The JP zipper cases are sturdier than some, but - CAN ABSOLUTELY BE TORN UP...and
zippers:
They're not only a pain in the (_!_) with Chinese cases (whether crappy or "pretty good") but Bach (etc.) cases as well as high end aftermarket cases.
DEMAND LATCH CASES (from manufacturers, people (for pity's sake
![Smilie6 :smilie6:](./images/smilies/e21576.gif)
).
JP - as they run out of the stockpile of zipper cases - are replacing them with (impressively sturdy - either straight-up MTS knock-offs, or not-at-all-like-MTS-yet-better-than-MTS) molded LATCHED cases.
When I sell those tubas (which are still supplied with zipper cases) to schools, I tell, them this:
If you can, save up $250 each year - for the next three years - or budget $750 - in three years - for a replacement LATCHED molded case.
...and I tell them that BEFORE selling them the instrument.
repairs:
I DO have some beat-up latch cases (horn, trumpet, trombone, clarinet, sax, etc.), which (along with the needed repair) I'll sell to schools for VERY LOW prices (to replace trashed zipper cases).
Typically, they are cases that came with instruments that I bought to flip. I replaced those cases with NICE or NEW cases (prior to selling those instruments), YET hung on to the sorta-OK cases (for these specific purposes).
bloke "which defines me as
green, yes?"
![Image](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4b/EcologyTheta.svg/1200px-EcologyTheta.svg.png)