Reviewer: Srajan Ebaen
Source: Questionable taste, eyes bigger than the wallet, zero talent for tailoring or sewing but beset with massive CD collection, select sections of which must travel. Destination? NYC HE2004. 
Review component retail: $27,000 - no, make that starting at $15.99

SLAPPA didn't change their sign because it was way kewl already and nobody asked them to change it. They did alter something, however - and just because one of their readers asked. Launching their MkII next-gen software storage (existing owners can have theirs upgraded for 5 cents a stitch?), the slappists wisely figured that making a great thing better still would reflect well on sales and customer satisfaction. Having 'reviewed' the original SLAPPA CD storage cases, I didn't latch on to the specific item this user asked to have addressed. But having the new case in hand, I can agree that it is an improvement - kudos to the SLAPPA team for listening and making their customers the (smart) boss.

But first, what's a SLAPPA? That's easy. It's a uniquely attractive, very sturdy software case with double-dip pockets which allow you to transfer the original CD artwork (or DVD equivalent if you get something from that line) into the case, then store your precious silver disc right behind it in a separate, non-scratch pocket. Eschewing a ring-style binder scheme, the individual 'pages' can't, er, bind up even if every single pouch in the properly dimensioned case were filt. And the GenII zipper tape has been widened as well to prevent any congestion issues if you loaded up your unit to the hilt.

Using fully stitched seams rather than glue plus tactile hi-tech finishes, the SLAPPA cases look and feel great; take any reasonable amount of traveling abuse you care to throw at them; hold substantial amounts of software; and just became better than the originals in one small but significant way: The width of the artwork pockets has been increased by 2mm to make it easier to stash away bulky booklets rather than single-sheet inserts. And darn if it doesn't work as advertised. It took a while to grab just the right kind of CD from my bulging collection but raiding the classic portion, I soon found a substantial tome on 9 Bruckner symphonies. Lo and behold, though we're talking significantly thicker than normal, I could still fit it in by first slightly bending the booklet, then flattening it out once it had cleared the initial plastic cover. All normal-sized booklets with multiples pages slipped in straight without any fotzing whatsoever. Mission accomplished!


But Dominique Martinetti and his gang couldn't leave good enough alone. New for 2004 are four finishes dubbed Camel, Black Wave, Graphite and Blue. Living in the high desert (wouldn't trade for the low desert which is far too proletarian), I opted for Camel. That's a very slick fake suede for the main body that's trimmed out with faux leather accents and cloth edge banding. Making Hong Kong their center of operations, the SLAPPA guyz can't fail to be hip - the city throws you out otherwise. Check out this page to preview the new color options. It's best seen in ultra-chic sun shades. I think you'll agree that our friends over there have hit another home run. The Black Wave is black suede and the Graphite a black PVC. But there's more. Instead of one zipper pull, there's two now. And storage capacity too has increased.


The 32 is now a 40, the 64 an 80, the 128 a 160, the 192 a 240 and the new sheriff in Dodge town just rode in on a 360-cylinder Hemi engine - well, make that 360 pouches to store away 180 CDs and 180 accompanying CD cover artwork. This math transfers to the whole line - divide the number in half for the number of actual CDs you can accommodate. Lastly, the 160-on-up cases now use better-looking handle hardware - see the smaller Camel case of the first picture strip above.

We can all agree without the usual audiophile religious differences that the new SLAPPA cases are as perfect as material things can get - no open-range funkiness, no backwards behind steps, no undue surprises over the dead remaining dead rather than turning into Zombies. Okay, I admit it - I've penned this brief post in an extremely casual and light-hearted fashion. Call it a well-deserved hour out from the usual reviewer seriousness. But make no mistake; just because I had obvious fun here, this product is dead serious - hey, I just couldn't resist with that classic newspaper blunder above.


Back on track: SLAPPA is fairly priced, deliberately made better than any of the competition (which they've sorted thru with a fine-tooth comb) and, most importantly, doesn't scratch your CDs even if they get plenty of in-n-out action. What more could you ask from a CD storage case? Beats me. I call it perfect and will take my new Camel-cool 80 to the New York City show next week. I'll spring my usual assortment of wacky tunes on unsuspecting showgoers and the poor hosts held captive in their undersized exhibit rooms. Where would they go - leave me alone to walk out with all of their super-expensive kit? Fat chance. No, they've got to listen to my shit. Sometimes life is simply grand even for reviewers. And in their own small way, the SLAPPA folks contribute to such euphoria when the question comes up about how to store your precious CDs safely and be prepared to answer questions about a particular track, artist or label. Simply pull out the piggy-backed CD booklet, hand it to your friendly inquisitor, pass the weed of music addiction around and delight in the reactions. Well, if you play good music that is. Otherwise, you might get slapped with your brand-new SLAPPA. And while it won't dent, your head might - so be careful what music you do play while others are listening in....
Manufacturer's website