All,
I know people are always on the prowl for bags.
I recently was, as well. I did a ton of research. I was looking at Saddleback, Filson, Custom Hide, Colonel Littleton, JW Hulme, Copper River, etc. Basically, if they had a leather briefcase, I was looking at it.
My criteria:
- BIFL.
- Hand-made prefered.
- American Made as a preference.
- Veg Tan as a preference.
- Ideally <$1000.
I went with www.basader.com.
I ordered "The Classic" from their website in their Light Brown Color, with Dark Brown edges. I worked directly with Elin, the owner/maker, for multiple customization options.
Review:
-
Leather: The outer shell of the bag is all 1/8th inch thick veg-tan bridle leather and is of an excellent quality. The owner hand-selects her leather from Wickett and Craig. It has been waxed and treated prior to being shipped. The interior leather is their "natural" color, which seems to also be veg-tan leather, but a bit less heavy gauge. It is supple and pliable, yet still holds its form.
-
Size: I had the size customized to my specifications: I had it resized to be 17" wide x 13" tall and the gusset depth increased to 4". This was all done through email with the owner.
-
Hardware: I opted for solid brass hardware throughout. All straps and connection points are either saddle stitched or riveted. In instances where possible, two or more rivets were used to add stability/strength. I opted for the quick release straps. I was hesitant, at first, to use these, as I was worried about their quality/longevity. However, now that I have the bag, I am very happy with the choice. Their convenience is well worth any hit to BIFL-ness or "authenticity." The straps are still adjustable, also. There was an option to have additional d-rings added and have the bag turned into a backpack but I opted to not do that. I did have a d-ring added to the back, triple-riveted, to be able to hang the bag from my suitcase with a carabiner.
-
Interior: I customized the interior a lot. I drew up my own version of pockets, etc that I wanted on the interior of the bag and sent the drawing to the owner. She had no problem adding them to the bag itself. I also had a laptop sleeve added to the rear compartment. The leather on the inside is a thinner gauge, and finished in the white/natural color. The pockets match.
-
Construction issues: I have no issues with the construction of this bag. It is top notch. I went over it with a fine-toothed comb, and it is all impeccable.
-
Design issues: The custom pockets in the interior are a bit more snug than I would like. The lids are nice, but the sides near the gussets can kinda get in the way. That is a bit of a design flaw on my part. I would have also made the pocket flaps a bit longer, with a few more holes, to allow me to over-stuff them and adjust the top, allowing me to still get it closed. I think the leather will stretch over time, and this might not be a problem. Or, as my wife says, I can just not stuff so much shit into them.
-
Warranty/Customer Service: Basader has been a top notch company to work with. The entire process was very iterative. There are literally 20+ emails between myself and the owner talking through design considerations, pricing, status updates, and "in-progress" photos. In addition to being extremely helpful, she was a pleasure to work with, and made dropping a pretty penny on a bag actually feel like a worthwhile experience. She has given zero hesitation in regards to returning the bag if it were not to my specifications, as well as being willing to do any/all future repairs at zero cost to me.
-
Price: Untouchable. For the same leather quality/American handmade/BIFL warantee, etc. most other bags were in the $1000 starting point. Saddleback aren't veg-tan or American made. Filson's are expensive as shit, and a bit too small for me needs, Custom Hide uses glue in some spots I don't like (and their website, to me, doesn't speak well for being high-quality manufacturers). My bag hit every one of my preferred criterea, and was literally less than any of the other bags. All customization, etc applied to my bag (size, pockets, laptop sleeve, adt'l d-rings, padded strap, etc), was $100 extra. Total price of the bag: $550.
All in all: I think I made the right choice. This bag is excellent. I have received many compliments on it in the past few days. I expect to receive more.
In short, if you are looking for a BIFL briefcase, I cannot recommend basader enough. The construction, styling, quality, and customer service are beyond my expectation. Add to that the fact that they were half the price of what I could have paid with another company, and they are a no brainer.
This was not a paid review. Just a very satisfied customer. Feel free to AMA.
Submitted February 06, 2017 at 03:03PM by EGOtyst http://ift.tt/2jVfPuK
