supermasterphil

No Lufthansa Worldshop in Cologne which honestly has the nicest Rimowa collection.

However, Kaufhof, in between Neumarkt and Heumarkt in Cologne has a fairly large selection of Rimowa suitcases on stock but their prices are nothing special. They do have the original LH carry-on seizer in the store for those who don't trust the label

To conclude, I would not come to Cologne just for the Rimowa. It's a nice city for 2 or 3 days so if you haven't been there and want to show your gf around, come anyway, the Thalys is fast (and cheap). According to rumors, there is a big church close to McD

t1nt1n

I think that's a "No, you don't need to head to Frankfurt"?

We do have a free day on our trip and I'm thinking it might be a nice train ride and also a nice break from France if only for a few hours.

As for the big church and the McD ... funny, I've never heard it described that way before but I have been to both. Hahahaha.

I'll do a little research and see if I can't come up with better prices in HKG or SIN. I'm still finding it hard to believe it's cheaper in Germany.

Anyway, thanks.

supermasterphil

What I mean is, there is NO Lufthansa Worldshop in Cologne. So there is no way to buy the Lufthansa Collection Suitcases in Cologne.

A Cologne comedian called "Den Dom" once "big church close to McD", that's where I picked it up

I priced Rimowa all over SE Asia (Bolero carry-on) including Hongkong where I currently live and no, Germany is by far the cheapest place so far.

There is a Rimowa store right in Tsim Sha Tsui and if I recall correctly, the Euro price was three digits more expensive than in Germany. In Beijing one store even asked for something like 700 Euro for a suitcase that prices around 300 Euro in Germany

Didn't see Rimowa in SIN but I am sure you can get them, I just don't know the price.

alex0683de

You can, but prices are nothing special there either. Germany is still the best deal provided you qualify for the VAT refund.

Bltprf502

Regardless of where you buy in Germany, the deals are better there.

VictorXray

Yeah..... I shouldn't have asked only for Oliver's opinion.... But I did wrote on the bottom, that anyone with knowledge could state their opinion to my original question on page 2.

Ta ta

t1nt1n

Got it! Sorry for the confusion, I should've phrased my question better. That said, as I'm just interested in the generic Rimowa bags I just might check it out, and show my gf the big church next to McD.

oliver2002

Go to the airliner shop in/near FRA.

primetime23

Hi, bought my Rimowas online at koffer-direkt.de
Thought they had pretty competitive prices (currently live in DE, so no VAT refund and no crew discount access). You might want to call a few shops in Cologne and compare them to the online prices.

PM me if you decide you want to buy online and need a shipping address. I live in Cologne.

Cheers,
Primetime

loflora

[ You have to buy the case, go check in, check all your bags except for the one you want the VAT back on, take the case and paper work to customs and get them to stamp it, get your refund and then take your case back to the airline for checking it. ]

Thanks a lot for your advice. It is a hussle and that VAT claim that means I better arrive the Madrid Airport early to sort these out. The Salsa Air 29" is so light that I am hooked, but I agree with you that it's not sure whether it will hold the longest. I note that it is easy to bend and maybe more "bendable" than a soft luggage with hard frame. Still I gotta get 1 from Munich given the good price and the lightness. I will be taking 2 ugly old bags (which I am going to abandone) for the trip and the 1st thing I do after I arrive in Munich would be to get a Salsa.

German-FLyer

Let us know what you paid.

nldogbert

Hi,

I think most of you have seen the new Salsa Air bag introduced in the LH Worldshop with the new "Flex Divider" system. I noticed that all the other cabin bags available are not with this system and looking at some of the websites, I see that not all of the bags in this series is with this new system.

I was wondering if anyone has any experience with this new system? Is is much more convenient than the old X-cross system?

I also noticed that they are charging 30 Euro more for this bag which is about 5 cm smaller compared to bags with the old X-cross system. Is this worth the extra 30 Euros?

Cheers!

oliver2002

The regular Rimovas only have the new system in the Salsa deluxe. Looks really nice. The current X system as you call it is a pain as the lid is fexible and fixing the 'X' is tricky.

nldogbert

Thanks for the confirmation. That was what I thought when I saw it, looks too messy to deal with especially if you open it on the "wrong" side. I can imagine all the smaller contents falling out if not protected by the removable divider that comes with it.
So I guess I will pay the 30 Euro extra for the new divider system, though the bag self will be 5 cm shorter :P

Cheers!

Swissaire

The flex dividers have been around in some models for many years. The design continues to evolve and the dividers get lighter. My wife and I have them in two Topas alu roll-ons from 1994.

The flex dividers serve two purposes: 1.) Dividing and stabilizing the larger packed items. 2.) Providing small items such as toiletries, an MP3, pens, flashlights, CD's etc. to be readily available at the top of both sides of the cases.

One can locate items quickly, neatly, even in the dark, without rummaging around in the bottom of the case, dropping old socks, and underwear out in the aisle in the process.

Just to reinforce the statements above on claiming the VAT rebate:

Non-EU flyers wishing to purchase Rimowa and also claim the VAT tax, need to take the newly purchased items, receipts, passporte, and your boarding pass FIRST to customs inspection. Fill out your paperwork early and ahead of time, as the process can take time, and the lines can be long. Then return back, repack and check your luggage. You can leave items in the temporary Baggage storage, if needbe.

For most of us, it is worth the time and effort to do this.