Journey to a perfect Vertical Brain Cell

[Lagwagon]

I recieved my Smart Alec and Vertical Brain Cell the other day. I use it to hold a $2000 dollar Macbook Pro. After close inspection I noticed there is no padding below the sling in the Brain cell. I think it would greatly reduce the risk of damage if there was padding on the bottom of the Brain Cell between the sling and the hard plastic insert. The stiff foam padding on the sides would be perfect. It dosen't take up alot of space, but feels adequate. It would prevent damage if the sling was to "bottom out" in the case of a heavy drop. Is this practical? Would it add to much cost to production? And if it did, marketed the right way I think it would be an extra selling point. Also the exterior of the Brain cell feels.... rigid. What about some light padding just to give the outside of the bag a "warmer" feel? The material that the sling is made out of would be effective. Other then those two things mentiond I think Tom Bihn products are the closest thing to perfect as far as resonably priced protection goes. High quality make and materials, along with a staff that actually takes intrest in there customers feedback will always remain a winning combination. Thank you for a well made product.

P.S. Would it be possible to purchase the rigid foam that is used on the side to place in the bottom of the Brain Cell?

** Almost forgot! The Smart Alec is AWSOME!

[Tom Bihn]

The Brain Cell is one of the products that we scrutinize and test in
real-world situations the most because it carries not only <i>your</i> $3000
laptop and the laptops of our other customers, but <i>our</i> laptops, too!

The Brain Cell is what I came up with as a product that provides tough
laptop protection, but is light enough for everyday use and travel,
isn't too bulky, and provides easy access to your laptop.

Your suggestion of adding extra layer of foam to the bottom of the Brain
Cell is something I've been thinking of for a while, but I'm not yet
convinced that it would actually add more protection for the laptop. The
bottom of the inside of the Brain Cell is already padded with two layers
of the same soft foam that forms the sling (the sling is two layers
thick at the bottom, in other words), and adding more padding would make
the Brain Cell heavier.
In regards to padding OUTSIDE the rigid insert, I have to say I agree it
would make the Brain Cell a little more sexy and zoftig, but the Brain Cell would
then fit inside fewer bags because its exterior dimensions would
increase. Plus, it would add weight and expense for only an aesthetic
improvement.

[Lagwagon]

I have the perfect solution if weight and expense are factors in the extra padding on the bottom of the Brain Cell. I assume you are familiar with the Apple product line. You know the sheet that goes between the screen and the keyboard? I have somthing very similar that I have folded up and placed in the bottom of the Brain Cell. When you sqeeze it, it is similar to the rigid padding on the sides. It's very dense and weighs almost nothing. I have no dought that if I were to drop the case with the laptop in it that it would provide more protection.(This is something I most certainly won't test.) As far as the asthetic padding on the outside, given the two points you mentioned I agree. I had not taken size and weight into consideration.