The Facts
Specifications according to the manufacturer:

- Size：approx 27mm W x 86mm H x 18mm D (including clip)
- Weight：approx 15g (without iPod shuffle)
- Material：Aluminum (carved from a solid aluminum block), laser etched logo
- Color：Silver
- iPod：iPod shuffle
- Price: US $14.95

Construction and Materials
Strong. Light. Durable. Simple, clean design. All of these things describe the Aluminum Clipwear. Despite what Tunewear's marketing copy states, this products appears to be formed/folded from a piece of aluminum instead of being "carved." Despite the slight, and largely irrelevant, difference, the build quality and strength of the Aluminum Clipwear is very good, with one exception.

One facet of the construction of the clip mares an otherwise exceptional product and that is the presence of some slightly rough edges to the metal. Specifically, the sides of the unit at the "mouth" where you slide the iPod in is sharp enough to scratch the shuffle if you don't insert straight in. The first time I inserted my shuffle I did it at an angle and this resulted in some slight cosmetic scratching on both sides of it. After that experience I inserted the shuffle straight in (parallel) to the clip and there has been no additional scratching. Some sandpaper or a file may be able to smooth these rough edges easily enough.

This thing is strong. And so is the belt clip. It has a stout hinge and spring mechanism. The clip itself opens wide and has a pronounced hook at the end of it. It clamps with firm force. Nothing wimpy here.

Two small rubber nubs put pressure on the iPod and keeps it secured in the clip. There is no danger of it sliding out. You can remove the entire iPod or leave the cap in the clip. A rectangular cutout allows you to view and access the slider control and battery button and this cutout is just slightly too high so that it partially obscured the battery button. It's still usable though, and this is a small imperfection.

Usage
Everyday usage backed up my initial good impressions of the Aluminum Clipwear. The beautiful design and functional belt clip makes it a joy to use. It's protective enough that I felt comfortable throwing my iPod into a bag or just letting it slide around in the car. I really like this thing.

All of the edges and corners of the iPod have at least a degree of protection except for the top of the iPod which protrudes past the clip very slightly. On the plus side, this design allows any model of headphones to be used, no matter the size of the plug.

I like the appearance of the Aluminum Clipwear a lot. Its unfinished silver and the minimalist design are very attractive. A simple TUNEWEAR logo is laser etched onto the belt clip and it looks elegant. My clip shows no signs of wear after weeks of use, but I have a feeling that if it did get scratched or dinged, it would only look cooler. The design of the belt clip allows you to stand the iPod vertically, at a small angle so it looks nice sitting on a desk (see lead photo).

The Bottom Line
The Tunewear Aluminum Clipwear is one of the coolest products I've run across for the iPod shuffle. It's functional, strong, reasonably priced, and boasts some great industrial design. Even though there are some slightly rough edges to the metal and there is a risk of scratching the iPod when inserting it if your not careful, it still gets a 5 star rating. I dig this shuffle clip a lot.

The good: Minimalist industrial design looks great, strong and light, beefy belt clip, very functional, just really cool.
The not so good: Some slightly rough edges that can scratch your iPod if you're not careful.

For more information: Tunewear.com

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