Shadow: Thanks for the recommendation and the pricing information. I was able to obtain the U-78 bag from a dealer 5 blocks from my house for $380. That was significantly less expensive than both 1800luggage.com and two big "discount" chains in the Bay Area. Because of your post, I felt confident I was getting a good price.

johna: Bet it's the same luggage dealer you use. Our neighborhood guy beats everyone yet again. He has incredible inventory for such a small shop. Another advantage of buying a bag there: you get to play with his cute puppy!

Catman: I wonder if you could post about your satisfaction with the bag you bought last March. The discussion thread made for some interesting reading, and I'd like to hear the rest of the story.

auh2o: Truth be told, I don't love the Tumi bag. It's served me reasonably well over the last 4 years, but it's got a pocket that's basically unusable (because the zipper breaks every other time I use it) and the design's not nearly as nice or as clever as the B & R. We'll see if the B & R is as durable over the years as the Tumi has been.

I also think Tumi's warranty policy is a little weak. It covers defects in materials and workmanship, but not "product damage...that may result from normal wear and tear." That leaves lots of wiggle room for Tumi, and my experience was that in two cases I was charged for luggage repair because my problem was construed as "normal wear and tear." I don't normally think to call the manufacturer in such a circumstance; wish I had as you suggested, but I didn't and I ended up paying for the repair.

I am not sure what is in Andiamo's warranty but the dealer I bought the bag from fixed my broken and bent zipper pulls for free. (He shipped the bag bag to Andiamo and they fixed it.) Despite that, the zipper pull is once again bent after scant use of the bag just two months after the repair. Because of the repeated problem and the high prices of the Andiamo bags, I wouldn't buy another one until they change their zipper design.

B & R's warranty states "if you ever have a problem with a Briggs and Riley bag, even if it was caused by the airlines, we will repair it for you...We'll make the repair for free and have the bag back on its way to you within three days of receipt. Simple as that." Sounds good to me.

Thanks, everyone, for your help.

[This message has been edited by dgolds (edited 09-23-1999).]