Delsey Luggage

I have always used Travelpro, Tumi and Andiamo Valoroso luggage for all of my domestic business travel and have been very pleased with every piece I own. Since weight isn't a factor for my carry on pieces, I've never really had to think about that for my own use.

However, when it came time to send my daughter to Europe for 3 weeks the four main criteria were:
1) ruggedness
2) weight
3) space
4) price

1) Ruggedness: Delsey Helium is well constructed and did not look like it would fall apart. The Delsey Logo looked a little big and seemed like it was a candidate for breaking off, possibly, but who cares about that?

I have learned over the years that it doesn't matter what the brand or price of luggage is when it breaks, when a wheel stops rolling, a handle falls off, etc. It doesn't matter what the warranty is. Because luggage always fails when you least want it to and when it does it makes travel infinitely more difficult. The Helium is durable and tough and it made the journey unscathed, it's a little dirty in a few places, but that's to be expected since the color is a bright blue, not black which is more forgiving of dirt. I'll clean the bag up with some industrial alcohol and it will look like new.

2) Weight: Travel to Europe is getting tricky. Airlines are looking for ways to pay for fuel and one way they have done that is by charging fees for bags and enforcing weight restrictions. This is important to the airlines since weight adds to their fuel costs.

You have to be very careful about the weight. I bought a digital luggage scale for $25 and weighed the various pieces of luggage that I was interested in and the Delsey Helium was one of the lightest. Note: the non-digital scales I tried were off by 6-8 pounds, so the digital scale was indeed a better buy. Another good pick is the Eagle Creek Load Warrior, in this category. The Helium is lighter than a lot of other similar sized rollers - which means we could pack more clothing and necessities and stay under 50 lbs.

We weighed the bag after it was packed and it came in at 49.7 lbs.

Since she had a leg from one US city to JFK and then JFK to Athens and then Athens to the final destination there were multiple legs that could have incurred extra baggage fees for exceeding the 50 pound limit. Those fees would FAR EXCEED the cost of the luggage, regardless of what the luggage cost.

3) Daughters need to carry a lot of stuff. We are talking hair driers, hair straighteners, hair this, hair that, lots of electronics. The capacity of the Delsey Helium is on par with other 25" luggage in its class and it has a more or less standard layout with pockets, etc.

4) Price - well, as I mentioned, the key factors for me were reliability and weight but the Helium is also very competitively priced. I could buy 2 or 3 pieces of the Helium for the price of, say, a Valoroso. So I bought the 25", the 21" and the carryon. This luggage is tough to beat from a value standpoint. (Note: I have had 22" luggage that didn't fit in the overheads, so I travel with a 21" Travelpro and find the 1" makes a huge difference in portability with no significant loss of capacity.} I was please to see that Helium went with a 21" instead of a 22" carryon rollaboard as it is a more practical size in the real world.

So, the litmus test was being bounced around, loaded down, carried around and making the trip without incident, exactly what I look for in luggage. All while keeping weight and price to a minimum.

I should add that it's useful to take the digital scale with you. That way when you load your (expandable) bag with souvenirs, etc. you can re-weigh it at various times along the way to make sure you can distribute your stuff in the different bags and carryons as your trip progresses accordingly without incurring extra charges. If you do exceed the weight limits, consider shipping stuff back via UPS, etc. as that will likely be substantially cheaper than the weight penalty fees.

I bought this product 9 months ago and only used it on 2 trips and the zipper pull broke off on one of the zippers. I can't find Delseys phone number or company address because they took down the contact us and customer service information off of their website as of 1/08/2008. I had to find their address via the Better Business Bureau and still can't reach them. Dont buy this luggage unless you want to use pliers to open your bag.
They are not honoring their warranty.

I bought the entire set in blue and it's great for travelling on the plane because it's so lightweight (can pack more stuff). Rolls really well and the bright color is easy to recognize in the mass of black luggages on the carousel. Unfortunately, the first time I took the 25" luggage on the airplane to Canada, it ripped at the seam at one of the bottom corners. Note that I did not overpack as I had to keep it under 50 lbs. I don't know if it was mishandled by the airline or if the luggage is just a bit flimsy. I have travelled abroad many times and used even cheaper brands of luggage that had withstood the airline handling. So I am a bit disappointed in the durability as warranty does not cover 'normal' wear and tear from airline handling even though it was my first time using it.

This 25" Delsey Helium luggage went through four airport changes and four weeks of travel in Italy this summer and held up perfectly... no breakage, tears or scuffs. I have to say this is a great piece of luggage; either that or the Lufthansa airline handlers really know their stuff and know how to handle luggage. I would highly recommend this luggage and the color (sky blue) as is beautiful and easily recognizable on the baggage carousel. A+! Delsey Helium Fusion 25" Expandable Suiter

I really liked this luggage, especially the weight and the amount that could be packed in it. However, recently on an extended trip, the extension handle would not work (i.e. extend), making it basically a useless piece of nice luggage. It is hard to describe how hard it was to carry luggage that you are accostomoed to rolling. I ended up leaving the luggage behind at that stop on my journey. I don't know if any others have had the same issue, which I have never had with any piece of luggage, no matter how cheap or expensive.

This expandable piece of luggage shows that Delsey makes the best! This piece of luggage expands easily and you can easily secure a suit (or maybe two if you're careful) within the case; it's remarkable but nothing will happen to them. That alone amazes me--no matter how they handle my bags at the airport, this piece of luggage comes through sturdy; and the contents, including my suit, remain unwrinkled! This is also pretty lightweight when you carry it empty.

There are several additional compartments to hold other items for you; and in my experience, at least, the zippers have always worked very easily without any resistance. The handle on top is quite well manufactured; it just plain feels firmly attached and well constructed. In addition, the pull-up handle to roll this along on its wheels behind you is also very easy to work--it's all child's play.

You can't go wrong with this 25 inch suiter trolley by Dorsey in terms of its quality. As of the time I am writing this, there's only one thing to keep in mind: airline rules about the size of a bag they will let you check without assessing you an "oversized bag" fee. As of today, you'll be in the clear with most airlines but, of course, double-check with your carrier first! The airline I fly with uses a formula; they add up the number of inches of the depth plus the number of inches of the height plus the number of inches of width. In this case (no pun intended), the three measurements total 55 ½ inches, so it's under the limit of 62 inches that my carrier allows me to check without my having to pay an additional fees for an oversized bag.

This is excellent luggage and I highly recommend it! If you can catch a good sale on luggage (and luggage is on sale from time to time), get two! You won't regret it.

Well made, solid construction and durable. Multiple outer pockets for quick access. Handle extends and retracts easily, wheels are well mounted and stable. Interior space is reasonable and allows for a variety of packing options. So far, it has stood up well to airline abuse with no deterioration.

This is the lightest, sturdiest luggage I have ever owned. I especially like the stand/handle on the bottom which make it easy to pickup.

I purchased this suitcase for my son who travelled to Italy on a school trip. I was looking for a durable and as light as possible case as the luggage weight restriction for overseas flights is not only extreme but also very expensive if you go over weight. Not knowing how many souvenirs he might want to bring back, I was trying to get his luggage weight as low as possible. This case is awesome! I couldn't believe how lightweight this bag was when it arrived! It also rolls nicely, has multiple handle options for lifting, and compartments. We packed 5 pairs of jeans, a lightweight jacket, 8 t-shirts, socks, etc., a couple pair of sweatpants, swim trunks, power converter, toiletries - anyway a lot of stuff for a 10-day teenager's trip to Italy. Once full we weighed it and were shocked to see we were still 14 pounds under the limit. Wow! And the nice thing for ladies that need all those extras like a hair dryer, curling iron, etc., etc., we still had plenty of room left in his bag after packing using those handy compression packing bags and didn't even use the expansion on the suitcase. The bright blue was also an added plus as it was easy for my son to identify in the sea of bags whenever he had to claim his baggage. Would highly recommend.

This is not as lightweight as I would have thought. It weighs about 10 lbs empty.
After using this suitcase for a year, 3 of the zipper pulls are broken so it is no longer usable. Very disappointed in this piece of luggage.