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Executive BriefingWhich work bag works best?

By Seth StevensonPosted Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2006, at 12:28 PM ET

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Hartmann Computer Brief, $495
Dimensions: 11.5" x 16" x 5.25"
Hartmann makes a lot of good-looking, traditional luggage, and this briefcase fits that mold. It's got sumptuous leather on the outside and a neatly finished canvas lining on the inside. There's also a padded laptop compartment (though the padding seems rather sparse for a bag with computer in its name).

I have two main problems with the bag. The first is that I hate its flap-over design. Yes, this is a classic, clean look (also found on the Kenneth Cole briefcase). But I think that functionality-wise, it's a design that belongs in the past. In an age before zippers, big flaps were the best means of securing a bag's contents. Now they get in the way. To reach an item inside this bag, you must first unlatch and lift up the outer flap, and then unzip the compartment revealed beneath. Why not eliminate the first step, as many zip-top briefcases do?

The second problem here: price. This is way too much money for a bag that's not head and shoulders above (and in some cases is inferior to) its competition.

American Tourister Double Gusset Computer Case, $29.99
Dimensions: 11.5" x 16" x 4"
Here's the flipside of the Hartmann bag: wonderful price, unattractive styling. This American Tourister portfolio is highly functional, with well-placed exterior pockets, file dividers, and some padding for a laptop. It's a good size and shape—big enough to hold a reasonable amount of stuff, small enough not to dwarf you when it's hanging off your shoulder. The bag appears relatively durable, too.

The only real flaw here is aesthetic: This is some supremely ugly material. American Tourister's description mentions a "stylish leather-like exterior," but I'd put the emphasis more on the "like" than the "leather." The bag has that nose-crinkling, I'm-not-leather smell. Also, there are some unattractive stitching details. And a big metal "American Tourister" logo dominates the bag's look. But again, all aesthetics. This is still a terrific deal if you don't mind looking like you spent $30 on a fake-leather briefcase.

Manhattan Portage Westside Laptop Bag, $89
Dimensions: 11.5" x 13.5" x 4.5"
This bag is nothing like the others—it's made of a simple nylon, with an unpadded strap. It's really just a bike messenger's sack with a padded laptop compartment sewn in. Yet it was much praised by my test crew. Partly this is due to its lack of pretension: Among my testers, the musician and the social services do-gooder felt much more comfortable with this plain old bag over their shoulders than with some fancy leather case. The attorney said she'd never bring something this casual to work, while the academic said she'd opt for this bag as a knockaround and for one of the shnazzier bags for more formal contexts.

Were this my bag, I'd likely slice out the large red logo on the front. Not only is it too big and glaring for my taste, it also gives me flashbacks to dot-com-era New York—when this brand swept the city and became irritatingly ubiquitous among a certain hipster demographic. Overall, given the bag's price and generally solid craftsmanship, it's a good pick for anyone who doesn't mind a slightly scruffier look. I do think this bag's zippers are the most likely to fail under stress, though. And the main compartment is too small to carry a lot of big files or books. Caveat hipstor.

Tumi Generation 4.4 Small Expandable Leather Computer Brief, $395
Dimensions: 11.25" x 14.25" x 3"
I've had fantastic experiences with Tumi products. Their luggage lasts forever, is intelligently designed, and is even a bit suave. This briefcase is yet another winner.

Pockets and zippers are exactly where you'd like them to be. Everything is double reinforced. These zippers won't break no matter how absurdly you overstuff the bag while still trying to zip them.

Two negatives. First: I tried the leather version of this bag, but given the choice again, I would have opted for the ballistic nylon. The problem isn't with the leather, which is high-quality, thick, buttery stuff. The problem is that the aesthetic approach doesn't seem tailored to the material—this looks like a nylon bag that's been made with leather, instead of a bag designed to be made with leather from the get-go. The good news is that the nylon version has all the same functionality, still looks expensive and stylish, and costs significantly less at $250.