One thing I very much enjoy is a quality product. It’s always very satisfying when you come across a product that claims it will do something, and when you try it out, it actually performs as stated. Today, you are about to be blessed with information about one such product.
For your fortunate eyes I have a 13” MusicSkins laptop skin, which is a product designed for any 13” PC or Mac laptop. When people shop for skins or cases for their products, they do it for one simple reason – to add personality to their hardware. People get tired of looking at the same old gadgets in everyone’s hand. Hardware isn’t mass-produced with funky designs and fun appearances. Skins allow a person to convert their common wares into something that reflects their personality, their lifestyle and their interests.
MusicSkins products advertise themselves as quality designs on quality materials that will make your gadgets exciting without ruining their surfaces. They make skins for nearly everything – laptops, iPods, cell phones, even your plastic Guitar Hero and Rock Band peripherals. One thing they do not do is produce garbage products. Truth be told, MusicSkins cost a good bit more than the $3 piece of silk-thick rubber “skin” you bought on eBay to wrap around your cell phone, but they are absolutely worth the investment for a number of reasons. Let’s check them out…
Info:
MusicSkins for 13” MacBook Laptops
Model: Tall Faces by Lou Patrou
MusicSkins are the premier music and music related device skins on the planet. Our skins are made from premium grade 3M vinyl and adhesive technology so they apply easily and remove without leaving any residue. We also use a high gloss over laminate, which adds durability and a photo quality finish to our skins.
Our durable skins are made of premium vinyl, which will defend your device from the harshest scratches. The special adhesive is completely removable and leaves no residue so you can easily switch your MusicSkins for the latest release. MusicSkins add almost zero bulk so your device will still integrate perfectly with almost any case, bag, dock, iTrip or armband.
MusicSkins LLC is the leader in music and music-related, high-quality, vinyl skin products. We envision all MP3 players, laptops, and phones as portable canvases for art and individuality. Our focus on music, art, culture and personalization has created a stylish way for musicians, DJs and artists to become closer to their fans while providing a low profile alternative to bulky cases. From Hip Hop to Country, Art to Fashion, and everything in between, there’s a MusicSkin to suit every taste.
No Scratches MusicSkins protect your precious device with a durable anti-scratch, anti-UV coating.
Easy On… Easy off 3M Adhesive technology prevents bubbles and allows easy application and clean removal.
Premium Materials MusicSkins are Made In The USA. Ultra Premium vinyl sets us apart from all other skin products.
No Bulk Ultra-low profile means flawless integration with all accessories including docks, iTrip, cases, bags, and armbands.
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What’s in the Box?
The laptop MusicSkin comes packaged on a single sticker-like sheet wrapped in a plastic sleeve. The package contains only the skin and another piece of cardboard that advertises other MusicSkin products.
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Installation, Performance:
MusicSkins, as I mentioned, sells skins for all sorts of hardware. They are also one of the only skin companies that carries products with licensed material on them. It ups the price some over competitors, but no piece of junk knockoff product is going to give you authentic skins with your favorite band, product, video game or label on them. For this review, I chose not to go with some big-name recognizable thing, but with a piece of artwork by New York artist Lou Patrou called “Tall Faces.” I’ll be testing it on a 13” white MacBook.
Laptops can be one of the most unexciting looking pieces of hardware, and nearly everyone has one. A skin is a great way to put some life into otherwise drab plastic.
Simply taking the product out of its plastic sheath means you’re ready to peel it off and stick it to its new best friend – your laptop. The skin is essentially a big sticker, but it’s much more than that.
Removing the skin from the backing, you’ll be greeted with 3M Controltac Graphic Marking System labels all over the place. What’s that, you ask? That’s good stuff, that’s what. This graphic vinyl film is what makes the MusicSkin more than just a sticker. Notice the crosshatch design on the back of the skin; the main feature of the Controltac product. The idea here is to create a “sticker” that is durable and pressure-activated so that you can reposition, knead and work the crumples out of your skin as you lay it on your laptop. In other words, you’re a human being, when you slap it down on your computer you’re not going to lay it perfectly flat. This stuff will let you push all those air bubbles and wrinkles away without picking up and resetting the sticker 300 times to get it right. And it works well.
All you really have to do is get one edge set straight, then you can just plop the rest of the thing down and start rubbing away the imperfections. A few passes with your fingers towards the outside of the laptop eliminates every bubble and crease, setting down the MusicSkin with an amazing level of flatness. If you ever don’t like your progress, it pulls back up with no problem and you can start over. No residue will ever be left behind, so put away your bottles of Goof Off and Goo Gone.
That’s one of the best parts about the MusicSkins – their durability. Removing these things over and over again, reusing them, transferring them to other machines; it’s feasible because the vinyl Controltac makes them nearly impossible to tear, and the sticky part will remain nice and tacky. And no, I don’t mean tacky like that gaudy orange sofa in your uncle Steve’s basement den with the seat cushions full of beer can tabs and used toothpicks.
Being that these MusicSkins have essentially no girth to them, they won’t add any thickness to your machine. They take that whole “skin” thing pretty literally. Since it’s made of super low-profile vinyl, so you’re like to get some scratch/ding protection from its presence, if you’re the type who occasionally bangs the top of their laptop on desk corners and such. (I am.) They also won’t force you into any routine changes. It’ll still fit into whatever you use to carry your machine, etc.
Here it is, beaming with new-found beauty. The skin adds an awesome personalization to the computer and took only a minute or two to apply. It looks flawless and is on there with machine-like precision, as if that’s how the computer shipped from the manufacturer. It sits within the confines of the lid, so you don’t have to worry about it being too big, looking sloppy or covering up any of your USB/other ports.
They’re a great conversation starter, and a fine way to make your equipment stand out. Plus, it’s made it in the USA! That’s important to some.
Now, a fairly appropriate thing to note here is that I already had a MusicSkin product on this laptop, so here are a few shots of it being removed prior to this review…
The old skin came right off with a single peel, didn’t even think about tearing, and didn’t leave any gunk behind. I had saved the original packaging and it stuck right back on, able to be used again. Fantastic stuff.
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Conclusion:
MusicSkins definitely receive my ultimate recommendation if you want a skin that looks great and will stand the test of time. It’s not going to keep your equipment safe during a nuclear explosion, or even safe from being sideswiped off the coffee table when your Uncle Steve gets mad at you for making fun of his ugly orange 1970s sofa – but you’ll be able to keep it on your machine for as long as you want, remove it, and transfer it to a different piece of equipment with no problem while your laptop is being repaired.
Plenty of skins on the market are junk. These aren’t. That’s the bottom line.
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Pros:
+Its construction makes it super simple to apply.
+Tons of wonderful design choices are available.
+Reusable and won’t leave goop behind.
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Cons:
-The cost isn’t what you’d call “cheap,” but you wont’ need a second mortgage and sell a kidney either. -They’re worth the few extra dollars.
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I would like to thank MusicSkins for the chance to review the MusicSkins for 13” MacBook Laptops and for their support of iGadget Life.
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