Orange-152 Cordura vs Burnt Orange Ballistic?

[Cooner]

Hey folks! I'm planning to pre-order a Medium Cafe Bag next week and I'm trying to make a decision.

Orange is one of my main accessory colors (iPhone case, iPad mini cover, iPad Pro cover, Kindle cover … and more) … so I'm very excited about all the color options on the site, but having some trouble deciding between the Orange-152 1000 Cordura and the Burnt Orange 525 Ballistic. I've read through all the Materials information on the site, but I'm still debating …

Point one: Even though I'm usually carrying a laptop or iPad, I decided years ago that I strongly dislike the generic black-nylon style laptop bags that scream "I'm a geek carrying a laptop!" (No offense to anyone with a laptop bag..) My last few shoulderbags have mostly been tan canvas shoulderbags or backpacks, which feel a bit more artsy and bohemian to me. So in that respect I might feel more inclined to go for the Cordura to get more of that "fuzzy" look. (Though as a counterpoint to that, TB's bags are visually well-designed enough that they don't read as generic, regardless of the material.)

Point two: I do hope to accessorize … Pick up a few Ghost Whale pouches, and hopefully a Side Kick and/or an Everyday Cubelet when they become available again … maybe a travel bag like an Aeronaut … but it looks like all those things are only available in Ballistic materials, not in the Cordura, and I'm guessing that's probably a long-term trend.

So my questions post to you, if anyone has an opinion!

1) How do the Orange-152 Cordura and Burnt Orange Ballistic colors and textures look side by side? Are they pretty close or will the Cordura color definitely feel "off" compared to the rest? and ...

2) Maybe I'm overthinking this whole thing altogether? The close-ups in the materials video for the Cordura look like it has a stronger nylon-looking weave anyway. But it's hard to tell on-screen. If it's not really going to be comparable to the look/texture of canvas, and just look like a fuzzier version of the Ballistic material, then maybe I should just go with the Burnt Orange on the Cafe Bag so it matches everything else later on.

Sorry this ran so long … this is the kind of stuff my mind turns over when I'm up with insomnia all night. But if anyone has any input on the color or feel of the two materials, or has experience with the Cordura and Ballistic oranges side by side, I'd love to hear what you've got! Thanks!

(Also I think I posted this in an inappropriate forum area earlier. Sorry about that!)

[PaulT00]

Whoa! Burnt Orange and Orange-152 are like chalk and cheese. The Orange-152 is BRIGHT BRIGHT BRIGHT WARNING ORANGE!!! The burnt orange is more like a rusty shade in person. Both are nice colours, but about as far apart on the orange continuum as it's possible to get! I can't remember where my Burnt Orange MCB is or I would take a photo of that next to my Orange-152 LCB. Gut feel is they would clash horribly.

Cordura is softer and matt-ish, more fabric-like if that makes sense; Ballistic is harder and feels thicker, less flexible and has a sheen to it.

[Cooner]

PaulT00 Thank you … I had a feeling that might be the case but it's hard to tell how accurate web photos are. While I do like the softer fabric feel I think I'm leaning more towards ballistic so everything will match. Besides, again, I think the TB bags are visually well-designed enough that it's not going to scream "cheap Amazon laptop case" in any sense.

Thanks for the input! If you ever find the older bag I'd love to see a side-by-side comparison.

[b1gsky]

Don’t worry, the ballistic won’t look like “cheap laptop case” no matter which color (or bag) you pick. When you look at the fabric IRL you’ll see the quality at first glance, there are worlds between my Café bags and other messenger bags I had in the past... I personally don’t like Cordura at all and the Orange-152 would be WAY too bright for me, so my vote goes to the ballistic.

[Selcouth]

525 Burnt Orange looks pretty different in person. The stock images are very bright and show a sharp orange color but in person I find it to be much more mellow with darker tones. I took this photo with some common objects and colors to hopefully show what I mean. It’s a wonderful color and I don’t think you will be disappointed.

This is a very ripe banana, black, neon red, and neon yellow Joy-Con, AirPods case, glue stick, cherry chapstick, California Poppy iPhone case, and regular flavor Starbursts.

[GrussGott]

525 Burnt Orange looks pretty different in person. The stock images are very bright and show a sharp orange color but in person I find it to be much more mellow with darker tones.

Wow, that's a great picture! It puts the "burnt" in Burnt Orange

I thought the same thing with 1050 coyote and verde - much darker in person

[Cooner]

Selcouth Aah, thank you for the photo! Huh, that is a bit darker than expected … Still a nice color tho, and having one piece in bright Orange-152 would definitely clash. Even though it's a darker color hopefully it will still look nice with my orange iPhone case, orange iPad Pro case, orange iPad Mini cover, orange Kindle case, orange bullet journal … etc.

[Waterlogged]

Whoa! Burnt Orange and Orange-152 are like chalk and cheese. The Orange-152 is BRIGHT BRIGHT BRIGHT WARNING ORANGE!!! The burnt orange is more like a rusty shade in person.

In fact, I think Darcy pointed out somewhere that 152 is actually the Pantone code for safety orange, as in roadside construction signs and the safety vests worn by hunters. It is designed to be noticed, even among autumn leaves that can look a bit like burnt orange.

[threeteez]

Cooner Here's a link to an older forum post that you'll enjoy. https://forums.tombihn.com/forum/tom...-the-new-black
I have a burnt orange Field Journal Notebook and BO definitely isn't school colors/pom-pom orange, more rust. You can email TB customer service and request fabric swatches so that you can see the colors and feel the fabrics too.

[Aeon]

Cooner Here's a link to an older forum post that you'll enjoy. https://forums.tombihn.com/forum/tom...-the-new-black

OMG, my OG orange collection!!!! So many of the bags and accessories in that thread I no longer have or I'm planning to destash so they are boxed away. But what fun memories as that was the beginning of my TBAS.

Cooner , the Synapse 25 in that thread is Cordura if that helps give you an idea of texture. I honestly don't have strong feelings either way between Cordura or Ballistic (525d or 1050d) as my fave TB fabric is 400d Halcyon. If you search the forums by images posted by me, I'm sure you'll find more pics of Burnt Orange in Cordura and 1050d Ballistic. I don't have anything in 525d Burnt Orange though.

[Cooner]

Cooner Here's a link to an older forum post that you'll enjoy. I have a burnt orange Field Journal Notebook and BO definitely isn't school colors/pom-pom orange, more rust. You can email TB customer service and request fabric swatches so that you can see the colors and feel the fabrics too.

Thanks Thanks for the link to the thread! I actually ended up ordering the Aeronaut 30 in burnt orange because there were only a few left, so I'll see the color at least in a few days. If I really don't like it I can return it and/or change the color of my MCB order, but I doubt it'll be that bad, plus I'm kinda more interested in coordinating all my stuff, and it seems more stuff is available in Burnt Orange than in 152.

Cooner , the Synapse 25 in that thread is Cordura if that helps give you an idea of texture. I honestly don't have strong feelings either way between Cordura or Ballistic (525d or 1050d) as my fave TB fabric is 400d Halcyon. If you search the forums by images posted by me, I'm sure you'll find more pics of Burnt Orange in Cordura and 1050d Ballistic. I don't have anything in 525d Burnt Orange though.

Thanks for the info! I'm totally new to Tom Bihn so we'll see how things go.

Heh … For years now my accessory colors of choice have been purple and orange, depending on my mood. (My first laptop was a Tangerine iBook.) I've recently hit this weird synchronicity though … by happenstance my iPhone case, iPad Pro case, iPad Mini cover, Kindle case, and even my upcoming Bullet Journal notebook are all orange … plus I've got a few orange watch straps, natch. When I stared looking for a new coffeeshop shoulderbag and saw the upcoming MCB in orange … hoo boy, things snowballed even further. Looks like this will be the Year of Orange for me.

[Bogiesan]

I have the Aeronaut30 and two Cade bags in burnt orange. Getting the safety orange Cafe when they release.

[jMac]

I'm planning to buy the Burnt Orange Small Cafe Bag this week! I already own a pouch in burnt orange 525 ballistic. IMO, it is a bit darker, more muted, or rustier orange than I expected, but I still like it a lot. It's orange enough for me. And yes, it is definitely darker than the burnt orange in the web photo on the site. As for material, I also have a pouch in 210 ballistic. 210 is softer, more flimsy and thin to me than the 525. I like the subtle sheen on the 525, and I love its tougher, thicker, grippier yet smooth feel.

[Cooner]

jMac Nice! I ordered a burnt orange Aeronaut 30 and a few Ghost Whale pouches due to arrive Tuesday, so I should be able to make sure I like the color before I commit to my MCB order, tho I’m sure it’ll be fine.

Heh, if money and space were NO object I’d e tempted to get a small, medium, AND large cafe bag just for fun. But it looks like Medium will be the right fit for the iPad Pro I carry to coffee shops with me 99% of the time.