Customer Reviews

Ricardo Beverly Hills Capistrano Lite Free Wheelers 21-inch Two Compartment Wheel Aboard, Iris Purple

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Ricardo Beverly Hills Capistrano Lite Free Wheeler: This suitcase is a wonderful carry-on! It's perfect for a 3-5 day trip. The two sections help to distribute the clothing, etc., and later in the trip separate clean from used items. But the best part is the ease with which the bag rolls along with you in any direction - you don't need to pull or push, you just gently guide the bag along next to you - which is a wonderful help for a person who has tendonitis in both elbows. I can't wait to purchase other pieces in the set! I would highly recommend this bag!

I have the whole set now and wouldn't trade them for the most expensive luggage out there! They are light weight, durable, hold lots of stuff, and the free wheelers are the most wonderful invention ever. This line of luggage deserves a 10 star review!!!!

I buy a ton of stuff through Amazon, and if you check, you will find that I almost never negatively review a product. However, this suitcase was unfortunately badly designed, and needs to be discontinued and redesigned. Amazon needs to stop selling it, and the manufacturer needs to fix the critical flaw.

I have owned four Ricardo suitcases over the past decade, and they used to be extremely well made and durable. I was recommending them to everyone.

But last month, due to the airlines' new carry-on rules, I purchased this suitcase, and the wheels failed on the first trip. I thought maybe I just got a defective one, and replaced it for my next trip. But the exact same thing happened. No, I don't do anything unusual with my suitcases.

The critical design flaw is that somebody got the bright idea to make the front wheels, the ones you pull it along on, swivel. Due to the small radius of the wheels, the poor bearing inside, and the swiveling axis of the pins the wheel hubs are mounted to, the wheels don't swivel, they wobble. Then they literally start burning up from the friction this causes, and lock into the wobbled position. You end up dragging your suitcase until finally you give up and lug this freakin' thing around by hand.

Everything else about the suitcase is fine -- the compartments, the size, the material, the pull handle. The fatal flaw is the wheels.

Amazon, please pass the message along to Ricardo. Customers, meanwhile, beware. Buy something else.

I actually purchased my bag at Boscov's where I found it in denim blue at a similar price. Interestingly, there was a chart at the Boscov's website comparing different makers of bags and different models within makers. The Capistrano was given a rating of only "good" compared with other models. Well, I think it's great. I bought a large Ricardo Elite bag a couple of years ago to replace my old bag whose zipper broke. The Elite bag has performed well on two or three trips thus far. I should have replaced my old carryon at the same time because its zipper just finally started to disintegrate. Now I couldn't match the color, but I was pleased to find the Capistrano that looks exactly the same as the Elite except for a different set of exterior and interior colors; the fabrics feel the same and even the zipper pulls are identical. The listed size sounded good to meet the airlines requirements of 9x22x14 for a carryon. The width is a true 14" (though it's stated to be 13.5"), the length of the bag is 21" but might be a bit longer than 22" if you include the wheels, and the depth is 9" on one end but 10" on the other. I hope it's close enough to satisfy the airline because I am otherwise very satisfied with this lovely little bag! Btw, my two bags in different shades of blue look nice together.

I use this to hold my laptop and voiceover microphone kit. It does the job in carrying my delicate electronic gear and fit in an overhead compartment. Plus the 4 way wheels make it a breeze rolling through the airports. Highly recommended!

I purchased this suitcase and the first time we used it a wheel was broken. I managed to find a wheel of similar size and replaced the wheel. The second time we used it another wheel was completely ripped off the suitcase, rendering it useless, and VERY inconvenient. As we had owned this suitcase for only a few months, and it is warranteed for a year, I contacted Ricardo, Inc., but they were no help, as this damage is considered "wear and tare" and not covered by warantee. I feel the suitcase is either defective, or of such poor quality as to make it virtually useless!