the skin is sticky but will not leave any residue on your laptop.  I partially removed the skin after three weeks to see if any residue was left on my laptop, and I'm glad to report the laptop cover remained perfectly clean.

Here you see the rockslide skin in action working to camouflage the laptop outside! (can you see it) (view large image)

Closed view -- even better camouflage hey? (view large image)

Application:

Applying the Rockslide skin (view large image)

The skin is very easy to apply.  First I would recommend that you wipe down the top of your laptop to remove dust and finger prints so that the skin sticks more easily.  Then starting at one end slowly apply the skin.  Make sure you do not leave any bubbles.  If bubbles do form get a flat object to rub across the top of the laptop.  A credit card works very well for this.

(view large image)

Appearance:

The skin that I received from SkinIt was very nice looking.  The skin has a glossy shine to it which I enjoy.  The skin fits perfectly on top of my laptop and it is cut to the right size.  The skin itself is very smooth.  One bonus of using a skin is that it protects the top of the laptop from scratches and the skin itself appears to be pretty scratch resistant.

Pros:

• Does not cost very much
• Makes your laptop stick out from the rest of 'em
• Tons of designs to choose from
• Protects the top of your laptop

Cons:

• A little hard to apply
• Some skins can be expensive
• Only made for specific HP/Compaq computers

Conclusion:

If you are looking for a cheap, affordable way to make your laptop stand out from the crowd and protect your lid from scratches at the same time, give the skins from SkinIt a try!

Product Website: www.skinit.com/devices/laptop

 

[Andrew]

Thanks for the review Tim. Pretty amazing the # of options available there for customization. Also, this seems cheaper than the product Chaz reviewed a couple of weeks back with "Schtickers" http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=2996 but I think that's because he took the personalized sticker route there.

[Sailor Moon]

Very cool review Tim.

Lol, I would hardly know your laptop wasn't a concrete slab sitting in the grass. J/K. xD

Seriously it looks great.

They have alot of cool designs. Even some stock Inuyasha images. I also like the Anakin Skywalker skin. Lol. Put some Star Wars on my lappy and a cute guy at the same time (<3 Hayden) would make my white bumpers alot more beautiful. =P

[Elminst]

Looks nice, lots of options!!
now someone just needs to make a chart with laptop size equivalences.
So people without an acer/hp/lenovo can know what size to get.

[darklich]

Does it seem heavier now? It sure does look heavy with that granite design.

[LtdCorp]

While you mentioned the lack of residue on your Compaq, I was wondering what material your notebook cover is made of? Is it similar to Chaz's model where the back of the cover was aluminum, or rather, is your notebook cover made of plastic?

Thanks for the review though; I'm planning on buying a E1505 and am hoping to get something to modify the appearance along these lines.

[Tim]

Originally Posted by darklich

Does it seem heavier now? It sure does look heavy with that granite design.

LOL...no it doesn't seem heavier now. Although it does look like it could weigh a ton. =P

LtdCorp:

My laptops lid is plastic. I am 99% positive that the skin would never leave any residue. It is just not that kind of sticker. It is kinda hard to explain...but think of it more as a window cling than a sticker. Although the skin does have a stickie supstance.

Thanks for the nice comments
Tim

[Tim]

=P I want one of these now. LOL
Tim

[Albsterama]

****...nothing for the Sager.

Anyway, its an interesting product, much less than a fullon paint job. Nice straight forward review.

[Charles P. Jefferies]

That's a great looking mod, moreso than the Schticker I have on mine.

Originally Posted by Albsterama

****...nothing for the Sager.

Agreed, a shame that they are not available. I'd be intested in picking one of these up.