Freiherr von Maltzahn Hedin Large Briefcase Brown Leather + Leather Care

I now refer to this bag as my office, and in fact it's almost become my home, because not only is there room for everything I could possibly want to carry, there's even a special compartment for it. It's so well designed that it's a pleasure to open it, and it's really robustly made as well. I wanted to wait before posting a review, to be sure that nothing broke or fell off in the first few months. No worries there. In fact it feels as though it'll last for years, probably decades. Nice little touches, such as a coating along the exposed cut edges at seams, to stop fraying; and a strap to attach a keyring to that's actually long enough for me to unlock my front door without detaching keyring or removing bag from shoulder. Sounds small perhaps, but I'm a busy freelance tutor, and I'm forever going in and out of the house, with many different sets of papers, pens, tablet, chargers, books, other stationery and office equipment, umbrella, water bottle, bike stuff, snacks, ... and the wonderful thing about this bag is that I can fit everything in, tidily and accessibly. (Most briefcases are just too narrow to fit everything I need, and backpacks are a pain because they're too deep and stuff disappears in the depths. With this, I can see everything when I open the lid.) I even use it as an overnight bag - plenty of room for shirt, underwear, socks. I keep a toothbrush in there, which my wife finds odd, but she doesn't appreciate that in case of earthquake or zombie apocalypse I have almost everything I need to survive right here, ready to go. Each time I try to count the compartments I find another one; I think there are about 18. It has one at the back where you can unzip the bottom and slip the handle of your cabin luggage wheely bag through. If I were a smuggler I'd use this bag, to defeat customs officials. I'm aware that there's something a bit weird about raving about a piece of luggage, but honestly, for a busy freelance "knowledge worker" who needs to carry a large range of materials and equipment, plus everything needed for comfort during breaks, bad weather etc, this could have been designed for me. It's fairly heavy even before you put anything in it (and fully loaded, most people can barely lift mine) but if your priority is fitting it ALL into one bag, keeping it safe and then finding it quickly, look no further. I've wanted a bag like this ever since I was a student, and now we're very happy together. I'm not sure about the colour, but that can always be changed with leather treatments or polish. I was also a bit sniffy about the fastenings at first - those buckles are just to make you look like a 19th century postman, they actually conceal two slidey clips, and I don't like fakery - but since I'm forever opening and closing it, I've come to appreciate the speed and convenience. Whoever designed this really knew wha they were doing. Thank you Freiherr von Maltzahn.

Excellent German quality, both of design and the leather. Arrives in tan, non-oiled, which one can keep or as in my case, apply the vaseline that came with it, after which it adopts the colour in the images. Lots of pockets, and takes a 17" laptop. Nice briefcase size and the right weight, i.e. not too heavy.My only criticism is the rivets that hold on the handle are small, and are not accessible from the inside so when the handle fails, the rivets cannot be replaced easily: the handles always come off my briefcases eventually.

I am deeply impressed with this. I have bought in succession five various tan leather satchel type briefcases. All have had faults - mostly being style over substance and a lack of capacity combined with poor finishing. This one has none of those issues. Very well made, looks great and has the capacity of The Tardis. This is that which I have looked for for so long. Great product. If in doubt - don't be. I like it natural (takes scuffs - which appeals to me) - but the leather cream supplied looks like it will do the business if that is your thing.

This bag is brilliant! It's a bit like the TARDIS - it looks small, but inside it's deceptively spacious. There are plenty of pockets, it comfortably accommodates my 15.6" laptop with a neoprene sleeve, and there's still lots of room for other stuff as well. It's made from good quality leather, and it's very well put together.I had bought a cheaper bag before this one, but it broke on the first use because the materials were cheap, and it was badly put together. I must be honest, I did take a big breath before buying this one because the price is significantly higher. However I have no regrets at all. You really do get what you pay for - pay less and you'll get a poor quality bag... or you could (and should) pay a bit more for this one, which has been made by craftsmen, and will last.

Very strong, plenty of compartments although quite heavy when empty. The first one I received had a buckle missing, however they replaced it with no fuss

Just a quick background: I have used both a North Face Base Camp large messenger bag and a North Face Surge II Charged backpack as my 'daily drivers' for years. Both were large enough to carry most of my equipment and work around, but neither seemed 'professional' when showing up for meetings or work. I had looked at this line of briefcases for some time before my partner decided to purchase this for my Christmas this year.Beautiful bag... uncompromising in its ability to hold all your work and computer(s) for the day at the office, or for travelling. The pass-through zips on the back of the briefcase are very welcomed as my work requires use of a large roller case of files and for work trips to slide on top of luggage. On my most recent trip, this behemoth managed to handle:- 17.3" HP ENVY 17 laptop (which is a beast in itself)- Microsoft Surface 3 tablet in an armoured case (This still fit into the slip pocket just above the front pockets)- Kindle Paperwhite (2017 edition)- 2 Moleskine notepads- 2 4-ring 1/2" binders (both full)- 3 textbooks- 2 novel-sized books- Various pens and highlighters (the pen holders on front were particularly handy)- Tons of business cards- 1 Logitech MX Ergo trackball mouse...and most importantly...- 1 travel coffee mugThis is by far the most organised space you can sling over your shoulder. The little metal 'feet' are brilliant for keeping the bag upright no matter the situation. The removable shoulder strap uses high-grade clasps (rather than the typical puny little ones that break if you've got a full bag). The colouring is magnificent, and clearly will age wonderfully. This is definitely a bag I will be using long into the future.