Rimowa is known for its aluminium cases. It does not make sense to pay the Rimowa brand premium for their polycarbonate cases.

Thanks for this, and all of the above comments.

Thus far, we've only got a ~22" Rimowa that was part of the swag DH got at a conference. It's the poly type, but we only carry it on. One important thing he noticed was that the wheels worked very well, and it's by far the easiest to wheel, and this matters, at least for us.
I've got a similar sized B&R that is also only carry on.

The poly has *always* felt very cheap and vulnerable to me. I'm not that strong, and if *I* can "bend it", and so easily, then...?
Clearly from the comments above, it doesn't bend indefinitely without breaking, no surprise.
If we want another, we'll look at the aluminum.

For checked luggage, we've got a few sizes of the Tumi fold-overs, and thus far, they've been terrific, as have some smaller pieces. We've had an occasional problem, and Tumi fixed it free. One time they had to send one out, they asked if we needed a loaner, and gave us one.
No charge for any of this.
These have held up much better than we would have expected.

We've also each got a smaller Tumi carry-on that slips over the handle of a larger piece, but it rolls "sideways", and that's too wide to get down narrow airplane aisles. (Hmmm... now that we are traveling on awards and flying in the pointy end, that shouldn't be a problem... except when we have a leg on a smaller plane. If ONLY we could switch the directions of those wheels; the size is perfect for that function, and we can't find anything similarly "medium large" that could be a carry on and slip over a handle. Suggestions welcome. I'll start another thread later.)

Thanks.

As far as the "someone else walking off with it" problem, we try to keep relatively obnoxious tape, and rather tattered on purpose, so we can spot it on the carousel... OR if it is walking away...!
And around the handle, we have day-glow velcro'd covers that not only are very noticeable visually, but one can *feel* it immediately.
So that should help, at least with the innocent "mistakes".
I wish they still checked baggage tags at the exit, but that's not going to happen. I remain surprised that more bags don't "walk", actually.

Sometimes I sort of miss the old hard-sided, sturdy, simple American Touristers, which took such beatings for many years.

GC

All my Rimowa cabin trolleys are two-wheel ones. I won't buy spinners for cabin baggage use; and so when these Rimowas go, I'm probably out.

For checked-in luggage, I don't use expensive brand luggage, and I probably do better with a cheap oversized duffel bag -- with or without wheels -- with boxed goods inside than I would do with any expensive brand luggage. In other words, I don't foresee myself buying any more Rimowa luggage anytime soon.

And when a company raises prices substantially but doesn't provide a way more generous customer service policy for old and new customers as part and parcel of the more expensive prices, that's a red flag to me that the company treats its customers more as marks to have their pockets picked than as individuals valued as customers by the company.

This is wrong - there are many reasons to prefer the polycarbonate cases (lighter, don't dent as easily, less expensive while still extremely durable, etc).

I know a friend who bought a Rimowa hard case and on his first flight the bag was badly damaged by the airline or the handling agency. They refused to replace his bag and gave him their normal compensation amount which was not even close to half the price he paid for his bag.

Not one but two cracked Rimowa carry ons
 

They used to be durable but honestly not any more. I am dealing with two cracked bags at the moment. The cabin hybrid with two external pockets has been my primary bag for 5 years and I fly a lot. United 1 K to be specific. I mostly carry it on but have on occasion had to check it and two weeks ago it got a very bad crack near the wheel well. United is replacing it but the wait time is long because of supply issues. So I hauled out the regular cabin bag, non pocket version, to use last week and discovered two cracks. No clue when it happened as the bag has seen very light use the past 4 years. Pervious models of Rimowa bought 20 years ago never had these issues. I think the quality of their polycarbonate material has been downgraded. I am looking for another brand now. I can't spend this much money on a product that can't hold up. Very disappointed.

If you really need a hard cover suitcase that's can handle anything. Consider, a Pelican Air Travel case.
https://www.pelican.com/us/en/produc...e/air/1535trvl

I have one pelican case, and plan to purchase a few more for my upcoming extended (5 month) trip. I own an aluminum Rimowa and would never consider taking it on a trip this long, moving it in and out of taxis, in and off of numerous airplanes, etc The pelican can take all types of abuse, and protect everything inside. They make the check-in version too called 1615trvl.


​​​​​IF you like different colors, they can ordered here:
https://www.colorcase.com/

I own them all
 

I have about a dozen Rimowa bags, about half aluminum and the others are poly salsas.

All of them were purchased before the LV takeover. Since the takeover, they have become more expensive, and more of a fashion brand, while losing some of the features I liked - like the strap to carry an additional case. I won't be buying more. I travel nearly every week, and am approaching 3 million flight miles. I load my cases heavily (usually between 50-70 pounds) and often use the aluminum cases for equipment.

Once these cases were a good deal when purchased in Germany, but after the LV takeover I can no longer order them at German prices - which were in the range of $400 for a large Salsa and $700 for a large aluminum. I've had to have a few locks replaced, the corners riveted a few times, and replaced one wheel. The aluminum gets beat to hell instantly. I managed to destroy one case after about 10 years when the frame just kind of crumbled from being bent so many times. I had 2-3 salsas crack - returned them to my service location, and Rimowa replaced them with brand new bags.

So in summary, I think the older bags were a great value, but if I had to replace them, I probably wouldn't buy Rimowa now. I probably have enough to last me until I retire and stop traveling.....

Does anybody know if they charge you to replace wheels under the new lifetime warranty that does have a clause to exclude airline damage?
Is the bad reputation of Rimowa mostly just the fault of the plastic ones?

I'm debating getting a second zero halliburton geo 3.0 while I can still find one, or just letting mine slowly wear out and switching over to Rimowa.
None of them are actual hard and protective cases like my old Zero Halliburton from the 70s, wish someone still did that.

A few years after the LVMH takeover, I'm gonna say "no" the OP.

Is there any evidence at all that Rimowa "quality" has changed meaningfully since the LVMH acquisition? All I see in this thread are assumptions (LVMH is a fashion brand, they are doing more fashion things, quality is surely down) instead of actual product testing and real world experience. I own pre LVMH and post LVMH Rimowa luggage, all work great. They changed the design of the velco straps on the divider a bit, but beyond that, all the bags work great. My first Rimowa was a "Salsa Essential" IATA Cabin model in polycarbonate, my most recent one is the Cabin Plus in Titanium Aluminum, and I have a few check in sizes in between. All continue to work great.

This has largely been my experience as well. I would say that some redesigns have added value. For example, I have a post LVMH large sport trunk, which was updated to include packing platters on both sides of the case - a rather significant improvement over the platter and net combo the pre-LVMH case had. To some this may be an insignificant update, though to me being able to pack the case more flexibly has a lot of value and benefit, given my travel needs. Another update to the case is the type of polycarbonate used in its construction. My LVMH sport trunk is made of a more flexible polycarbonate (akin to the salsa air cabin bag) than that of the pre-LVMH trunk. I also think this added flexibility makes the bad more resistant to cracking and impact, since the only cracked polycarbonate rimowas I've seen have been the old more rigid salsa check in pieces.

If it's airline damage you could try to get compensated through the airliner or through insurance. But to be honest I had a few damages and the Rimowa service department in Koln (Cologne) is really good. They always serviced my broken luggage. The wheels are relatively easy to replace, so I think they will replace them under warranty.

My experience has been mixed. I bought a post-LVMH aluminum Classic Trunk, and its frame has already been bent twice in one single trip. The second time made it quite difficult to open, since the frame was warped near the lock. It was fixed both times for free (despite it being clearly airline damage), but having to take time out to find a Rimowa (which does the repair), drop it off, and then pick it up is a hassle, especially mid-trip.

Are the tiny hinges as much a weak point as I would think they are?