The Etchr Slate Mini Doesn't Work for Me
I have looked at reviews of the Etchr Slate and Slate Mini for months. It is an attractive and for some, apparently, very practical drawing and painting tools carrying case that turns into a portable drawing surface for your lap, while standing or attached to a tripod. Sounded and looked great. I made a very usable foldable drawing board out of Coroplast material (often used for real estate and political signs) but to have a carrying bag for my sketching tools that turns into a drawing board sounded perfect.
I decided the Slate Mini would be plenty big for me and ordered it. It arrived and I excitedly unboxed it and checked it out. It’s made from a nice weatherproof material and is attractive with a strong, seatbelt-like strap. You can read all the details about the Slate on the Etchr website, but when opened, you have one side that has a zipper for a removable mesh cover and the other side to use as a workspace. Both sides are covered with a material to which hook and loop (i.e., Velcro) attachments can be attached. These attachments are two multi-slip strips for holding brushes, pens, and pencils. In addition, the Slate Mini comes with four corner holds to be used to hold up to a 10.5 iPad Pro or a sketchbook. Finally, there is an elastic and resizable strap with pieces on either end that attach to the interior material. This can be used to hold pages of a sketchbook down on a windy day.
Etchr Labs image
There is certainly adequate space for holding lots of gear even in the Mini version of the Slate,but as I now had a chance to try it out myself, I determined that it just wasn’t a match for me. Trying to reattach the mesh cover was a bit of a challenge though, to be fair, this would get easier with practice. I liked that it could be attached to a tripod, but the tool side hanging to one side or in front of me just didn’t seem to work for me. I like my tools nearby on the same horizontal plane as my sketchbook. I also couldn’t decide how I would place a paint palette and water with the Slate.
Etchr Labs Image
The Slate shines if you want to stand and sketch/paint. I don’t normally find that I do that and even if I wanted to, I don’t think I could for very long. It doesn’t weigh a ton but it’s not super light (almost 3 lbs), especially fully loaded. I decided that this item, much to my disappointment, wasn’t going to work for me so I sent it back. I’m still looking for a suitable bag solution since I think my DIY Coroplast solution is looking better and better.
