Samsonite vs Coolife: Which Brand Should You Choose in 2024?

If you want to get a piece of luggage but are stuck between the two most popular Samsonite and Coolife luggage brands, you’re not alone; there are hundreds of travelers who go through the same problem. You may be worried about the real-life durability, performance, features, and warranty of both brands, but don’t worry; this is what you and we are here for.

We’ll guide you through everything that sets them apart from each other. Apart from this, we’ll also let you know about the benefits and drawbacks of both brands so you can make the perfect decision.

By the end of this Samsonite vs Coolife guide, we’ll also tell you about our point of view and give you a final suggestion to make your decision faster and better.

Benefits and Drawbacks of Samsonite

The Good

• Excellent build quality: Samsonite mostly uses polycarbonate, which is the most durable plastic material. This material is not only lightweight but also flexible; therefore, their suitcases last for years and are very less likely to break or crack.
• Great Warranty and Service: Samsonite does not offer a lifetime warranty; however, they come with three types of warranties, but what you mostly get with your luggage is the ten-year limited warranty that covers only manufacturing defects. Their warranty and customer support are good, but you might face a little delay in response.
• Thousands of Customers’ Reviews: Samsonite has gotten the most positive reviews of any other brand. They got thousands of reviews and returned customers. We hardly see negative reviews talking about the durability. However, there are some negative reviews talking about poor-quality wheels and Zppers.
• Premium Design: Samsonite luggage looks quite appealing, but not to the same extent as American Tourister. Each piece of luggage has a different and unique design and appearance. So whatever your expectations are, you’ll surely get something valuable.
• Wide Range of Products: They’ve got a wide range of products targeting different types of people and different purposes. All of their suitcases come with different size options. Most of their suitcases come in three sizes: carry-on, medium-checked, and large-checked.

The Bad

• Limited Packing Capabilities: Samsonite suitcases lack good organization. They don’t come with enough pockets to organize small items like chargers, cables, and other items. However, their newer versions are doing pretty well in terms of organization.
• A Few Models are Expensive: Samsonite is known to be more affordable, but their few models are expensive; I’d say they’re overpriced. They’re really worth the money.

Benefits and Drawbacks of Coolife

The Good

• Good Customers’ Reviews: Despite being an affordable brand, Coolife has been reviewed better than any other luggage brand. Their suitcases are rated between 4.3 and 4.8 stars out of 5, which is really good considering it is the cheapest brand. Even the middle-class or premium brands don’t reach this level.
• Durable Enough for Moderate Use: If you travel 4 to 5 times a year, you can definitely look towards this brand, but if you travel frequently, this brand is not for you. Collife luggage is likely to last 3–5 years if used moderately.
• Extremely Affordable: Considering the quality, features, and performance, this brand is extremely affordable. They’re now one of the cheapest luggage brands, and they surely offer the best value for money.
• Equipped with Useful Features: In terms of features, Coolife is not that rich but still offers those features that you need during your travel. The good thing about Coolife is that they offer TSA locks in almost all of their suitcases. Apart from this, they also come with expandable zippers, dual or single-spinner wheels, and an adjustable handle. They also offer some suitcases with laptop compartments and zipperless options.
• Great Design: Coolife gives a minimalistic and sleek design to their suits. Despite being an affordable brand, their suitcases seem like middle-class or premium suitcases. They never appear to be cheaper.

The Bad

• Not a Reliable Warranty: Their warranty is useless; Coolife provides you with a warranty for two years. But in real life, their warranty has nothing to do with anything. Instead of claiming a warranty for your luggage, just get a new one.
• Not good for frequent travelers: If you’re a frequent traveler, my advice to you is to go with other brands like Travelpro or Briggs and Riley. But if you travel less frequently, you can go with this brand. For occasional and seasonal traverses, Coolife is a solid choice.

Key Differences: Samsonite vs Coolife

Is Samsonite more durable than Coolife?

Samsonite and Coolife both fall into the category of affordable brands. However, Coolife is even more affordable and cheaper than Samsonite.

For hardside luggage, Samsonite mostly uses polycarbonate, which is the most durable and long-lasting plastic material. We rarely find any negative feedback about the durability of materials, and they can be used frequently and last for a longer period of time.

When it comes to Coolife, they mostly use a mixture of ABS and polycarbonate. Polycarbonate is mostly used by premium brands like Tumi, Ruimova, and Away for its strength and durability. On the other hand, ABS is the least durable material and is frequently used by cheaper luggage brands like Lucas. But Coolife plays in the middle, combines both materials, and outperforms other cheaper brands.

For softside luggage, both brands use polyester, but Coolife has also used Oxford cloth in some of their models, which is a little more durable than polyester. For aluminum luggage, Coolife uses an aluminum frame, which is more durable than ABS.

So summing up, if you’re a frequent traveler, Samsonite is the perfect choice for you, and investing in Samsonite is far better than that of Coolife. However, if you’re an infrequent or occasional traveler, Coolife is a solid choice and offers the best value for money.

Related: Samsonite vs. Traveler’s Choice: Which Brand Should You Choose?

Which brand offers more features in loaded luggage?

Both brands, Samsonite and Coolife, do a good job in terms of features. The good thing about Coolife is that they offer some features that no other brand in the same price range offers. So let’s take a look at each of the features.

Zippered and Zipperless Compartments

Both Samsonite and Coolife make mostly zippered suitcases because that’s what people ask for today. Besides this, both of them also make zipperless suitcases. Because zipperless suitcases are more secure and offer better security,

You might have heard the news that things are stolen from checked luggage because of zippered suitcases. A zippered suitcase can be opened with the help of a point-ball pen; it becomes even worse when it can be closed normally without any evidence.

A zipperless suitcase cannot be opened with anything. It’s locked or opened with the help of two clips. So going with a zipperless option is more secure and provides you with better security.

Basic Packing Organization

Samsonite and Coolife couldn’t score well in packing organization. Both of them offer basic packing options. Both brand suitcases come with a main compartment that opens into two parts, one with a zippered divider and the other with elastic straps.

Samsonite and Coolife could have provided suiter compartments, laundry bags, and more pockets to store small items. If they did it, people would be more interested in buying from these brands.

Expansion Capability

Expansion is one of the most important features and becomes even more important, especially when returning from a trip. It can spoil your travel experience when you want to stuff some additional items in your luggage but find no space left.

This is where expansion comes into play; it helps you keep more items in your luggage and organize them in a better way. Let’s talk about Samsonite first.

Samsonite offers these features in almost every model that can help you expand your luggage up to 1.5 inches, but sometimes they go beyond that and come with 2 inches of expansion capability in some of their models, like the Samsonite Omni PC.

But this is not the case with Coolife; some models are expandable, while others are not. More importantly, they most of the time offer expansion capability in only their largest suitcases.

So keep this in mind while deciding whether Coolife luggage is expandable or not.

TSA-Approved Lock

Samsonite and Coolife both offer TSA locks, which is excellent. But with Coolife, it becomes even more amazing because, generally, TSA locks don’t come with affordable suitcases, and Coolife provides them even with soft suitcases.

If you don’t know what a TSA lock is, a TSA lock is simply a combination lock for the main compartment that is locked and opened with the help of 3-digit numbers. Once you lock your luggage with your specific code, no one can open it except you and TSA security agents.

Spinner Wheels

When it comes to wheels, both brands offer two types of wheels: single-spinner wheels and dual-spinner wheels. With dual spinner wheels, moving with luggage becomes even smoother and provides better stability.

Single wheels are also excellent, but with dual spinner wheels, the total count of wheels becomes eight, which helps your luggage be more stable and perform even better on rough and uneven surfaces.

The best examples of dual-spinner wheel suitcases are the Samsonite Omni 2, Samsonite Evole SE, and Coolife Expandable PC ABS.

Laptop Compartment

The good thing about both brands is that both brands make some carry-ons that are equipped with laptop compartments. Brands claim that their suitcases can fit laptops up to 13 inches, but in real-time, they’re even better and can fit laptops up to 15 inches. If you’re a tech-savvy person, that’s good news for you. You can store tablets or documents as well.

USB Port

This is an important feature that comes with modern suitcases. This becomes even more important if you’re a tech-savvy traveler; you need to charge your devices frequently.

This feature helps you charge your devices conveniently. You can charge your phone, tablet, and other small devices and stay connected with the world. This feature is especially helpful while waiting at the airport.

Also Related: Lucas vs. Samsonite Luggage Brands Comparison

Which brand is better at staying within the airline’s size guidelines?

Staying within and following the airline guidelines is a crucial factor that you must consider before buying any piece of luggage.

For carry-on, the most common size guideline that the majority of airlines follow is 22 x 14 x 9 inches. Fortunately, both brands keep the sizes of their carry-on suitcases within this limit, but sometimes they exceed it a little, which is clearly okay. You don’t have to face any problems because this is the safest size, and this limit slightly varies from airline to airline.

For checked luggage, the most common and followed by most of the airline size guidelines is the 62-line-inch rule. 62 linear inches is basically a rule that means that the sum of your suitcase’s height, width, and depth should not exceed 62 inches.

Unfortunately, most of the time, Samsonite’s largest checked luggage exceeds this limit, which sometimes forces them to pay a penalty during the check-in process. However, sometimes you might not have to worry about it; it really depends on the airlines. But Coolife takes it seriously, keeps even the largest luggage within the limit, and follows the 62-inch guideline.

This is where Coolife outperforms Samsonite; despite being a reputed brand, Samsonite doesn’t take it into consideration.

Is Coolife really more affordable than Samsonite?

We don’t say that Coolife is the cheapest luggage brand, but when we compare it with other brands, it’s surely one of the most affordable brands. Their products are extremely affordable.

For carry-ons, you can easily get a piece of softside carry-on luggage for between $50 and $90, while a hardside carry-on costs between $50 and $100. If you need a set of luggage, you can easily get it for around $200.

When we compare it with Samsonite, Samsonite is not the most expensive, but definitely more expensive than Coolife. Samosnite’s best value-for-money products are Samsonite Omni PC, Samsonite Omni 2, and Samsonite Freeform. You can easily see a price difference of $20 to $50 between both brands.

In my opinion, both brands offer excellent value for money, but investing in Samsonite is a more logical and wise decision if you can spend a little more.

Does Samsonite come with a better warranty and service?

When it comes to warranty, Samsonite does a much better job than Coolife. Samsonite comes with different types of warranties: 3-year, 5-year, and 10-year warranties. What you mostly get with your luggage is the 10-year warranty.

But the important thing that you must be aware of is that they cover only manufacturing defects. Any damage caused by improper use, airlines, rough handling, or normal wear and tear is not covered.

They’re good at support, and sometimes their response requires more patience. In order to get your luggage repaired, you can either visit a nearby Samsonite store or directly send it to the repair center. For that, you’ll have to pay shipping costs, which are around $20.

You can also contact Samsonite if you need any kind of assistance. You can easily contact them, and they will guide you through the process.

When it comes to Coolife, their warranty is almost useless. They offer a two-year warranty, and they also don’t cover manufacturing defects. You might get a one-year additional warranty if you write a positive review for them.

The terms and conditions are somewhat similar for both brands, and the shipping cost is also not covered; you’ll have to pay it on your own. Most of the customers say that their warranty is unsuccessful.

Also read: Samsonite vs. Delsey Paris: Which Is the Better Luggage Brand?

Customers’ reviews and ratings about Samsonite and Coolife

Since the establishment of Samsonite, it has been continuously growing. Samsonite is one of the best-reviewed and rated luggage brands. Their scores are rated between 4.4 and 4.8 out of 5, which is really impressive.

The majority of the customers are fully satisfied with the brand. We rarely found reviews talking about the poor quality of the material; most customers claim that the quality of the material is excellent, especially for hardside suitcases.

There were a few bad reviews as well, talking about the poor quality of the zippers and wheels. Some customers also claim that the quality of Samsonite suitcases is not the same as it used to be ten years ago. So a little decline has been noticed, but overall, customers are extremely satisfied with Samsonite.

When it comes to Coolife, their suitcases secured a rating between 4.3 and 4.8 stars out of 5, which is more than that of Samsonite. No brand is close to Coolife in terms of ratings and reviews. Each model has an excellent rating, which means no model has a poor rating that is not easy to digest.

There is one main reason why Coolife got this.

You’ll notice Coolife delivers a small card with their suitcase, asking the customer to write a review on Amazon and telling them that if they do this, they’ll extend their warranty by one more year or offer a gift card. This encourages customers to leave positive reviews even after not using suitcases for a long time.

If Coolife didn’t do this, they would be rated more poorly. Coolife uses this tactic, but that does not mean their suitcases are bad. Their suitcases are good enough, but a few reviews talk about poor-quality zippers, wheels, and hardshells. That is what is expected from a cheap brand.

In real life, their suitcases look even more appealing than in pictures. Most people are satisfied with the products. But the fact is that their suitcases are not for heavy or frequent travelers.

Also Read: Samsonite vs. American Tourister Luggage Brands

Closing Thoughts: What should you choose?

If you’re someone who is a business traveler or frequent traveler, Coolife is not the perfect choice for you. Because frequent travel requires luggage that is exceptionally durable and has a warranty to provide you with peace of mind,

You can choose Samsonite luggage; they’re durable, affordable, and well-reviewed, and they’re also backed by a 10-year warranty. But there are still certain brands like Travelpro or Briggs and Riley that offer even more durability at a slightly higher price, and these brands are the best for frequent travelers.

If you’re tight with your budget and looking for something cheap that offers the best value for money, Coolife becomes the best option. Coolife suitcases do a good job for those who want to go on vacations or travel occasionally. They’re well-reviewed, more affordable, and offer essential features.

Also read: Samsonite vs. Travelpro: Which One Is Better?