Black Label Bag Leather Wrist Strap:
I bet that there are plenty of you out there who don’t use a neck strap because you prefer to carry around your camera with one hand. It’s less conspicuous, and your camera is always ready to go. I’m definitely one who prefers to carry my camera like that, and that’s why I love the Leica M neck strap so much. It’s a strong strap that is cheap, and it is easy to loop around my wrist. For those who don’t want to loop their long neck strap around their wrist, you can get wrist straps from several companies, such as, Artisan & Artist, Gordy’s, and even Luigi. Today I have a wrist strap for you all to check out but it’s not made by any of those manufacturers that I’ve just mentioned. I have for you all today a Black Label Bag leather wrist strap. Seeing as I don’t see much about this strap on the web, I thought that I would share with you all what I think of it.
↑ Instead of a box from Artisan & Artist, you get a nice bag for your strap.
How did I come across this strap? If you read my Manfrotto MTT2-P02 review, I mentioned that I was going on vacation soon, and I’ve been looking around online for some last minute accessories and deals. I probably don’t need any last minute accessories but I like toys just like everyone else :). I ended up browsing through some Artisan & Artist wrist straps, and I came across some wrist straps made by Black Label Bags. They peaked my curiosity because unlike the Artisan & Artist version, the Black Label one comes in red. I never tried a Black Label Bag product before so I decided to order it.
Black Label Bag Leather Wrist Strap Build Quality:
I turns out that I ended up ordering a nice brown version over the red one because I like my brown Artisan & Artist ACAM-280 Kobe strap a lot (check out my review of the Kobe strap), and I wanted to compare the two. They have four colors total, and they are brown, gray, black, and red. The first thing that anyone will probably notice from most of the Black Label Bag products is that they look like another company’s products: Artisan & Artist. The Black Label Bag leather wrist strap is no exception. It looks just like the one made by Artisan & Artist. From what I understand, Black Label Bag was created by a former employee of Artisan & Artist, and that is probably the reason for why their products are so similar.
↑ The front view of the Black Label Bag leather wrist strap.
Build quality is excellent. There’s no signs of cheapness, and it definitely feels as if this strap can support your camera securely. There is nothing to complain about. It is finely stitched, and the truth is, if this wrist strap wasn’t branded as a Black Label Bag product that’s made in New York City, I probably would have thought that it was made by Artisan & Artist. The Black Label Bag leather wrist strap even has leather lug protectors so the metal rings used to attach to the lugs on your camera won’t stratch your equipment.
↑ The back view of the Black Label Bag leather wrist strap.
How Does The Black Label Bag Leather Wrist Strap Perform?:
As I said before, I chose to purchase the brown one, and just like the Artisan and Artist, the color is a nice deep brown, and the leather is sturdy yet very flexible, which I think is very important when considering a leather wrist strap. I love my Artisan & Artist ACAM-280 Kobe Strap (which I have on my Fuji X-Pro1 right now) but sometimes I find it a bit annoying when I try to wrap it around my wrist.
In addition to being very flexible, the Black Label Bag leather wrist strap is also very light feeling so it doesn’t feel so cumbersome, which I like a lot. Some companies make their wrist straps so big and thick. I find that to be uncomfortable to use. Part of the reason for why I want to replace my neck strap with a wrist strap is because I don’t want the extra length of the strap to be bothering me when I wrap it around my wrist. If this is the case, then why would I want a thick, oversized wrist strap especially for small cameras, such as, the Leica M or a mirrorless? I chose those types of cameras partly because of their small sizes, right? I want something flexible, and something that doesn’t even feel like I have a strap on the camera. This leather wrist strap made by Black Label Bag is perfect in my opinion. It’s never bothersome, and most importantly, you won’t feel it at the end of the day. It’s perfect for a Leica M camera or any mirrorless camera out there.
↑ The Black Label Bag leather wrist strap on my Fuji X-Pro1. It’s a beautiful combination, and it’s not such an expensive accessory.
Black Label Bag Leather Wrist Strap Final Thoughts:
Overall, if you are looking for a nice leather wrist strap to go with your mirrorless or M camera, you should definitely check out the Black Label Bag leather wrist strap. It’s built extremely well, and it uses only the finest materials. It’s also very flexible, and it really matches well with mirrorless and rangefinder cameras because of its light, and inconspicuous nature. Furthermore, while they look, and feel like Artisan & Artist straps, you can sometimes find them for slightly cheaper than the Artisan & Artist stuff. Don’t get me wrong, I love the Artisan & Artist products but the Black Label Bag products are also a great alternative, especially since you can get some colors that aren’t available with the Artisan & Artist stuff. The Black Label Bag leather wrist strap is a great product, and I’m very glad that I gave it a chance! I am extremely happy with my purchase, and I might even consider buying an extra one for my M9 before I got on my trip.
If you want to check out these straps, they have four different colors, which are brown, black, gray, and red. Thanks for taking the time to read my review, and come back soon!
