Marlondo Veg. Tanned Briefcase Review

Marlondo Leather just may be the best value going in the world of leather goods. Built to last from high quality materials, many will find their offerings to be just what they were looking for. In fact, this bag in particular has many of the hallmarks bags twice its price boast: brass double cap rivets, solid brass hardware, marine grade nylon thread, USA sourced vegetable tanned leather. This briefcase punches far above its weight and is excellent by almost any measure. Built in China from USA leather, Marlondo kind of flipped the script by using American leather but the result is the gorgeous bag you see before you. If you want a product belying of its price tag, look no further.
Oh, and they have a lifetime warranty too for normal wear and tear!

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[SteveEvansMA]

Been waiting awhile to chime in. Here goes:

This is a spot-on review of an exceptionally high-quality briefcase. I have no connection whatsoever to Marlondo, other than I bought their 16-inch Executive Briefcase in the tobacco tan almost two years ago largely on the strength of this video review. And I caught their holiday sale in December 2021. I’ve had the bag more than a year and it performs beautifully. The craftsmanship is every bit the equal of briefcases that top out over $1, 000. I’m serious as hell. Marlondo's Executive Briefcase looks like James Bond and Indiana Jones sketched out their idea of what a man's ideal leather bag should look like. Carry one of these briefcases and you're gonna get compliments galore.

What amuses me are the many grossly uninformed comments below, mostly from those who worship at the altar of Saddleback Leather.

I’ll say unequivocally that Marlondo is NOT a knockoff of Saddleback or any other leather-goods company. The basic design has been around for 150 years. Look it up, people. I don’t care whether you believe me. Do your own research.

Further, Marlondo uses American-sourced, veg-tanned full grain leather to make their bags, as the review correctly states. Ditto the marine thread for stitching and solid brass hardware.

That’s where any similarity to Saddleback ends. Saddleback uses chrome-tanned leather, which involves chemicals that are horrible for the environment, and their products are assembled with cheap Mexican labor south of the border. Also, chrome tanning is significantly less expensive than veg-tanning, and the finished product shows.

Marlondo uses American-sourced leather, some of the best I've seen, with the bags hand-crafted at a facility in China, then shipped back to the U.S.

So neither of these companies can fairly lay claim to 100% American made. They’re not. But Marlondo’s craftsmanship is visibly superior – just look at the stitching, the hand-set rivets – and the proof is using the bag in the field, as I have daily for the last 18 months.

My only complaint with Marlondo involves an issue that's really beyond their control. Supply chain and shipping delays in 2021-2022 meant that I had to wait three and a half months for the briefcase to arrive. Yes, it was worth the wait, but it was also my first time doing business with a company that had my money for 14 weeks before I saw the merchandise. My trepidation was unfounded. They delivered and I would buy from them again. Customer service is also first class. I've been eyeing their large weekender bag in the same tobacco color as my briefcase.

And so we come to the real crux of the matter: do you want chrome-tanned or veg-tanned leather? Aesthetically, the choice should be obvious. You want veg-tanned. It just looks better. It ages better. It’s environmentally responsible compared to chrome tanning methods.

Then there’s the price. Anyone who wants to pay $300 more for a Saddleback that uses inferior leather, well, I couldn’t care less if you piss your money away. You’re just paying for the marketing costs to promote a lesser-quality product.

But this review does justice to the product. Cheers, Carl. Your information on this briefcase helped me make a solid buying decision.

[CritterFritter]

Regarding the use of a briefcase as a backpack. The three strap briefcase was indeed used as a backpack throughout the countries about the British Empire, thus the plethora of d-rings for attaching the now-absent straps. This was the young man’s book bag throughout the 19th and early 20th Centuries. So many vestiges of days gone by, that still add depth to style today.

[ZIPPOMANIAC]

Hi Chris, another great video for leather enthusiasts! Fun tip for ya, the small pocket found at the centre back of most other laptop briefcases are for you to slot the briefcase onto the extendable handles that pulls out of a travel suitcase so that the briefcase stays secure on top of the suitcase when hauling them around. It’s not for post cards as you had guessed. Haha!

[CritterFritter]

The back pocket is a leftover from when users carried newspapers and maps. A quick way to stash & retrieve flat reading materials one frequently uses through the day. A nice feature for stowing a magazine in at airport, but not electronics.

[p.b.]

Here is something you may want to mention to your viewers, for lashing straps - you can use "Curb Straps"  which is a simple leather strap/buckle used with horse tack. (riding gear)   They're generally pretty cheap for pretty good quality belt leather sub $10.

I use them quite a bit for lashing gear with my c.1895  bicyclist impression.

[peterbukourasjr]

Great vid I just ordered the same bag thanks to you my only complaint for marlondo is the have no videos of there products I have been looking for months and just ran across you by chance.all I found was saddleback vids thanks you saved me a lot of money and I'm getting a better bag

[timothyrake]

Purchased today. Thank you for your helpful review.

[leeamaya]

That briefcase looks great!!! I can't afford higher end stuff as of right now because I'm a 4th year pharmacy student battling student loan debt. However, I recently purchased a slim Texbo briefcase from Amazon for $120 and I like it. It doesn't stand on its own, but it serves its purpose and I've received many compliments while traveling at the airport. I needed something for residency interviews and I love it! Will look to upgrade to something like Marlando when I start making a pharmacist salary.

[maxsauban]

Thanks for the great video. I always wondered why they placed three D-rings on the sides, I’ve got the answer now, to attach stuff. To answer your question about turning it into a backpack, it’s very useful when you commute on a bike. It’s not just for weight but also for stability. Lastly, the size of the laptop (17inches), is the screen diagonal, they end up being less wide than that usually, except if they have a huge bezel of course.

[rockonful]

This bag is stunning and will only get better with ago, I’ve got a vintage leather Coach bag 💼 that I picked up over ten years ago that was missing the shoulder strap so sat in a corner of my office all these years while I use a cheap ass OGIO excelsior backpack 🎒 until finally found a leather aftermarket shoulder strap on eBay, picked it up and stained it to the Coach color and need to start using it. Saddleback makes a very good product but not cheap, not sure where Marlondo is price wise but it looks like it will last a lifetime

[kle]

Do you have an updated video on this? Would like to see how much age and patina you have so far. I'm debating between the standard vet tan tobacco or the vintage vet tan tobacco version. Also, has the leather softened up a bit for you? I know veg tan leather can be stiff in the beginning and I like a more pliable soft leather.

[smhne]

Karl, can you give a short video update of the Marlando thin briefcase? How has it worn over time?

[SmithMrCorona]

If you live in a part of the country where your walk to work consists of the front door to the car, and then from the parking lot to your desk, you won't need to use it as a backpack. In places like where I live, you walk to the train, wait for the train, stand in the train, walk from the station to work. . . then that feature is less of an afterthought and more of a necessity.

[thomashall]

Hi Carl, I was wondering if you could do a 1 year review on this bag and let us know how it's holding up and what the aging and patina are starting to look like? I am torn between a a few bags. This one, The leather shop's Moose Brand Business briefcase 2 and their Heirloom messenger bag. I'm finding it impossible to decide. I value your insight. If you've handled the other two your input would be appreciated. I love your videos keep up the great work!

[lendllai]

Hey Carl, loving the review of this brand new. Did you have a quick follow up on this since? Greatly appreciate the worn and patina from everyday use and your honest opinions as a daily

[tracywong]

What do you think of Korchmar briefcases?

[suburbansentinel]

Nice review. Sounds like a way better value than the Saddleback I bought and returned.

[thecapone]

Yo that picture looks just like the Saddleback briefcase bag. Even the top straps are folded in on themselves.

[CritterFritter]

Nice cutting of leather. Not crazy about the polyester leisure suit top-stitching. Good job. Thx

[shlemp]

Purchased a Marlando briefcase little less than a year ago. The bag is incredible but have to agree the bags are heavy but doable. #fucksaddlebackleather