Owen Brandt

Lead Analyst · Select Gear

Reads owner reviews for a living. Builds the complaint-frequency tables that drive every shortlist on this site. Does not handle the bags.

What Owen covers

• complaint rate
• handle
• zipper

7 pieces on Select Gear

• Best Expandable Luggage Without Overpaying 2026-07-22
  The Travelpro Maxlite 5 wins for expandable luggage, with a gusset zipper that owner reviews describe as staying snug rather than loosening, plus proportionally fewer wheel complaints than Samsonite or Delsey. Most Travelpro complaints involve post-sale service, not the case itself. Budget shoppers should consider the Samsonite Omni PC instead, though it carries a higher volume of wheel durability complaints in owner reviews.
• Level8 vs Monos: Carry-On Without Overpaying 2026-07-20
  Level8 wins on price and packing layout for buyers who don't want to overpay for a hard-shell carry-on, priced around $220 versus Monos at roughly $295. Its weak spot is the zipper pull hardware, with a 50% dealbreaker rate among Business Backpack reviewers who mentioned it. Monos suits buyers who want a lighter interior and a lifetime warranty instead of Level8's five-year term.
• Best Luggage For Red-Eye Flights: Picks That Actually Hold Up 2026-07-15
  Away The Carry-On is the top pick for red-eye flights, with owner reviews showing low zipper and warranty complaint rates and a telescoping handle that locks with less wobble than competitors. The one flaw worth checking is interior space: some owners report the usable width runs closer to 13.8 inches rather than the stated 14.4, so pack accordingly if you fill the case to the edge.
• Level8 vs Tumi: Checked for People Who Fly Every Week 2026-07-01
  Tumi wins for weekly international flyers, according to owner reviews, because its complaint data skips the zipper and durability clusters that show up across Level8's reviews, buying a lower failure rate for around $595. Level8, at roughly $180, is the better pick for domestic weekly flyers, per reviewers, who praise its wheels and interior layout but repeatedly flag zipper pulls separating from the slider and oversize dimensions risking gate-checking.
• Level8 Voyageur 28 Review: What Owners Say About the Wheels 2026-06-02
  The Level8 Voyageur 28" wins on wheels, with owner reviews across the review set reporting smooth rolling and no wheel-related returns even on rough terrain like Atlanta sidewalks and MARTA transfers. The bigger concern is zipper hardware, which reviewers repeatedly flag as prone to breaking clamps or tabs within one or two trips, so pack it carefully and avoid overstuffing.
• Rimowa Alternatives Ranked by Checked-Bag Survival, Per Owner Reviews 2026-05-08
• Sizer-Compliant Carry-Ons to Replace a Cheap Bag That Failed 2026-05-04
  The Travelpro Maxlite 5 Carry-On 21" is the pick for replacing a cheap bag that failed, since owner reviews describe a handle that locks cleanly at two heights and wheels that stay quiet, and specs list it at 21 x 14 x 9, fitting inside American, Delta, and United sizers. Buyers who care more about looks than price should consider the Away Carry-On instead.

How we work

• We do not handle the products. We run no physical tests, no instrumented tests and no hands-on evaluation of any kind.
• The word "tested" on this site refers to testing done by the owners whose reviews we read, over months of real use — not to testing done by us.

Full method: How we score. Corrections and questions: desk@theselectgear.com.