The Journal

Does RFID Protection in a Wallet Actually Matter?

RFID blocking is on every wallet listing. The shielding does work, but skimming a card through a pocket is a narrow risk, and a wallet is worth choosing on card count, size and leather instead.

Is a Leather Glasses Case Worth Carrying?

A rigid case, a soft leather case and a microfibre pouch protect against three different things. Here is which one your week actually calls for, and the three measurements that decide whether your ...

A leather bag in rain, salt and cold: what to actually do

Rain rarely ruins a leather bag. Bad drying does. What to do the evening it gets soaked, how to handle winter road salt and cold, and whether a proofing spray is worth it.

What a Leather Desk Pad Actually Does, and What Size Desk It Needs

A desk pad is 75 × 35 cm of leather, and that number decides everything. A table of desk widths from 80 to 180 cm, what a pad genuinely improves, and when it is the wrong purchase.

Laptop Bag With a Luggage Sleeve: Will It Fit Your Suitcase?

A luggage sleeve lets a bag ride on your suitcase handle. Three quick checks decide whether it will work on yours, and when the feature is not worth paying for.

Does Nappa Leather Develop a Patina? What Actually Happens as It Ages

Nappa leather doesn't patina the way vegetable-tanned leather does. Here's what it actually does as it ages, and how to tell wear from damage.

Weekender or Duffel Bag? The Difference, and Which You Actually Want

They are not two different objects. A weekender is a smaller, more structured duffel, and the word is largely retail language. What the structure actually buys you, and when the plain version is th...

Do You Still Have to Take Your Laptop Out at Airport Security?

At a growing number of European airports your laptop can stay in your bag. Not everywhere, and not at every checkpoint in the same airport. Here is what changed, where it still applies, and how to ...

Vegetable-Tanned vs Chrome-Tanned Leather: What Actually Changes

Two ways to turn a hide into leather, producing genuinely different objects. How each one behaves, what the chrome safety question actually is, and which method suits which product.

Laptop Sleeve for a 16 Inch Laptop: What Actually Fits

Most sleeves stop at 15.6 inches. Sixteen inch laptops vary more in depth than in width, which is why some slide into a 15.6 sleeve and others do not. How to tell which one you own.