The owner of Strong Eyed Leather have been very responsive and we have exchanged many emails. I'm in the process of getting a custom made briefcase from them. Veg tanned leather and of course finished edges. Their bags are fully hand made and hand stitched. All their products also comes with a
lifetime warranty and a cotton storage slipcover.
The whole briefcase is made of Herman Oak steer veg tan leather (front, back, gusset, handle, back newspaper section, straps everything) except the inside divider. For the divider he prefer to use Chrome leather because it's lighter and finish it of with a 10oz bridle bridle strip along the top seem to add support.
Honestly, I don't need a lined bag imo, but I did ask why their bags wasn't lined and here's the response:
"I do not line the bags. The high quality bridle veg tan leather I use is hand finished very smooth stuffed with oils, waxes and tallows. Manufacturers use lining to either hide inside of inferior leather or to make thinner cheaper leather look thick or for "designer"cases and women's handbags. The inside of the case is so fine that it could be mistaken for the outside. Plus this keeps weight down."
I also asked him where he recommended to fasten the rings for attaching the shoulder strap:
Up to about 30 pounds your fine with both top or side gusset. The side gusset will yank on the screw post over time and it will bulge out, probably not break, but will stretch. You don't get that with the top d rings and the way I have literally engineered my handle. And it is far more comfortable if the bag hangs from shoulder like top dees instead of pulling from side like a messenger bag. Its all preference i guess. My primary concern is building a strong case, if it looks good too to my customers as well, that's an added bonus.
So right now the briefcase I want is similar to the one underneath, but with a different handle:
Handle:
And it's going to be in this color: (deep chestnut)
Edited by Rankiz - 8/2/12 at 4:13pm
