| Compu-Brief Comparison Review |
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As the compu-briefcases popularity continues to grow and the bag options expand, we wanted to compare and contrast three bags from leading manufacturers to see the differences in what is being offered. In the compu-brief marketplace, there is wide range of products in quality and pricing, so we narrowed down our search to products are of high quality but still affordable for most companies. So we settled on compu-briefs in the $55 range.
The three bags that we compared are the Ogio Corporate City Corp bag, the Leeds Velocity Compu-Brief and the Gemline Investor Computer Portfolio. Below are pictures of the bags and Chuck's thoughts on the key features and differences between these three bags.
Shoulder Strap and Handles- City Corp Chuck felt that this bag has the best shoulder strap of the three. It is a nicely padded strap that is long, so it is good for tall people. The handles are comfortable and good quality. - Investor The shoulder strap on this bag is adequate but not as large and comfortable as the City Corp strap. The neoprene handles are really comfortable. - Velocity The strap is a rubber piece that is not comfortable and is the worst of the three bags. The handles are made of an ultrahyde material that Chuck was not a fan of because they are not very comfortable and will likely show wear quickly. Size of the Bag- City Corp - 13 h x 18 w x 6 d Holds 17" laptop - This is the longest of the bag and is able to hold the most materials. This bag would certainly work for a trip or going to see multiple clients. - Investor - 12 h x 17.5 w x 6.5 d - Holds 15" laptopThis is a good size bag that can hold a lot of materials as well and would suffice on a trip or seeing numerous clients. - Velocity - 13 h x 16 w x 6 d - Holds 17" laptop - This is a smaller bag that would work well if you are going on a single appointment or just taking your computer home and a couple of files daily. Zippers- City Corp The zippers on the Ogio were superior for a couple of reasons. First, they were the thickest, so they definitely looked up to the job of long term use. Second, the zippers pulls are long and wide, so they are easy to reach and use. - Investor The zippers were thinner than the City Corp, so the zipper might not last as long. The zipper pulls are adequate with easy to grab plastic ends but are on the smaller side. - Velocity The zippers were also thinner on this bag than the City Corp and the zipper pulls were small and metal, so they more difficult to use then the other two bags. Internal Organizers All of the bags have adequate internal organizers, but there are some key differences that we want to point out. - City Corp Chuck liked the access to this organizer the best since it opens from the side with a flap, so you can easily get at everything that you need without a pocket pushing at your arm. The other two bags zip open from the top, so the pocket is pushing against your arm when digging for items. Even though there is no zipper to protect them from falling out, the pen pockets are snug and will hold them in place. - Investor The internal organizer is nice with Velcro pockets for a PDA and cell phone. There is a lot of room in this organizer and there is a mesh pocket with a zipper on the inside of the pocket - Velocity This internal organizer is adequate but does not have Velcro pockets to lock in a cell phone/PDA and the mesh pocket on the inside pocket does not have a zipper. Internal Compartments- City Corp This bag is the best engineered of the three according to Chuck. It is the only bag to offer three main compartments; a side flap pocket for the laptop and two large compartments that include pockets for cables and file dividers. The file dividers have a contrasting color on top so you can easily see them. - Investor This bag has two main compartments with a padded pouch for the computer and pockets for cables. The second compartment has three dividers. - Velocity The Velocity bag has two main compartments, one with a padded pouch for the computer and pockets for cables. The second compartment only has one divider, less than the other bags. The interior color of the bag is a contrasting color to the bag, which helps you find the products in the bag quicker. Aesthetic Appearance- City Corp This bag has an industrial look to it with its well constructed appearance. Yet the bag looks sophisticated enough to be used by a corporate executive. The bag is made of a strong nylon material that has a sheen to it. This bag is available in Black, Petrol Grey/Black, Royal/Black and Red/Black. Chuck preferred the look of this bag to the others. - Investor Conservative and simple is how Chuck described the appearance of this bag. It comes in Black and is made with a quality nylon material. - Velocity This Black bag has a contrasting Silver accent color on the front pocket of this bag. The bag is made with a nylon weave with Scuba material on the front pocket and ultrahyde material along the bottom of the bag. Chuck liked the contrasting Silver accent but was not a fan of the ultrahyde material. He felt it lowered the quality of the bag and would not stand up to consistent usage. Accessories/Outside Pockets- City Corp Chuck described this bag as being dumbed down, meaning Ogio put small labels to help the user know what pocket is supposed to be used for each application. Nowadays bags are made with so many pockets it is sometimes hard to figure out what each pocket is for. So this was a good addition to the bag. This bag has a pocket for a cell phone, airline tickets, an MP3 player, two zippered external pockets and a clever sleeve for your rolling luggage. - Investor This bag is light on external pockets and could have used the space better. There is only one external pocket, and there is a mesh bottled water pocket. - Velocity There are no large zippered pockets, but there are two small zippered pockets that Chuck couple not figure out the purpose of. There is a large Velcro pocket on the back, a bottled water mesh pocket and a sleeve to put your rolling luggage through. Decorating Options-Both the City Corp and Investor can be screen printed or embroidered. The Velocity bag can only be debossed or screen printed because of the Scuba material on the front pocket. Chuck felt that this was a deterrent to the Velocity bag because he feels that embroidery is the best decorating method for these types of bags. Overall Opinion- City Corp Recommended After reviewing the three bags, it became obvious to Chuck that this was the superior bag. He really liked the shoulder strap, the zippers, the size of the bag, the accessories and the overall look. - Investor Chuck liked the simplicity of this bag and thought is was functional. But with the City Corp bag in the same price range, it is would be hard to justify purchasing this bag. - Velocity We were not impressed with this bag. From the inadequate shoulder strap to the ultrahyde material to the fact it cannot be embroidered, there is not enough upsides to this bag for us to recommend it. We hope this comparison of bags has helped you get a good understanding that not all bags are made the same and there are critical features to consider when purchasing. To help with your next bag purchase to make sure it has the features you are looking for and review samples, consult your promotional product consultant. If you have any questions, comments or need help with your next compu-brief purchase, please feel free to contact us. |
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To provide us with an unbiased opinion, we received the help of Chuck Last, a Sales Manager at Valeo, Inc. Valeo is a manufacturer of fitness equipment located in Sussex, Wisconsin. Chuck travels locally and throughout the country, so we felt he was a good fit to help us review these bags. 
