Having lived with my Empeg carry case for a while, I thought I'd write a real review of it.

Prior to getting the Empeg carry case, I'd been using a Case Logic PDC-1 bag. The PDC-1 is a good bag for the Empeg, but it doesn't fit the unit exactly. As a result, it was a little bit clumsy getting the Empeg in and out of the bag. The Empeg case fits the unit like a glove, and with a bit of practice, inserting and removing the unit is very fast and easy. If I set the case on my passenger seat, I can pack and unpack the Empeg one-handed. (Insert Wesley/Inigo Montoya quote here.) The secret is that the zipper allows the front flap to unfold completely- this makes loading the Empeg a breeze. In fact, the PDC-1 was clumsy enough so that if I was in a hurry, I would sometimes leave the bag in the car and carry the Empeg into the store naked. Now, I always use the Empeg case since it's so much easier to load.

The PDC-1 had more outside pockets, allowing me to carry a bunch of extra stuff along with the Empeg. I carried my checkbooks, my sunglasses, and the Empeg power supply and cables. The idea was that if I was at a friend's house, I would have the power supply and cables to plug into his stereo system. The Empeg case is smaller and has less "extra" space, but that turns out to actually be a benefit (more on this below). In the new case, I can choose to fit either my checkbooks or the power supply, not both. As it turns out, I rarely need the power supply so I'm just leaving that in the glovebox and keeping my checkbooks with me in the Empeg case.

The Empeg case is only lightly padded, no differently than the PDC-1 bag. When I used the PDC-1 bag, I dropped it once, cracking one corner of the faceplate. But the interesting thing is why I dropped the PDC-1 bag: with all the extra weight and bulk, its shoulder strap slipped off my shoulder when I was getting out of the car. The Empeg case is a lot less bulky and has no shoulder strap, only handles. The fact that the Empeg case is smaller, and the fact that you have to actually hold it means that you're much less likely to drop the thing. When I take it into stores and restaurants, it's a lot easier to deal with than the Case Logic bag. I can set it on the table next to me at a restaurant with no trouble, whereas I was always having trouble finding a spot for the Case Logic bag. Once, I left the Case Logic bag in a restaurant, hanging on the back of my chair. There's much less of a chance I'll do that with the Empeg bag.

Of course, you can't beat having the Empeg logo stitched on the outside of the bag. It hasn't happened to me yet, but I can't wait until someone recognizes the logo and asks for a demo.

All in all, I give the Empeg case two thumbs up. (Oh, wait, in England, isn't that an insult or something?) I don't know how many Rob has sold so far, but I think that all 350-or-so of us Mark 1 owners should get one. Very worth it.

Tony Fabris
Empeg #144