Hello!

13 Comments

Choice have revealed paying top dollars for something doesn’t always guarantee the best.

Choice have found that Kmart suitcases, costing less than $50, are among Australia’s best, out-ranking leading brands with prices up to $579.

Affordable carry-on suitcase options from Kmart and Big W out-ranked luxury brands like Antler and Samsonite, leaving consumers more room in the travel budget to spend on their holiday.

Sixteen top luggage options were put to the test and rated for water resistance, durability and stability – with two Kmart suitcases achieving an 86 per cent rating, either in line or out-ranking others priced $200 to $579.

A $49 soft body Kmart Active & Co suitcase and a $38 Kmart Hard Case came off strong after the tests to withstand different weather conditions and bumps along all sorts of surfaces, according to Choice.

suitcasesuitcase 2

The $49 case’s overall performance score of 86 per cent was equal to the study’s $239 top performer the American Tourister Curio, however the price tags are marginally different.

Read the results here

List of top 10 suitcases

  1. American Tourister Curio: 87 per cent score. RRP $239
  2. Flylite Pro-Lite 54cm: 86 per cent score. RRP $200
  3. Samsonite 72 Hours DLX: 86 per cent score. RRP $329
  4. Kmart Active & Co: 86 per cent score. RRP $49
  5. Big W Jetstream: 86 per cent score. RRP $70
  6. Kmart Hard Case: 86 per cent score. RRP $38
  7. Skylite 56cm Spinner Carry On: 86 per cent score. RRP $40
  8. Delsey Chatelet 55cm: 85 per cent score. RRP $499
  9. Delsey Montmartre Air: 85 per cent score. RRP $289
  10. Antler Oxygen — 85 per cent score. RRP $289

Share your comments below

Image via Kmart

We may get commissions for purchases made using links in this post. Learn more.
  • It’s great to see these brands being recognized for cheap quality items. I purchases a collection of Kmart suitcases over 5 years ago now and they have endured 6 different overseas adventures. I originally purchased them because they had a long warranty period like 2 years. I was doing three trips within a year so if they were going to deteriorate it would have been within that period.

    Reply

  • Will look at one of these soon – my carry on case already weights 2.5kg before I put anything in it. I usually only travel for a couple of days, so need something lighter.

    Reply

  • Why pay more when you don’t need to!

    Reply

  • I love kmart. Great items at disposable prices.
    Luckily they also have a great return policy so you don’t need to be afraid to try something out.

    Reply

  • K Mart has some good products. :)


    • Our old suitcases of another brand name have lasted and lasted. Some people do buy new ones all of the time – I do get saddened by the over consumption of goods.

    Reply

  • I’ll sure look at Kmart first for buying suitcases !

    Reply

  • This is good info, we’re off on a holiday soon and could do with anew case or two! Travelling on my own with 4 kids I certainly don’t want any wheels getting stuck.

    Reply

  • As someone who used to work in an electronic retailer, I came to realise sometimes non branded products were EXACTLY the same as the branded products, but labelled and advertised differently. This was the same for 1 product with different brands across different retailers.
    Don’t get me wrong, sometimes brand makes a difference, warranty, support, availability for parts, but sometimes there is no difference in brand vs non branded products. That’s why I love Kmart, you can get good prices on things that brand doesn’t matter.

    Reply

  • Thanks next time l need one l am off to Kmart!

    Reply

  • What a lot of people fail to believe is that Store brand name products are made by companies that also sell products with their own brand name on them. The quality may vary a little bit but they will be a lot cheaper. The products are covered by the same laws. The same thing applies to food too. Sometimes the ratio of the ingredients are different for the “generic” brands

    Reply

  • I’m a KMart addict! I go in for one thing and come out with a bunch of other things I didn’t even know I needed lol

    Reply

  • I love that. Cheap price and very good quality! That’s what I like!!

    Reply

Post a comment
Add a photo
Your MoM account


Lost your password?

Enter your email and a password below to post your comment and join MoM:

You May Like

Loading…

Looks like this may be blocked by your browser or content filtering.

↥ Back to top

Thanks For Your Star Rating!

Would you like to add a written rating or just a star rating?

Write A Rating Just A Star Rating
Join