Comments about Prat Start Premium UC Cases:

I have seen many portfolio cases in dickblick with reviews stating the straps break easily, it broke within days or months, etc., and I had looked around hoping to find one that wasn't like that.

I bought this because, looking at the picture, the case seemed very sturdy and like it should hold up to some wear. When I got it, the body of the case itself was certainly tough; it was actually bigger and thicker than I expected, so it was very heavy, and hard for a small woman like me to lug around.

The plastic 'comfort strap' dug into my shoulder and hurt, so I often held it by the small handle anyway to give my shoulder a rest. That was inconvenient too, since I'm short enough that the case will bang against every step in a stairwell if I'm carrying it that way.

Closing it using the metal clasps was not easy because the plastic cover did not fold easily into place.

All these problems would not make me leave a one-star review, since perhaps this kind of case would be preferable for a bigger, stronger man and it's just unsuited for me. However, the strap broke off on my third week using this.

The strap broke by the metal parts; they are two pieces that fit together, but one piece 'popped out' from the other from constant strain. I had a friend pop the metal piece back in, but it popped back out within minutes of use. For someone like me, carrying a case like this only by the short handle for more than 5 minutes hurts.

Understand--I only used this case once a week, on Mondays, for a 15 minute walk to and from class. I carried two artpads, a steel L-ruler, and a sketchbook in this case--not much at all, and leaving -inches- of empty space in the case. So in reality, if I had used this case three or four days in a row, it probably would have broken that quickly.

I ended up buying a cloth portfolio from my school store for 1/5 what I paid for this, and I'm grateful at how much lighter, thinner, and no-fuss it is.

The only use I could see for THIS case is if, maybe, you're transporting a lot of art/paper/etc. in a car or something(?), or if you really don't care about the shoulder strap or hard-to-close cover.

Comments about Prat Start Premium UC Cases:

Excellent option for transporting large format work. Fits behind seat in pickup truck. Allows for portfolios & presentation books to be carried without worry / no bending, mussing, etc. Safe, mobile, vertical storage. Lightweight.
Do recommend keeping interior 'packed' to reduce slide-around. A simple piece of foam, etc., makes it snug as a bug in a rug.
Very convenient as I'm on the road a lot.