Having bought some last week ....

Most of the stuff on sale in your local luxury emporium was designed before the new rules came in. The small sizes are too small and the large sizes are just too big. The Paul Smith range, for example, is 27cm deep according to my tape measure although the height is perfect. The nifty £680 Dunhill one is simply too small.

It pains me to say it, but I bought the John Lewis own-brand case for £60 (winner of a Good Housekeeping award, no less!). Because JL commission their own stuff, they were able to react when the rules changed. Their £60 case is EXACTLY the right size, so you get to carry the max possible stuff. In Oxford Street (5th floor) they even have one of those BAA measuring boxes so you can prove that it JUST fits in.

In 12 months, all of the other manufacturers will catch up. However, since the EU does not adopt these rules until May, they are not in a hurry. Buy a cheapo JL now and upgrade to the designer version later in the year is my view.