Colombian Leather Slim Single Compartment

My husband bought this for me and I absolutely love it. I desperately needed a replacement for my timbuk2 messenger bag, which is unwieldy, uncomfortable, ugly, and always ruins my clothiers because I am a klutz and the velcro snags me all the time. When I first saw the picture of this bag online I was worried about a few things: I thought that it would look too masculine, I wanted an over-the-shoulder bag with two straps and I thought this would be uncomfortable to carry around all day, and I was worried about that it wouldn't carry everything I needed. I was wrong about all of these. The bag is gorgeous and definitely not too masculine for my personal tastes. I have already received several compliments on the way it looks. As a friend noted, "its classic". The bag is a deep brown (much darker than in the picture), the leather is very soft and nicely distressed, and overall it has beautiful clean lines. The strap is very sturdy and wraps around the bottom (under the leather) so the weight is distributed evenly. The strap adjusts and I have it hanging more at purse level rather than carrying across my body like a messenger bag, which is more comfortable for me and I imagine more comfortable for some other women too. I am a grad student and a teacher so I usually need to drag enough stuff around with me to get through a day of teaching and taking classes. This bag comfortably fits my 13" laptop, a large notebook, some folders, my phone, my wallet, a rather large pencil box, my makeup bag, my iPod and headphones, a water bottle, a snack, a kindle, my glasses case, a change purse, two smaller note pads, and some other random small things. For what I need, it is absolutely perfect. That being said, it has a few minor drawbacks - Maybe I am just an idiot, but with all the stuff I put in there, I find that getting the snaps to line up takes a few extra seconds. I have to actually line them up before they click in place. Once they are in place they will hold all day, but I have to make sure I have everything in my bag stacked in a particular way then line the snaps up by hand. They magnets don't catch each other on their own. - There are some great pockets and slots on the inside, but I wish there was at least one more pocket that had a zipper. The only pocket with a zipper is the largest pocket that lines the inner wall of the bag. You could easily fit some folders in there but its impractical for change, my headphones, or any of the other smaller things that I want to be able to locate easily. I have to carry these things in a small bag or other container, which actually has worked really well because everything is organized, but I still would like to have a place for change instead of carrying around a change purse. -The bag does not have a lot of inner structure. If I put it on the floor without my computer or a notebook to hold it up, it will sag and flop over. I usually hang it up so it has not been an issue, but I can see how it might be a problem if someone is looking for something more along the lines of a tote bag. Like I said, these are minor issues to me. The quality of the interior, exterior, strap, stitching, etc. are very high and I imagine I will have this for many years to come. I would highly recommend this.

I had been searching for a bag here in Australia. The problem is that bags in this country are expensive and not of a very high quality. I ordered the Kenneth Cole bag based on previous reviews and for its price. Even including international shipping the bag was still more than 50% cheaper than any bag here. I was immensely pleased by the quality of the stitching and how soft the leather is. It's a bag that works well for casual use, such as walking and commuting, and yet still looks good for professional use. It safely stows my 15 inch MacBook Pro. The canvas stap is very durable and does not look out of place against the black leather. I like the magnetic clasp. While it may not be secure, I prefer it to the loud "snick" when using metal or plastic clasps. If you do not have too much weight in the bag, the handle works well. However, too much weight can cause th bag to slip forward, and can make it awkward to hold with the handle. Some people may not like that, but I just use the strap and don't have any difficulties. There are two compartments under the flap. I use the smaller one towards the rear to store a book or my IPad and the front compartment to store larger books and papers. The compartment in the back of the bag is handy to store a small umbrella, snacks, or a book. And the two small pockets have been great for holding headphones, pens, and small cables. This is definitely one of the best messenger bags I have ever owned and would not hesitate in recommending it to others.

I've been using this bag for the last three years (one year of high school and two years of college) and its really great! I would carry it for many hours during a day and it's comfortable and not overly obtrusive. It fits lots of notebooks and papers and I have never had an issue of losing things in it. For those interested in the practicality of this bag here are my main points: -very good looking, this bag looks great. The leather is rich and soft. The entire design screams elegance and class while also remaining super casual. For a student who wants to look goof but not stick out like a sore thumb, this is the bag for you. -fairly waterproof, I never felt threatened that rain would ruin my belongings. -very versatile, through the years I would outfit the bag with various buckles and careeners the hold bottles for water and yoga mats. -electronics friendly, i usually am not one to carry a laptop around on a daily basis, but the times i needed to this bag comfortably fit a 15" macbook pro and cables. Of course after so many years of use it has begun to break down. One of the magnetic clasps on the flap has torn off from use and one of the smaller pocket liners has torn open into the exterior. These tears happened many years after I first received this bag, and certainly well after i would expect such breaks. If you are a savvy person looking for a nice looking, functional, and all around durable bag, this is the one for you!

I bought this bag over a year ago, and purposely waited to write a review to really get a sense of how it'll hold up. I've been commuting daily and despite the wear and tear this bag still looks new, the leather is in great condition and the stitching has held up great... except for the magnetic snaps. The bag I bought last year has exposed metal snap on the flap which very securely hold the flap down. It takes a decent force to un-snap the flap so you don't have to worry about it coming open on you. The issue though, is that the snaps on the flap are only sewn into the thin lining, not the heavy leather. After a year, one of my snaps has fully torn out of the flap, and now with all the stress on the single remaining snap, that too is beginning to tear out as well. I was in a shop today and found this exact bag except it had been updated. It no longer said "Kenneth Cole" on the flap (which made me suspicious of it being a knock-off despite being in a legitimate retailer), and more importantly replaced the metal snaps with simple embedded magnets. This new system corrected the issue of the snaps tearing out, but by replacing the snaps with magnets, it decreased the security of the flap. The magnets are not very strong and it takes much less force to open the flap now. The rear magazine pocket on my bag also features a metal magnetic snap, while the updated back replaces this with tacky velcro. The bag is large enough to comfortably hold a laptop but not much else other than papers. I carry a Surface tablet, a Kindle, gloves, earbuds, and my car keys in my bag, and it's comfortable and light to wear. The handle on the top of the bag is a bit of a joke. While it feels sturdy, it's off-center and the bag will have a considerable lean. The strap is sturdy and the bag is reinforced all the way around making it very sturdy. My only gripe is with the snaps in the lid. I'm trying to determine a way to reattach and reinforce the snaps but so far I've been unsuccessful.

I have had this product for over a month now and absolutely love it. Having had multiple messengers bags in the past (more expensive/cheaper), this bag has exceeded quality and functionality over others. Pros: Very comfortable, even when fully loaded, the padding on the strap although thin, seems to work better than large padding I have previously owned. And I really fill my bag up (15" macbook, 15" Lenovo, iPad, MTG decks, dice, binders/notebooks, charger, drink, umbrella, and other miscellaneous items at the same time). Feels and smells great like true leather. Can hold tons of things. Very stylish, I have had numerous comments on how nice the bag is, especially bell boys. The clips on the front are secure and easy to open (once you get use to it). Accessory compartments are large and perfect for chargers/mice/MTG decks :) The rear/open pocket is perfect for an umbrella and drink/easy access items, larger than a normal bag. Zippers are still in tact and working great, I am notorious for yanking zippers in an awkward direction, causing them to break, but this bag has held up perfect. Ladies will think its a very expensive bag when its actually a decent price. Cons: The excess leather strap on the clips has curled outward. The laptop is insecure if you do not zip the main compartment, the corners can get dinged... make sure to take the time to always zip it shut no matter the hurry your in (probably only an issue for larger 15" laptops).

I've had this bag for two months now, and I must say that this is the best messenger bag that I've ever bought. I used to use a military-style, khaki messenger bag, but I needed something more professional to line up with my office job. This Kenneth Cole Risky Business Messenger Bag fit the bill. It's sleek, handy, and professional. First of all, the leather exterior feels great. It's smooth and has a neutral smell overall unlike some other leather bags that I've come across. Secondly, this bag holds a good amount of items. At first, I was worried when I read reviews that there is no zipper for the main compartment. That's totally fine because the magnetic clips attached to the flap of the bag will hold everything inside well. However, I was pleasantly surprised that there was also a small compartment in the back with a zipper for your more secure items. I put my wallet, gum, and other various things in there, so I don't have to worry about losing anything valuable. I honestly don't carry too much, so it's perfect for me. The only thing that I would change is make the magnetic clips stronger. I often have to fumble around to make them lock into place to secure the main compartment. Otherwise, this is a great bag!

I'm teaching 2nd grade this year and needed a new bag since my old laptop bag was stolen from my car (it was empty, luckily). I decided on this one because it looked professional and it would serve my basic needs (taking papers home, etc.). I got mine today and I like it a lot. It has a main pocket that I can put papers in, two smaller pockets that can fit smaller items like a cell phone, keys, pens, etc., and then a pocket in the back which could hold more papers.I expected a few blemishes with the leather since they warn that it will be natural to have that. That type of stuff is not even noticeable on my bag unless you have your face up close to it. I don't plan on using this to carry my laptop, but my Asus laptop is about 15 inches wide and it did fit in the bag. If it were just a few inches wider, though, I really doubt it would've fit. The only other negative may be the bag handle. If I had a lot of things in the bag, I'd think twice before picking the bag up by the handle. I'm not sure it could support a great amount of weight. For what I need the bag for, I think this was a deal considering I only paid about $76 for it. Definitely better quality than my old laptop bag.

When I began my search for a messenger bag in January 2012, I wanted it to have fit the following criteria: 1. Made of soft leather 2. Stylish 3. The right shade of brown. 4. Must have enough space to carry the following items: - Change of clothes - Tablet & charger - Camera and pack of batteries After some searching, I found this bag, ordered it and it arrived two days later! When I opened it, the first thing I noticed was that it had a little too strong but I dismissed that due to fact I hadn't really purchased many leather products before.(More on this later). Going off my first impressions of the bag, let's see how it did against the criteria I set. 1. Soft Leather - Pass 2. Style - Pass (Subjective, I know) 3. Color - Pass I had come across other leather bags that tended to look a little too orange or were too dark but this bag was the right balance between black and brown. 4. Space - Pass The change of clothes shared the main pocket along with the camera. The pack of batteries went in one of the front pockets. The tablet fit perfectly in the back pocket where the handle is. After using it a few times, I thought about using it to carry some of my things for school. This is where I began to question the durability of the product. Now, as I had never used a messenger bag to carry things for school, there was a bit of a learning curve on how much I should be packing into this bag. The bag was typically filled with the following things: - 1-2 notebooks (depending on which text book) - 1 textbook - iClicker - Tablet - Mini-stapler - Pen - Pencil All of this (usually) fit comfortably in the bag but I occasionally faced some issues closing the bag in the front. A few months after using it, the back handle broke off on one end. After looking at it, it appears that the stitching fell apart and caused the leather end to slip out. Now onto another problem: The little magnetic pegs used to close the front. The ones on the body of the bag seem very durable are they appear to be sewn into the leather, the ones on the inside of the bag are a different story. Unlike the magnet part on the body of the bag, these seem to be attached to a thin (polyester?) fabric that isn't really durable. This also lines the interior of the bag. The problem comes in when your bag approaches maximum capacity or you fill the two small body pockets in the front. When the (almost full) bag closes, the magnets (usually) connect but place stress on the small fabric that the magnets on the interior of the bag are attached to. One day, upon opening the bag, I noticed that one of them had simply come loose and was just danging. I suspect that this could have been avoided by having the pair of magnetic ends that were sewn on the thin fabric sewn on leather instead. The final issue I've encountered with this bag is also related to the magnets, but this time with the ones for the wide back pocket. The innermost pocket is sewn to the same material as the interior lining of the bag and although it thankfully hasn't fallen off, it appears that it ends up rubbing against the contents in the main pocket of the bag. Eventually, this tore a whole in the interior lining of the bag. Looking through the hole, it looks like the back of the magnet has a small folded and flat hook and this ends up creating friction with any hard surfaces inside your bag and starts wearing the lining out. One other small note: The canvas fabric the strap is made of has begun to fray a bit at the end connected near one of the metal loops on the bag and I'm worried that the strap will eventually break. I'll update this review if it does indeed happen. Odd Note: The smell still persists to this day. In fact, I think it has actually gotten worse. I never put food in this bag so I'm puzzled on what the source is. Is there certain things leather should avoid? Any insight would be appreciated. Overall: Overall, I think this bag is ok but the quality leaves something to be desired. I've only had this bag for a year and I now have one missing magnet end (out of 6), a hole in the interior due to friction with the contents of the bag and the magnets, and the canvas fabric strap has begun to fray at one of the ends. If you're someone that only needs to carry a small book and a notepad, I think this bag would suit your needs. If you're a student like I am, I would be cautious and try to pack only the essentials. I hope this review helps!