Imago or Large Cafe: good large purse/carry bag?

[Adi]

I'll be sure to pass this on to our factory crew.

Please do with my sincere compliments!

And to elaborate on what I mean by "freakishly well built": compared to the general level of workmanship in most non-TB carry bags, the high quality in this Imago bag is enough to "freak out" anyone with its meticulous integrity, well-thought out details and obvious attention to detail.

I can also say that "freakishly well built" also means well built in the sense that this is an "abnormal" product. It's so far above what is normal these days that it would take an abnormally well-qualified group of people to stitch it together.

So, yes, it seems that part of the apparent cost of Tom Bihn products is to pay some freakishly competent people a good wage to put them together. :-)

Cordially,
Adi, known for certain freakish tendencies as well.

[reina]

Cool thread...I've been debating between a Large Cafe Bag and the Imago, too. Luckily the colors I wanted in the LCB are only available for pre-order now & I got to read everyone's helpful comments from this thread!!

[Adi]

Imago, Imago....

Hello All:

Glad someone else found this thread useful! I should post a longer follow-up, but for now I can say that it's been almost a year since I got my lovely Imago and I can't imagine going anyplace without it. Best money I've ever spent on a bag and worth every penny! But for now:

Positives:

--Quality is amazing. Still looks brand new after nearly a year of daily use.
--I can actually find what I'm looking for very quickly. The more horizontal way "spread out" of the interior seems to be better than having gotten a large Cafe Bag where it's more vertical & things might end up on the bottom.
--The Absolute Strap makes it seem as if I'm carrying nothing much at all when the Imago is fully loaded. Remarkably comfortable.
--The back side full-length pocket is surprisingly useful. Holds all sorts of things more securely than I'd have imagined.
--The organization under the front flap is just right. Wallet in the zippered compartment and miscellaneous little things in the front pocket.
--The buckle is wonderful -- one handed operation never a problem

Negatives:
--Not much!
--The soft fabric of the lining in the two side zippered compartments (the ones on each end of the bag) sometimes gets stuck in the zippers. Hard to get out of the teeth but not impossible.
--I'd really love it if the inside pocket had a few pen loops or pen sheaths in them. Pens have a habit of migrating to the bottom of the pockets.
--Essentially, though, the positives far, far outweigh these picayune things.

Verdict: Best carry bag I've ever owned and I plan to order another one just to have another color for fun!

Many thanks to all the folks at Tom Bihn. It's nice to have something I can not only enjoy but also recommend without reservations.

Cordially,
Adi
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