Opinions on KickStarter Antigua Leather?

[Essential]

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2063675283/antigua-leathertm-handmade-leather-cases-for-tech

So this was featured on Dappered recently and I took great interest in it. I was going to go for a Filsons 256 but I think I'm switching to this. A side issue is that Cranes, which sells Filson for a discount on the phone, hasn't been responsive to other customers lately (based on posts from their affiliate thread as well as the Filson thread) and I don't feel like dealing with that.

What are your opinions on this? Of course, the briefcase is not available for an actual review so I'm just asking for your judgements (even if they are just guesses).

Down below in Dappered's comment section, it is mentioned that "....there is no divider, padding, or any other sort of organization inside the bag."

 

[Essential]

Anyone?

 

[3dials]

Just got my bag in the mail today via parcel post. A few quick impressions before I do a full review some time in the future:

• The leather is not stained on both sides. The interior of the bag is lined with what feels to be flimsy adhesive liner.
• The leather is not stained on both sides. Thus, the natural color of the leather is on the back of the strap (which is actually cleverly integrated into the frame of the bag, lending more structural support), the flaps, and the straps securing the bag compartments.
• The buckle change from a roller buckle to strap/keeper model (like a typical tongue and groove belt) is a major aesthetic change (for the worse in most backers' opinion) which does change the look of the bag. I don't think the change makes it look particularly masculine, but I also don't think it makes the bag look like a purse, as others have suggested.
• The bag's exterior (I got the cognac colored one) has visual marbling and spots which I initially did not prefer but which I now think add a bit of character to it. It's reminiscent of wood, and how wood sometimes has knots or other features in it.
• Overall, it's not a bad bag. It at times resembles a leather apprentice's art school project since the straps are rather rough and the cutting isn't 100% precise, but it's fairly close to what was advertised at the outset of the Kickstarter. It seems durable enough for my 11 inch laptop (I got the 13 inch bag) and since you can't return it (being a Kickstarter) I'm keeping mine instead of selling it.

 

[atitlanleather]

Hi Everyone,

I too had the same idea of starting a leather company in Guatemala, and I did. Ironically enough it´s called Atitlan Leather named after where the bags, belts, and wallets are made, Lake Atitlan. Even stranger the founders of Antigua Leather are from the same home town as I am. Initially was very impressed with their videos and the picture of their bags. I reside a couple hours away from Antigua but visit often and while having coffee I saw someone with a bag that looked vaguely familiar to the pictures I saw online. I asked the lady where she got the bag and sure enough it was an Antigua Leathers bag. I was very surprised because the sleek look presented in the pictures and videos didn´t represent the actual product.

Someone said to me I should do the same Kickstart program these guys are doing but I decided against it for several reasons. First I thought that I don´t need $50,000 to start a business in Guatemala. You can start a company there with pocket change in comparison to what it costs in the U.S.. Second I thought about the QC and logistics. What if there was just one fatal error in my product and I found out the day after 500 were made? I know that I have had to revise my items several times over a several month period. Most of the time I found out about these defect by the consumer of my products. Since it was only a few items I was able to have the product returned or replaced. Now I´m able to confidently sell my line of products. Third, as a consumer, it´s kind of ludacris to think I´m going to buy something that has no consumer review, probably has never been tested, no refund, and I don´t know if they can send the product to me. Logistics and quality control are two very big issues in Guatemala. I wanted to make sure that I could ensure quality products and that the logistics were ironed out before I really get my name out there and unintentionally rip off my customers, thus putting me out of business.


Overall I don´t think I would ever buy anything off kickstart for these reasons. In my business experience nothing goes exactly as planned so as a consumer I´m not going to buy something that´s just an idea. Making one product and taking a picture of it is easy, but there´s a lot more involved when selling anything.

Comments??