Oligarch
Senior Member
- Joined
- Jan 26, 2008
- Messages
- 164
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Hi All,
Looking for advice on buying a leather briefcase. I've been using my black leather Tumi messenger bag for about 4 years and wanted a change to something in a rich brown/tan color that is more natural looking.
My experience with Tumi hasn't been that great. I use my bags hard (frequent travel, stuffing them with books, occasional walk in wet weather) and had to take the Tumi for repairs at least 3 times in the last 4 years. Most recently its all-leather strap broke AGAIN, and I could only get a nylon replacement... All these repairs are especially frustrating since I spend extended periods of time outside the US.
The leather has held up OK, but in retrospect I think I'd have liked to get a more natural looking color that would pick up a patina over time. I'll be using whatever I get as a daily bag as I do research for my PhD dissertation and for years afterwards as well. It should be durable and hold up well to travel. Looks are also important, as I'd like to be able to wear it with casual clothes and not look too odd using it with an everyday business suit.
Customhide and Saddleback seem to be comparable from what I've read on the forum. Any comparisons of those two brands with Hartmann?
I'm strongly considering this bag: http://www.hartmann.com/shop/product...140&upc=107943 which is on a significant mark-down.
After my Tumi messenger experiences, I do like not having to bother with a flap in airports to get to my stuff on the run...
Any opinions on the Hartmann dark brown vs. natural belting leather color? I was hoping to get the bag in the natural belting leather color, but the dark brown also looks decent and is significantly marked down.
Also, any experiences with what Hartmann's warranty is like? All my luggage is Briggs & Riley and so I've never had to pay more than shipping for luggage repairs with them.
Looking for advice on buying a leather briefcase. I've been using my black leather Tumi messenger bag for about 4 years and wanted a change to something in a rich brown/tan color that is more natural looking.
My experience with Tumi hasn't been that great. I use my bags hard (frequent travel, stuffing them with books, occasional walk in wet weather) and had to take the Tumi for repairs at least 3 times in the last 4 years. Most recently its all-leather strap broke AGAIN, and I could only get a nylon replacement... All these repairs are especially frustrating since I spend extended periods of time outside the US.
The leather has held up OK, but in retrospect I think I'd have liked to get a more natural looking color that would pick up a patina over time. I'll be using whatever I get as a daily bag as I do research for my PhD dissertation and for years afterwards as well. It should be durable and hold up well to travel. Looks are also important, as I'd like to be able to wear it with casual clothes and not look too odd using it with an everyday business suit.
Customhide and Saddleback seem to be comparable from what I've read on the forum. Any comparisons of those two brands with Hartmann?
I'm strongly considering this bag: http://www.hartmann.com/shop/product...140&upc=107943 which is on a significant mark-down.
After my Tumi messenger experiences, I do like not having to bother with a flap in airports to get to my stuff on the run...
Any opinions on the Hartmann dark brown vs. natural belting leather color? I was hoping to get the bag in the natural belting leather color, but the dark brown also looks decent and is significantly marked down.
Also, any experiences with what Hartmann's warranty is like? All my luggage is Briggs & Riley and so I've never had to pay more than shipping for luggage repairs with them.