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Rimowa IATA: Salsa Air vs. Salsa vs. Salsa Deluxe?

Rimowa IATA: Salsa Air vs. Salsa vs. Salsa Deluxe?

Old Aug 28, 2010, 10:06 pm
  #1  
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Rimowa IATA: Salsa Air vs. Salsa vs. Salsa Deluxe?

Thoughts on the 3 variations of the salsa air?

Salsa: $395.
http://www.rimowa.de/main#product/856.52
????
Cheapest one.


Salsa Air: $450.
http://www.luggageonline.com/product...oduct_ID=14612
If they had a black one, I think this would be my favorite.

Salsa Deluxe: $495
http://www.luggageonline.com/product...oduct_ID=13799

I don't like how the top compartment is quite compact. I like the colors though.

Looking around...i'm partial to the matte black color. There's a rimowa store near me in Beverly Hills, so i might get one there.
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Old Aug 30, 2010, 6:38 pm
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There are pros and cons with all of them.

Salsa is the barebones, version of the line. Interior has straps which aren't very effective when the case is not fully packed and can also get in the way when you don't want to use them. This is the older design which Rimowa is moving away from pretty much in all of their other lines. Moulded plastic handles but same shell/wheels as Salsa Deluxe so the compartment sizes are actually identical with identical interior volumes.

Salsa Air is of course noticeable lightest of the group. This is the "original" IATA multiwheel from Rimowa. The light weight is achieved through thinner polycarbonate casing so in essence you must exercise caution in checking this one in. It also has a single telescoping handle which I personally find a bit flimsy. The interior is also a very simple mesh zip-up which I don't particularly care for. All said, the light weight is definitely very appealing and I can at some point find myself complimenting my IATA Limbo trolley (2 wheel) with a IATA Salsa Air multiwheel at some point.

Salsa Deluxee is as the name suggests the top of the line in this group. It has the nicest interior with compression strap dividers which are very ingenious. This is my favorite though as it's fairly tough, yet light enough. Some other subtle differences like gel padded handles, vs molded plastic on the other two and an ingenious integrated add-a-bag holder. It also sports some of the better colors. The black is shiny, matching the Limbo line compared to the matt black in regular Salsa line. Oh and the bigger ones come with a hidden torx screw driver in the case, to assist in changing wheels on your own.

Weight wise: Salsa Air < Salsa < Salsa Deluxe. The difference is about 1 pounds between Salsa Deluxe and Salsa and about .7 pounds between Salsa and Salsa Air so not really that huge in the grand scheme of things.

This year both Salsa and Salsa Deluxe get their own versions of IATA multiwheel so I expect they eat in to some of Salsa Air's sales. But as a general rule, multiwheels are about 10%-20% less efficient with space.

My personal vote goes for the Salsa Deluxe because of:
  • Nicer Interior.
  • Nicer Colors.
  • Integrated Add-a-Bag Holder.
  • Better Handles.

I just bought a 29" Salsa Deluxe in black to compliment my IATA Limbo and Bolero laptop bag.

BTW, Whichever one you get, buy a product called "Goo Gone". This thing is simply amazing for cleaning the scuffs which will end on on the polycarbonate eventually. A great tip from my insider Rimowa dealer friend.

Last edited by payam81; Aug 30, 2010 at 6:52 pm
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Old Aug 30, 2010, 11:17 pm
  #3  
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Thanks! I'm leaning towards the deluxe now (and honestly, the Topas IATA classic flight is floating around my mind (love the interior on that one)....I do have an older Rimowa boarding tote and I quite like the old school feel of the straps for some reason.

I wish I could get my hands on the United Arrows collaboration.

http://www.monocle.com/sections/desi...-New-Zealand2/

That is just insane.




dunno...i think even if I get the Salsa, I'm going to EVENTUALLY get a topas, so might as well do it now and get some cool battle scars on it.

Last edited by Xericx; Aug 30, 2010 at 11:29 pm
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Old Sep 2, 2010, 12:57 pm
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Originally Posted by payam81
Salsa Air is of course noticeable lightest of the group. This is the "original" IATA multiwheel from Rimowa. The light weight is achieved through thinner polycarbonate casing so in essence you must exercise caution in checking this one in. It also has a single telescoping handle which I personally find a bit flimsy. The interior is also a very simple mesh zip-up which I don't particularly care for. All said, the light weight is definitely very appealing and I can at some point find myself complimenting my IATA Limbo trolley (2 wheel) with a IATA Salsa Air multiwheel at some point.
The Salsa Air has the same polycarbonate shell as the other items in the Salsa lineup. The weight delta is achieved in the handle design and interior lining and netting used to separate the compartments. I have the 29" that I use for extended international trips and it's held up quite nicely even though I typically load it with about 30 kg of stuff.

I'm not a big fan of the T shaped handle, and would find it especially irritating on a smaller carry-on where I'm not using the handle to support a garment bag (garment bag handle is what I push).

Last edited by AaronKamp; Sep 2, 2010 at 12:59 pm Reason: Fixed Typo
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Old Sep 8, 2010, 1:40 pm
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I have had a Salsa Deluxe for about a year and I like it. I loved it at first, but then the lock stopped working after 4 months, kind of a bummer for something so expensive to not have a better warranty.

Anyway, it is a nice piece. It is worth noting that the Deluxe has a hair less space than the standard Salsa because of the add-a-bag feature. I don't really use this, and when I have it didn't really work great (pops off with lighter bags). So I'd rather have the space but the other features of the Deluxe are nice.
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Old Sep 13, 2010, 11:16 pm
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is it possible to fit two suits inside any of the salsa carryons?
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Old Sep 14, 2010, 12:24 am
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Originally Posted by cchen
is it possible to fit two suits inside any of the salsa carryons?
If you mean Nike/Adidas track suits, then by all means

Seriously though... If you plan on having them steamed/pressed at your arrival you could. I suppose it also depends on what size of suits you're talking about. I'm 6'4" and wear a US 44 suit, and I wouldn't try to do it.
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Old Sep 18, 2010, 6:08 pm
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Originally Posted by CPMaverick
I have had a Salsa Deluxe for about a year and I like it. I loved it at first, but then the lock stopped working after 4 months, kind of a bummer for something so expensive to not have a better warranty.

Anyway, it is a nice piece. It is worth noting that the Deluxe has a hair less space than the standard Salsa because of the add-a-bag feature. I don't really use this, and when I have it didn't really work great (pops off with lighter bags). So I'd rather have the space but the other features of the Deluxe are nice.
You have a 5 year warranty on any Rimowa piece including the locks and zippers. Most Rimowa dealers won't even hassle you for proof of purchase to fix it. Contact Rimowa and they will surely take care of the problem.
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Old Dec 21, 2014, 7:49 am
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Originally Posted by payam81

Oh and the bigger ones come with a hidden torx screw driver in the case, to assist in changing wheels on your own.


Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
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Old Dec 25, 2014, 9:02 am
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After seeing the Lufthansa & ANA air crew roll around in their elegant Rimowa Multiwheel cases, I bought a Salsa Cabin Multiwheel in November and it has logged 2 trips to Europe already with the 3rd trip coming tomorrow.

Overall, I am very satisfied and the multiwheel delivered as advertized, making rolling this baby around the airport such a pleasure, even with my heavy Briggs & Riley wheeled computer bag on top of it.

I really like the spacious interior, which is quite a bit larger than the Hartmann Intensity carry-on that it replaced, and the Rimowa is lighter too! The compression packing on the top side keeps things unwrinkled which was quite surprising to me.

When I was in Frankfurt last week, I saw the Lufthansa collection at Worldshop.de at the airport, and I will be adding a Limbo Cabin Multiwheel (or the Lufthansa Elegance Collection version) in 2015.

This is fantastic luggage! ^
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Old Jan 9, 2015, 5:07 pm
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I'm joining the club, and just ordered a Salsa Deluxe 22 that I plan on taking as a carryon for my short International trips. I hope it lives up to all the hype!
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Old Jan 9, 2015, 10:34 pm
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Morning CP MAverick-

" I have had a Salsa Deluxe for about a year and I like it. I loved it at first, but then the lock stopped working after 4 months, kind of a bummer for something so expensive to not have a better warranty. "

After 4 months.

You have remaining a 4 year 8 month warranty to cover that and other problems.

Today, just taking the ID Nr. off the case will suffice by the authorized repair shop, which is then used to bill-back the repair cost to Rimowa.
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Old Nov 9, 2017, 6:27 am
  #13  
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I wanted to add that the telescope handle of the Salsa Deluxe can be adjusted at any height, a feature that's missing with the other two models (only three steps: closed middle, high).

HTB.
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