slappa velocity pro matrix review..

Thought i would post this since many seem to ask about slappa and they are not so well known. Personally i find them a fantastic company and after a few early downfalls they seem to have everything together. Dominick who is the president of slappa even answers emails which is almost unheard of today!! So anyway some pics and thoughts. This bag costs 120$ for the 17" model and has free shipping from slappa if bought directly.

There are 2 versions of this bag the matrix and the spyder. The main differences are the matrix has the white stitching on the front where the spyder is all black and the design of the rubber pattern on the front. Otherwise they are in fact the same bags. The outer material is what slappa calls "buckskin" which they say is tear proof, puncture proof and rain proof. When i did try to splash the buckskin material with some water it didn't affect it at all it just rolled off so i can say i'm sure this would do well in the rain, maybe not if it was submerged but overall i feel confident it will repel water well. Stitching seems to be very well done and is all in order; no missed areas and no loose thread i can see everything is sewn very well.

Now onto the pics and some info on the interior:

This is an outer shot of the front so you can see the overall design. Personally this is a nice design and i dont think i would feel uncomfortable taking this to a business meeting even, no its not a hardshell or a briefcase but i dont think it would be out of the question.




Here is a close up of the material used outside and the rubber "patches" they use to reinforce the front of the bag.



A close up of the nice heavy zippers they use not hkk as far as i can tell but they are pretty nice and strong and they are all metal.



In the front we start with fleece lined front pocket and its pretty roomy for things. Not sure i would load this with anything heavy though as the bag didn't seem as stable as i would have liked with things in it; it tended to be "front heavy" and tip foward unless leened up against something. The zipper for this pocket runs vertical from top to bottom.



Once we open the front up we have the first of three areas for storage of things. This front pocket has two small pockets for things like cell phones etc.. or whatever you want to fit in there, maybe some usb sticks or anything really. We also have a shorter zipper pocket as well. Again we see everything is lined with that fleece like material which will prevent scratching. Also if you look to the sides of the bag in the top picture there are two small outer pockets as well.




Now we move to the first large compartment. This is actually large enough to hold a 17" notebook... yes its that big. It is padded some but not as much as i would like for a notebook. If your using this area for a second notebook i would suggest you get a notebook sleeve for some added protection. There is also a really small mesh pocket in the bottom corner you should be able to see it in the pic.



Next we have the actual laptop pocket and the area meant for storage of a laptop. Again we see the nice soft fleece like material i like to see inside a bag. Personally i dislike the nylon most use inside as for glossy notebooks it can tend to dull or leave fine scratches on the surface of it after a while. One gripe i do have is i would have honestly liked a thicker padding in this area. While it is comparable to most better bags out there it still needs more in my opinion. Don't get me wrong its not that bad but i would like more padding in most of today's bags that are out there. This pocket is plenty for all but the biggest 17" notebooks out there. My sager 5791 fits perfectly and the flap can fully close over the notebook.



Slappa has updated the stitching on the rear straps so you will not have any issues as in the past with this area tearing apart. Its done very well now and i dont see any issues with this area holding up.



This is a rear shot of the overall bag showing the slappa logo which is padded as well as the whole rear panel has some padding in it. Not super thick but its there to help where it sits against your back. Seems pretty comfortable from my time using it.



Yet another area for storage on the rear of the bag. This area has what seems to be a thick waterproof lining to it. Not sure what ill use this area for except maybe gym clothes or something like that



Last but not least there are 2 thick rubber "feet" on the bottom. I guess these are supposed to help this bag to stand up but that does not work well if that is their purpose. From what i understand they are also to help in preventing shock to the bottom of the notebook. If this is their purpose then i guess i could see them being there for a reason but as i said they dont help this stand up very well.



Overall i really like the matrix bag. One area i feel it does lack is in the overall padding around the notebook. To me i just think it should be a bit thicker. While understand its as thick as many other better bags out there i feel this is a area where most bags fall short anyway which is why i tend to use hardshell cases for my notebooks. This is especially the case for the companies that ask in the area of 100$+ for their bags. The material and workmanship is top notch though, the fleece like material inside i LOVE. Very hard to find that today in a bag. The zipper should hold up for a long time and having it be made to withstand puncture and tearing etc.. it should hold up well. Other than the gripe of the padding there is really not much else i dont like about it.

Hope this may help out a few who were considering this bag and were not sure what to think since slappa is not so well know. EXCELLENT COMPANY who provide excellent customer support, this i can say first hand from experience.

 

Great.How much did it cost?

 

if you order from slappa directly the 17" model is 120$ 15" model is 99$ free shipping on them. there is a code for notebook review though i know i saw for 15% off i think .. its here some where on the forum..

 

Thanks,shud get one of these bags some time later.