How to Handle: The Best Handle on the Best Leather Briefcase

Some things are tough to handle. (for example, the truth--at least according to Jack Nicholson...) 

But the handle on your bag shouldn't be one of those things, especially if it's a briefcase meant to last you day in, day out--through the good and the bad, the early mornings and late nights, the cramped seat in the back of the plane and the first class one that comes with a complimentary glass of Champagne. 

So take a walk with us as we go through the little things that go into the best handle on the best leather briefcase: 

Roll, baby, roll

Seven times. That's what it takes to get the handle right. We take a precisely sized piece of leather and roll it six times over until it forms a handle both taut and supple. Then we take the final layer and wrap it. Most briefcases have a plastic, nylon, or cardboard filler. Not ours--it is 100% leather. 

Holding the bag is something best experienced in person and many times over. As the bag ages, it becomes more attached to its user--your fingers begin making an indelible imprint into the leather. 

Impostors be damned--this is your bag and you've got the finger grooves on the leather to prove it. 

Positive Reinforcement 

A briefcase gets a lot of wear, as it should, and there are several stress points that usually lead to its demise. The most stressful is the point at which the handle meets the body of the bag. Simple physics create a push-and-pull--the hand is always pulling the handle away from the bag. 
So to prevent any separation anxiety that may develop, we take an extra layer of leather and turn it on itself. We attach it to the point at which the most wear-and-tear would occur. That little step takes a bit longer and requires more care. But its a feature so rare in today's market that we're one of the few to actually do it. 

Setting the bar 

Proportionality, symmetry, and balance are three things that go into our designs. But they also go into the construction process and result in a bag with an inherently comfortable carry. In order to strike a balance, we insert a full-length metal inside the top of the handle. This gives the bag an incredible stability and prevents sagging or bending of the leather.

The bar also helps stability when the bag is being carried with the shoulder strap. Instead of drooping upwards or downwards, the bag stays straight from end to end. 

Product featured: Lotuff English Briefcase