Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Bought one gor my son a month or so back. He’s very happy with his, so I got one for myself. My first thought is that, even though this bag isn’t exactly inexpensive, it looks a lot pricier than it really is. Other reviewers have commented on the smell, and yes, there absolutely is an odor. I don’t find it especially unpleasant, and it seems to be dissipating a little in the several hours since I opened it. I’ve also seen more than one review mention poor-quality stitching. I looked closely for examples of bad stitching, and have so far found none. I hope I never have enough stuff to fill all the pockets or storage areas in this thing. I doubt if be able to carry it. Ample room for a laptop, a couple of books, and a stack of papers to carry around until I get around to grading them. I have a slight concern about the handle on top, as it appears that it might be a bit lighter duty than the size and roominess of the bag would tend to make me think it needs. Similarly, some of the brass hardware may also prove too light—or maybe not! If they’re not robust enough, they should be easy and inexpensive enough to justify replacing them. And that’s IF they don’t work. I’m betting they’ll be just fine. I’m pretty tall and large-framed. The length of the shoulder strap is completely adequate to comfortably carry cross-body. All-in-all, I kind of expect this bag to someday be a bit of a family heirloom, but my son already has one, so...? Edit: Two years later, it appears that my concern about the handle was correct. I admittedly overloaded it, and as a result, am now ordering another one. I’ll not be hanging my thermos bottle and lunch on the outside of the bag full of books this time! Also, one seam in the liner has separated from where it was stitched to the leather. Minor, cosmetic and will be an easy fix for my boot repair guy.