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Finally received the Kindle Lighted Leather Cover for the newest version Kindle. It is VERY lightweight and I had to double and triple check the description considering it states this is a leather cover. The front cover is very thin with a medium-weight cardboard feel to it. The "leather" on the front cover is extremely thin and you can immediately tell the surface will be easily scratched and marred with normal everyday use. The inside of the front cover has a thin microfiber material to protect the screen. The back cover is hollowed out plastic to form-fit your Kindle and snaps in with relative ease.

Using the enclosed graphic instruction card, I removed the Kindle as shown, having to use just enough pressure to make me a bit concerned for someone who would place and remove their Kindle in this cover frequently. However, I plan on using this cover as a full-time solution for both protection and as a light source.

I went ahead and pulled up a book and switched the light on, heading to a closet to see how this looked in complete darkness. The light pulls out of the back cover and is nice and stiff and has a locked full-out position. The spread of the light is greater on top obviously but it does reach the entire screen on the Kindle. There was no glare or reflection and I was able to easily read the page without any noticeable straining.

If I were to choose between this design and the Kindle Keyboard lighted cover, which I have used since its release, I would choose this newer cover. Although it feels flimsy and "cheap" compared to the Kindle Keyboard lighted cover, it makes up for it with its ease of use, no hooks/connectors to worry about and the light "stick" itself seems sturdier than the pull-out plastic flimsy light of the original Kindle Keyboard cover (which, after a year of use needs to be wiggled at times for the light to come on).

I tried a few attempts at taking a picture of the cover in use, but my photography skills are definitely lacking because each picture I took created a glare from the camera which would not be helpful to anyone.

Pros:

NO batteries to continuously buy or recharge
Sturdy light stick
Lights the entire page
Easy connection
Form fitted

Cons:

Feels very flimsy and cheap
The cover scratches easily

I plan on editing this review in a week or two after I go through a couple full Kindle charges to see how well this holds up with regard to battery drain.

Edit 12/1:

So I've run through two full charges of the Kindle and am working on my third but wanted to give a head's up on power consumption I've seen so far. The first charge was approx. 7* hours of reading before I got the "pop-up" message about low battery. The second charge was just under 8* hours. If I notice a dramatic change in the next several charges, I'll edit this again.

*I use my Kindle with the light on 100% of the time, with Wi-Fi turned off.

Even though the lighted cover pretty much halves the battery life per charge of the Kindle, I am still super happy with the fact that I am not spending money on any extra batteries. The amount of reading time it allows is more than enough between charges considering I usually don't read more than an hour or so a day, which allows me to go around a week between charges.

I owned a Kindle Keyboard for about a year, and I purchased the leather lighted case for that unit. While the corner light left a little to be desired as far as even lighting, overall I was very pleased with the case. Based on that experience, I went ahead and purchased the lighted cover for my new Kindle. I can't say this experience has as been as positive.

Let's start off with what's good about the case. The Kindle battery powered light is a big improvement. The light is now centered on the screen, so illumination is more even now. I don't use the light often, but in the cases where I do it will be nice to have more balanced coverage. One positive on the case itself is that I appreciate how much lighter this one feels than the previous generation. The hinge area is smaller, which means less of the "spine folding" effect the other one took on after heavy use. I never took my Kindle Keyboard out of the case after it was put in, so the snug fit I have seen complaints about is not an issue for me. It IS tight, though, so if you don't plan to keep the case on full time be aware it may take some effort to get it back out. In my situation, that tight fit is exactly what I want, but your mileage may vary.

Now on to the negatives. The case does feel very cheap, especially with no change in price point. The previous cover felt like a solidly made piece of work, whereas the new cover only feels half as sturdy. The thinness of the case was no doubt done to minimize its weight, so I realize this is a personal issue. Outside the thickness, though, it just doesn't look or feel as well made. The textured surface of the previous model you that leather feel, very much like a real book. Finally, the most stunning oversight is the lack of a closure device. I understand some people didn't like the elastic band, but SOMETHING should have been added to allow the case to stay securely closed.

Overall, this is an average if overpriced case. It's not bad, but in comparison to what came before I have to admit I feel like the quality took a step backward me while maintaining a high price point.

I have had the Kindle Keyboard with it's lighted cover and now I have the new Kindle with lighted cover. I will briefly compare them and then list the pros and cons of this cover.

In comparison:
-The kindle keyboard in the cover is much heavier than the new kindle in it's cover. The new case does a much better job of securing the kindle as well, it is no longer hinged only on one edge, but instead it is form fit inside of a rigid rubber shell that attaches to the back of the new kindle

-The lighting is about the same between both cases, but where the old case lit the screen from the top right corner, the new case lights the screen from the top middle.

-I feel like the old light mechanism was more durable. The light bar on this cover is made out of very stiff, thin plastic instead of the thick rubbery plastic that contained the light on the old cover. It also hinges open instead of pulling out of the case, and the hinge feels subpar.

-The light on the new case is less angled and tends to get in my eyes more when reading than the old kindle keyboard case did.

All in all I still like the new case. It fits the new kindle very well and does not increase the size or weight very much. The leather is somewhat thin but not horribly so and it looks sleek on the kindle. I will be keeping this case.

Pros:
Compact case that looks very sleek
Tight and secure fit
Uses the Kindle's batteries so no additional power is needed.
Provides adequate lighting across the entire screen.

Cons:
Lightbar hinge seems very cheap.

Since I only received this today, I cannot yet evaluate the additional drain that this case will place on the Kindle's battery. I will update after I've gone through a few charges.

P.S. - I'd like to add that people complaining about the availability / delay in shipping of this product need to stop. It does not at all reflect the quality of the device, yet all of the negative ratings based on delayed shipments make the product look horrible when it is in fact very nice.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Amazon kindle Leather Cover
My Kindle Leather Wine Cover is great it fits my Ereader so well and I can now take my books any were and know my reader won't get damaged,

Published 8 hours ago by lynette

5.0 out of 5 stars I Love It
I just received my cover a couple days ago and I love it.

I hardly ever write reviews but I read alot of these before buying and some are pretty scary. Read more

Published 9 hours ago by Brandon12

4.0 out of 5 stars Eats Up Battery Power But Love It
I read a lot. And I find myself using the light a lot. The only complain is that the light got a little wobbly after constant usage. Read more

Published 15 hours ago by Shavonese Gunter

5.0 out of 5 stars If you remember and love Century 21, then choose the olive green cover.
In "my opinion" the green lighted cover is a yellow gold. The amazon photo has a pretty good color rendition on my computer but make sure you really want green with gold... Read more

Published 15 hours ago by "Dory"

5.0 out of 5 stars Must-have for Kindle Users and a Great Present
I bought this present for my dad for his birthday after he received a Kindle for Christmas (which he loves btw). I also have a Kindle, a different version, with a lighted case. Read more

Published 17 hours ago by Olivia

4.0 out of 5 stars Kindle touch case with light
Like it alot, light and compact. Wish there was a handle to slide my hand through to hold it while reading would make it perfect.

Published 19 hours ago by D. Severns

5.0 out of 5 stars Definitely worth having
I purchased one of these for my Kindle and after some initial delay (probably because production hadn't caught up with demand) it arrived. Read more

Published 1 day ago by Pooky

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Cover
I got this cover for Christmas and love it.The quality feels really good and it makes the kindle feel even more solid in hand.The light is nice and bright and comes in handy. Read more

Published 1 day ago by Kdog181518

4.0 out of 5 stars Expensive but still well worth it...
I bought the basic kindle for my husband for Christmas, because he is an avid night time reader but I knew he would appreciate the basic aspect of this particular ereader. Read more

Published 1 day ago by Bumpa

5.0 out of 5 stars Expensive, but worth it.
I love this lighted cover for the kindle. It was hard for me to buy a $60 cover for an $80 Kindle, but I was lucky enough to get it for Christmas from my wife. Read more

Published 1 day ago by Capecoddan

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