Officekami

Hi all. How have you’ve been? it’s March already in 2010 and I hope you’ve been doing good. Well quite some time I didn’t post an Officekami sermon LOL but behold, the first review : Targus Spruce EcoSmart Laptop backpack review.

I receive this bag from Text100 Malaysia that were looking for Mobile Warriors. Targus wanted to know opinion on their latest product so here I am, offering myself to take part of it. My first laptop backpack is Golla, the older model that is side-load type. I always love backpack type rather than sling type. It is a good bag indeed for having slim-type cutting. It will be frequently mentioned too in this review because that is my baseline standard.

The Type & Size

Targus Spruce is a Backpack type. As a backpack type, back-support is important for your spine. Targus Spruce indeed have a good back-support and I’ve tested it by wearing it while on motorcycle and also, bicycle. Yeah I do cycling to nearest cafe, which is Old Town Ampang Waterfront and Coffee Sugar & Spice, Ampang Waterfront 2. I was surprised with the comfort provided. I’ve yet to test Golla when cycling. But when I’m on motorcycle, I did felt back-pain because Golla doesn’t have that proper back support. As for shoulder straps, Targus Spruce has a thicker padded support to compare with Golla so it is much more comfortable. Targus Spruce is a bit bulky for me ( or my eyes did deceive me ). The reason I pick Golla at first is the slimness and the cut. Both of the bags can fit 15″ laptop and from what I stumbled on the net previously, Targus Spruce was built specifically for MacBook Pro.

(front pocket)

The Compartment

Targus Spruce have a lot of compartment. The standard type of backpack usually have 3 compartment. The most front is usually stationery. The middle compartment is used to put documents and the last compartment is for laptop. Additionally, Targus Spruce has a compartment for MP3 players at your right and water bottle holder at the left, to which Golla didn’t have. The most front compartment have an outer-inside pocket (the one near the label ‘Targus’) and pretty small for me to stow all my Apple VGA Adapter, Nokia Video Out Adapter, a PSP lanyard. The net-pocket inside stationery compartment is a bit smaller so it’s a bit cramp. In that pocket I usually put one or two blank CD/DVDs because I do burning on the go (mobileoffice For The Win!). Golla pockets is a bit larger compared to Targus. Then, Targus Spruce has a lot of net-pockets. The second compartment sports a bigger area and a net-pocket also available. It is much bigger than Golla and the net-pocket inside the document compartment is an advantage. One thing that I notice here is that the material in between stationery and document compartment seems thin and filmsy to me to compare with Golla, but I’m unsure of the real sturdiness. Maybe it was build using stronger but thinner polimer, I didn’t know. The laptop compartment is a top-load type. Heavily padded to protect your precious laptop.

(Front compartment)

The Others

Targus Spruce has a resizable water bottle holder. This is beneficial for me since for my Golla, I have to hung my Ruby a.k.a Rubbermaid Water Bottle using hook. And it was left hanging behind. Totally uncool. With Spruce I able to put water bottle and yeah, a lot cooler. Their MP3 compartment, I’ve yet to utilize it since I’m using iPod Shuffle that I can clip where I want haha. One thing weird with Targus Spruce is at the end of their shoulder strap, is somewhat like a clip. It is a nice finishing indeed but with that shape, I figured out I could clip it to what other thing god knows hahah. Fun Fact: Targus Spruce is an EcoSmart bags that designed with environmental conservation in mind. To put it simpler, they used recyclable materials for this bag. HOOOHAH! The fabric is made from recycled plastic bottles and all plastic components are recyclable. All zips are nickel-free. Surely contribute to greener earth.

The Price

From what I ask Eevon, Text100 representative, Targus Spruce priced at RM398. OMG! That is, for me, is kinda expensive but to think of how my back felt nowadays, it may deserve it. With rich features and the build quality, it totally deserve that price.

The Conclusion

For me, Targus Spruce is an extremely good laptop backpack. I’ve wear it on bicycle and motorcycle and I felt not a single uneasiness even I’ve just tested it. The bulkiness of the bag sometimes can be easily forgotten just because the comfort provided. Even they have smaller stationery compartment, their document compartment is much bigger to fit anything else.  This is definitely a luxury item and perfect for an expensive gift to mobilewarriors

Rating: 4.4 out of 5. Yeah, freaking high. Golla scores at 4 for me.

Where you can get this bag at Malaysia? I’m a bit unsure bout that, but you may want to look further info about Targus Spruce EcoSmart here.

This entry was posted on Friday, March 12th, 2010 at 1:49 AM and is filed under English, Tools & Gadgets. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.