The moment my MacBook Pro with Retina Display (rMBP) was purchased I hit the web searching for an appropriate case to protect my new purchase. Unfortunately the usual suspects, Speck and Incase, didn’t have a shell case available.

In a way this made sense. The design of the rMBP is unique, ridiculously thin and difficult to design a case around. I was told this much from an Incase representative. I got my rMBP in August and by December there still was no case from Incase. Speck had a case out but it was $50 and my previous experience with Speck laptop cases was not great. My previous MacBook Pro had a Speck shell on it but I swore them off after replacing it twice due to defective construction.

Kuzy – Rubberized Hard Case Cover for Apple MacBook Pro 15.4″ with Retina Display

Exhausted of waiting for Incase to come out with a solution I opted to make a radical choice. Instead of buying the brand I knew and trusted, I bought a brand I had never heard of. Basing my purchase on the hundreds of positive reviews on Amazon, I bought the Kuzy hardshell case.

The Kuzy case is half the price of the $50 Speck case (which has mixed reviews at best and is currently not being sold by Amazon directly until issues with the case breaking are fixed) and $35 cheaper than the shell Incase eventually came out with. When the Kuzy case arrived, with its minimal packaging and straight from China paperwork, I was a bit skeptical. Never-the-less I proceeded to put the case on my precious MacBook Pro.

With slightly more force than I was expecting, the Kuzy snapped onto the rMBP with precision and without obscuring any ports or adding much heft or thickness to the laptop. The weight increase is absolutely unnoticeable while the slight increase in thickness is acceptable.

Kuzy describes the shell as “rubberized” but I’d call it a satin finish. I chose the black version and am pleased to announce that the lighted Apple logo shines bright through the back of the shell.

For those who don’t already have the rMBP, the usual rubbery feet are now plastic which means your laptop can slide around your desk. This flaw totally defeats the point of a MagSafe power connection! Luckily the Kuzy case’s rubber feet secure the rMBP to my desk almost as if it was glued into place. The bottom of the Kuzy case also has twice as many vents as the Incase hardshell case.

If I were to give any grievances with the Kuzy case it would be the following:

1. The area where you would rest your wrists is where Kuzy decided to put the clips holding the case to the computer. These extrusions can be uncomfortable at times on bare wrists. Moving the clips to the sides of the case would fix this problem.
2. There is no mention of a warranty on Kuzy’s site or on Amazon for this case.

However, considering the price and overall performance, I still recommend this case over the Incase and Speck cases. The Kuzy case is twice as affordable, just as thin and light and so far has endured my abuse for the last few months without even a scratch. And while it doesn’t have a warranty to speak of, the price makes it more affordable to buy two Kuzy cases than one Incase or Speck hardshell cases.

To this day there is no Incase hardshell case for the rMBP available on Amazon. The only place you can find one is at Apple. It doesn’t even exist on Incase’s own website and it is a hammered clear-case that is thicker and heavier than the Kuzy. Plus the Kuzy case comes in thirteen colors instead of just “clear”.

It’s a no-brainer. If you want to protect your MacBook Pro with Retina display, buy the Kuzy.