Disclaimer: Frank Clegg was incredibly generous enough to send The Peak Lapel this briefcase for free for the purpose of this review.
Frank Clegg is a family owned and operated leather-works company out of the USA. While for many into menswear and related accessories, they need no introduction, for others, a few words shall suffice. They are, in many ways, some of the greatest leather workers in the US today. They make some of the finest, hand-drafted leather bags and products that you can buy at any price. Their craftsmanship and attention to detail is renown. And their bags are some of the nicest-looking we have ever see. For this review, we’ll be taking a look at the Frank Clegg Computer Briefcase ($600).
Packaging & Experience
The Frank Clegg website is clean, simple to use, and straightforward. Like the company and the bags themselves, there is nothing over the top, super modern, or flashy about it. It’s clean, neat, and classic. And easy to use. Shipping is fast, as the bags are all made right here in the USA. Packaging is a standard box, but they throw in a leather cleaner and solvent for free, which is a wonderfully delightful, and unexpected, touch! A-
Style & Design
This is going to sound cheesy, but some products achieve true perfection for what they are. This computer briefcase is one such item. It is absolutely a work of art. Nothing less. Every final inch and detail is carefully considered and perfecting assembled. The final design of the bag is sleek, simple, and striking all at once. It is exactly the sort of briefcase I would dream up to carry every day, and then Frank Clegg actually made it. It truly is the epitome of what a briefcase could and should look like. Yes, we’re being overly effusive here, but we mean it. The light brown color of the leather looks even better in person, and the texture as you get up close simply oozes class and quality. The golden metal used for the zippers and clasps for the strap only add to this effect. Overall, and we say this with little hesitation, this is one of the best looking briefcases we have ever seen. Period. A+
Quality & Construction
And then, of course, is the quality of this thing. The leather is soft and supple, and will break in beautifully over time. Despite throwing a whole bunch of stuff in it and treating it without great preciousness, there is no visible creasing or bending anywhere after a couple weeks of use. Every single stitch is perfectly finished, and the whole bag comes together to be greater than the sum of its parts. Again, if we’re talking a bit like this is more art than style, we apologize. But it’s such a damn fine bag! The zippers are, simply put, the nicest and smoothest zippers we have ever tested on any product, ever. You can easily unzip the bag with just one hand.
The interior of the bag is completely unlined, which, we suppose, is a stylistic thing. Personally, we might have preferred to see some kind of lining, but without it, it’s quite unique, and will build up an interesting character over time. It also puts you more in touch with the materials your bag is made out of. There is a center panel that creates ample space for a laptop on one side (but, again, not much padding), as well as pens, a wallet, and anything else you might want to stick in your daily bag. A
Value & Conclusion
Frank Clegg Computer Briefcase — $600: Frank Clegg products are super expensive. They more than deserve to be, but that doesn’t change the fact that they are. Think of them like the Porsche or Bentley of briefcases. Super expensive, but well worth it for those that really care, and are looking for the best in class.
When you compare this Frank Clegg bag to something like the wonderful Stuart & Lau Cary briefcase, which is less than half the price, a few things become readily apparent. These bags are simply in different leagues. One is high quality, hand made leather, while the other is high quality nylon-style materials. The Stuart & Lau bag comes with tons of accessories, and all sorts of awesome organizational pockets, elastic, magnets, newspaper holders, and more. The Frank Clegg bag has a simple divider in the middle, with a couple pockets. These bags are simply utterly different for different people. If you want to drip in class, carrying the nicest leather bag around, and are okay with a more classic approach to organization and details, Frank Clegg is the bag for you. If you would rather a water-proof material, a separate pouch for everything you carry day-to-day, a much lower price tag — and are okay sacrificing quite some class in so doing — then Stuart & Lau is for you. In short, they’re both excellent bags.
But this review is about Frank Clegg, and we only bring up Stuart & Lau here to highlight both the strengths, and potential weaknesses, of Frank Clegg, a company producing some of the most beautiful, perfect, high quality, classically styled and made leather bags in the country. Final Grade: A