Samsonite vs Rimowa: Which Brand You Should Consider According to Experts

Rimowa is considered among the most durable suitcase luggage brands. Their suitcases are ideal for every type of traveler, especially frequent travelers. They also offer all the essential features that you may require during your travel.

But the question that you might be here for is: Is it worth paying a handsome amount on Rimowa when you can get Samsonite luggage for much less than that?

In this guide to Samsonite vs. Rimowa, we’ll cover all the aspects of both luggage brands while comparing them on different parameters, such as their durability, features, weight, warranty, and appearance.

We’ll also consider the benefits and drawbacks of both of them and finally provide a better solution for you so that you can make the perfect decision and invest your money in the right place. So stay with me to find the hidden truth.

A Quick Overview of Samsonite and Rimowa

Before we jump to the detailed guide to Samsonite vs. Rimowa, let’s take a look at the history of both brands so that you know how they started and what their current positions are. Let’s start with Samsonite.

About Samsonite

Samsonite is among those luggage brands that have a rich history and was founded in 1910. It’s one of the oldest, but not as old as Rimowa. They started with wooden suitcases at the beginning of the 20th century.

With time, they evolved according to the demands of time and adapted new technologies. With their efforts and dedication, they, over a period of time, achieved exceptional success. Now they’re the most popular luggage brand and widely known for their affordability.

Unlike Rimowa, Samsonite targets lower- and middle-class customers who want something according to their preference for their occasional or business travel. They started with suitcases, but now they manufacture backpacks, duffel bags, totes, and other travel accessories.

The good thing about Samsonite is that their stores and authorized dealers are more widely available than any other luggage brand. So you don’t have to face any problems if, for any reason, you need to claim a luggage warranty.

About Rimowa

Rimowa is also one of the oldest luggage brands and has been in the luggage industry for more than 100 years. They’re even older than Samsonite and still relevant according to the demands of this modern age.

Rimowa was founded in 1898 in Germany and was basically known for its aluminum luggage. After more than 100 years, in 2016, they were acquired by the French company Louis Vuitton, which is known as a luxury brand.

They started with manufacturing aluminum luggage, but with time they expanded and included a variety of new products such as backpacks, totes, suitcases, and other accessories. Today, Rimowa is not only known for its aluminum luggage but also for its polycarbonate plastic luggage.

Their suitcases are considered among the most durable and expensive suitcases.

Pros and Cons of Samsonite brand

The Good

• Excellent Build Quality: Samsonite suitcases are mostly made of polycarbonate, which is the most durable plastic material. Not only is it durable, but it is also flexible and lightweight. Their luggage lasts for years without breaking or cracking.
• A Wide Range of Products with Multiple Designs: This is what Samsonite is known for. Samsonite has a wide variety of products with plenty of different design options. So whatever your requirements are, you’ll surely get something valuable.
• Reliable Warranty and Customer Support: Samsonite offers different types of warranties, but what you’ll get with your luggage is basically a ten-year warranty, which only covers manufacturing defects. Their support is also excellent, but sometimes their responses are late.
• Most Affordable Luggage Brand: Samsoinite might seem expensive, but when compared to other brands like Delsey and Travelpro, Samsonite is really affordable, and you can easily get a piece of luggage for under $100.
• Excellent Customer Reviews: Samsonite has gained thousands of positive reviews because of their dedication and efforts. Their products usually get 4.5 stars out of 5, and most customers are super satisfied. However, there are a few negative reviews as well, and they’re mostly related to wheels and zippers.

The Bad

• Limited packing capabilities: Samsonite, mostly suitcases, are very limited in packing organization. They don’t have enough pockets for small items like shoes, chargers, etc. However, their newer suitcases are doing pretty well.
• Some models are expensive. Samsonite is known for its affordability, but some of their models are expensive, and they’re not really worth buying.

Pros and Cons of Rimowa brand

The Good

• Extremely Durable: Rimowa is among the luxurious and premium brands, and their suitcases are extremely durable, like those of Tumi. They mostly use aluminum, polycarboante, and ballistic nylon material for their suitcases.
• Premium and elegant design: Their suitcases have a unique identity and appearance. They always prefer to come up with minimalistic and sleek designs similar to those of other brands, like Tumi. Now, they offer various different color options, like blue, white, gray, and organge.
• Follows the Airlines’ Guidelines: Rimowa is designed in such a way that it fits almost all airlines. Whether you get a carry-on or checked luggage, you don’t have to worry at all. Which is not the case with Samsonite. Their suitcases most of the time slightly exceed the airlines’ size restriction for checked luggage.
• Lifetime Warranty: Rimowa used to offer a five-year warranty, but now they’re offering a lifetime warranty on luggage purchased after July 25, 2022, but they still cover only manufacturing defects. At this price point, we expect an unconditional warranty.
• Customers’ Reviews: Rimvoa has gotten pretty good reviews from customers. We rarely find any negative reviews about the quality and durability. However, a few negative reviews were about the customer service issue and sending different colors.

The Bad

• Overpriced: Their luggage is insanely expensive; the average price of a Rimowa bag is $1200, which is around 600% more than Samsonite. They should keep it around $500 to $600.
• Lack of Additional Features: At this price point, everyone prefers to have every small and big feature, and Rimowa is not capable of fulfilling it. They only offer some basic features like a TSA lock, luggage tags, dual spinner wheels, an adjustable handle, and a flex divider. They should also offer something additional, like a USB charging port and a GPS tracking system, at this price.

Key Differences: Samsonite vs Rimowa

There are plenty of differences between both luggage brands in terms of durability, features, appearance, weight, airline size restrictions, and warranty. Let’s start with durability and take a look at each of them one by one.

Does Rimowa make more durable luggage than Samsonite?

Comparatively, Rimowa is much more durable than Samsonite, although Samsonite’s suitcases are also durable enough. Rimowa uses aluminum material in most of their luggage and suitcases, which is the most durable material used in luggage.

Aluminum usually bends instead of breaking. They’re more resistant to cracking and breaking than any other material, like polycarbonate, ABS, or polypropylene. Even today, Rimowa is known for their aluminum luggage; however, since 2000, they have also started manufacturing plastic luggage.

For which they use polycarbonate material, which is not as durable as aluminum. But when we talk about plastic materials, it becomes the most durable and reliable material.

When it comes to Samsonite, they also make durable luggage, but not as durable as that of Rimowa. They usually don’t manufacture aluminum suitcases. For hardside luggage, they generally use polycarbonate materials, like in the Samsonite Omni PC, Samsonite Omni 2, and Samsonite Winfield 2.

Sometimes they use polypropylene too in some of their hardside suitcases, like the Samsonite Freeform. Polypropylene is also decent in terms of quality but slightly less durable than polycarbonate.

For softside suitcases, Rimowa always prefers going with canvas and full-grain leather, while the Samsonite use polyester. Similarly, softside luggage from Rimowa is also better than that of Samsonite, as canvas and leather are much better than polyester.

Summing up, you can expect that Rimowa luggage can last for 10 years without any issue, while Samsonite can last for 3 to 5 years when used frequently. If you use it occasionally with proper care, it can also stay with you for even 10 years.

Which brand offers better features: Samsonite or Rimowa?

When it comes to features, Samsonite scores far better than Rimowa, even though it’s an affordable and cost-effective brand.

Rimowa offers only the essential features, like TSA-approved locks, dual spinner wheels, luggage tags, and adjustable handles. When it comes to packing and organization, they come with smart packing capabilities, like the adjustable flex divider, which helps you stay organized during your travel and also offers enough pockets for storing small items.

But the important thing to know here is that Samsonite, still being an affordable brand, also offers all the features that Rimowa offers except the flex divider. These features include TSA locks, adjustable handles, and single spinner wheels. They offer dual spinner wheels and a USB charging port in some of their models, like the Samsonite Omni 2 and the Centic 2.

Most importantly, Samsonite offers expansion capacity in all of their suitcases. You can expand your luggage by 1.5 to 2 inches, which can help you pack even more.

However, the build quality of the TSA lock, handle, and wheels is not as good as that of the Rimowa. But they are still durable enough at this price point.

Does Rimowa feel more premium and stylish?

Both brands come with their own unique identity and target different groups of people. To be honest, Rimowa luggage feels more premium, and it’ll definitely enhance your appearance wherever you go.

Rimowa usually follows the same theme with the distinct vertical lines of their aluminum suitcase. They always try to come up with minimalistic and sleek designs similar to those of other brands like Tumi.

Apart from their basic aluminum silver color, they now offer various color options like blue, white, black, grey, and orange. Not only do these colors make your luggage exceptional, but they also make it easy for you to spot your luggage at the baggage carousel.

On the other hand, the Samsonite suitcase appears excellent in terms of design. Basically, the Samsonite customer base is wider than that of Rimowa, and they target every type of travel from lower to middle class. That’s why they focus on coming up with different types of design and style.

Their suitcases are not as premium as Rimowa but still look excellent in terms of appearance. The good thing about Samsonite is that they not only offer multiple design options but also various color options so that you can choose the color according to your preference that can easily be spot on the bagge carousel.

Which brand has earned more positive reviews: Samsonite or Rimowa?

When we compare the reviews that both brands received, we find that Samsonite does a better job than Rimowa. On average, Rimowa got a rating of 4.3 out of 5, which is decent, but compared to that of Samsonite, it’s much lower, as Samsonite gets an average rating of 4.6 out of 5, which is excellent.

Notably, Samsonite’s monthly sales are far higher than those of Rimowa, and they could still maintain an excellent rating. However, it’s important to mention that in the last few years, a little decline has been noticed in the review and sales of Samsonite.

When we talk about Rimowa reviews, we rarely find negative reviews about the quality and durability. They were about small packing capacities, customer service issues, and sending different colors.

But when it comes to Samsonite, the negative reviews were about the zippers, wheels, and handles, but they were very few compared to the positive reviews.

Which brand is more efficient at following the airline’s size restrictions?

Rimowa does much better when compared to Samsontie because Rimowa suitcases are designed in such a way that they fit most airlines, while Samsontie most of the time slightly exceeds the airline’s size restrictions for both carry-on and checked luggage.

For carry-on, the most common allowed size by majority airlines is 22 × 14 × 9 inches, which is 56 × 36 × 23 in cm. Most Rimowa carry-ons follow the guidelines and fit within them. For Samsonite, most of them are over the limit and exceed by 1 to 2 inches. Which means sometimes you may have to pay fees for an oversized suitcase.

For checked luggage, the most common size allowed by the majority of airlines is 62 linear inches. That means the sum of the height, width, and depth of your luggage should be below or equal to 62 linear inches.

Most Rimowa suitcases are below the size restrictions and follow the restrictions, but unfortunately, all Samsonite suitcases, except the Samsonite Base Boost Checked Suitcase, are oversized and don’t follow the 62 linear inches restrictions.

Warranty Terms and Conditions: Samsonite vs Rimowa

Rimowa used to offer a 5-year warranty, but now they have changed the terms and conditions. Rimowa now offers a lifetime warranty for the suitcase purchased from July 25, 2022. Any Rimowa luggage that was bought before the above date will be covered under the 5-year limited warranty.

It’s expected at this price point that they should offer an unconditional lifetime warranty, not one that covers only manufacturing defects.

Rimowa doesn’t cover any defects caused by transportation, accidents, or normal wear and tear. Only manufacturing defects are covered under warranty. However, the shipping cost will be on the brand side; you don’t have to pay if your luggage is under warranty.

On the other hand, Samsonite offers a 10-year limited warranty. They are similar in terms of conditions and cover only manufacturing defects. The shipping cost will be around $10 to $15, which will be paid by you.

Comparatively, both brands have something to offer. Considering the price of both brands, both are excellent, but Rimowa should offer an unconditional warranty because it is a premium brand.

Which brand is more cost-effective?

Considering everything, we have come to know that Samsonite is much more cost-effective than Rimowa. To me, Rimowa is nowhere close to Samsonite in terms of affordability. We understand that Rimowa is much more durable and offers somewhat better features than Samsonite.

But it doesn’t mean that it should be so expensive, and in my experience, they’re really overpriced. If you really want something that can offer excellent durability and features similar to Rimowa at an even lower price, you should definitely check out Briggs & Riley. They offer better value than Rimowa and Tumi.

The average price of a Rimowa suitcase is around $1200, which is around 600% more than Samsonite. That means that they are insanely expensive. You can get around 5 to 6 high-quality suitcases at the price of one Rimowa suitcase, while maintaining excellent built quality and essential features.

Final Verdict: What Should You Choose: Samsonite or Rimowa?

Summing up, if you take my opinion, I’d prefer going with Samsonite. There are plenty of reasons to support my statement. Undoubtedly, Rimowa is better than Samsonite in terms of durability, a little bit in features, and warranty. They also do better than Samsonite when it comes to the airline’s size restrictions for carry-on and checked luggage.

On the other hand, there are various benefits that Samsonite has and Rimowa doesn’t. They’re also quite durable and can last for 3 to 5 years and even for 10 years if used occasionally with proper care. If you’re a frequent traveler, investing 2 to 3 times in Samsonite luggage is far better than that of Rimowa because one single Rimowa can cost you 5 to 6 times the cost of Samsonite luggage.

Samsonite does offer all the essential features that you need during your travel, whether it’s a TSA-approved lock, an adjustable handle, spinner wheels, expansion capability, or even a USB charging port in some of their models. They’ve also earned plenty of excellent reviews and come with a better warranty than Rimowa.

The biggest drawback of Samsonite, in my opinion, is that they slightly exceed the size limits set by airlines, so sometimes you may have to pay an oversized fee and sometimes you may not. That said, Samsonite offers better value for money and can prove to be a great investment for your travel.

I hope this guide helps you. What are your thoughts on both brands? Please let me know in the comment box below.

Have a great journey!