For carry-on:
I now have Briggs & Riley. Check their sizes though because the 20" really has an outside length of 22" meanwhile the 22" is really 23 1/2" so it often doesnt' fit in wheels first. Rock solid bag. I've never had to have it fixed but have heard good things about their service and with it has a no questions asked lifetime warranty. Overall though since I'm the one carrying the carry-on, you probably don't have to spend as much as a B&R. Pathfinder has a lot of the features I look for but have no experience with it. Many many people recommend the Costco bags. I don't know how long people expect these to last. The B&R as a carry-on will absolutely last forever.

For checked luggage:
I'd love to recommend the B&R but I look at checked luggage as semi-disposable. As long as it doesn't blow up (zipper blow out, handle break, wheel breaks) I'm ok with it. The reason here is that since it is checked, the suitcase is going to get handled very poorly and get very very dirty. I don't want a suitcase that will last forever. Definitely get a softsided suitcase though. I recommend a 25-26" since if you fill it up, it will almost always come out to 48 pounds which is just below the 50 pound limit. I don't know how but it always seems to be. I have an Atlantic bag which I bought before Travelpro bought them. I've had good success with it and for $170 a good deal. I would shy away from Atlantic as now Travelpro owns them.

Things I look for on all luggage:
1. scuff pads by the wheels so when you go up curbs you scuff plastic and not fabric.
2. fabric protectors on the front (not the handle side). Luggage is always put down on this side by the airlines (so the luggage doesn't roll away on sloped luggage carousels). make sure when you put the bag down on this side that it lays on the protectors and not the fabric.
3. Solid handle
4. heavy duty zippers
5. good clothing hold down on the inside so thing don't go flying around.
6. I don't cary about internal compartments
7. don't care about hooking other bags onto it as I have always taken the strap of my laptop bag which can be very heavy and throw it around the handle with the bag against the front of the bag I'm holding. I've never had any handle break.
8. solid handles on 3 sides. Especially the bottom.
9. integrated luggage tag
10. something other than black although my bags are reasonably well labeled now. Green works quite well. If they had bright yellow with pink butterflies, I'd probably go for it....ok, maybe not.
11. For the carry-on, I like to have an easily accessible pocket on the top front to keep boarding passes in along with throwing in my wallet when going through security.

I hope that helps you.