Kenneth Cole REACTION Show Business 16" Colombian Leather Business Laptop Portfolio Messenger Bag

I’ve had this bag now for little over three months and use it everyday for work. I did a lot of research on which bag I wanted to purchase for my new job and narrowed it down to two. I was looking for a leather messenger bag that was professional and could fit a laptop. I finally picked this one and I have no regrets!The bag is fashionable and professional. I get a lot of compliments and comments at work. The bag is durable and have had no issues with it the zipper, tears, etc.It holds my 15” laptop with ease. On top of that, I can put in my padfolio, 2-3 books, pens, notebooks, newspaper and charging cable. The pockets are are big and deep, which allows me to nicely fit my iPad mini with ease. I can already tell that I’ll be using this bag for many years to come.The only con that I could find, and it’s not even that big of a problem, is that the buckles to open the flap is tough to do. You really have to push down on the clasps to release the buckle, and it can be hard to do at times. Or if you’re in a hurry to get something out of your bag, it might be a bit embarrassing trying to mess around with the buckle.Overall, I am extremely happy with this bag. With all the research I did for professional leather messenger bags, and for the pricing point, I highly recommend this bag. More bang for the buck, and it’ll last you for many years. Save the time and effort and purchase this bag if this is what your looking for. You won’t regret it!

I own the Kenneth Cole Risky Business bag Kenneth Cole Risky Business Messenger Bag in brown as well and had that for a good while before switching to this bag. I also own a Kenneth Cole Rest My Case bag Kenneth Cole Reaction Luggage I Rest My Case in black that I was using for work. This bag has replaced both as my go to bag. There are a few reasons for that, which I will go into. I'm not going to go too in depth about the features of the bag, since plenty of other reviews have done that, but want to focus on comparing these three for someone who is considering the other bags.The Risky Business bag is a really clean looking bag, but has no support in the interior. That meant most of the items inside moved around a lot and it wasn't a very good laptop bag due to the lack of padding on the inside. The structure of the bag was fairly flimsy, so the file folders I used for work got bent up sometimes. The handle on top of that bag wasn't especially usable since there was no structural support for that bag, so grabbing the handle on the run with a full bag sometimes meant things spilling all over the place. The Show Business bag solves the issues of that bag, although looks a little less casual. There are big padded and gusseted compartments on the inside that protect your laptop and papers much better than the Risky Business bag. The clips on the straps also keep the flap secure, which is something the magnets on the Risky Business bag didn't do well. This bag is bigger though, but I think the size increase isn't too big of a jump.The Rest My Case bag was very professional looking, but I preferred the flap messenger style. The interior of this bag is laid out very similarly, but the flap is nice to have in order to quickly store items without messing with a zipper. There is also a velcro patch that secures the open pocket in the rear, which is nice. Although it would seem like having zippered compartments would be more secure compared to the Show Business bag, I haven't had anything fall out. The flap is also nice for when I don't want to zip close the pockets but still want some type of protection from rain. I will admit that the Rest My Case bag looked more like a laptop bag and much more formal, especially in black, but the Show Business bag bridges the gap between the casual of the Risky Business bag while adding all the strengths of the Rest My Case bag. It looks casual enough in brown leather that I can bring it to the office, but not to the point where it looks like it is just for work, like the Rest My Case bag.For those considering one of the other bags I mentioned, give this bag some consideration before making your purchase. This bag is more versatile than the other two and combines the best features of both. If I only had to buy one, I would have bought this bag first. Granted, I'm a guy who loves having different accessories (men in a professional environment can only get away with different briefcases/bags, watches, and colored ties to show our individuality most of the time) so I sometimes break out the other two, but if you want a bag that can go from the office to the coffee shop to your weekend out of town without looking out of place in any environment, this is the one.

I bought this over 8 years ago and I use it almost daily for work and travel and I keep getting compliments on it. It has aged well. It is not bulky but can hold a lot of stuff when necessary. I bought the Cognac color and it has aged well. I do not baby this bag, it goes where I go, to the office, on airplanes, camping, you name it and it handles it all with no problem. I have spilled coffee on the leather and all you have to do is wipe it down and about once a year I rub it down with some mink oil and it keeps looking good. It has worn well and I can't recommend it enough. I am now purchasing a black one because I bought a new car with black leather interior and I feel like when this once with the lighter color is on the seat of the car, it stands out and advertises that there is a laptop inside the car which might encourage a break in. As wonderful as my current one is, I know that I am going to love the black one.