Asus U53 in a Slappa Kiken?

I'm looking for a new laptop shoulder bag and the Slappa Kiken has caught my eye. Unfortunately it is for 17" laptops and my U53 is only 15.4" I called Slappa and the lady that answered the phone said it "should" fit but when I read the review on here it said that the velcro straps weren't even long enough to hold some smaller 17" laptops

any advice or other suggestions?

 

Jansport and REI haven't failed me yet. Both manufacturers make a wide variety of bags. I would visit their respective websites or an REI retail store and see if anything catches your eye.

I would personally be wary of Slappa because I can't find many reviews and I haven't seen a single bag of theirs at my school. They could make perfectly awesome packs for all I know; I just tend to trust brands with a solid track record.

 

It will fit the Asus just fine. I bought the Kiken for my Sager NP8150 (15.6"), and it fits with some space to spare. I just got the bag this week, so haven't had a chance to travel with it yet. However, for now, the build looks very good, and is comparable with the best out there.

I would agree that Slappa might not be very commonplace. However, the same can be said about many established brands and businesses. Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.

 

Of course, of course. Well said, and I agree. Better safe than sorry though, no? With something as simple as a bag, and with as many manufacturers as there are, I see little reason to choose a lesser-known model over a time-tested one.

An oft-neglected aspect of backpacks in general, in my opinion, is how long they last. A backpack's durability can take a year or more to determine; that's why I don't give much weight to reviews by people who have used their product for a month to bring their laptop to Starbucks. Their write-ups aren't worthless by any means, but unfortunately the reviewers simply haven't had the time or the means to properly test the bag's durability. Phrases like, "this bag feels strong" or "the backpack looks well-constructed" just serve to highlight the lack of proper durability testing. Any pack worth my money should be rugged enough to take years of heavy abuse including being stuffed to the seams with heavy textbooks, surviving the sins of air travel, and hauling gear on a backpacking trip. In my relatively-short lifetime, I have already had no less than five different bags fail in these or other tasks. I do treat my packs rough, but I don't go out of my way to abuse them. The first few split seams and broken zippers were a surprise to me, but I've since become hardened. Bottom line? Not all bags are created equal. And picking the right one counts.

 

Ttrhursday, we've been in business for 7 years and have sold tens of thousands of cases, bags and backpacks. We always take care of our customers who purchase directly from us. Just because you see McDonalds on every corner and known there name, they are certainly not the best burgers out there. We'll put our products up against any brand out there

As for testing we do 80b. stress tests on our straps and handles and do 100% post production QC on every unit we make. WE also do a number of "unorthodox tests" on our gear such as these YouTube - SLAPPA Hardbody Pro Laptop Case - Extreme Test and the guys here at NBR have done some extreme tests YouTube - Slappa Hardbody Pro Case Review

Hope this helps

Dom @ SLAPPA

 

First of all, I appreciate you taking the time to respond to my posts. Now, personally, a lifetime warranty would make me much more comfortable with purchasing a product from a brand with which I have no prior experience. A scientific, experimental, side-by-side comparison between brands wouldn't hurt either, although I understand that's a bit much to ask. Even a couple of in-depth reviews (2-4 pages with pictures) by random people who have used their bags in harsh conditions for years would go a long ways in showing me what I can expect after buying a Slappa. I hope I'm not discouraging people from buying Slappa backpacks, just encouraging them to use their heads.

 

Thanks for the ideas Tthursday--I think you should be clear on the "lifetime warranties" you flock towards. Most companies who provide a lifetime warranty do so with stipulations--the following was pulled from one of the brands you touted earlier "Our warranty applies when the product is used for the purpose intended, under normal conditions, and does not apply to damages caused by typical wear and tear over time, unreasonable use, accidents or neglect"

This is a common way to promote a lifetime warranty, yet have loopholes. I do understand that a Lifetime Warranty banner makes you (and other customers) feel good, but as you have stated in an earlier post--"use your head" when it comes to lifetime warranties.

As I stated in an earlier post, we have a policy at SLAPPA where we always take care of customers. If a customer purchases directly from us we have a full 1 year warranty and after 1 year if anything happens to the bag we will either repair it at no charge or replace it at 50% of the MSRP, whether the bag has been abused, neglected or whatever.

If that + all the customer reviews + all the extreme tests we've done isn't good enough for you then unfortunately we will not have a chance to earn your business.

Dom @ SLAPPA

 

I am not sure if this is a reasonable request, since there aren't really many such reviews for other consumer products (not limited to just laptop bags).

While they will surely make good testimonials for a business, the relatively short life-cycles of many modern consumer products practically make such reviews (done years after a launch/late or after a product's life-cycle) practically DOA, if taken purely from a product standpoint.

 

As far as I know, typical consumer backpacks' life cycles are more than a couple years. The REI Mars I bought five-ish years ago is still being sold, as is the Jansport backpack my parents bought me as a pre-teen maybe eight years ago. And, even if a product is discontinued, a review still provides a point of statistical prediction of the build quality of the manufacturer's other products, including the discontinued product's successor. In my experience, build quality is fairly consistent across like-branded models. Of course, it's not a perfect indicator, but it's something.

Long-term testimonials can also reveal more than just the product; people who have used their bag for years will be able to relate their experience dealing with the company as a whole and tell you how willing a company is to resolve any problems that arise, whether it is a month or a year from the date of purchase. And if they haven't seen any problems after all those years... that should tell you something, too.

As a side note, I've seen some organizations or companies actually sponsor such reviews by providing testers with a free product, which effectively creates a win-win situation if the product is good: the business gets low-cost marketing and name recognition, while the consumer gets a free backpack.

 

All good points. Nonetheless, your examples of the REI Mars and JanSport backpacks are anecdotal at best (no offense intended).

It still seems unreasonable to expect Slappa to be vindicated by the discussed sort of long-term reviews, just because one has not heard of them, or that they are not commonplace. It is especially so, since not many other businesses are held to similar standards simply due to their ubiquity.

I would say that old, but favourable, reviews that were conducted early, or in the mid-term of a product's life-cycle, would do just as well in representing a business' record.

 

Tthursday--I really am having a hard time keeping up with the point you are trying to make. You should probably spend time at our site before you make blind statements because below is a small sample of reviews I pulled off our site from customers who have used our gear for a few years. There are many more if you take the time to read them. Just the facts Danno.

"I purchased my laptop bag in 2008. I use it with two laptops at the moment. I've been using this back pack every day for two years now and there is no sign of wear or tear on any seam or surface. This is the best backpack I've ever owned and I can say so after two years. Dave,
Seattle, WA, 10/5/2010
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"I have now owned this backpack for 1 year and it has exceeded my expectation by far. I own an Alienware M17x which by the way is a beast of a laptop and the Velocity SPYDER PRO is the only backpack on the market that could fit it. Aside from being such a great backpack, when I put my order in, it wasnt scheduled to arrive until after a trip in which my laptop was required so I asked the company if there was anything they could do and the President e-mailed me directly and got it shipped out next day FedEX and even payed for half the shipping cost. From now on I will be doing business with Slappa for all my bag and backpack needs. Cory Baker
Seattle WA, 8/31/2010
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"This is the second Slappa backpack I bought for my son who is in college. His first backpack lasted over 3 years and probably would have lasted longer except for the fact he had it on when he wrecked his motorcycle! It was still usable after that for another year before the strap broke. He liked it so much he definitely wanted another one! It is definitely a great product.
Faye Y., Hampton Va., 9/23/2009
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"I have owned a Velocity Spyder Backpack and a Stealth laptop sleeve for just over a year now and have found both to be invaluable. I generally carry quite a few items from ratchets and multimeters toblank CDs and firewire cables, as well as my ever present MacBook Pro 15''. And occasionally, I toss my Nikon in there when I don't feel like carrying around a camera bag as well. No matter where Itake my gear, New York Subway in winter, Florida Park in the rain, or random theatre or freelance audio/lighting gig in all sorts of weather, I always trust my Slappa bags to keep my stuff safe andsecure (I use a travel lock on the main compartment as well, which is a really nice option on the zippers).I have also never found a more comfortable backpack for long days before either. Couldn't be more satisfied, Thank you for making such great products. Now my wife wants some." Don S, Clearwater, FLA, 6/11/2009
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"have this bag for 2 years now and its with me everywhere I go. funny because when it first arrived I almost returned it because I thought it was bigger then what I needed, but now I use it for everything. Back and forth to work, night classes, weekend travel. It is a very well build bag and I continue to get lots of compliments on the unique look." Roger P., Minneapolis, 9/16/2010
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" I bought this backpack 2 years ago and it is a little beast. It easily carries my 2 laptops (and I could fit 2 more in there) and all the little pockets and storage areas allow me to get tons of cords and other things in the bag. I have a Swiss Gear bag that is ok and a Jansport that I use to go to the gym, but I can say in all honesty this Slappa backpack is much better than these other 2 packs in terms of build quality, padding and storage areas." David Williams, Chicago, 5/15/2011

 

I agree entirely with the first and third points. As for the second, what's to stop Slappa from marketing and distributing backpacks to active-lifestyle individuals in exchange for lengthy, honest reviews? If they are as good as they say, I think their name will quickly spread.

The first, third, fourth, and fifth reviews you posted are helpful. Impressive, even. And I have spent at least thirty minutes on your site, mostly browsing products but also reading reviews. How come I can't seem to find any negative reviews? Surely, not EVERYONE is a happy customer. To quote Madkid, "absence of evidence is not evidence of absence." What worries me is that out of five Amazon reviews of Slappa backpacks I've found, two are negative. (40.0%) Here they are:

While among the 428 Amazon reviews of two Jansport bags I randomly looked at, just 19 were negative. (4.4%)

Yeah, I am both a skeptic and a cynic. But I'm always ready to change my mind...

 

I don't think 5 Reviews is enough of a sample size to base anything on. People are also more prone to review when they have a negative experience.

Here's one on the slappa site:

 

Thanks for posting that review. I wish I could see the distribution of customer ratings on Slappa's website, similar to the way Amazon organizes them.

And I agree with you. Lack of reviews is hardly promising either, though. I'm not at all implying that 40% of Slappa customers will see their backpack fail, simply that Jansport products are likely have a lower failure rate. I'm aware that people are more likely to post about a negative experience than a positive one, but that logic should apply equally across manufacturers. Sorry, I should've made that clear.

 

All I can do is shake my head and laugh. Wearing ignorance on one's sleeve as if it's a badge of honor shouldn't become habit.

I will say yet again, if the customer reviews, the professional reviews, the video of extreme tests, product demo vids and our warranty are not enough for you, then we unfortunately will not earn your business.

 

A few years ago I won a bunch of Slappa stuff including CD/DVD cases, misc PSP stuff, and a Velocity Spyder backpack. Quality wise, everything felt good. I really didn't use the CD/DVD case or PSP stuff much (had no use for 'em), but I did use the Spyder backpack for my laptop for about 3 years so far.

In all the backpacks I've owned (made for laptop or not), I've never had a backpack that lasted me longer than a year. I'd say this backpack has been abused a lot by me. I've thrown this backpack so many times all over the place (when I'm in a rush and toss it in my Work van, etc). I've used it many times as a tool bag ( carrying pliers, ratchets, wrenches, hammers, etc) and with all the heavy weight from the tools, it did not tear or stretch. Sometimes I'd carry tools upwards of probably 40-50 lbs. And of course I use it to carry my laptop.

The paddings in the backpack really protect my laptop. Lots of compartments to store everything. Nice comfortable paddings in the back of the backpack and straps. The zippers are all still in tack. No problems whatsoever with any of the zippers. Overall I thought this bag was well thought out and the quality of it is top notch.

I compared this bag to some of the bags I found at Fry's. Compared to similar prices of the Spyder, none of the bags I saw at Fry's felt as well made as the Spyder bag.

About a half year ago, the bottom portion of the left side strap is partially ripped, but even with the ripped strap, it still is going strong. I am still able to use it normally like how I've been using it with no issues. And as of right now I am still using it. I'm thinking I can get at least a couple more years before needing to replace it.

From what I've experienced, Slappa is a good, top notch, quality brand. I would not hesitate to buy from them. I am actually looking into getting another bag for my new laptop, and it definitely will bought from Slappa.

 

Cool. I'm in a similar situation; most of my bags just don't seem to last. It's particularly nice to hear that the zippers didn't fail under heavy strain. Have you tried any other mainstream brands? I may look into adding the Spyder to my collection...

Well. I apologize for being an "anus".

Let's keep this civil and objective, shall we?