The vast majority of violinists looking for violin cases are actually students! These are young students playing at youth symphonies, high school orchestras, community orchestras, summer music camps, etc.
Parents often look for the best violin cases for students within a certain budget. After all, we’re assuming that the young violinist is playing a student violin, so it doesn’t make too much sense to buy a professional violin case that’ll cost more than the violin itself.
Now this may not be true for young virtuosos that practice on their expensive violins several hours a day. We would definitely still suggest getting a professional case that is designed to protect valuable violins.
However, for the vast majority of student violinists, we have compiled a list of some of the best selling student violin cases.
What To Look For In A Student Violin Case
Before we get to the list of violin cases, let’s first look at some of the criteria we took into consideration.
The Lighter The Better
This is one of the most important factors of a good student violin case. Students these days already carry a ton of school books. Adding a heavy case can really lead to poor posture over time.
However, the lighter the violin case, the more expensive it usually gets. Unless you get a light and cheap styrofoam violin case. But then you’ll be sacrificing protection, since you can break these styrofoam cases just by sitting on them.
So when we’re looking at light student violin cases, we’re trying to find the lightest violin cases that still offer decent enough protection for student violins without breaking the bank.
Light violin cases are generally between 4 to 5.5 lb. Most traditional violin cases are 7 to 9 lb. The lightest violin cases in the world are around 3.5 lb. So finding a student violin case under 5.5 lb. is definitely ideal.
Strong Protection
Interestingly enough, students often need protective cases more than professional violinists! High schools are like jungles. Even if your child is safe and careful with his or her violin, we still have to worry about all the other rambunctious classmates that may not understand just how fragile violins can be.
Really Durable
The worst and most frequent issue we see with cheap violin cases is poor durability. This could be cheap zippers or loose hinges and latches. Even if you get a really protective case, it still becomes unusable if the zippers break and you’re unable to close the case.
So how do you know if a case is durable? Often by the brand name. Brands are reputable for a reason. Good brands invest in quality components to make sure that their cases are designed to last a long time.
Fun & Colorful!
Traditional black rectangular cases are boring! And they’re difficult to find in a sea of black cases after orchestra rehearsal. Nowadays, there are so many color options to choose from. Young students can choose the color that best represents their style!
Which Student Violin Cases To Avoid
Knowing what NOT to look for is just as important as knowing what to look for. Especially nowadays with thousands of choices. Unfortunately, some case makers focus more on profit than value for the students and parents. Here are some of the things to watch out for.
No-Name Cases
In recent years, we’ve been seeing more and more cases with no brand names on them. They’re usually sold as simply a “carbon fiber violin case” or “fiberglass violin case”.
However, there’s a reason that these case makers or sellers do not want to put their names on them, they know it’ll hurt their brand reputation. Instead, it’s easier to sell a no-name case, collect several bad reviews, then remove the listing and add it again with no reviews (basically a fresh start). A devious strategy for these companies, but a poor and frustrating option for students and parents.
Cases Under $100
Cases under $100 are almost never made of protective materials. They may be using styrofoam, or thin pieces of wood glued together, then covered with some cheap fabric. However, these cases aren’t designed for protection. You knock it hard enough and it’ll break. Not to mention the cheap zippers or hinges that usually come with these cases.