I bought a Briggs & Riley ZDX (medium, four wheel suitcase). It’s got full expansion, which is rare in soft suitcases, and it’s not crazy heavy plus the warranty sounded great. Flew to Japan, am packing to leave first hotel and the expansion zipper failed with the suitcase expansion now being stuck open for rest of trip. Get home and try to warranty it—they want me to pay to ship it to them in NY. I’m in SF, their local repair center closed in 2020, neareSY one is in LA (so basically a flight away). Shipping will be like $100. I bitch and moan (politely) about this and say it’s ridiculous for a new suitcase—finally they relent, I think because their support center is about to end their day, and agree to cover my shipping. Of course I didn’t keep the box so that’s a headache but I ship it and get it it back 3+ weeks later, just in time for another trip. Now I’m in Germany, have taken one direct flight and a train to get there. I’m packing up to leave the hotel and realize the expansion zipper slider has gone completely AWOL. I’ve yet to try to argue with them to cover that repair but this bag has been a complete letdown and I’ve taken a Samsonite Pro carry on 20+ sometimes complex trips for comparison. So I don’t trust this suitcase to last at all, and their warranty is a pain given shipping a suitcase isn’t all that economical. If you look around flight attendants don’t use them much anymore. More on reddit.com

Baseline or ZDX. ZDX or Baseline. I couldnt decide. So, taking a great recommendation from my fellow redditors, I ordered both a ZDX Medium Spinner and a Baseline Medium Spinner to compare for myself. Take this comparison with a grain of salt, because I’ve now had both bags for only a short while. I took both on a car trip, and the Baseline only through an airport, to see what wife, kids, and I, each preferred. Bottom line: While the individual differences are subtle, they do add up. Ultimately, we’re going with the Baseline, full speed ahead. The following review/comparison is not meant to be in-depth whatsoever. After all, I’ve had these 2 pieces of luggage for less than a month, used once for a 3-day trip in the car, and the Baseline through the airport on a single round-trip. So absolutely no long-term testing here. But hopefully others will find it helpful, at least as a starting point. Looks-wise (which I don’t personally care about), the ZDX wins. This is all about personal preferences, but myself, my wife, and all kids felt the ZDX looks more modern with its curved corners vs the boxy design of the Baseline. And the ZDX is a bit lighter. That’s probably the 2 key advantages of the ZDX. Otherwise, while they share some common features (for instance, the telescoping handles seemed identical on both), it was pretty much unanimous that the Baseline is just a better piece of luggage. The way the top and side handles are attached on the Baseline feel far more secure, the zipper pulls on the Baseline are superior (solid & substantial vs cut-out on the ZDX), and the wheels on the Baseline, which are solid instead of having holes like on the ZDX seem like they will hold up better over time (and less opportunity to grab and get junk stuck in them). For sure the exterior material finish on the Baseline has not only a better feel (ZDX feels almost plastic-like even though it’s a tight weave nylon), the Baseline exterior seems like much thicker/heavier duty, and the corner reinforcements on the Baseline are also more substantial and provide greater protection than on the ZDX. Probably why its about a pound or so heavier than the ZDX overall. On the inside, they are both roomy, intuitive to pack and easy to expand/collapse. The CX compression system on the Baseline is cool and easy to use, but the ZDX expansion and compression system is also simple and quick to use. The suiter on the Baseline is a nice feature, though less useful in today’s more casual world and I plan to remove the pieces that are removable as I rarely travel with suits or clothes that would benefit from using it. All the above isn’t to say the ZDX is not good. Actually, its amazing, and would be a measurable upgrade to my TravelPro Maxlite4’s which are all being retired. In fact, I think compared to some of the other options I was previously considering (TravelPro Maxlite5 and Platinum lines, as well as a few other manufacturers) the ZDX would best them all. Its just that compared to the Baseline, the ZDX is outclassed. As far as warranty, I believe both the Baseline and ZDX have equally great lifetime warranty and service, which, coupled with the fact that there’s a service center near me, is what drew me towards Briggs & Riley in the first place. Considering the pricing for the ZDX, and the incremental cost increase to go with the Baseline, and that (at least in my mind) this is the last luggage(s) I will buy, it just made sense for us to pony up the cash and have no regrets. I plan to wait until a sale to purchase the remaining pieces of luggage we need for our family. If cost isnt a limiting factor, then Baseline FTW. More on reddit.com

In 2009, I purchased two soft-sided two-wheeled Samsonite check in size suitcases. They cost me $90 each on sale. My son and I have used them every other year to travel to Istanbul. Also, my son uses the Samsonite when visiting my parents, about 4x a year. My fiance and I have used them 4x together for domestic travel. Even with the Samsonite costing twice as much now, I fail to see the added value of an $800 Briggs & Riley. Sometimes, the absolute best is unnecessary. More on reddit.com

I realized I’m not going to change your mind, but 4 wheels for carry on makes your life easier going down aisles of the plane. Also, it sounds like you really want BR. My recommendation is to just get what you want. Otherwise, you will end up spending even more since you’ll still be itching to buy BR after you get the Travel Pro More on reddit.com