Customer feedback

Yelp users and TOM BIHN customers have posted nine reviews of our Seattle Factory Showroom/Retail Store so far, including this review by Jeff A. -

"I spent many a long days and nights searching for the best laptop bag I could find, and all roads led me to Tom Bihn. I've had my Empire Builder bag for 2 years now and it is by far the best laptop bag I or anyone that I know has ever owned. The construction on all of their bags are top notch, and it definitely feels good to buy American made products when they're of such high quality and standards. The custom sleeve concept works so well when you're changing or have more than one laptop so you don't need to buy a new bag every time. I can't say enough good things about these guys and I highly highly recommend them to anyone that wants a true quality laptop bag."

Read existing reviews on Yelp.

CR88 posted: "I recently received my first Tom Bihn bag, a Black/Solar Aeronaut. I was so impressed by the design and quality that I purchased a second one for my wife (Crimson/Steel) as well as some packing cubes and pouches. Being a Steeler's fan, I also love the Black/Solar color combination. Now I am in need of a good +1 personal item."

Among the many helpful replies was one from BJ Nemeth, excerpted below:
"I have flown dozens and dozens of times with the Aeronaut and the Smart Alec as carryon bags, and never received so much as a second glance from the flight attendants. My Aeronaut is packed full, but not bulging, while the Smart Alec contains a Brain Cell for my laptop, a very full Snake Charmer, a Canon digital SLR, and an extra telephoto zoom lens in a case. The Smart Alec goes under the seat with my feet, and it sticks out a little, but it's never been a problem.

For a while, I flew with an Aeronaut and a Brain Bag (same equipment inside), and still didn't have any problems. The Brain Bag even passed inspection on several Delta international flights to Spain, and was under the seat the entire time. (I'm a thin guy of average 5'10" height, and don't need a ton of foot room.)

I can't remember if the Aeronaut/Brain Bag combination ever made it on any regional flights (probably 1 or 2), but my Aeronaut/Smart Alec combination has handled about a dozen small regional jets without anyone ever asking me to check one of the bags. Meanwhile, most of the other passengers are asked to check one or both of their bags. My Aeronaut always slides right into the overhead compartment on even the smallest planes, and in compartments that appeared to be full on larger planes -- there's usually enough room to slip a full Aeronaut in there."

Read the full thread in the TOM BIHN Forums.

Read the full thread on the TOM BIHN Forums.

If you aren't already a regular (poster or luker) on our forums, be sure to check them out. Our amazing community gives great advice on everything from Larabars to trips to our neck of the woods - and, of course, bags. Excerpted below are a few recent posts that answer graykyle's question: 1 Tri-Star for 2 people??. forums. Browse the forums to read more.

"Hi Kyle,
I don't use the waist strap on any of my Tom Bihn bags. Not because they aren't functional, rather just because I haven't really needed to. I do plan a much more adventurous, personal trip to Africa early next year and will certainly use the waist strap on my Aeronaut for that.
I wouldn't plan on doing lots of backpacking or hiking with the Aeronaut - it just isn't really made for that. But if you are "doing the OJ" through the airport, the waist and chest straps will definitely keep the bag stable on your back.
I'm 5'8" tall. I don't feel like the Aeronaut is unwieldy at all. For the record, I was once an Airborne Ranger for dear old Uncle Sam. As such, I'm very particular about the way my gear fits, behaves, etc. The Aeronaut is fantastic for the business travel that I do." - Posted by SurlyFrog

"I easily fit a lot of stuff in the Tristar. Shoes plus laptop may be getting challenging, however. I can easily fit a week's worth of summer clothes in the middle section and the large front section, with the stupid little things (torch, medicine, spare glasses, book, small binoculars, Kit as sponge bag etc) in the small front section. All are packed in packing cubes. Unfortunately my week long summer trips are marine biology expeditions so the rest of the stuff we take (3 large microscopes, tons of camera gear, assorted sizes of fish tank, drums of ethanol for perserving specimens, laser printer to print labels, toaster oven to "cook" the labels, supplies of vials and jars for specimens, sorting trays, dissecting kits, a library of about 100 reference books, collecting gear, bedding, food, water, etc, etc.) means a fully loaded car plus a fully loaded trailer (called "utility trailer" in the US?). The back section of the Tristar contains disposable cleaning cloths. (I was going to get back to the Tristar!) :+>" - Posted by falconea

"How did I prepare for this trip? Just like my San Diego trip, I packed a carry on bag (my Tom Bihn Aeronaut). I wanted to use my Tri-Star, but because of the longer trip duration and various goods (electronic files in CD format), I went for the Aeronaut. I'm very glad I did -- my colleague who was flying on the same airline (but not same flights) had her luggage catch up with her a day later. Not a happy thing when you've staying in 3 different hotels for a trip."

Read the full post - complete with photos and travel tips - at Knitting Cybrarian.

Below is some recent feedback we've received via email. Feel free to email us - we'd like to hear what you think!

"Hi Katy,

Just wanted to let you know that, after many trips over the past four months, I am VERY happy with the Ristretto bag. I am heading out to Europe in a few weeks to do some presentations and the Ristretto is number 1 on my packing list for carrying everything I need for my lectures. In fact, I teach doctoral classes for an online university and just posted this note about the Ristretto as part of a longer message about traveling, staying in touch, and mobility with netbooks to my students:
------
On that note, check out http://www.tombihn.com for the Ristretto for iPads/Netbooks bag. This is a smoking messenger bag and although small and compact, it holds an amazing amount of stuff. I have the extended battery on my mini-10v which works great for those transcontinental flights and it fits perfectly in the foam protected netbook pocket with a bit of room to spare. Totally packed with my netbook, cables, power supply, pens, paper, travel documents, and a raft of other small travel essentials, the Ristretto still comes in under six pounds and fits handily under airplane seats with plenty of foot room leftover. Even though it has a top handle and a nice strap for carrying around, I'd advise you to also put the waist strap on it. I never strap it to my waist unless I am concerned about pickpockets or snatch-and-grab artists while walking around a strange city with it. However, the waist strap is still a very handy feature for attaching it securely to the handle of a carry-on bag, which makes it easier to race through airports chasing those close connections.
------
Thanks for all of your help, you are certainly an asset to Tom Bihn. "
- J.

"I've just received my Ristretto and it's turned out even nicer than I had hoped. This size is perfect for a more streamlined lifestyle and the quality and functionality live up to the ID bag that has served me well for so long. Thank you for the free replacement for my clasp on my ID bag. Given it's recent washing and the new clasp, the bag looks like it did the day I received it. Thanks for the great products."
- S.

"i've had my super ego for 2 weeks and i have yet to think of anything that i'd change. very well thought through. thank you so much"
- H.

The Empire Builder thread in the Packing List section of the TOM BIHN Forums helps give one a good sense of what our Empire Builder briefcase can hold. lpotr4, Larry, and pstemari have all posted impressive packing lists. Click "Read More..." to read crpeck's packing list - the latest addition to the thread - or view the full thread here.


Above: a customer with his Empire Builder in Afghanistan.

Below you'll find some recent feedback we received via email. Have something to share with us? Send us an email!

"I just wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed the Checkpoint Flyer over the last 6 months of weekly air travel. After traveling weekly for over 12 years, this was finally the "perfect" laptop bag. My ex-boyfriend gave it to me for my birthday, and I touted its merits to everyone who noticed it at work and at the airport. Truly an A+ product." - C.

"Wooo hoo! I had a Tom Bihn laptop bag for my MacBook G3 Pismo YEARS ago and it lasted for years and years, until the cat did a lot of damage. Once I saw the iPad and your announcement, I was excited to have a reason to give you guys my money! :-) Hope the products are just as fantastic as back then." - C.

"Hi Guys, got my Empire Builder, it is perfect. Love the Zephyr for daily stuff, but the EB for travel, you guys rock on the quality and service front." - A.

"Once again, you've managed to ship something to me faster than I could have imagined. Many thanks." - L.

"Dear Tom Bihn & Co.
Our order arrived and all is well. Many thanks. We are huge fans and both sport our Tom Bihn bags proudly. They are beautiful and well made and we tell everyone we know about them." - D.

"Thanks again to Katy in helping me make my decision about what bags to buy. Katy was both amazingly quick in her responses and her responses gave me all the information I needed for my purchase decisions." - R.

"Hi! I just wanted to tell you how much I love my Swift knitting bag, and how much I appreciate that you make your bags in the US. I could not love this bag more - it is the perfect bag (I actually crochet, but it's just as good ;) - I recommend it to everyone. Thank you so much for such a great, quality made product." - A.

"I returned from my trip last night, and am glad to say that my Tom Bihn bags really made life easier in a number of ways. BTW, LOTS of fellow travelers asked me about my bags. So, Tom and Darcy, if you seen an uptick in Aeronaut orders, well, I've been spreading the word!

So, what was so great? For starters, I carried less than in the past...."

Read the full post at Knitting Cybrarian.

Above: a photo from the Knitting Cybrarian post on the Aeronaut and traveling light. See a larger version of this photo @ Knitting Cybrarian.

Below are two emails we recently received from customers.

"After much research and comparison between Tom Bihn and ----- bags I finally decided to go with TB and I am so happy I did! I received my Aeronaut and ID bags yesterday along with several packing cubes I'd ordered from your company. The bags are absolutely beautiful and are so well made. I packed the Aeronaut tonight (using the packing cubes) for a 3 day trip and couldn't believe how much it held! My ID accompanied me to work today loaded with all my gear. I was so proud to show it off to my cubemates and even more proud to say that it was made in the USA! I ordered several pouches last night and can't wait to receive them. Just wanted you to know that you have one more very satisfied customer who will spread the word about Tom Bihn bags!"
- R.

"I have ordered and received 3 bags from Tom Bihn in the last 3 months. I absolutely love all the bags. They are very nice and have worked perfectly. I purchased the Side Effect and Brain Cell to travel to the Olympics and both worked wonderfully. The Side Effect was the perfect size to be able to go through the express security line but had more than sufficient room to carry everything I needed for the day. The Brain Cell kept my laptop very protected while traveling and the Absolute Shoulder Strap was the most comfortable one I have ever had. I just received the Swift and it holds all my yarn and supplies perfectly. I called customer service to help with ordering because the model number of my laptop wasn't listed so I wasn't sure what size and the person helping was very very helpful and courteous and wonderful. Thank you for such great products. I am sure I will be ordering more in the future. The products are very nice looking and function wonderfully."
- L.