My luggage has always been the cheapest thing in the market. I took pride in that fact. I couldn't get my head around the fact a piece of luggage could cost more than an airline ticket to a different continent. So, last spring, when leaving Malaysia, I picked up another cheap 28" hardshell. It cost the equivalent US $33.
We didn't take it to New Hampshire in May as we took just backpacks. However, that bag did go on both our Alaskan and New England cruises last summer and fall. In November, it returned to Malaysia on our stopover. After that, the same bag landed on the Sri Lankan luggage carousel with a cracked corner. Damn! When we left a few weeks ago, we did pack it full of stuff and returned to Kuala Lumpur. The crack didn't get any larger; however, the writing was on the wall. I gifted the broken item to Jay's elder sister and she managed to get the poor thing back to Sri Lanka. However, I hear it now has a broken wheel too. I used to boast that it was my first suitcase with eight.
I had to search for another 28" bag and feel as though I learned my lesson about going cheap. I do not like the construction of nearly all of the hardshell ones because a little zipper is the only thing holding it all together. That's a tremendous point of stress when it's filled with 30 kilograms of junk and being thrown about by airport staff.
This big bag had a sticker boasting it was unbreakable. It cost more than I ever remember spending on luggage during my whole life. It also was on a remarkable sale at 70% off. I paid over US $102! I like the fact it has latches and a seal. It remains to be seen whether it was worth spending the extra or not. I did run and buy a matching carry-on, my first of that category ever. I paid almost as much for one-third the amount of plastic.