Sleek.

Elegant.

Stylish.

That’s what a leather bag says about you.

But with so much variety, how do you choose the best one for you?

In this article, we’re breaking down the 7 Things to look out for BEFORE buying a leather bag!

By the end of it, you’ll have an idea of what to look for and you’ll be much more educated about how to choose your new fantastic leather bag!

Let’s begin.

1. Machine-Made VS Hand-Made

Most of the market for leather bags consists of Machine-Made ones.

It’s cheaper for the companies to make them like that and they’re able to sell them at a more affordable price for you.

This means that they spend less money to make them and MORE people buy them.

But you don’t need 10 cheap ones - you need 1 REALLY GOOD one!

So consider a hand-made leather bag.

An example of a well-crafted leather bag would be our Abramovich Modern Briefcase.

The quality and attention to detail are leagues above what mass production can achieve and hand-made means that your bag is going to be completely unique!

Think of it this way:

Having a leather bag feels great but having a leather bag that no one else in the entire world has feels even better!

2. Type of Leather Used

The type of leather you choose greatly affects how your bag looks and feels.

You have 2 main options here: Full-grain VS Bonded leather.

Full-grain is what you’re looking for.

It delivers amazing quality and looks better even after years of using the bag!

Bonded leather is what you’re trying to avoid.

It’s made from scraps that are pieced together chemically and the results aren’t good. The quality goes down, it wears out faster and it just doesn’t feel right.

Always go for full-grain leather - you won’t regret it!

3. Durability

So when do you want it to fall apart?

Never, right? So make sure you get a really durable bag and not a flimsy piece of leather that lasts you 3 months.

You want your bag to last for as long as possible. Here’s what to look for to achieve that:

• Stitching Quality.
  
  Check through all of the stitching and see if it’s well done. If it seems sloppy and untrustworthy just forget about it.
  
  You want the best bag you can get your hands on - you don’t have time to mess around with sloppy stitching that’s going to make your bag fall apart in less than 6 months.
  
  
• Inside Lining Quality
  
  If you’re in a physical store, open the bag up, look inside and make sure everything looks alright!
  
  Don’t be afraid to touch around and to feel out if everything’s in place!
  
  A few extra minutes of quality control can make sure you get a bag that lasts a decade and not just a season.
  
  
• Durable Straps and Handles
  
  This is a big one. Imagine putting your laptop in your brand new bag and as soon as you go out the straps rip apart and the bag falls.
  
  At that moment you can lose all of the photos and videos you had on that laptop!
  
  Do you really want to risk losing your precious memories? No!
  
  So check to see how strong and durable the straps and handles are!

Be sure to check out our article on the best leather care tips to keep your bag looking and feeling fantastic long after you’ve bought it!

4. Utility

Are you going to put your laptop in there? Make sure it fits. Are you going to put lots of textbooks in there? MAKE SURE THEY FIT!

Your bag needs to be able to serve you.

If you’re planning on using it for traveling, check out our article with 7 Tips On How To Pack On A Business Trip to get a better idea of what you’re looking for in terms of utility.

If you’re planning on using it for anything else - ask yourself what you’re going to be using it for!

And then pay extra careful attention to whether or not a bag you’re looking at can serve whatever your purpose is!

Check how many pockets it has, check the size and room inside - check everything!

Again, a few extra minutes spent on the details are never wasted!

5. Country of Origin

The country in which the bag is made plays a big role in the quality.

There are certain countries like Italy and France that make quality leather bags but make sure to not buy one just because it has a label that said it was made in Italy.

Big businesses know that people buy Italian bags so they make their bags wherever is cheapest for them and then just finish them in Italy so they can add that label and sell the bag to you.

Don’t fall for the tricks. Don’t buy your bag just because of the country - buy it because of the quality and because you like it!

6. Your Budget

At number 6 we have “Budget”. This is simple - if you don’t have enough money for a bag then it’s off limits.

Sometimes leather bags can cost more than 1,000$ and sometimes that might be a bit too much for your budget.

We at Von Baer Bags understand your problems.

This is why we’ve made the best quality leather bags out there at much more affordable prices!

Yes, it’s true - you can get the bag of your dreams without breaking the bank!

An expensive bag won’t necessarily be a high-quality one and a cheap one won’t necessarily be lower quality.

You’re trying to get the BEST bag for your money. You’re NOT trying to GIVE the most money for the bag. Remember that.

7. Style

With everything else taken care of - now it’s time for style.

You know it’s a durable bag, you know it has enough pockets, you know that your laptop will fit in it, and you know it’s good leather.

If it has all these things AND you really like it - you’re set. You’ve found your bag and you’re ready to take on the world with it!

Wrapping Up

These are The 7 Things To Look Out For BEFORE Buying a leather bag!

Make sure you take into consideration all of these so you get the perfect one!

Thank you for reading! If this was helpful to you, leave a comment below with what you thought and share this post!