I just received my new Magnoli MkVII satchel and strap. I'd previously only had a WPG repro which is nice in its own ways. I'd say the Magnoli's fabric and overall construction is much more substantial and the strap itself is a far cry better on many counts. That being said, I couldn't help but notice that the snaps on the flap of my Magnoli are quite a bit out of alignment (side to side) with the adjoining snaps on the bag itself. If I close one side, the opposite side is misaligned by nearly an inch, which makes it hard to snap closed without using both hands, and causes the bag to pucker a bit, side to side, when the top is snapped shut. With only my WPG satchel for reference, the snaps on it, in contrast, align perfectly. I also couldn't help but notice the poorly seated rivet on the side disc, which appears to have been struck off-center, and is loosely attached. I know this isn't a high-dollar item compared to say, a leather jacket or a fine bullwhip, but these sorts of little quality control things bug me. If you own a Magnoli satchel, have you noticed the same issues?
Thanks! Yeah, it was a bittersweet moment when I was delighted to find that an iPad fits perfectly in the front section of the Magnoli bag because it's just a touch bigger there (it wouldn't fit there at all in the WPG), only then finding I can't get the snaps to close with the iPad there because the snaps are so misaligned. Oh well... emailed Magnoli and hope to get a positive resolution. I'm trusting it's just a fluke in the construction and will keep my fingers crossed.
I realized it might not be clear what I meant in my first pics, so here's one more to illustrate the alignment issue with the snaps. They can close, but with the bag loaded up, it's very difficult.
Received the replacement and I hate to say it, but it had the same issue-- perhaps by a bit further to be honest, but I'm happy to have a free replacement. I hope the issue will be corrected down the road... I'd love to have one with aligned snaps!
After seeing this post, I had a look at a few more bags. They all have the same snap placement. So then I checked some bags from the previous runs... same thing. Then I checked some original WWII era bags and... some have the female parts closer, some are lined up and others still have the male parts closer! So, obviously, the original sample we used to create our patterns had this feature. Here is an original bag with the female end closer (as on our replica bags):
And here's one with the male snaps closer together:
And look what I discovered after going through a few old bags:
That's about the coolest maker stamp I've seen yet!
So, Spudomatic... consider yourself lucky. You got an extra bag!
Thanks very much for checking! I really appreciate knowing it's not just a fluke. And for what it's worth, I love the overall construction-- it really is top-notch and a definite step up from every other Mk VII I've had. The same goes for the strap as well. It's really great!
Indy Magnoli wrote:After seeing this post, I had a look at a few more bags. They all have the same snap placement. So then I checked some bags from the previous runs... same thing. Then I checked some original WWII era bags and... some have the female parts closer, some are lined up and others still have the male parts closer! So, obviously, the original sample we used to create our patterns had this feature. Here is an original bag with the female end closer (as on our replica bags):
And here's one with the male snaps closer together:
And look what I discovered after going through a few old bags:
That's about the coolest maker stamp I've seen yet!
So, Spudomatic... consider yourself lucky. You got an extra bag!
I think this misalignment is normal on most original WW2 bags and it's for the simple reason that the lip of the bag stretches when full and they align perfectly then. The same is true on my Magnoli bags so absolutely nothing to worry about. If they didn't have this feature, a full bag would constantly keep popping the poppers.... if ya know what I mean
I noticed that in CS, where Indy's bag seems to be empty, he also hardly ever has it buttoned. Perhaps this misalignment, even in the originals, is why they didn't button it.
