I'm still using the one I bought in Frankfurt on July 6th 2005. I had to replace the telescoping handle when it was 4 years old (free in warranty--5yrs--but authorized dealers are not everywhere) and just this trip to Texas on Frontier Airlines, an already weak handle finally pulled off. Now that it's not under warranty, the easy 5-minute repair is gonna cost mucho for factory parts--they're very controlled. I have no cracks at all, but some "reshaping" of the metal-frame lip was occasionally necessary by me. And I have to say, my large case has seen 100 major cities in Asia, Europe and USA in those years. I paid 450 Euros. Outside of large-to-medium sized cities, the wheels become less useable, but the handles always held up through countless train doors and narrow stairways. Would rather not put aftermarket handles in but they won't sell me the parts--an EZ fix myself.4 of 5 stars.^