Hi all,
apologies if this thread is in the wrong place, I posted it here as I thought it would be seen by the right folks. Mods fel free to move it if you see fit.
So, I bought a leather document/ laptop satchel from an eBay seller (I know, I know. They're not all bad though as our very own Under The Stars Leathercraft can attest to!) and when I arrived I have to say I was a bit disappointed with it. So my question is: am I being too picky?
I'll list some of my issues here and I'd be interested in your opinions as there are some extremely talented leather workers on here.
Here's the bag in question:
First thing was this spot. Now I know leather has inherent imperfections, that's what makes it characterful and often more beautiful, but this to me looks like a drip of wax or something that's dropped onto it then someone's tried to clean it off:
And it's right in the middle section of the front flap.
Then there's the edge of the front pocket. fine for most of the way round but then look at the left side of the bottom edge!
not straight, uneven stitching and on the front of the bag too so very obvious.
on the subject of stitching; more than one missed hole, off the edges in other places and unevenly spaced all over the place:
Then there's the lining. Glued in (not in itself a problem) but not completely glued evenly, leaving 'bubbles' in the lining of the main compartment:
Or lack of lining; the front pocket has no lining at all and is very thin leather, meaning it's very fluffy inside as the suede side is not smooth at all.
finally the embossing round the edges of the front flap seems messy, multiple extra lines in places:
and doesn't meet in the corners or follow the edge around the corners.
Actually, finally finally none of the edges are burnished so it just has a slightly unfinished feel to it.
So, leather is a natural material, can be hard to work with, has it's imperfections etc... I get that. But am I being unreasonable to expect better than this? It wasn't the most expensive bag in the world, but it wasn't pennies either. It was supposed to be handmade, high quality, not mass produced etc.. and the add seemed to suggest and left me believing it was made in the UK but the more I look at it I'm starting to think it might be a cheaper imported 'handmade' item.
I love the design and size of the bag, it's the style and colour I want. It's just quality wise it's...... errrr..... disappointing. What do you guys think? Unreasonable expectations or have I been stitched up? B'dum Tshh!
Many thanks
James
apologies if this thread is in the wrong place, I posted it here as I thought it would be seen by the right folks. Mods fel free to move it if you see fit.
So, I bought a leather document/ laptop satchel from an eBay seller (I know, I know. They're not all bad though as our very own Under The Stars Leathercraft can attest to!) and when I arrived I have to say I was a bit disappointed with it. So my question is: am I being too picky?
I'll list some of my issues here and I'd be interested in your opinions as there are some extremely talented leather workers on here.
Here's the bag in question:
First thing was this spot. Now I know leather has inherent imperfections, that's what makes it characterful and often more beautiful, but this to me looks like a drip of wax or something that's dropped onto it then someone's tried to clean it off:
And it's right in the middle section of the front flap.
Then there's the edge of the front pocket. fine for most of the way round but then look at the left side of the bottom edge!
not straight, uneven stitching and on the front of the bag too so very obvious.
on the subject of stitching; more than one missed hole, off the edges in other places and unevenly spaced all over the place:
Then there's the lining. Glued in (not in itself a problem) but not completely glued evenly, leaving 'bubbles' in the lining of the main compartment:
Or lack of lining; the front pocket has no lining at all and is very thin leather, meaning it's very fluffy inside as the suede side is not smooth at all.
finally the embossing round the edges of the front flap seems messy, multiple extra lines in places:
and doesn't meet in the corners or follow the edge around the corners.
Actually, finally finally none of the edges are burnished so it just has a slightly unfinished feel to it.
So, leather is a natural material, can be hard to work with, has it's imperfections etc... I get that. But am I being unreasonable to expect better than this? It wasn't the most expensive bag in the world, but it wasn't pennies either. It was supposed to be handmade, high quality, not mass produced etc.. and the add seemed to suggest and left me believing it was made in the UK but the more I look at it I'm starting to think it might be a cheaper imported 'handmade' item.
I love the design and size of the bag, it's the style and colour I want. It's just quality wise it's...... errrr..... disappointing. What do you guys think? Unreasonable expectations or have I been stitched up? B'dum Tshh!
Many thanks
James
