Samsonite Pulse Dlx Lightweight 2 Piece Hardside Sets Review

Samsonite luggage has been producing suitcases, duffels, hard shell and soft, as well as over the shoulder bags, and other travel gear for over 100 years now; they’ve established their superior brand as a number one destination for your travel needs. If you’re after a luggage purchase that features the perks of an innovative design, innovative technologies, and long-lasting materials, odds are that Samsonite has a suitcase for you. One of their top selling amazon-exclusive products is the Pulse DLX Lightweight Set which is designed as a compact medium and carry-on combination to cover all your travel needs from a short business trip to an extended vacation. As one of Samsonite’s top products, we think it’s the perfect product to review to get a sense of the brands collection and what they have to offer when it comes down to their set combinations. For instance, are both suitcases in this set necessary? What are the benefits of two suitcases? Are any stronger materials sacrificed in build two suitcases rather than one?

Below we’ve taken a look at each facet of this collection, and offer nothing but the facts of each suitcase from top to bottom.

Unlike your three-piece collection this particular set is designed to negate that extra clunky bag which ends up kicking around. Put simply: two suitcases are easier to handle; two hands, two handles, two suitcases. Rather than go for a full-sized heavier option along with the carry-on, Samsonite chose two suitcases which could essentially replace one another for shorter to longer business trips – a 24-inch medium checked suitcase and a 20-inch small carry-on. This design also features suitcase expansion for up to 15% more packing space per suitcase (for a 20-inch carry-on that’s around 3 extra liters of additional space). Also, for select airlines this design allows you to switch out the larger medium suitcase as a carry-on so long as it meets your national or international requirements; it will also be easier to keep this checked bag under the typically imposed weight limit of 50 pounds. Finally, both suitcases clearly feature a ballistic hard-shell design which offers extra protection, and it makes this luggage ideal for practically any location around the globe.

At 24 inches the larger spinner suitcase offers the standard accepted size of 60 liters (around 4 to 5 outfits with room to spare, depending on how you pack), at this size the suitcase also offers a zippered expansion for up to 2 additional inches of space – 15% more packing room. Next up, the carry-on at 20 inches offers a minimum of 40 liters packing space – neither suitcase has exterior pockets as these are hard shell bags – as well as the expansion for an additional 3 liters (4 liters at a stretch). Other storage features include an innovative interior design which is mirrored in either suitcase with a long ceiling-mounted zippered mesh pocket and elastic cross straps. Together the entire collection offers over 100 liters of packing space for those longer trips up to two weeks.

This samsonite luggage two-piece set is designed with all the perks of smooth traveling which will transport your comfortably from point A to point B. The two-piece set features four spinner wheels integrated into the body of the suitcase with strong steel screws, these allow forward and backward and side-to-side motion for wheeling on all sides of you in a crowded airport or out in urban streets. Additionally, each suitcase is equipped with a long telescopic handle which locks in three positions including flush with the suitcase when not in use. Haul handles are also integrated into the design on both top and sides of the suitcase for easier and safer handling down from overhead bins and luggage carousels. One unique feature for these particular hard-shell bags is the included 3-dial TSA locks as well as their locking zippers made from strong chrome materials. The zipper pulls for this suitcase are rather on the short side which is one definite downside; we suggest carefully zipping this suitcase when it’s stuffed full so as not to break the shorter pull tabs. Finally, interiors feature a water tight inner lining for added protection, a deep recessed mesh pocket, and tie-down straps for your clothes.

For a hard shell both the carry-on and checked medium suitcases prove to be very lightweight at 6.8 and 9.2 pounds respectively. For carry-on purposes the smaller suitcase is ideal for packing to maximum capacity without fear of going over the general 40 to 50-pound weight limit; though we suggest saving the zippered expansion for any extra purchases you bring home from your travels. At 9.2 pounds the Samsonite luggage medium suitcase should also work to save you money; it offers more than 40 pounds of packing potential to skirt under those imposed weight limits while still packing everything you need for an extended vacation. We do suggest that with zippered expansions you check and double check the weight of your suitcases; or that you save the added space for your return trip purchases.

This two-piece collection is designed with two top priorities: storage space and durability. Each suitcase in this set is crafted from 100% ABS materials with a unique textured design that provides the ultimate scratch resistant suitcase. ABS is the cheapest and lightest of hard-shell materials, with the slight downside that it will be weaker than more ballistic materials such as PC and PC film. Other durability features include a thick interior polyester lining that provide water tight protection for your clothing and ensures a dry bag even when your luggage is left sitting exposed on an uncovered trolley outside the airplane. The telescopic handle locks in three positions and pulls-out smoothly without shaking; this element is crafted from very durable aircraft-grade aluminum. The spinner wheels are screwed into the frame of the suitcase – this is ideal to being weakly riveted onto the frame – however, spinner wheels are not nearly as strong as in-line skate wheels which move in a single uniform direction and are crafted from polyurethane. One in-line skate wheel design from Samsonite is their Aspire xLite Expandable Softside Suitcase

The collective style of the suitcases in this set is a chrome business professional style; these suitcases scream sophistication and wealth without being too glittery or too boring. The unique texturing adds a level of class to what would just generally be a hardshell plain color, making either suitcase look better, while the spinner wheels add to the grace of the design in motion. Color options for this collection include black and silver and either design features the leather embossed Samsonite logo somewhere on the bag. Now it is a bit of a let down that the style options are so few – especially compared to similar brands like Coolife with their Hardshell TSA-lock Suitcase Spinner Set – but again, this two-piece collection was clearly designed with storage space and durability as a primary focus.

The carry-on and smallest suitcase in this collection measures in at 20 X 14.25 X 9.25 inches; these dimensions do not include the additional two inches in width when using the zippered expansion. Next, the larger checked suitcase measures in at 24 X 16.5 X 11 inches and also features an unaccounted two inches when expanded. When used together this collection offers close to 120 liters of packing space for a long two-week trip (depending on how you pack). At 24-inches the medium suitcase can be used interchangeably as a carry-on suitcase, but only on select national and international flights (check with your airline); otherwise, most airlines accept carry-on luggage at or under 22 inches. For the best combination on a short business trip, many travelers do a carry-on in addition to a stacking under-seat bag/personal-item – for instance, something like AmazonBasics Underseat Luggage would do just the trick.

This Samsonite bag comes with a great 3-year warranty that will cover the repairs or replacements of any parts, as well as cover fixups on rips and tears so long as they are the fault of a manufacturing or airline error and not the fault of a careless owner. Usually you can contact Samsonite for a luggage consultation and tell them the issue you’ve been having, then typically all shipping costs to their repair facility are paid out of pocket; any repairs or replacements are covered by Samsonite as well as return shipping.

This item was ranked #4 in the list: