Description
The household this Merax three piece set is for
Three piece hardside sets at 20, 24 and 28 inches exist for one reason: they cover every size a household needs in one purchase, and they nest inside each other so they take up the space of the largest bag when stored. That last point is worth more than most buyers expect. Four separate suitcases in a closet is a genuine domestic problem, and a nesting set solves it.
The buyer this suits is a family or a couple who fly a few times a year and want matching bags in graduated sizes. The 20 inch is the cabin candidate, the 24 inch is the one person for a week bag, and the 28 inch is the checked bag for long trips or for two people sharing. The buyer it does not suit is the frequent flier who would be better served by one good case, or anyone who only ever needs one size, since you pay for three.
Dimensions, and how little this listing publishes
The specification table gives a single figure: 28 by 19.6 by 12 inches. Nothing states whether that is the largest case, the nested stack, or the carton the set ships in, and nothing states whether wheels and handles are inside the measurement. No dimensions at all are given for the 24 inch or the 20 inch pieces, and no capacity in liters is published for any of the three.
On a luggage set, that is the central omission, because the sizes are the entire purchase. The 20 inch piece is the one a buyer intends to carry on, and it is the piece with no published measurement whatsoever. The maker’s bullet says only that the 20 inch carry-on meets carry-on size restrictions for those traveling domestically. That is the maker’s claim and we will not repeat it as fact.
What the numbers you do have imply
The commonly cited United States domestic cabin allowance is around 22 by 14 by 9 inches with wheels and handles counted, but each airline sets its own, budget and regional carriers publish tighter limits, and many international carriers add a cabin weight cap. Meanwhile most airlines cap a checked bag at around 62 linear inches. If the 28 by 19.6 by 12 inch figure describes the largest case, it totals 59.6 linear inches, which is inside the usual limit with a little margin, and that would be a genuinely useful data point if the listing confirmed what the figure refers to. It does not. Ask the seller for the exterior dimensions of each of the three pieces, with wheels included, before ordering.
Shell, wheels, handle and lock
The shell is named as ABS with a textured finish, and the maker describes it as extra strong. Naming the polymer is a useful disclosure that many competitors skip, and the honest description of ABS is this: it is the cheapest of the common suitcase plastics, it is stiff and light, it holds a molded shape and a color well, and it cracks rather than flexes when a corner takes a heavy impact under load. Polycarbonate is the polymer that deforms and returns; ABS does not. On a 28 inch case that will sit at the bottom of a container, that is a real limitation, and it is the main structural trade you are accepting at this price. The textured finish is a genuine benefit for a different reason: it hides the fine scuffing that a gloss shell shows after a single trip.
Wheels are four silent multi directional double spinner casters, meaning four casters with paired wheels. On the large pieces the spinner arrangement is the easier choice, since pushing a heavy case upright beside you beats towing it tilted. The trade is that casters handle cobbles, gravel and curbs badly, they are exposed, they add to the measured depth, and they are the most common single failure point on hardside luggage. On a 28 inch case carrying a full checked load, the casters are the most stressed component in the whole product.
The handle is a three stage telescoping system with an ergonomic grip. The lock description contains a small contradiction: the bullet heading says double TSA lock while the text that follows describes a single three digit TSA combination lock. It is not clear whether the set has two locks per case, one lock on each of two pieces, or simply a copywriting slip. More important is what a TSA recognized lock is: it opens to a universal master key held by screeners, so it deters casual interference and stops a zipper being pulled open in transit. It is not security, and nothing of value should be in a checked bag in any case.
Weight, and the one number the listing does give
The specification table records an item weight of 21.6 pounds. Given the pieces ship nested inside one another, that figure is almost certainly the combined weight of all three cases, and it is the only weight the listing publishes. No per piece weight is given, which is unfortunate, because the per piece weight is what you actually need.
Split proportionally across a 20, 24 and 28 inch set, 21.6 pounds would put the cabin piece somewhere near six pounds, the mid size near seven and the large near nine. That is a reasonable distribution for ABS hardside cases and it is in line with the category, but it is our arithmetic rather than the maker’s data, so treat it as an illustration and not as a specification. The point to take from it is this: on a 50 pound domestic checked allowance, a nine pound empty case takes 18 percent of your budget before you pack, and on a 23 kilogram international allowance the same applies. Weigh the bag before you leave for the airport.
No capacity in liters appears anywhere on the listing, for any of the three pieces, so there is no way to compare the volume against competitors that do publish it.
Warranty, standing and the alternatives
No warranty term appears anywhere in the source data for this product. No length, no coverage description, no exclusion list. On a three piece set that is a real gap, because sets fail one piece at a time and the useful question is whether a single case can be replaced rather than the whole set. Ask before ordering, and ask specifically about damage caused by airline handling, which is the damage checked luggage actually suffers and the exclusion luggage warranties most often carry.
The listing shows 4.4 stars from 1,337 ratings and a position of fourth in the luggage sets chart. That is a solid score on a reasonable base and it places the set among the better selling options in its class. Comparable three piece hardside sets on this site include the SHOWKOO three piece set, the Coolife three piece set and the UKEIN three piece spinner set. If you want a larger configuration, the LONG VACATION six piece set goes further, and the Travelers Club Midtown hardside set is a branded alternative. Browse luggage sets and suitcases for the rest of the field.
Who should buy it and who should not
Buy it if you want three matching nesting hardside cases at a low price, you accept ABS rather than polycarbonate, and the textured finish and combination lock appeal. Do not buy it if you need to check the 20 inch piece against a cabin sizer, because no dimensions for it are published; if you need per piece weights or capacities, since neither is given; or if you want a written warranty, because this listing states none.
