Satchel and Page Counselor Briefcase: 1 Year

Satchel and Page Counselor Briefcase

After a tremendous amount of research and waiting for the November Black Friday sale, I bought the Satchel and Page Counselor Briefcase. I’ve carried this briefcase every day for a year now and I’m ready to offer my thoughts:

Overall Conclusion: Great Bag

– BEAUTIFUL leather

– Such a handsome bag and well thought out features

– Great price

– Great build quality

Previously I carried a Saddleback Leather Thin Briefcase for 12 years, and I’ve had dozens of other bags and satchels duffles, etc. this past year I wanted something a little larger for a longer commute and I wanted to start in on a vegetable tanned briefcase for the patina (the saddleback bag in dark coffee doesn’t patina well, just looks old).

Pros

So here it is, a year in, and it’s gorgeous.

The leather is the star of the show. It’s obviously a hot stuffed product and the wrinkles and depth of color are something to see, especially in the sunlight of a nice day.

The bag is heavy, in the best way. I carry a laptop, iPad, notebook, water bottle, high viz vest, coffee tumbler occasionally. So when I leave for work it’s about 12 lbs and I love it. Got a nice sound when you set a heavy briefcase down on its brass feet.

Cons

I might have been able to get away with the smaller one (diplomat), but I still prefer the look of those four copper rivets. It’s got a lot of character. And no back pocket on diplomat. That being said, the smaller version would have been fine.

The D rings are mounted asymmetrically and it makes it a pain to open the bag when using the strap.

The strap itself is OK but there are nicer straps. The saddleback bag for example has an excellent strap – sturdy, two pieces stitched, robust with great shoulder pad. The Counselor needs a more robust strap and looks small by comparison.

The interior is good, but ill suited to my needs, so I modded it. This is probably the biggest issue: the laptop divider cuts your capacity onto two interior spaces. Would have much preferred a laptop sleeve to one side. So I did just that and added a strap to hold my water bottle.

Alternatives

I don’t think there are any really…only some alternative categories of bag.

For example, the Carl Fredrick Palissy is significantly more expensive, a different vibe entirely, and much smaller capacity.

Cravar makes awesome bags for the money but the leather is far less glorious. And their briefcase equivalent design leaves a lot to be desired in look or functionality.

For vegetable tanned briefcases that ride the line between dress and casual, this really is the best value for money. I believe that. On sale between $450 and $550.

It’s a good bag gentleman. At a certain point, you realize that the perfect bag is one you would have to design yourself. But this is bang on for something off the shelf.