Brenthaven's new range of notebook cases use what it calls Zero Impact, which refers not only to the damage you can expect should you drop the bag while carrying your notebook, but also to your body, as it has been designed to be more ergonomic.
The first thing you'll notice about the MetroLite II is how small and compact it is. Designed for 15.4-inch notebooks it’s considerably smaller than other cases for this size of machine. Open the bag and you'll see why, as there is only one compartment and this is heavily padded, so there is room for your notebook and little else.
The protection offered is great and the bag stays in shape even if being forced into an overhead locker, so you're guaranteed your notebook will reach its destination unscathed.
When you start to look a little deeper, you'll find the nylon bag has a padded and lined protector inside it, held in place by a couple of press-studs, which constitute the Zero Impact sleeve. Take this out and you can use the bag for other things.
There are a number of pockets on the front of the bag, even a vertical opening one that is intended for your power brick.
The carry strap starts to feel uncomfortable after carrying the bag for a while and while we found the shoulder strap to be more comfortable, the padding is a little on the slim side.
Our quick take
The Brenthaven MetroLite II is a commuter bag in the strictest sense of the word and for this function we found it worked well.
Brenthaven MetroLite II notebook case - 3.5 / 5
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To recap
This carry case is great if you simply want to commute with your laptop as it's compact design prohibits you carrying too much extra stuff around