My Pegasus case -- One year review and photos

[R. Kane]

Love my Peg. It reminds me of the Lotus Elan that I never had, and doesn't remind me of the Fiat Spider that I did. Should I explain that? Let's just say that it still looks great and works perfectly 6 years later. Sam worked with me on the silver-ish exterior color: pretty cool, eh? I use a Small Dog cover if I'm going any distance or out in crappy weather.

[Mike Bunting]

I like a Small Dog in the winter or travelling too.

[foldedpath]

I use a Small Dog cover if I'm going any distance or out in crappy weather.

To expand on my earlier comment about walking in the rain with the bare case, I should explain that this is what people up here in the Northwest USA call "rain." It's not the rain I grew up with, as a South Florida native. That's the kind of sub-tropical rain where you pull your car off to the side of the road, because you literally can't see anything through the windshield. Buckets of hard, big drop rain.

Up here in the PNW, what they call "rain" is more like a constant falling mist. It rains a *lot* up here, but it's more about the seasonal duration of cloudy and wet skies, than the volume of water per minute. More Scotland than equatorial Brazil. So that's another link.


The lid seal on the Peg case is good, but if I still lived in Miami or anywhere closer to the Equator with real, driving rain, then I'd be using an outer cover.

[jasona]

Looking at the current prices for Caltons...I am guessing the Pegasus isn't a whole lot different? Been thinking I need a flight case and its a spendy proposition.

[mandroid]

theres always boxing up your existing hard case like you were shipping it.

[AlanN]

This talk about going out for a stroll with your prized mandolin in its case in the Early Morning Rain is funny. I don't know about you, but where I live, if it's raining, I hardly want to take a walk with the mandolin. Sure, some times it's unavoidable (at festivals) and the case/cover will get wet. However, I will not subject the thing to a downpour such that the seals will be stressed to keep the deluge out of the bedroom. I hardly want to test the manufacturer's water-tight claim.

[mandroid]

the gasket contact is good enough.. I have backpack straps on my FG Eastman , riding my bicycle in the rain,
the lining stays dry.

As the labels read on most things , but, maybe, for the seats under you in the airplane, reading to the contrary,
"Not to be Used As a Personal Flotation device."

[almeriastrings]

Pretty happy with mine...



Good case. Also have Caltons, and I like those too.

[Scott Tichenor]

Really dig mine. Collection of photos of it on the Cafe's Flickr account. This is not yet a production model that I'm aware of so if you have questions about that, Sam's the guy to ask.

[Scot Thayer]

I'm liking mine - it's a 2011, charcoal exterior, claret interior.

[Mike Bunting]

Really dig mine. Collection of photos of it on the Cafe's Flickr account. This is not yet a production model that I'm aware of so if you have questions about that, Sam's the guy to ask.

Is it significantly lighter? Are there any other ways in which the cf case is superior the FB cases?

[pegasuscases]

Hi folks - the CF case I'm building here in the shop, the third of the three I was prototyping with Scott T. and Dan B., weighs a little less than the FG case. Although the finish of the CF case is exquisite and faultless, the company who laid it up did it by hand. Apart from the weight factor, you wouldn't know the difference.

The CF makeup might be somewhat stronger than Fibreglass but there's also the intrinsic design of the case to be factored in. If the contours are very deep then the case has a natural tendency to offer an (at least) equal and opposite resistance. After that it's down to how well the catches stand up to the pressure being exerted on the gasket, angles, etc etc. So basically it's not purely a question of how much stronger the base material is. Does that make sense?

Last year Dan B and Jamie Weins managed to do a comparison between a Peg, a Calton and the Hoffee CF case up at Jamie's shop. There's very little difference weight wise, but maybe Jamie or Dan might tidy that one up for you.

I fully understand why there's negligible weight difference, it's obvious really. It's the amount of resin left in the laminate which makes up the weight, and it's not the easiest thing to make sure you're using as little as possible without actually compromising strength. Better a little more maybe .... maybe not.

The CF case is ready to start producing really. The people who make up the shells can offer me hand-laid as per the ones we've done so far. The finishes will either be the weave as in Scott's case above here or a pure Black. Any other colours would have to be done like vehicle finish, in a car spray shop. Nice possibilities there methinks.

My people also are offering the ultimate CF case using the Vacuum Infusion method. The same method you'd use for small non-production parts in the Aerospace and Automotive etc industries.

This method allows you to basically dry lay up your part in a vacuum container and once the resin / catalyst mix has been applied, any excess is scavenged in the next stage using a vacuum pump. This means there's absolutely no excess resin. At the initial stage you can also add Kevlar etc. Add an Autoclave to bake the part and there you have it!

My people guarantee a set of shells 60% the weight of both Fibreglass or hand-laid CF, but the price is ridiculous frankly.

In the next CF batch I have made up I'm going to also have a set of the Vacuum Infusion ones made for me to have a look at. I'd like to go the whole hog and have them custom-sprayed etc. (Take it to the limit)

These cases will cost between £650 and £900 plus shipping, so there's no chance we'll be doing a lot of them.

[Darryl Wolfe]

I have a black Pegasus with the purplish blue interior. Great case, no problems.

[bryankimsey]

I've got one! And a Calton, too. I like the Peg a lot for all the aforementioned reasons- vertical carrying, contoured shape, peghead room. I have a few loose spots on mine, but they're due to me shutting the case on the strap.

Here's a Czech mandolin in a Scottish case, in New Mexico. And FWIW, my great-grandfather, who came to this county in the late 1800's, was James Carter MacDonald.

[Leon Peoples]

Sam, what's the wait time for a case?
Best/joe

[Mike Bunting]

Sam, what's the wait time for a case?
Best/joe

Email them and find out, it depends when a batch is started or finished.

[Pete Martin]

Long time Pegasus owner. Never an issue. Best case on the planet for my money.

I second this. I own 2 Pegs for 2 reasonably valuable mandos; a Gil and a 1924 F4. Wouldn't think of putting them in anything else, especially since a Calton busted the scroll on my Gil.

[Homer Savard]

I have had a Pegasus since 2005. It's the only case I travel with and I've never had an issue. I think it's very comfortable to carry because of the shape. I will admit it's a bit heavy but the safety factor really makes up for it. I would also add that working with Sam was a pleasure. He's very easy to do business with and I recommend him whenever I can.

Cheers!