I have a Tumi and I hate it. The case itself is really heavy before you even start putting anything in it. Lifting it when it's fully loaded, into a overhead locker usually requires help and you risk killing someone when trying to get it down again.
It has annoying ridges in the base which make it awkward to pack. The handle has a really feeble guard on it to stop it changing position. It doesn't work, so the handle changes position when you don't want it to, causing you to have to stop and re-fix it ALOT. The gadget you are supposed to use to secure another bag on top (so you use the Tumi a bit like a trolley) is also really feeble and doesn't work. This means your other bag is forever sliding off the wretched Tumi and you have to stop and correct that too. In Europe, very often there are no trolleys (particularly at Eurostar stations) so this is a big issue.
Finally, the thing is front heavy once it is packed, so it topples over.
Trying to manage my luggage through Brussells Eurostar station late at night nearly finished me off. I was by far and away the last person out and ended up alone on a pavement in a strange city, waiting for a cab. I had pulled a muscle and other passengers just stood and laughed.
Never again! I'm ebaying the hated thing!
Sounds like the replacement for your hated Tumi will be a Louis Vuitton Pegase, or at a minimum a Rimowa (which I highly recommend)
