Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

This case has a lot of five star reviews, and a handful of one star reviews that seem to contradict everything else. The case comes with no instructions, and the majority of users wouldn't need any. But I'd like to address some of the limitations that people mentioned in one star reviews. For the most part, they are not real problems with the case itself, but it's entirely reasonable that users may encounter them. One objection people have is to the smell. At first, I didn't find any noticeable odor to it. But when I put my nose to it, I could smell it. And it doesn't smell the least bit like leather. It's possible that whatever they treated it with and dyed it with caused the smell to be what it is, but I wouldn't swear that it's leather. I'm not going to accuse the company of lying, but I'm skeptical. Nevertheless, it's well made and robust, especially for the price. And it looks just as pictured. As I was writing this review, I had to come back to this paragraph because I started feeling the effects in my eyes that another reviewer had mentioned. I thought what I had read might have been an exaggeration or an oversensitive user. So far, it's not a show stopper and I hope it will dissipate over time. If not, I will have to lower my rating by a star. For now, it doesn't quite make my eyes water. [Update: after a few weeks, the smell went away and it smelled just like a competing leather case I got that sells for at least double the price.] As far as usability goes, you need to put it in the case the right way. That should go without saying, but since the Kindle is aware of direction, the screen will be right side up when the device is held upside down. As long as you make sure the camera is on top, relative to the stand, it will fit in the case just fine. Nothing will block the buttons or charger, and it will face the correct way when standing up. It will also open the same way a book opens. i.e. the "spine" edge will be on the left where it belongs, just as with any other case. As for people who claim that the case is upside down, it will be upside down if you put your Kindle in upside down. The stylus doubles as a pen. If you've used a stylus before, you will know that the rubbery tip is the stylus, and if you twist it so a tip comes out, it looks like a ball point pen because it is one. I can't say for certain whether this stylus will outlast a $6.99 stylus, but it seems to be of similar quality. When you factor in the price of the case, you can almost think of it as getting a free case with a stylus. Some users complain that the case falls over easily. That was my experience too the first time. If you look at the picture, you will see that the edge of the flap tucks into a small area. That part is fairly obvious when you have the case in hand. The picture also shows a flat bottom, making a triangle for the stand part. When you first open it, the part that curves around when the case is closed will still be curved. You need to make sure to push it flat when you use the case as a stand. It's not in the least bit difficult, but it's a fair criticism from a small percentage of users that there was no explanation for those who needed one. Had the item listing not said this was made of leather, I still would have considered it well worth the money. I'm willing to dismiss all the usability issues as user error, but I can understand how a percentage of users can encounter those problems. I can't blame those users for giving a rating that fits their experience, but you need not have that experience. The only legitimate usability issue for me is whether the chemical smell and emissions will bother you. Based on the percentage of reviewers who complained, it seems as if it will bother few people. But it's there, and is strong enough to bother me for now.