Delsey Helium Expandable Upright, 25": Great Buy For Budget Luggage
Written: Jan 13 '08
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Nice combination of design, quality and price.
Cons: None thus far!
The Bottom Line: In the more moderately priced luggage category, Delsey Helium Fusion luggage compares very favorably to the competition. Look and compare for yourself!
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| swb's Full Review: Delsey "Helium Fusion" Expandable Upright, 25" |
If you've shopped for luggage, you know that the market is flooded with many brands at many prices. Well known companies such as Samsonite and American Tourister are making and marketing everything from bargain basement stuff to high end expensive stuff. And luggage is another item that is grossly overpriced (suggested retail) and sells for much less. For quite some time, my wife has been complaining about her garment bag, which has been the all around bag for our traveling (primarily car trips and traveling to and from our summer cottage). So, this past Christmas, I decided to buy her some new luggage.
Since we don't do a lot of traveling by airplane or other public forms of transportation that beat the heck out of luggage, my search was for something that would be durable but within a modest price range. And, my wife had said that she didn't want another garment bag, but would rather have a more standard type suitcase. With here requests in mind, and Christmas day rapidly approaching, I ventured into the holiday shopping frenzy.
It was Wednesday at The Bon Ton, a chain of department stores found in western New York, and the sales were on including an additional discount for those over 55 years of age. After finding some other gifts for her, I came across a lot of luggage on sale, and I began to look and compare. Everything was on sale, which seems to be common practice anymore. There was luggage from Samsonite, American Tourister, and several other companies that I wasn't familiar with including Delsey. After doing a lot of looking and inspecting, I decided to purchase the Delsey Helium Fusion25" Expandable Suiter Trolley.
If you didn't click on "Details", Delsey has this to say about their product:
Travel tough and light. Made with a lightweight graphite frame - the same material used in golf clubs and tennis rackets - you'll never have a problem rolling this large upright from place to place. A fully lined suiter clip on the main lid and tie down straps help you tote formal and casual clothes alike, while four pockets offer easy storage and security. A recessed trolley handle is built for one-handed operation. Protected Velocity inline skate wheels ensure smooth travels. 10-year warranty.
In case you're interested, I picked out the Sky Blue bag, and also purchased the matching Rolling Tote. But more importantly than the color, I chose the Delsey luggage because it was the best combination of quality and features for the price. One of the first things I noticed was the heavy duty nylon zippers. The overall design is very functional with easy to access main compartment and additional storage compartments. The fabric is 1800 Denier Polyester with a foam backing. The graphite/fiberglass frame seems to be quite strong, and in my opinion, seemed to be better than that of the competition, but time will be the real test. The recessed locking trolley handle operates very smoothly and opens/closes easily with just one hand. The main compartment has four pockets, tie down straps, and expands up to 2 1/2" (one big zipper expansion pocket). The built in wheels are as good as any of the competition in this price range. They are recessed to protect them and the wheel wells are lined. There is also a protective kick plate along the bottom edge of the bag. The bag is lightweight, but I didn't see where it was really any lighter than other similar bags. And there are nice handles and carrying straps for use when pulling it trolley style isn't desired.
In all fairness, writing about a brand new piece of luggage is only helpful in terms of describing features and style. Good luggage has to be tested, used and abused to see how well it will hold up and meet the traveling needs of the user. As this bag gets some testing, I'll post follow-up comments in this review. But based upon my examination of this luggage, I'll give it a high recommendation.
As always, do your own comparison shopping and determine what the best deal will be for you! And thanks for reading my review, and I hope that it has been helpful.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
swb
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 - Top 1000 |
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Member: Steve
Location: Wilson, New York
Reviews written: 114
Trusted by: 15 members
About Me:
Retired music teacher. Flautist, guitarist, photographer and rver.
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