Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

After having a lot of my stuff trashed on recent flights due to baggage handlers, I decided that I wanted hardside luggage. I have also been fortunate enough to have my luggage lost repeatedly, so I wanted something easy to identify. At the moment, there are not many people who fly with "orange" luggage, so identifying my missing bags is always easy. My last set was orange, and I don't think I could go back to anything less "high profile" with respect to appearance. With that said, there are a couple of things to keep in mind with this set: 1) Hardside does not equal hard case. The components are likely vacuum formed, and are fairly thin (0.020"?). As such, they are not rigid, but do seem to maintain their shape. Still a far cry better than standard, soft sided luggage. 2) These are budget pieces, and some aspects of them feel cheap. For example, the extendable handle on the carry-on sized piece, is telescoping. When fully extended, the handle dos not feel very robust. Maybe this is because I like to push the suitcase in an upright position while walking though airports (doing so takes bearing the weight of the suitcase off of you and put it onto the wheels). In this mode of operation the handle deflects about an inch due to the plastic bushings in the telescoping pieces. 3) The casters seem to do quite well. They are smooth and quiet, and seem to roll over most surfaces easily. Short carpet provides some extra resistance, but it isn't too bad. Time will tell how they hold up. 4) The Set is advertised as "Super Lightweight", this is true. The suitcases are very light. I would be willing to forgo a little weight savings for the rigidity of a thicker shell. But, again, these are budget minded pieces. The advertising scheme is that with a lighter case, you can pack more of your belongings inside without risk of being "overweight" on the airlines' scales. I figure that the weight savings equate to an extra change of underwear and socks. So, I'm not sure this is a tremendous advantage, as much as it is a marketing ploy. Also, I have high enough frequent flyer status that I do not pay for baggage. So, for me this is a moot point. Overall, these are decent pieces, but I expect that they will be worn out in 4 or 5 years. I fly a lot, so your mileage may vary...