Cool Stuff: Abitax gadget case

This post category might not end up with a ton of entries, but I've gotten enough inquiries about some of my uncommon goods that I thought I would share the details (and my LOVE of these products) here. The first "cool stuff" post is dedicated to my beloved Abitax gadget case. Abitax is a Japanese company for which I have not been able to find much information on the internet in English. I began researching the company after seeing my friend Blair's case when I visited her in Los Angeles in June of 2007. I immediately fell in love with the little pouch and wanted to know where I could get one. Unfortunately, I didn't ask her about it until after I'd returned home and failed to find one online that could be delivered for less than a $10 shipping charge. The freakin' thing doesn't even weigh 3 ounces, so a $10 shipping charge is ridiculous!

(The photo to the left is of my case with my phone inside it. You can see that the antenna, which measures approximately 1 1/4", barely sticks out of the case.)

After I e-mailed Blair about it, she explained that hers had been a Christmas gift from her husband, but she knew where he got it. While it just so happened to be the ridiculous shipping charge store, she generously offered to buy one for me in-store and ship it to me (THANKS BLAIR!) As it turned out, she sent me two (one for me and one for Kerry) and charged us nothing...what a fabulous friend.

While the cases may appear to be overpriced (the cheapest I've found for the small size is $29.75, current price on sale at Rare Device) these babies are totally worth it. They are constructed of felted wool, and each comes with two interchangeable clips - one is a flat clip (pictured both front left and back below) and the other is a carabiner-style clip (pictured below in aqua/blue color with my phone on top). Obviously from the photos you can see I now have two of these cases. I ended up purchasing one from the ridiculous shipping store, along with another for a friend as a birthday gift.


The size of the small case varies on the internet, but I measured mine (flat, not including attached clip) as 2 7/8" wide by 4 1/2" tall. My phone (LG VX8300) fits perfectly and has never fallen out.

As I only have a cell phone (no land line in casa a la Tracey), this case has made my life much easier because my phone is almost always on hand. The clips are easy to change, but I usually keep the flat clip on because I can attach it to the waist of my gym shorts, the side of my purse or the pocket of my pants.

The bad news is that Abitax availability is scarce in the US (haven't even found them on ebay). The only US online stores I've found are linked above (Rare Device and Tortoise Life), and as formerly mentioned, shipping isn't cheap. You can risk ordering via the Abitax site, but I didn't and wouldn't. However, now that I have two of my own, I recommend getting over the shipping charges or if you have friends in Brooklyn, Los Angeles or San Francisco, have one shipped to you via your friend. You won't be sorry - but if you are - I'd probably buy yours from you!

FYI: these also come in a larger size, which one site described as a mitten without a thumb (to give you an idea of the size). I have not seen the large size first hand.