Pad & Quill is precisely the type of company qualified to make accessories for the Apple Watch. The Minneapolis company has been producing fine iPhone, iPad, and Mac accessories for years now, and the first handmade Pad & Quill Apple Watch accessories continue that level of quality. Today we’re checking out two wooden charging stands and two leather travel cases: the Timber Catchall, Luxury Pocket Stand, Roll Up Kit, and Luxury Travel Pouch for Apple Watch. Both charging stands have a distinct and rich look with features that differ from previous charging stands we’ve seen…
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Pad & Quill Packaging
Before we jump in with the stand and case specifics, the packaging that each Pad & Quill accessory arrives in is worth noting. If you’re buying a Pad & Quill product for yourself, the unwrapping experience is a delightful one. If you’re gifting any of these Apple Watch accessories to a friend or loved one, though, you can be sure that they will appreciate the personal touch Pad & Quill puts into the packaging. There is nothing mass produced about it. These folks nail the hand crafted experience and make each item feel unique. Similar to Apple packaging in quality but not style, the packaging is really too nice to throw away.
Timber Catchall
From the photos alone, I didn’t anticipate enjoying Timber Catchall as much as I did during my testing. Many charging stands we’ve seen so far carry a futuristic, sci-fi look using metals and plastic, yet Timber Catchall is made by hand from handsome wood that carries a natural look not unlike nice furniture.
Physically Timber Catchall is a relatively large charging stand compared to other ones we’ve seen. In addition to featuring a stand for holding your Apple Watch, Timber Catchall includes a base for holding your iPhone and keys. At 8.5-inches long, 6-inches wide, and 0.75-inches thick, the base has about the same footprint as a full-sized iPad while the arm extends 5-inches from the surface.
Aside from the natural wood style, Timber Catchall’s arm is one of the most unique and compelling features of the charging stand. It does the same thing as other charging stands: include your own magnetic charging cable and it will try to hide the wire, then you can drop your watch onto the arm for easily charging without your band rubbing against your nightstand. Timber Catchall nails the one functional thing I didn’t enjoy about Twelve South’s HiRise stand (review): the arm folds into the base.
This makes it possible to easily fold the stand portion of Timber Catchall down, wrap your charging cable around the base, and drop it in a bag or suitcase for travel just as you would an iPad. Other charging stands I’ve tested are always vertical and not ideal for packing despite having smaller footprints. The collapsable design is key.
Aside from the collapsable arm, Timber Catchall’s large base is ideal for holding your iPhone (in a different way than Griffin’s WatchStand) and keys or wallet too. Just as you can run the magnetic charging cable through the base of the stand, you can also run a Lightning cable through the back as well for charging your iPhone. It’s not exactly a docking experience, though, as you have to connect and disconnect the cable to and from the iPhone; it’s nice to have an all-in-one spot for charging both devices though.
The space where the arm folds down is also a slot for holding your keys or wallet or whatever else you might want to store there. I’m packing Timber Catchall in my bag next time I travel as I can imagine having a familiar charging place for both the iPhone and Apple Watch away from home.
Timber Catchall is offered in three wood colors for $99: American Walnut, African Mahogany, and American Cherry.
| Manufacturer: Pad & Quill |
MSRP: $99 |
Compatibility: Apple Watch |
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Luxury Pocket Stand
In terms of its overall footprint, Luxury Pocket Stand takes the opposite direction of Timber Catchall. Pocket Stand is handmade of wood as well, but rather than include a base for your iPhone or keys, this charging stand has only the essential pieces for holding your watch in place while charging. You lose the benefits of the wider wood base, but the result is a rich looking charging stand that’s extremely portable.
Pocket Stand, too, can fold flat using a swivel design to lay flat in a block about the size of an iPhone 6 — 4.5-inches long, 2.5-inches wide, and 0.75-inches thick — making it possible to easily stow it in your pocket or bag. Pad & Quill’s cable management is clever in that it allows you to fold it flat without removing the magnetic charging cable; you can then wrap the remainder of the cable around the block and stow it in a bag pocket. When unfolded and set up, Pocket Stand measures 3.5-inches high.
If you appreciate the rich look of the wood charging stand but don’t see the appeal of the larger base that comes with Timber Catchall, Luxury Pocket Stand will surely serve your needs. Aside from the quality of the appearance, both charging stands are especially ideal for holding the Apple Watch as wood is a material that won’t easily scratch metal.
Luxury Pocket Stand is offered in the same three wood colors for $79.
Roll Up Kit
Roll Up Kit is a nice leather pouch for carrying Luxury Pocket Stand with a pocket large enough to accommodate one wrapped with the charging cable. The jacket design folds shut and prevents a loose cable from coming unwound in your bag. A tight leather pocket within Roll Up Kit holds spare Apple Watch bands that lay flat including the leather and sport bands. I tested the Roll Up Kit with the Luxury Pocket Stand and Apple Watch charging cable inside with the black Classic Buckle bands, although I’d love to see what sort of bands Pad & Quill could work up.
Overall, Roll Up Kit is a nice way to pack optionally Luxury Pocket Stand while traveling. The band pocket is appreciated, especially if you want to swap between leather and sport bands on your trip without misplacing the spare band. Roll Up Kit is sold on its own in chocolate brown or onyx black for $49.99 or with Luxury Pocket Stand at a combo price of $119.99.
Luxury Travel Pouch
Luxury Travel Pouch is a similar option for carrying Luxury Pocket Stand in a well designed pouch made of rich materials. Luxury Travel Pouch snuggly holds Pocket Stand with enough space to accommodate the charging cable when wrapped tightly. Similar to Roll Up Kit, Luxury Travel Pouch also includes a slot for stowing away spare bands on your trip, although it places them in a slot along the front. A flap buttons over the band slot to securely hold both the spare band and Pocket Stand plus cable.
Whereas Roll Up Kit has a looser jacket design, Luxury Travel Pouch’s button snaps shut for a bit more contained feel. Both options offer handsome ways to transport charging accessories in a way that feels more traditional than technological. Roll Up Kit is made of American Full Grain leather and offered for $119.99 and includes the $79.99 Luxury Pocket Stand.
Both of Pad & Quill’s Apple Watch charging stands appeal to a specific taste with quality fit for the Apple Watch Edition while the optional leather cases add tasteful ways to travel with electronics. While I don’t expect every charging stand to be handmade from wood in Minneapolis, I do hope other charging stand makers adopt the folding design for portability. Pad & Quill excels here before you even consider the build quality and materials.
Follow the links to Pad & Quill’s excellent Apple Watch accessories to pick up a charging stand for yourself or as a gift for someone else, and be sure to check out Pad & Quill’s classy line of iPhone, iPad, and Mac bags and cases.
| Manufacturer: Pad & Quill |
MSRP $79 |
Compatibility: Apple Watch |
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Woah…finally a collapsable stand that you can take with you on the road. I’m not big into the woody look though…I play guitar and whenever I see someone with a PRS 10top-ish type guitar, I make a joke about them putting strings on a coffee table and playing that instead :P
Maybe the aluminium and glass look is a trifle overused now, but these wooden stands just look like they came from a kids woodworking lesson to me.