I have gone back to rollers after having problems controlling my spinners unless on smooth surfaces.

Rollers. Definitely. I think spinners are overkill for a carry-on sized bag. I don't like how the bag is so easy to roll away when standing up. I don't see major advantage to spinner wheels for luggage this small. Large luggage -- yes. Plus, those spinners aren't nearly as sturdy as those in-line skate wheels. The rollers will do better on rough and uneven surfaces. And if the crevices of the road are so deep as to give a roller trouble, a spinner will be worse.

I will throw one vote in for spinners... only because

I hurt my back quite significanly over the holidays but I still had to travel. It was much easier to take my 21" and put my briedcase on top and push rather than pull a roller.

It saved me from some significant pain

Spending 5 to 6 weeks a year in Italy over 6 to 7 trips a year, each year for the past 11 years. Roller.

I have had so many co-workers have issues with spinner bags trying to get around. If you arrive and have an unlimited budget to pick up a taxi curbside, or get dropped off curbside everywhere the a spinner might work. But if you don't want to drop 150 Euro on a water taxi in Venice, or take a Taxi for a 2 block walk from the train station to your hotel, etc. etc. etc.

More often than not the folks with the spinners end up picking up their bags to walk from the train station to the hotel. I only bring my roller with me to Italy. My trips usually start in either Naples, Rome, or Milan, and finish in Rome or Milan with 2 to 4 visits to other cities along the way via train.

I have 2 experiences with broken spinners in Italy as well. One while walking less than 2 blocks from the train in Florence to the hotel, broken caster/wheel. Another co-worker had 2 wheels diagonally from each other come off with the bumpers on her B&R Torq bag while at the airport in Rome. We had to hire a taxi, because we couldn't manage 2 bags and 2 briefs to the train, let alone out of Termini to our hotel that was across the street from Termini.

That's my personal experience, so I would never go with a spinner for a trip to Italy, nor most places in Europe.

I'm a fan of a spinner. I've been lucky enough to never have a broken wheel, I'm sure if the wheels broke, I'd re-evaluate. My back hurts when I twist to pull the rollers. My spinner can be lugged along, rolling even with me/ahead of me/behind me, using either hand.

I'm using a Travel Pro carry on, usually with a boarding bag on top. I love it! My bag has lasted a 4-5 years so far, with extensive travel and unkind treatment. It's been over many cobblestone streets, down dirt embankments, and smooth sailing at the airport or sidewalks where ever I may be. Spinners are easier to wedge into small places, too, because they don't need to be aligned for motion.

It does need to be anchored when on trains, though. I usually brace it with my foot. Once, when I first got it, it rolled off the train as the tube came to a stop somewhere in London. It rolled right out the newly opened doors and a fellow passenger nabbed it and got it back in the train. Lucky me! I was sleepy and that could have been a catastrophe.

if its not a well designed 4 wheeler with big wheels the wheels will break. He needs a roller with big wheels.

Just to throw a monkey wrench into this debate: I prefer a backpack.

No issues on wheels or stairs. Much lighter weight. Easily fits in any under-seat or overhead. No broken wheels. And there are many professional-looking backpacks now with laptop sleeves that are perfectly at home in business boardrooms, so you don't have to worry about looking like a student or a vagabond.

Especially for Italy's narrow streets, cobblestones and other assorted transportation challenges, I'd say backpack 100%.

If you must have a wheeled back, then wheeler over spinner all the way. Spinner bag wheels break waaaaay too easily, plus they're impossible to anchor on moving trains or buses, and awkward to pull for any length of time.