Gold pfeil...

Can't help you with Gold pfiel. But, Luciano Barberra has a line of very nice business cases and luggage. Swaine, Adney, and Brigg likewise has some sublime pieces. I personally carry an Atlas briefbag. I've used and (seriously) abused it for 13 years, and it still looks great. Kai

The Barbera case in particular that caught my fancy was a smooth leather (not suede) case with a pebble-grained finish. It had a very nice interior compartment for a laptop, and could contract to be quite thin, or would expand to hold a lot. A very nice piece. Only thing I don't like is that the lock is opened with a key, rather than a combination lock. They have a really nicely designed garment bag made from the same leather. Only place I've seen these is at Bergdorfs in NYC. Atlas is an American company, on a par with Mulholland Brothers and the like. I have a Briefbag of theirs which I love. As I said before, It's been with me for 13 years, and just gets better looking with age. The leather is thick and high quality. I overstuff it regularly, and cram it into airplane cabin storage and under seat storage, and give it no particular care. A little Lexol and polish every six months or so, and it still looks great. The leather has a beautiful patina and the frame and hardware are still perfect. Mine is the Churchill model in the coffee colored leather. http://the-luggage-shop.com/atlas-brief-bags.html I also have the "Lincoln" garment bag in belting leather http://the-luggage-shop.com/atlas-luggage.html I would not recommend the Atlas garment bag. It is beautifully constructed, but the handle is too thin (they need a double handle like on the briefbags) and the hanger-keeper is a bit flimsy. The Brigg stuff I haven't used, but I have simply handled it at their London store. Looks to be of very nice quality. Kai

Can anyone personally vouch for the quality of Gold Pfeil, in particular their briefcases? My wife has a purse that seems to be very well made, but I don't know much about this brand. Thanks very much.

My girlfriend has a vintage Goldpfeil crocodile bag passed on to her by her mother. It's very, very well-made. May not reflect the quality of Goldpfeil's current pieces, though.

Goldpfeil is a pretty respected brand in Germany, but I believe has been in decline for many years.

I own a Goldpfeil briefcase, and it is an excellent piece. The company's products are made to very high standards. I believe Goldpfeil left the US market nearly ten years ago, so awareness of the brand is nearly non-existent.

I have been carrying a GF 3 gusset briefcase for about a dozen years now. It is very well made and stands up to rough treatment. Inside, it has lots of pen slots, cell phone pocket, business card holder etc. so various things go neatly into their respective places.

Pricewise, it is midrange, much cheaper than the other brands you have mentioned, which makes it the best bang for the buck. There is a Gold Pfeil store on Ebay and you can get a beautifully made one for about $600.

http://cgi.ebay.com/GOLDPFEIL-NEW-BL...item1e576091af

Their products are supposed to be handmand: "Goldpfeil, a company located in Offenbach Germany which has been producing some of the finest handmade leather goods in the world since 1856."

One thing though, part of the interior is lined in fabric and not leather.

Qualitywise, I would place it slightly below a Mark Cross or a Dupont, two other briefcases that I have.

Goldpfeil was part of the egana-holding, a hong kong based holding ran by a german, who passed away two three years ago.

the european subsidy of the Egana-holding declared bankruptcy in 2008, i believe, don't know if Goldpfeil is still in business, but they were a well respected Brand in Germany 10 or 15 years back.

Egana was known for buying brand rights, and outsource production to asia, to cut costs, like Daniel Hechter or Cerrutti 1881.

Long story short, the old stuff is well made, but there has been a significant decline in quality the last years.

Last I heard t'was quite high-end. Valextra with a less ridiculous mark-up, say. A bit better than Kreis perhaps.

Their leather goods are terrific.

Unfortunately, Goldpfeil went defunct in 2008, which is a shame, since their goods where of very high quality. I own several pieces of both their old and their newer stuff. I also happened to live close to the factory store for several years, which was pretty convenient for me, as I liked to drop by on a regular basis and bought quite a lot there. IMHO quality was very good and did not suffer recognizably through all these years. Too bad the brand didn´t have the same cachet as the other makers LabelKing has mentioned, as in terms of quality their products would hold their ground extremely well.

Interesting. Thanks all for the information. They had a store in Hong Kong two years ago, and I thought it is still there, but am not certain. I was under the impression they had outsourced production from Europe, and that quality may have declined (similar to what others have said about Ghurka).

I can vouch for Gold Pfeil´s quality, at least pre-bancruptcy. My wife bought me one of their key cases (at their Frankfurt store), which has finally worn out after 8 years of constant use. It´s very, hmm, teutonic: impeccably solid clasp, excellent workmanship and stitching, though it´s a traditional design that won´t win any GQ award.

I believe their Berlin shop is still around - at least when I was there a couple of months ago.