Most Helpful Customer Reviews
80 of 80 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent, January 31, 2010
This review is from: Samsonite Silhouette 11 29" Spinner (Apparel)
I love this luggage. I have it in several sizes. This size is quite large but it still meets the requirements for check in luggage and does not cost anything additional due to size. It is expandable, making it more versatile. Have fewer things-close it up so it is smaller. Buy lots of stuff on the trip, let out the zipper and make it larger. It is very durable and nice looking. A great surprise is the wheels. I had no idea how nice it would be to have wheels that turn completely around. It makes it 100 times easier to navigate--which is very essential for large pieces. Another great thing is that this suitcase is made with lighter materials than most. That is advantageous in two ways-one it makes it more manageable and another is that it allows to you pack more things without having to pay the extra fee for overweight luggage with the airlines. I bought it because I liked the idea of it being more manageable and was happier with it when my friend and I went to the airport together. We had similar size luggage and packed for the same trip. Only she had to pay an extra $25 each way because of the weight of her luggage. This luggage started paying for itself on the long trips. The telescoping handle works smoothly and is very convenient and easy to use. The smaller handles help you when you are lifting it. I would highly recommend this to everyone. I would really encourage you to buy luggage with spinner wheels. Once you try them I don't think you will settle for less. This luggage is worth every penny. I purchased the silhoutte 10 (the previous model to this) about 3 years ago and it hasn't really shown any wear and looks and works great. In preparation for an upcoming vacation, i went to purchase the silhouette 10 again (because we needed 1 more large piece) and discovered that it was no longer available and it has been replaced with this model. the biggest difference (other than the available colors) that i have figured out between the two models is that this newer one has the dupont nanotechnology that is suppose to make it more stain resistant. i haven't had this newer one long enough to comment as to if that is true, but my older one has never gotten a stain. Also, just to note that with the other sizes in this series--between the 29 and 26 there is much more flexibilty with the 29 as you can put a lot more stuff in it and yet it is sill very manageable. If i had to choose just one of those sizes, i would choose the 29. I have the 26 as well and it is fine for shorter trips, but i find that i use the 29 much more often than the 26. Most of my trips are 9-16 days long. But even with a 7 day trip, i prefer the 29. Now, the difficulty comes if you have a smaller car trunk. In a nissan maximum, i could fit 2 of the 29" along with 1 26" but pretty much nothing else in the trunk. Many people have smaller trunks than that when it comes to cars. It is nice to have the 26 available to me if i am going on trips of 7 days or less, but i personally wouldn't be upset if i had to use the 29" for those trips. As for the 22" and the 20"--supposedly the 22" is carry on luggage--however, it does not meet the carry on guidelines of all airlines so you could get stuck having to check it at the last minute and paying the extra charge to check it. Also, if you expand the 22" to put extra stuff in it, it will not fit as a carry on. The 20", on the other hand, should always be safe as a carry on with the current guidelines--even if you expand it with extra stuff. And, the capacity when expanded is just about the same as the capacity for the 22" non expanded.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
34 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Light, sturdy, and moves like a dream, March 14, 2010
This review is from: Samsonite Silhouette 11 29" Spinner (Apparel)
A week after buying this I took it on a week-long trip from Vermont to San Diego, and it performed wonderfully. It's only an inch bigger than the case I had before, yet it held so much more I actually had to pack a few extra things just to make sure the more delicate items were padded adequately (which turned out to be a boon as I needed warmer clothes than I'd expected). Yet for as roomy as it was (without even using the expansion!) it glides so easily even when full that it feels like nothing at all. Those turning wheels make so much more of a difference than one would expect. The airlines had no trouble with it (and believe me, if Delta could have found a way to have trouble with it, they would have). And I didn't even use some of the extra pockets (though one internal waterproof pocket, which the description doesn't mention, proved ideal for packing bathing suits). Provided this holds up to repeated use, it's an ideal suitcase, and I look forward to putting it to the test (there's a trip to the UK coming up that should really give it a workout). UPDATE: I have had no difficulties with checking this bag on flights to San Diego, Chicago, and to the UK. And it worked like a dream on all of them. Until... on a train in the UK, one of the feet snapped right off. It wasn't being gently set down but neither was it being treated more roughly than one would expect any luggage carousel to handle it. A small luggage shop in York tried to repair it but didn't have the right part; their repair only held up for part of a day's worth of use. Getting it repaired officially is a complete nightmare. In the entire UK there is precisely one authorized repair center. Back in the US, the nearest one is about a three hour drive from me, and they think it'll take several weeks. The warranty makes no attempt to cover any of this, even shipping, so it will cost probably $100 to do a repair that amounts to setting four screws on a wheel that probably costs $10 or less. Samsonite's rules about parts are very strict, so no local luggage store is allowed to repair, or able to get parts, even if any of them wanted to do it (they don't). I love the suitcase, but I will never buy Samsonite again.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great luggage for European trip!, March 12, 2010
I ordered 2 of these suitcases - 1 for myself & 1 for my 21-yr-old son. We are going to Europe for 3 weeks & needed something large enough to get us through & still be within TSA guidelines. They arrived very quickly - faster than I was told! They were packaged very well - no damage at all. The suitcases are extremely roomy & the spinner wheels are outstanding! You can pull with one hand...& the expandable handle is easy to use. They came with TSA locks on each - so I didn't have to buy them.. This style seems very durable - as I had expected from Samsonite. Also, the zippers are very sturdy - I don't expect any issues with them...I went to the Samsonite store in the mall close to where I live & theirs cost about double the price I paid with Amazon. This is a great suitcase for a great price! Can't wait to test them on our trip.... Thanks, Amazon!!!! :o)
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
2115|R3EDWRBDBGCA3A;2115|R1QFCNTB872KPG;2115|R85425JIE2MAA;
|