I stand corrected. I was in a luggage boutique today and compared the Crew 9 to the Platinum 7 line and there was a noticeable difference in quality when you put them next to each other. Platinum 7 was much better built but aesthetically the Tumi Alpha looks much much better and plus I like the Tumi briefcase much better than any of the Travelpro's. I also stopped into a Tumi authorized dealer and spoke to the sales person and found the differences that I mentioned in my original post. Turns out that the despite the same part numbers, the outlet bag is what they call the G4; which is an older generation. No monogram patch, inside lining is slightly different and zippers are lighter weight. I spoke to the gentleman for a little while and he gave me a price for the International carry-on, medium Alpha T-pass briefcase and a pack of Tumi hangers for less than the outlet. Needless to say that was a no brainer for me!