LOL! Don't worry, you're not the only one!
My medium cafe bag has been great, very satisfied with TB.
Mark
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What is the deal with Tom Bihn?
- Thread starter Webnasty
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LOL! Don't worry, you're not the only one!
My medium cafe bag has been great, very satisfied with TB.
Mark
From time to time I write product reviews for a friend's site, gizmosforgeeks.com. About 2 years ago I decided that it was time to get a new laptop bag as my old laptop backpack was falling apart. I figured I'd look into the new TSA-compliant bags that would speed up the security process when I travel.
I went about contacting a number of manufacturers to ask for review units. Tom Bihn was one of the ones I got in touch with, and their PR person was very nice. I had only asked for the Checkpoint Flyer bag and a shoulder strap. What arrived was the bag, their top end shoulder strap, the Freudian Slip, and their 311 gels/liquids pouch. Total price to purchase would have been > $300!
Now, I put that bag through it's paces, vs. 2 others (one from Belkin, one from Skooba.) While each had it's good and bad points, the Tom Bihn was far and away the best of the 3. Expensive yes, but I liked it so much I asked to keep the review unit and gladly paid them the money. One of my co-workers saw how much I loved it, and a month later he ordered one for himself. (And believe me, that guy is the most anal retentive aspherger's syndrome, has to have everything just perfectly his way or throws a tantrum types you'll ever meet. Having him be happy with something is saying a LOT.)
WORTH EVERY CENT. Even with repeated travel, neither of us has seen any wear on our bags, I've gotten a TON of stuff inside it before, it's pretty comfortable to carry, and it makes going through security at the airport WAY easier! The only thing I really ding'ed Tom Bihn on was the zipper pulls - they're a bit small. But I ordered the zipper pull straps and attached those and that solved the issue.
Yes, they are often out of popular choices - it's a SMALL company, they make everything by hand here in the USA, they don't mass produce. But man, the quality shows! I'd recommend any of their products. Totally worth the wait.
I went about contacting a number of manufacturers to ask for review units. Tom Bihn was one of the ones I got in touch with, and their PR person was very nice. I had only asked for the Checkpoint Flyer bag and a shoulder strap. What arrived was the bag, their top end shoulder strap, the Freudian Slip, and their 311 gels/liquids pouch. Total price to purchase would have been > $300!
Now, I put that bag through it's paces, vs. 2 others (one from Belkin, one from Skooba.) While each had it's good and bad points, the Tom Bihn was far and away the best of the 3. Expensive yes, but I liked it so much I asked to keep the review unit and gladly paid them the money. One of my co-workers saw how much I loved it, and a month later he ordered one for himself. (And believe me, that guy is the most anal retentive aspherger's syndrome, has to have everything just perfectly his way or throws a tantrum types you'll ever meet. Having him be happy with something is saying a LOT.)
WORTH EVERY CENT. Even with repeated travel, neither of us has seen any wear on our bags, I've gotten a TON of stuff inside it before, it's pretty comfortable to carry, and it makes going through security at the airport WAY easier! The only thing I really ding'ed Tom Bihn on was the zipper pulls - they're a bit small. But I ordered the zipper pull straps and attached those and that solved the issue.
Yes, they are often out of popular choices - it's a SMALL company, they make everything by hand here in the USA, they don't mass produce. But man, the quality shows! I'd recommend any of their products. Totally worth the wait.