STM Judge 15” Laptop Brief Review

First things, first, I need to point out that while this is named the STM Judge 15” Laptop Brief, it’s not actually a briefcase, it’s a messenger style shoulder bag. But I can honestly say it does have all the charms of a briefcase and does look rather classy.

If you’re after a laptop bag with a premium look and feel to it, then the Judge is a perfect option. From the outside, it looks classy, while on the inside it provides an ample amount of protection for your laptop and other gear. Its made from 100% polyester and has a capacity 14L. It comes in a choice of four colors, which are as follows, Botanical Green, China Blue, Dessert Brown and Tornado Grey. I have the Dessert Brown version, which I can assure you looks brilliant.

Space isn’t an issue with the STM Judge 15” Laptop Brief, which offers a large spacious main pocket with room for a laptop up to 15” in size, paperwork, a charger and other bits and bobs you carry around. Then located on the front of the bag is a fairly sized additional pocket with room for more essentials such as your smartphone, a power bank and any other things. Most impressive of all is a built-in cable management that makes use of a porthole that sits between both the front additional pocket and the larger main pocket to allow the user to connect a device such as a tablet stored in the main pocket, to a power bank stored in the additional pocket. Not a large feature by any means, but it still shows that STM understands the needs of its audience.

As I mentioned earlier on, STM has made sure that the Judge provides enough protection for your laptop, such you drop the bag. This is done using STM’s own ‘Slingtech Protection’. This consists of padding and also suspends the device away from the edges of the pack. A bit hard to explain, so I’ll just write what STM have included on the tag for the product to give a much better understanding.

”The best impact protection is impact prevention. The unique, STM Slingtech™ protection not only pads your device, it suspends it above and away from the edges of the pack, keeping it isolated from the impact zone. Slingtech™ protects your stuff that matters”

The padding itself is thick enough all over, but especially around the tops to reassure me that this claim is true. I feel safe in the knowledge that the Judge bag is keeping my laptop safe all the time, not just against accidental drops, but also dings and scrapes as I go about my everyday life.

I know I’ve said STM understands the needs of its audience, once already, but I need to say it again because they have only gone and included a pencil-case that can be clipped onto a strap inside the main pocket and removed when needed. The pencil-case is similar in terms of styling to the main bag itself. It carries that same premium look and feel and is also offers quite a lot of space for your stationery.

Carrying the bag can be done by either using the twin handles on the top of it, or by using the adjustable shoulder strap. The shoulder strap is incredibly easy to adjust thanks to its open and shut clasp system, which makes the task of adjusting it to the right size, very easy. It also has a removable section of padding, which provides enough cushioning for a decent level of comfort. The only issue I do have is that the plastic clasps do often dig into my skin, whilst I’m wearing the bag on my shoulder. While it’s not a major issue, it’s more of a minor annoyance.

Overall the STM Judge 15” Laptop Brief is one hell of bag. Designed with both style and protection in mind, it offers the user so much from a stylish accessory that fits in well with a suit, to the peace of mind that comes with knowing your expensive laptop is well protected should the worst happen.

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