I recently purchased the new unibody Apple MacBook Pro. I also commute to various places at times. So I wanted something to protect my laptop while I carry it. It only seemed fitting that I get a Tom Bihn Vertical Brain Cell since I use a Tom Bihn Brain Bag to carry all my stuff in anyways. Though, just about any other laptop sleeve would probably do the job just fine. And there are quite a few good ones out there. For example, Booq and Waterfield. Anyways, it arrived last week and I have been testing it out with the bag and as a case on it's own. Here's my experience with it so far.

The Packaging

First thing I noticed right away was the packaging. Kind of obvious I get. The box it comes in has a nice Tom Bihn logo. USPS must have had a blast with my package because this is what it looked like when I got it.

Though, I wasn't too concerned with it as it's a bag inside the box, it was a bit disheartening. Inside the box was also a Tom Bihn sticker. I'm not quite sure why they come with them, but I always welcome stickers. The last one ended up on one of my Moleskine notebooks. Free advertising for them I suppose. But hey, I like their products so it's a decent way to recommend them.

The Brain Cell

The Brain Cell I ordered is the Vertical model. This was because the Horizontal version does not fit in the Brain Bag. Oops, let's restate that. The Horizontal does fit, just not in the way it's intended to protect your laptop. I'll trust their judgment. They designed it of course. I do also have a Horizontal Brain Cell that houses my Lenovo T61 laptop that I use that to do my .Net coding.

The case does a great job at protecting the laptop. There is a lot of protection for the top and bottom of the laptop. I wish the sides and bottom of the Brain Cell had a bit more cushion to protect it, but that's also carried over from all Brain Cells. It does fit like a glove around the laptop, so it doesn't move around inside of the Brain Cell. That's definitely a plus. I have found it to fit inside very nicely and completely safe. Here's a picture of that.

Vertical vs Horizontal

The Vertical Brain Cell has 2 pockets compared to the Horizontal version having 1 large pocket with 2 buttons. Also, using the Vertical version, I cannot fit the Snake Charmer on top of the Brain Cell, which I can with the Horizontal. Can't really complain about that as the MacBook Pro is quite a bit bigger than the T61. Another plus of the Brain Cells, they give you the option of adding a Shoulder Strap to carry them on their own. As I mentioned before, it does close via Velcro. And Velcro is quite noisy. It doesn't bother me, but it does bother some. Those who prefer zipper closure, sorry.

Conclusion

Overall, I am really enjoying the Brain Cell and highly recommend it. It does a great job at what it's for and complements the Brain Bag very well. If you're using the Empire Builder, I believe the Horizontal is the way to go.

What do you use to carry your MacBook Pro or other laptop?