Tom Bihn Blog
BellaOnline Review of the Swift knitting bag
"I have been using this bag Tom Bihn Swift Bag for about two weeks and I am sold. I have been in search of the perfect bag for some time now and this bag is really close. When I shop for a knitting bag I look for a bag that stands up on its own. The bag also has to have pockets to sort out the knitting from non-knitting and can’t have anything that will snag the work in progress (which eliminates any bag with velcro). Also, the bag has to allow access to the work in process (WIP) and will hold the WIP while I work on it (having the WIP fall out of the bag while I work on it is definitely not a good thing). Finally, the bag has to be roomy, but not too roomy, and I want to be able to carry or hang it on my shoulder."
Read the entire review by Marjorie Colletta at BellaOnline.
darcy | 6 February 2009 11:15 am | Product reviews |
Repost: How to care for your Tom Bihn bag
Your Tom Bihn bag will last you a long, long time. Here's how to best care for it:
You love your TOM BIHN bag. You take it everywhere with you, and soon it begins to show a little dirt, or at least you figure it must be getting dirty. So how do you clean it?
We recommend hand-washing your TOM BIHN bag with a mild soap -- environmentally-friendly dish soaps work well, but as always, with any soap, test it on a small, inconspicuous area of the bag before you use it on the entire bag. Fill your sink or bath tub with warm water, add a little soap (a little goes a long way!), and let the bag soak for a half hour. If there are visible spots of dirt, gently rub the area with a wash cloth, or you can apply a little soap directly to that spot and let it soak. Rinse your bag thoroughly (this is a lot easier if you've only used a little bit of soap!) and lay your bag flat to dry on top of a bath towel.
Methods we DON'T recommend:
Having your bag dry-cleaned or putting your bag in a washing machine or dryer will void the guarantee, and make your bag look funny. We don't want either of those things to happen.
Your TOM BIHN bag will last for years. The fabrics we use to make our bags are treated with a water-resistant coating, but over time, that coating will start to dissipate. If you live in a rainy climate like we do, we'd recommend treating your bag with Nikwax after one year of use.
darcy | 5 February 2009 8:10 pm | Miscellaneous |
In stock: Packing Cubes, Swift, Snake Charmer
Now in-stock and ready to ship:
The Swift knitting bag in all colors, including: Kiwi/Steel, Kiwi/Black, Navy/Storm, Cocoa/Olive, Plum/Black, and Pink/Plum.
Clear Quarter Packing Cube in colors Solar and Steel.
Packing Cube Backpack in colors Solar and Steel.
Convertible Packing Cube/Shoulder Bag in colors Solar and Steel.
The Snake Charmer in colors Black, Cayenne, and Sapphire.
Packing Cubes in colors Solar and White for the Western Flyer and Aeronaut carry-on travel bags.
darcy | 5 February 2009 4:53 pm | Miscellaneous |
Tall Yarn Stuff Sack now available for pre-order
6.25" in diameter and 11" tall. $18. Available for pre-order now and ships by early March. Available in Solar or Steel with All Fabric or Clear Bottom. Designed to work beautifully with our Swift knitting bag.
Thanks to mrae, moriond, Heidi Jill, backpack, Tzporah, stefibles, indigo, aiethabell, honeybee33, and cancoi for your feedback on the Tall Yarn Stuff Sack.
darcy | 4 February 2009 10:01 pm | New products |
"Thanks for being so awesome."
I just wanted to thank you for, in a word, being so awesome. I have the "Brain Bag" backpack, which I use every day, and count among my favorite possessions (not just favorite bags, favorite possessions, period). In general, I really love things that are well-engineered and perform their function well, and this bag meets both of those criteria in spades. Anyway, on a recent trip, I lost a part of the chest strap so I called your store. After I was able to describe the part that I needed, the very pleasant woman with whom I spoke just asked for my address and told me that the part would be in the mail in the next day or so. I was a bit taken aback--wasn't she going to at least charge me $4.95 for "Shipping and Handling"? Nope. Several days later, the strap arrived in the mail and I returned to comfortably carrying around all of my stuff. Long story short, thanks for being so awesome. - Matt.
darcy | 4 February 2009 9:06 pm |
Feedback: Customer Service and Order Changes
"I am excited about my purchases coming but I am also excited that I am doing business with a company like Tom Bihn. Cost more? Sure. But I get a whole lot more too. I'll be getting superior products (all those independent reviews can't be wrong), the best customer service bar none, doing biz with an American company that pays a real wage and gives benefits. I also took a look on eBay for Tom Bihn bags. I found a few. The resale value I saw was amazing. I saw a never used old style Buzz bag (smaller dimensions than the current Buzz) that probably went for $90 when originally purchased (I checked the Internet Archive) go for $81. Tom Bihn bags seem to hold their value better than cars." - Read ex machina's full post in the TOM BIHN Forums.
darcy | 28 January 2009 8:38 pm | Customer feedback |
Video! What the Shop Bag can hold (by maverick)
Be sure to check out the above video (link takes you to maverick's site so you can watch the video there) where maverick (a user on the TOM BIHN Forums and longtime customer) unloads groceries from Tom Bihn Shop Bag. maverick names each item as he unloads it (you'll get a good sense of what a Shop Bag can hold) which causes quite a bit of excitement in the latter half of the video...
You can tell maverick what you thought of the video (and maybe beg him to make more) in this thread.
darcy | 28 January 2009 8:36 pm | Customer feedback |
How to fold the Shop Bag into itself
moriond recently posted in the TOM BIHN Forums excellent written instructions on how to fold the Shop Bag into one of its interior pockets:
"To fold the bag into its pocket, I start with the bag turned pocket side out. Then I fold it so that one pocket side with the sewn seams is facing up -- I push in the front and back panels as though I were trying to do a "flat pack" with only the black outer seam along the bottom, sides, and top of one pocket showing. If you start by holding the inside-out bag with one pocket side on the bottom and the other on the top, then let this collapse onto a table and tuck in all the bits that would stick beyond the black seams you'll see what I mean. Then, from that position, I turn one of the pockets inside out. Hold the flat pack so that the thumb of one hand is holding a point roughly under the seamed edge of the open pocket, and pull that edge towards the bottom of the pocket, so that the rest of the flat bag is now stuffed inside the pocket. Push down to straighten the inside edge of the inverted pocket. Then fold/roll in the remaining bits of bag, including the handles, that protrude from the top of the pocket for a neatly folded pack."
For those of you who are more visual learners, hang in there - we'll be posting a video of this soon.
darcy | 28 January 2009 8:28 pm | Customer feedback |
The Shop Bag: For Students, Seniors, Pet Guardians, Moms, and Shoppers
rodrigues posted this about the Shop Bag in our forums:
"a) For university students ...
Often the weight of lugging all the books I'd need to work at the library downtown would really hurt my back if carried in a backpack. I specifically bought the last Lux available to solve this problem. The Lux did the job but was often too big and had tons of extra space, which made it feel like kind of waste to use for that particular purpose.
Having used the wonderful Shop Bag for a variety of purposes since I got one, I have to say that this bag is an excellent addition to any university student's life. It is small and lightweight enough to leave in your daily school bag all the time, and the convenience of whipping it out when you're at the university library and found those five perfect books to help you finish your essay is excellent.
Another use for university students - in a lecture hall, the temperature is often extremely opposite to how it feels outside (ie. in the summer the AC is blasting, in the winter the heater is boiling). The Shop Bag can be used to carry the few lighter items needed to combat the temperature fluctuations that are too bulky to fit into a smaller day bag. Not everyone likes the idea of just getting a huge day bag and filling it to the brim, and the shop bag is the perfect solution to this problem.
b) For moms, of animals *and* children ...
The Shop Bag is deceptively large in carrying capacity and can handle a lot of weight and oddly shaped items. I have used the shop bag as my travel accessory when I'm taking my two birds and two cats on the go somewhere. It hold everyone's food, a small litter pan and scooper, a small tupperware of litter, and a variety of toys.
For this reason, I think it would be a very useful accessory for mothers with toddlers as well - big enough to hold a variety of items, small enough to let the three year old carry and feel like s/he has their own stuff in their own bag.
darcy | 28 January 2009 8:19 pm | Customer feedback |
DragonSteelMods Super Ego Review
"Overall, there is really nothing bad to say about the Tom Bihn Super Ego. It is a superbly constructed Messenger Bag which provides an immense amount of storage capacity. In addition, the Super Ego allows the user some individuality by customizing the stripe, buckle and strap. Although most Tom Bihn bags are pricey, they are well worth the investment as bags are made from the highest quality materials and should last for a long, long time."
Read the full review (LOTS of pictures!) at DragonSteelMods.
darcy | 28 January 2009 3:42 pm | Product reviews |
