Jack Georges Briefcases

[fashionnoob]

Can anyone speak to the quality of these briefcases? I'm looking for something more formal than Filson, Saddleback, et al around the $400-$600 (not ready for SAB yet) price point and like the look of their stuff. Thanks.

 

[Cant kill da Rooster]

Might want to check out Strong Eye Leather. There was another thread here about them.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/221124387100?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2648

http://www.etsy.com/shop/StrongEyeLeatherNY

 

[OinkBoink]

They recently sold them at my local Costco and I'm marginally in the market for a briefcase. I wasn't particularly impressed with the quality of construction or the styles available. But then again, I'm an idiot.

 

[fashionnoob]



They recently sold them at my local Costco and I'm marginally in the market for a briefcase. I wasn't particularly impressed with the quality of construction or the styles available. But then again, I'm an idiot.

Hmmm...why are you an idiot? Do you have experience with leather briefcases?

 

[Eustace Tilley]

I've had a JG briefcase for 5+ years now, and am perfectly happy with it. If you don't go in expecting SAB quality, you'll be happy as well - well worth the sub-$400 price I paid.

EDIT: Here's the one I have:

http://www.jackgeorges.com/business-laptop-cases/briefbags/prestige-collection-classic-br-1292.html

 

[fashionnoob]



I've had a JG briefcase for 5+ years now, and am perfectly happy with it. If you don't go in expecting SAB quality, you'll be happy as well - well worth the sub-$400 price I paid.

EDIT: Here's the one I have:

http://www.jackgeorges.com/business-laptop-cases/briefbags/prestige-collection-classic-br-1292.html

Thanks, Eustace. This is very helpful!

 

[OzTheWizard]

Consider your image. If rustic is what you want (and it may be perfect), the Saddleback or the others mentioned are great.
Jack Georges are conservative. If that is what you want or need to project then they are fine. Consider a used SAB on Ebay. Best of the best.

 

[Magari]

While these WERE excellent pieces, the company has made some regrettable changes. Though this is an old thread, it was in the top 5 hits when I ran a search for them. We've owned a few bags, over 12 years, and were sold on their "Lifetime Warranty", but having tried to send only one in for a very basic repair was a terribly disappointing (and nearly yearlong!) experience, so we are sharing--their stock has also changed and there's a reason the images on their website are so poor.

June 2014: I sent a Chelsea tote in a closeout color to them for repair. The bag was in SUPERB condition, except that the edging along the straps had cracked, which I wanted to have fixed before it effected the leather. Months later, when I received my "repaired" bag back from them, the edging had been coarsely scraped away, leaving unsightly uneven edges, and replaced with edging in another material and color. WORSE, the area where the straps were attached to the bag had been twisted and stretched, forcibly, leaving the leather as slack as an overcooked noodle, AND the metal keys on both sides of the zipper, though they had been shiny & perfect, were scraped in multiple places AND stained. That bespeaks a real level of abuse. More so: the textured leather on the front of the bag had multiple areas where something white and something else dark had been spilled on it, wiped away but not removed from the fine indentations in the leather. Finally: there was a scuff on the leather itself that had not been on the bag before. ​

These disappointments were made worse by JG's terrible response times; we would have to contact them on average 3 times before they'd reply, and sometimes call repeatedly. When they did finally respond, they claimed to NOT SEE any problems. We had to explain we had before/after pics if they'd like their memory refreshed. Please keep in mind this company claims "three generations of leather craftsmen influence every phase of product design, development, and manufacturing".​

When you spend $300, $400, $500 on an item, you are expecting durability. When you see a "lifetime warranty" you expect better service than we've experienced--esp. from a company that explicitly appeals to quality conscious consumers. We were, only after haggling, offered a $400 replacement tote for this bag they damaged in their attempt to perform minor repair work. What we received was further evidence of a company that had traded its core values for cut corners: their $400 Croco embossed tote looked like what you might find at JC Penney for $40. The stitching was not nearly as neat, with loose threads, and it was uneven, thicker than along our previous bags. The inside of each strap had an unsightly matte backing, like the inside of a bonded leather belt. The glossy top-coat had streaking--less glossy places that are a result of wet goods being hastily packed in plastic after manufacture for shipping overseas. (My father has been involved in international manufacture for decades, so I know a bit more than most consumers about what I'm seeing.) For the cherry on top: there was already a 2 inch scuff on the bag. ​

Though we tried, politely, to express our disappointment and concern for such evident change in direction of a once beloved company, their values lie elsewhere. Sadly it has become clear there is a reason the images on their own website are so low res. The pictures of stock on amazon will have a zoom--look there for the sloppy stitching along their $500 briefcases. And also notice they have replaced interior leather flaps with flimsy elasticized velcro straps while you're at it. They kept disparaging my tote as a "closeout" without caring about my observation that the quality of that "closeout"(which still bore their name and supposed warranty) was so much better than their current stock. So CAVEAT EMPTO in extremis.​

In sum, Jack Georges doesn't want you to know their $300 and $500 bags are made in China, hastily and to very poor standards. They don't want you to know that their in-house repair team doesn't seem to be well paid or work under the best conditions, and thus aren't likely to be the "dedicated craftsman" they advertise. Nor do they want you to know they cannot source basic replacement materials for minor things, like straps, even when they offer the same stuff in the same color just a different style. We were sent 3 swatches of their Saffian (sic) leathers, but each varied in thickness, manufacturing process, and quality--although all were very poor quality. Don't expect much and spend even less.​