FlotoLuggage Piazza Messenger Bag, Brown, One Size

So, I don't often review products, but a recent compliment that I received from a colleague this morning compelled me to write something about my Floto.I live and work in the New York area. Compared to the rest of the country, there are higher expectations here, and especially as a single man (of color) it's important to look and dress your best all the time. To this end, it's often the little accessories (socks, cuffs, cufflinks, handkerchiefs/pocket squares, jewelry, bag) that can make or break you.Yes, you could wear a backpack to work and therefore carry more items. Yes, you can purchase a computer/laptop bag that might be more comfortable or lighter. But if you want to look your best, if you want to stand out, sometimes you have to sacrifice that comfort and/or storage capacity. This bag is definitely a worthwhile sacrifice.I bought my Floto back during the summer of 2013, I had just graduated from college and was working in New York's Financial District. My mother convinced me to upgrade from my father's old Compaq laptop bag to something more presentable for the office and interviews. (Now let me admit, as other reviewers have mentioned, there is a bit of an odor to the bag immediately after un-boxing. It was slight inconvenience at the time, especially since I lived with three other guys.) Soon after receiving and using the bag, I noticed that I was walking a little taller and more confidently. People complimented the bag (including women) and it's pretty spacious. I recently started using this bag again after using a company-branded sac for a while, and nearly three years later the bag still looks and feels great. It still has a very rich, dark brown color and the minimal scratches on the flap appear natural and add to the bag's character. Honestly, this bag is a great buy (especially on an entry-level salary) and is obviously very durable. If it weren't for some of the cons that I detail below, this Floto would have received five stars.CONS:- The bag is somewhat heavy empty (~4 lbs.). If you aren't carrying anything save for some papers, keys, and a phone or two then it's easy to forget something is in your hand; however, even with a medium load (e.g. a few books, tablet in a case, lunch leftovers) the bag can feel very heavy.- Sometimes (e.g. heavy load, bag gets caught in a subway door or brushes up against another passenger) the snap-on buttons can release.- Beware of using this bag while wearing khakis or white pants, especially during the first few months of use, as the bag can leave a mark where it brushes up against your clothing.- The handle broke about eight months in. I took it to a leathersmith in New York who was able to repair it for ~$15. Haven't encountered any problems with the handle since.- This is hard to articulate in writing, but the one of the latches came clean out of the D hook attaching it to the strap (and NOT the bag). I was able to repair this myself using a pair of pliers.- Having mentioned the strap, it's downright painful. I rarely use it and opt to carry the bag in my hand. The leather shoulder pad is worthless and will leave residue on a suit jacket (besides the obvious wrinkling on your jacket and shirt underneath). I'm strongly considering replacing it with something more ergonomic that I might actually use.All in all, like I said, the bag is a great buy. Five stars if it came with a better, more ergonomic strap AND if the handle were instead connected to the sides of the bag instead of to the flap (this way, it wouldn't matter if the snap-on buttons ever came un-done).And lastly, don't worry about getting the bag wet! Probably not the best option for heavy downpours, but I haven't noticed any water damage to the leather. It was raining this morning on my walk to work and yes, the bag got wet; however, the water evaporates and leaves no marks. I've also had minor spills on the inside and there are no marks, or noticeable damage.

I bought this for my other half's birthday as he wanted a nice briefcase befitting his SVP role at his company. I researched the company and noticed that Amazon was selling the same bags for $100 less than the manufacturer. I did overnight delivery and had it gift wrapped. The amazon gift wrapping was quite nice (large blue velvet bag with a gold tie).I didn't take the messenger bag/briefcase out of the bag when it came as I had to dash off to work and take it with me as we were having dinner tonight. During dessert I gave him the bag. He pulled out the messenger bag from the amazon gift wrapping. It was still wrapped in plastic, but despite the plastic cover, I could smell something rather bad across the table. A strong chemical stench. My other half said that the smell was from water proofing solutions that they'd used on the leather. It was so bad we had to quickly wrap it back up lest it interfere with other diners' meals. Mind you, we were sitting in one of the top 50 restaurants in all of NYC when this happened. I was mortified.When we got home we took it back out to air it out. It was the first real chance I had to look at the quality. I've been to Florence and I've seen what real high quality Italian leather looks like. This isn't it. This is a very thick, heavy leather, and the pouches inside are a very rough, thick grained leather. It doesn't feel like a fine oiled leather. The coloration on the leather seems as though it's topical, as though it was painted on.I told my other half I'd happily return the bag for him, but he is fine with keeping it. If it were a purchase for myself, I would have immediately returned it for something of higher quality. In my opinion from buying fine quality leather products in the past, this item isn't worth the $250 or so that I paid for it. Also, a company that makes leather products should have the sense to "air them out" before they're shipped off to a customer. I'm torn between 2 and 3 stars on this - I'm only upping this to 3 stars because my other half wasn't put off enough to ask me to return it.

My husband bought this bag for me to take to conferences. It is very pretty. As noted in other reviews, the water proofing has a smell. I left it in the garage for 2 weeks and the smell went away. The leather is high quality and is wearing well. It should break in beautifully. The design is nice, especially the fact that the two buckles are actually snaps. I was very happy that I didn't have to unbuckle the bag every time I wanted to use it. I love the zipper panels in the flap and on the back, very useful for storing your boarding pass and passport. Now for the not so awesome. The lower back seam on the bag is starting to flip outwards. I am not sure if this is from stuffing my full size lap top in it or what, but the seam rubs a bit on my hip when I walk. I think I may only keep a tablet in here. That will help with the second issue - it is kinda heavy. But then that is a testament to the quality of the leather. The pencil/pen slots are way too narrow - I use gel pens and they won't fit in there, so I have to store my pens elsewhere. The card holders inside are useless for me, but if you have business cards, they may be useful to you. The two snap pockets are difficult to snap if you actually put bulky things in them like I do. Overall it is a very nice bag and I haven't seen another I like better.