Smooth Creations LanShark
A Shark’s Tale: Delivery
Normally I wouldn’t spend much time discussing the packaging of a product, but in this instance I have to make an exception. When a company advertises itself as something very "special", you expect nothing less in all facets, including packaging and delivery. And there is a story here, trust me, this is about as good as it gets……
The FedEx delivery woman called me to say she had a "fricking huge box" to deliver. I kid you not, those were her exact words. When she arrived, I opened the door to find, surely enough, a fricking huge box. And that’s it. No cart, no second person. Just her and this box. Now, the FedEx delivery women wasn’t very big, but I tell you she probably could have whipped me anyday if she was able to carry that box to the door. So I thanked her and dragged the box inside. I stood there, wondering why such a huge box for micro tower LAN case? Well, I quickly found out as I opened the box. Inside all the packing foam was another box. It was a box inside a box with packing foam. No joke. But not just another cardboard box…..it was a plywood box. Never would have thought of that, but quite ingenious when you stop for a second and actually think about it.
So after taking the box outside of the box, I then wondered if there was another surprise or if the actual case itself was sitting inside. Thankfully that was not the…..err……..case…….that was the only case. Confused yet? It gets better………after removing the large thumbscrews that held the plywood case shut, I opened the top and found………..foam!!! I wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry at this point. Beneath the foam was something, however, so I pulled it out and put it on the desk. I’m sure it was the LanShark, but it was wrapped in a cloth covering. No joke. This thing was wrapped in more layers than a Victorian women at her wedding. So after this big ordeal, we’re left with a case in a cloth, in foam in a case, in foam inside a box. Sounds like a Dr. Suess book, doesn’t it?
At this point, I think it’s best to let some pictures do the explaining. Here we see the box, the other box, and what lies inside. Opening the plywood box and foam packing, we see a soft cloth cover which protects the surface from any scratches during shipping.
When it comes down to accessories, Smooth Creations has included quite a treat here. There is a separate mini-case (yet another case!), complete with lock and key, to house the accessories, including cables and even system restore disks. The inside of the mini-case is soft and plush, and the outside is actually airbrushed with a surfboard graphic and continuing the LanShark and water theme. I can’t say I’ve ever seen something like this done before, and the attention to detail and finesse is exemplary.
Time for the unveiling…..