Quotes

Tom Bihn's Imago

by Simon Helton

Tom Bihn

SRP / SP:	$85 / $85
Requirements:	None
What's Hot:	Very attractive with attention to all the details
What's Not:	No handle

I've said it before, and I'm sure I'll say it again (and again and again): a lot of MacBook, MacBook Pro, iBook, and PowerBook bags and sleeves pass through my doors. I've turned into the Imelda Marcos of notebook bags and sleeves (or maybe I should use a more masculine example? Ted Nugent is to guns as I am to laptop bags). Recently I decided I had to do something about my overflowing closet and decided to offer my friends to pick a bag and sleeve out of the pile to help clear up some floor space.

When one of my friends picked out the Imago, though, I had second thoughts. I considered telling him that this bag was not available for the taking. I thought about this without having any need whatsoever for the Imago; for all the bags I see, I've been using the same setup for quite some time and it meets my needs. The thing is, the Imago is just really, really attractive, particularly in the colors of my review unit (which you can see below).

That's not to say the Imago's appeal is only skin deep. The bag is made of either 1050 denier ballistic nylon or 1000 denier Corudra, and lined with 500 denier Cordura. For those of you don't follow the synthetic fabric field, that means the bag can take a beating and won't rip on you. The size is also very nice for a MacBook-or-smaller notebook in a sleeve. I put my MacBook in one of Tom Bihn's Soft Cell sleeves and had room for some extras, but the notebook filled it up enough so that it wasn't swimming in the bag. The Imago is not the bag for you if you want to carry everything and the kitchen sink at all times, but it is nice if you travel fairly light and don't want some behemoth turning you into Quasimodo.

Beyond the aesthetics, the really striking characteristic of the Imago is the attention to detail. The bag doesn't make use of any velcro (handy for students wanting to ditch class early without making a racket), there's a little pocket on the back for the bag perfect for carrying loose papers or slim folders, and the interior pockets are lined with a different color at their openings. If you've ever reached into a bag lined all in black looking for something dark in one of the interior pockets, you can probably appreciate that a little detail like contrasting colors on the pocket openings is a nice touch. There isn't a lot of earth-shattering improvement to be made in bags these days, so the little things make a big difference.

There are only a couple of changes I'd suggest for the Imago, and their importance likely depends on your needs. As I said, the size is probably too small for larger notebooks, and even with a MacBook in there, the quarters are pretty tight for carrying lots of files or accessories. Offering the Imago in multiple sizes would be great for enticing those people with larger loads. The other addition I'd like to see is at least an option for a handle. I don't often carry my messenger bags for long distances with the handle, but it is nice when getting up to board a plane or on the subway.

If you were wondering, I did eventually relent and offer up the Imago. At least it went to a good home where I can see it regularly and continue to admire its appearance without looking like a freak admiring myself in the mirror with the bag over my shoulder.