When I was asked to review the Fun Panda iPad Case I jumped at the opportunity.  Before I even saw the case, I was intrigued by the name Fun Panda.  The name brought a smile to my face.  I thought to myself, “I like fun and I like pandas…but what in the world could a Fun Panda iPad case be?”  I headed over to funpanda.com to find out.

At funpanda.com I discovered that Fun Panda is a maker of bamboo iPhone and iPad cases.   Really nice, unique, customizable, high quality bamboo cases.  In case you didn’t know, bamboo is the fastest growing, most sustainable plant in the world.  So besides looking really cool, Fun Panda cases are also environmentally friendly.  It is also worth noting that Fun Panda gives 5% of their profits to charity and has a 30 day money back “happiness guarantee” on all purchases, so you can feel good about placing an order with Fun Panda.  At the moment Fun Panda only sells iPad 1 cases, but I have a feeling that will change soon.

Fun Panda’s well designed web site sells “blank” bamboo cases (meaning without a design) for $79, cases with one of Fun Panda’s designs engraved on to the back for $99, and custom engraved cases for $119.  The custom engraved case option allows you to upload your very own design to Fun Panda and have it laser engraved on to the back of the case.  Fun Panda told me they can’t put copyrighted material on the custom designed cases, but what seems to be popular are family photos, pets, cars, or one of their pre-designed cases with the addition of a quote.

I decided to go with one of Fun Panda’s pre-designed cases.  There are many different designs to choose from and something for every taste.  I was torn between “Subtle City” and “Tree In Winter”, but ultimately ended up ordering the “Subtle City” which features a city skyline on the back lower third of the case.

Three weeks later my Fun Panda case arrived.  Now I know what you are thinking.  Three weeks seems like a long time to wait, but when you consider that Fun Panda is not a mass producer of iPad cases but rather a very small company out of Oklahoma making custom engraved cases the wait is understandable and as it turns out totally worth it.

In keeping with Fun Panda’s mission to leave a small foot print, the Fun Panda case arrived in a cardboard box with shredded paper used as the packing material.  Shredded paper is used as packing material because it is 100% post consumer waste and still 100% recyclable after its delivered.  The shredded paper looked like old bills taken out of a paper shredder.  As for the case itself, it was inside what looked to be a natural fiber bag with a Panda on it.  Another nice touch.

The Fun Panda case consists of two pieces.  Each piece slides onto the iPad, and once in place it looks as if your iPad has been framed in beautiful bamboo. The fit is snug so the case will not come off unless you want it off.  The fit, finish, and detailed engraving are all top notch.  The Fun Panda case is very attractive and feels good to hold in my hands.

Fun Panda says they enhance each case with a teak stain (like you treat wood furniture) and add an additional stain to bring out the engraving.  The staining is done by hand and this attention to detail definitely makes the Fun Panda case a real head turner.  If you do not like to attract attention to yourself then do not buy a Fun Panda case as it will quickly turn your iPad into a conversation piece.  This is the first iPad case I have reviewed that I can honestly say is a work of art.

Now for the downsides.  First of all wrapping the iPad with bamboo makes it bulky and heavy.  If you are looking for a lightweight case, this is not your case.  It may be that I’ve been using the new lighter iPad 2 for the last week, but the iPad 1 in the Fun Panda case feels hefty.

Second, while most of the iPads buttons / jacks are easily accessible with the Fun Panda case the headphone jack is deeply recessed which means it will not work with all types of headphones.  I tried plugging in my Beats by Dr. Dre Solo headphones and they could not be plugged into my iPad while inside the Fun Panda case.  This is because those particular headphones have a bent headphone plug.  The standard iPod ear buds fit just fine.  Something to consider if you have headphones with this type of plug.

Third, while the iPad feels really safe inside the Fun Panda case, there is nothing to protect the screen so you have to be ok with that.  And finally as great as this case looks, its functionality is somewhat limited.  This case will not raise itself to a comfortable angle for typing or stand up on a table like some other iPad cases, so if you are looking for that kind of functionality look elsewhere.

While the Fun Panda case may not be the most functional iPad case, it certainly is one of the most beautiful.  What it lacks in functionality it more than makes up in style and cool factor.  If you are in the market for a unique, stylish, environmentally friendly case you should definitely take a close look at the Fun Panda.