Fastwong
2564
Thanks, what a great review! I considered all the options when I finally bought a four wheel carry on and as much as I really really didn't want to give LVMH my money I ended up with a Rimowa
I've covered millions of miles starting with soft sided two wheelers from Tumi, Victorinox, B&R, before switching to backpacks and pelican cases when required once I got tired of replacing wheels. I never got the allure of the aluminum cases even though they looked awesome and I've always had an 80's fetish for an aluminum zero halliburton briefcase. Fast forward a few decades and a shoulder surgery later, I don't pack as heavy and don't travel much to places without roads, so I decided to pick up a spinner. On 4 wheels, the soft sided cases often weren't great, too much flex to handle well, the carbon fiber reinforced options almost as much as aluminum. Plus most poly rollers, carbon or note, are zipped clamshells which is better but not much, really needed a hinged hard case with a channel/groove and latched closure to get the rigidity needed to handle well. At that point the options are few, expensive, and weight is serious consideration since as you noted the luggage alone starts taking up most of the weight allowance.
The balance of handling, weight, and serviceability ended up making the Rimowa almost an easy choice. I was concerned about cost cutting post LVMH and despite the high price some things like the locks feel cheap but the reintroduction of the lifetime warranty helped make that more palatable. One of the (metal) locks on my classic cabin is already sticking after just a couple of big trips so I'll have to see what the service experience is like but otherwise it's made a surprisingly good companion. Still too heavy for my liking and the clamshell pocketless design is impractical when needing to pull items going through security but it is like an F1 car in the airport, sooo smooth and fast no matter how heavily it's been packed, and the rigidity of the handle and case makes a rock solid foundation for personal bags that slide over the handle.
A Thorough Review of RIMOWA ORIGINAL Cabin 92553004 and FPM BANK 55M Carry On Luggage
Moderator Patrick_y is also a fan of luggage. He's a huge fan of RIMOWA, but was wondering if he ever had RIMOWA fatigue, were there any other good alternatives? In this Review, Patrick_y gives a thorough review of both the FPM Bank 55M and the RIMOWA Ori...
Wow, wow and wow. what a masterpiece writeup.
As someone who appreciate quality, craftmanship and good useful products I love reading all things related, and such a comparission is always a necessity. And what a complete thoughtful comparison it is, I just enjoyed reading it. Thank you! As for the pr...
You are absolutely right!
LVMH buys a company. Invests some money into it. Markets it tremendously. Changes distribution to a more exclusive distribution system - they do invest in more mono-brand boutiques and personnel. Raises prices dramatically. That's their Mission Objective!...
That's some good looking luggage!
I have the Trunk and Trunk L. But I don't have the Trunk S. And I don't have the Pilot case neither! Nice stickers! Joke: isn't it funny that we still like stickers as adults? We can't say stickers are only for kids!
Thank you, Patrick, for such a detailed report.
I'll choose the Rimowa given what you said. However, I still prefer ballistic nylon or polycarbonate luggage due to the weight difference compared to aluminum luggage.
Can't fault you there!
Although, the TUMI has gotten so feature rich that even the ballistic nylon luggage now weighs 4 KGs now! Everything is getting quite heavy. The Polycarbonate is kind of heavy too. Although there are lighter versions such as the RIMOWA ESSENTIAL LITE whic...
Wow a review! Thank you
…comprehensive indeed. This OG Ti Octo Finissimo owner has a few Rimowa bags - and hasn’t used his aluminium one in years. Nowadays it’s a mid-sized (the 23cm deep one) ‘Limbo’ - same latched construction as the aluminium models, but with the main panels ...
Did I see it at the JLC factory event?
The Limbo is a very very nice case. In some ways, the Limbo (now called Hybrid after the LVMH merger renamed the line up) is one of the best products in the RIMOWA lineup. The only thing is that they're not lighter by much - only half a kilogram or so tha...
Thanks for the detailed report Patrick.
As a long time and satisfied owner of the Rimowa Cabin, I concur with your observations and conclusions. Thanks again. M4
Thank you M4!
I should've made my analogy between the two cases between a Parmigiani Tonda on bracelet VS a IWC Ingenieur. That might've resonated more with you! Joking aside, thank you for reading this very long post! How long have you had your Rimowa Cabin? The one I...
Lucky kids! That's so nice of you!
I'm so glad you enjoy yours. I really enjoy mine. Admittedly, most of the increase in my enjoyment over my previous Hartmann-brand suitcase is going from 2 wheel to 4 wheel. The 4 wheel is a lot easier in most scenarios. I offered a Rimowa to other family...
Amazing review…
I have long admired Rimowa, especially the carry-on or cabin piece. I have read some concerns about whether or not it complies with the maximum cabin luggage dimension of some U.S. airlines. I would also note that I don’t see Rimowa used that much in the ...
A lot of people swear by Briggs and Riley. Definitely a quality piece of luggage.
I've never owned a Briggs and Riley, but I remember that the employees at luggage stores all told me that they would personally buy a Briggs and Riley themselves. The Big Three US Airlines are 23 x 35 x 56 cm. And the RIMOWA Cabin are 23 x 40 x 55. So tec...
The internal compression mechanism used by Briggs & Riley is quite effective.
Perhaps the greatest luggage innovation since wheels...
The Rimowa one works fairly well too.
The Rimowa panels with velcro work fairly well in compressing as well. The FPM one with the leather straps doesn't work quite as well. As the panel is somewhat clumsier and the leather straps only have 4 holes each so if you're in the middle of a hole it'...
Nice one Fastwong! You got the very new Classic Flight in black!
How do you like your new case???
Very nice!
Big congrats to you on the new case. I almost went Classic Flight but somehow I ended up buying two "Orignal/Topas" models instead. I should've done one of each. I still regret not buying the Classic Flight. Also, when I was looking at the Classic Flight,...
They still make it!!!!
Here's the link... www.rimowa.com ml You took the wheels off yours? Didn't like the wheels? They also make a slightly deeper version now too. Yours is the 971 52 002 and now the deeper version is the the 973 53 004. The 53 denotes the size. Yours ...
The current Classic Cabiin versus the old two-wheel Cabin question?
My old two-wheel Cabin lists its measurements as 55 x 40 x 20 cm; the current Classic Cabin (enclosed) measurements are listed as 55 x 40 x 23 cm. Do you think the extra 3 cm makes an appreciable difference in storage space, are there other improvements t...
Yes. 52 vs 53 is fairly substantial difference.
The extra 3 centimeters deep is definitely substantial in my eyes. In my packing style I can fit significantly more in the larger case.
I skipped the entire post and looked for your reply....
I KNEW it would be here!! Thanks Nicolas!!
One of the coolest watches by Glashutte Original!
Such a cool timepiece! And the case is just a wonderful bonus!!!
Thanks, what a great review! I considered all the options when I finally bought a four wheel carry on and as much as I really really didn't want to give LVMH my money I ended up with a Rimowa
I've covered millions of miles starting with soft sided two wheelers from Tumi, Victorinox, B&R, before switching to backpacks and pelican cases when required once I got tired of replacing wheels. I never got the allure of the aluminum cases even thou...
Oh! Wow! I didn't know you were a multi-million-mile-flyer!
Those Pelican cases are robust but not very ergonomically comfortable! I've also had that fetish for the Zero Halliburtons. I have an attache case from them somewhere. Yes. Must have clamshell and metal frame closure - the zipper loses so much rigidity so...
You need to turn that zero attache into a watch box if you're not using it!😍
Yeah, it's true, somehow the pelican cases are brutally awkward and heavier than you would think for plastic, I always get at least one bruise everytime I travel with one. They look totally practical until you actually travel with one, it's probably one o...
You've inspired me to go dig the Zero attache case out!
Wow. You really must know how to pack and travel light. I travel rather heavy now. Thanks for telling me about your travel experience! I was recently forced to pack for a two week trip with only a carry on. I took the RIMOWA since it was lighter than the ...
Thank you for the detailed review!
It makes me want a Rimowa more now 😄! Have you ever used or reviewed Briggs and Riley? That’s what I travel with and originally chose it over Rimowa many years ago.
Thank you for reading!
I really like luggage! What can I say. Unfortunately, I don't have any more room in my closet for a Briggs and Riley. And I haven't used a Briggs and Riley before - if I did, I'd probably still be using it - they simply don't break. So, if you have room i...
Yup!
Still space for a few more before I have to find alternatives though. And luckily I’ve found most independents have reasonably sized packaging!
Oooh! I don't mind the big boxes. I like the pomp and circumstance in the packaging!
When I was a little kid, my grandma would always bring me treats from Japan that were beautifully packaged and wrapped. I was fond of the treats and I even kept some of the packaging at times. To this day... I still care about the packaging!
They sure do! It's super cool!
Although super impractical, expensive, and bulky! Kind of strange how we went from Rimowa as the practical brand to the impractical one. I've posted a photo of it here but can't find it.
Luggage is really a partner in travel.
I was fortunate. I didn't pay quite those prices for luggage - as I bought them before the prices had gotten quite that high. I'm generally ahead of the curve on buying things. Luggage is really a tool. Kind of like a tool watch. So it really needs to be ...
You piqued my interest with this review
as I needed a new carry-on. I looked at the two brands you reviewed, the Briggs, Longchamp (I have a large bag) and stumbled upon Monos. I ordered the Monos based on reviews and price. Wish me luck 🍀
Good luck! I hear MONOS is quite good.
I haven't tried out the Monos myself. But I hear it's quite good!
Patrick, very very nice write up. Appreciate it.
I did read this when you posted it but am only now getting around to replying. I’ve had a Cabin for maybe 8 or 9 years. I think it’s the smaller one as at the time I wanted to be sure that wouldn’t have any issues on Euro airlines / Euro area flights and ...
Very nice! I've been to the Yoshida store.
I definitely liked the backpacks at the Yoshida store. Although they're definitely very pricy. I use a black backpack too! Welcome to the club! I once saw another person in the airport lounge who used the same Rimowa cabin and probably the exact same blac...
Just wondering if you’ve ever come across Carl friedrick
I like their design, they are hybrid aluminum and polycarbonate, they have supposedly good Japanese wheels. Just wondering your thoughts.
Honestly. It looks good.
The problem with all of these new pop up brands is that very few of these new brands have invested in any real factories. So they're more of a marketing company. In other words, a small design team has pieced together a nice suitcase with off-the-shelf pa...
Thanks for your thoughtful reply Patrick!
I agree with your commentary here. Many things can be thought of somewhere and assembled elsewhere. What this means for things of quality and overall product could be variable. A facility that has complete assembly control at their own facility I would im...
You're most welcome! Thank YOU for your response!
Luggage is such a huge profit margin item. I'm told that the shipping of luggage and retailing of luggage costs more than the production itself sometimes (depending on the piece). Malls charge 7% of revenue as rent (sometimes more depending on the mall). ...