Memorex Cool Jewels - No More Boring CD Cases!
Written: Dec 03 '02
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: Inexpensive, colorful, sturdy, functional, slim line design.
Cons: A nicer assortment of colors would be great.
The Bottom Line: The Memorex Cool Jewel cases are a great way to add a bit of color to your CD collection or organize different types of media for easy access.
|
|
|
| Freak369's Full Review: MEMOREX 10-Pack of Multicolored Slim Jewel Cases M... |
If you are like me you have an ever-expanding collection of CD's – some of which see more use than others. I have a handful of CD's that see a ton of use and the cases have seen better days. I came across the Memorex Cool Jewel cases when I was trying to use up my remaining gift cards at Tower Records. They were originally priced at $4.99 for a pack of ten CD cases but were marked down to $3.00. For that price I couldn’t pass up purchasing a few packs and trying them out. I made sure that if I didn’t like the first pack I opened I could return the remaining unopened packs – something you really need to ask [before you make a purchase] when items are on sale or clearance [especially at Tower].
The Cool Jewel cases are made of a thin colored plastic and are half the size of normal hard jewel cases. These are usually called “slimline” or “streamline” jewel cases and allow you to store a lot more CD’s in an area than normal bulky cases. This is great if you have a limited amount of space on your desk or in your office. The small thin design is also great if you have a long commute to work or spend a lot of time on the road. You can carry twice the number of CD’s in the same amount of space. The cases are sturdy and will stand up to a good bit of use and abuse. So far they have held up nicely even after the dog got a hold of one of them and decided that it was his new toy.
Cool Jewel CD Cases
Unlike regular jewel cases these are half as thick, slightly flexible [with no CD inserted in them] and easy to use. Since they are colored and easily distinguishable from each other they are great if you have mixed media [music, photos, HTML etc] and need to find something quick. Those that feel the need to organize every facet of their lives will love the assorted colors since this is yet another way to categorize your compact discs. The cases open easily and I’ve never had one come open when it was in my backpack. The CD snaps into the case and stays put. Again, I’ve never had a CD come loose once it was pressed into place inside the case. These are great if you purchase your blank CD’s in bulk or if they come on a spindle – it allows you to keep them safe and since they are clear you can read the information on the front of the disc without having to open it.
Some of the other replacement cases I have picked up have been nice but after a few weeks the hinges would start to show sings of wear or the prong that holds the CD in place would start to lose its grip. Not the case with the Memorex Cool Jewel cases. Considering that I got these on sale and was a little skeptical of them at first – I am pretty impressed with them so far. If standard plastic jewel cases seem a bit too stuff for you I really suggest that you check these out and see if they are something you’ll enjoy using. These would be great for families that are sharing one computer – you can assign each member a color and possibly put an end to compact discs lying on the computer desk.
I’ve started to use these for some of my Playstation games as well. I’ve been playing the games in the Spyro series for some time now and the cases are on their last leg. It’s a little easier to just pop the game out of the Playstation unit and into one of these than to fumble around with the jewel case that has a broken prong. If you have broken or damaged game cases, this is an affordable replacement providing that you can find storage for the instruction booklet.
The cases can be written on with permanent markers [I like the Sharpies the best] in case you want to make notes about the contents of the CD. For some of the CD’s I printed stickers for the outside and they have held up nicely. Depending on the brand you use – you can peel off the sticker without any residue or having the label rip in the process. I found that the Avery brand of labels works the best on the Cool Jewel cases but that doesn’t mean that Avery is the only brand that will peel off easily.
Colors
I’ll be honest here, at first I wasn’t all that crazy about the colors of the Cool Jewel cases. The colors include a very attractive icy blue, light orange, purple, lime green and my personal favorite – red. The purple and red are a little on the dark side which makes it hard to read whatever you have written on the CD – but other than that they are almost perfect. The color assortments vary from pack to pack so you might want to look around to see which package you like best. If you are ordering these over the internet you won’t have much say as to what assortment you get so know that upfront.
If the colored ones aren’t your style or you want to use them for professional purposes Memorex makes these in a clear version. These are a little cheaper than the colored ones and are available in ten packs or twenty five packs. Prices for these range from $3.99 for the ten pack to $8.99 for the twenty five pack but you can check around to get the best deal.
Durability
So far I haven’t had any trouble using these cases, having the plastic hinge wear out or getting the CD in and out of the case. As I mentioned earlier, the dog did snag one of these [thankfully it was empty] and he’s been playing with it ever since. Aside from the teeth marks it’s held up against all his abuse. My sons have used a few of these for their CD’s that they store their homework on and they really like the fact that they are quiet. Most of the hard plastic jewel cases make a lot of noise when you are opening and closing them or when they clank around in your backpack – these are almost completely silent except for a small click when it locks. I haven’t seen any noticeable scratches or signs of wear on the faces of the cases but my sons have all said that theirs are a little ‘scruffy’ looking since they take their CD’s with them to friends houses or on field trips.
The Bottom Line
These are a great way to add a little bit of color to your CD collection. Looking back on my purchase I wish I would have picked up the rest of these while they were on sale at Tower Records. These would make great stocking stuffers for teens, a nice impromptu gift for a co-worker or as a subtle reminder to a loved one that CD’s aren’t supposed to be used as coasters for drinks. If the Memorex Cool Jewel cases sound like something that you are interested in I highly suggest that you check the prices online to get the best deal. You won’t have the luxury of being able to pick out your choice of colors but you will save a couple of bucks.
As always, thanks for the visit!
^V^ Freak ^V^
© 2002 Freak369
Related reviews …
Case Logic 24 Compact Disc Carrying Case
http://www.epinions.com/content_82189717124
Case Logic CD Visor Folio
http://www.epinions.com/content_51763449476
Recommended:
Yes
|
|
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.