I won't make it brief, but dramatic I shall:
without having high expectations, I got 4 of these for the sole purpose of ONLY rolling my set to / from car to / from stage. they've done that trick. so far.
HOWEVER: should you ever plan to grab this case by its shoulder straps and attempt to lift it – well, up to your shoulders, they will snap my friend. just like it did in the hands of a fellow musician, who was helping me out at a gig. same case, same strap failed other mates too. at the 1st bloody attempt. virgin bags, 1st attempt. regular weight congas.
now in the bag was a proper rare and dare I say top shelf custom MANANA percussion conga, of which brand I happen to be the founder and artisan of. I'd be really, I mean REALLY pissed if it fell and broke, but luckily it did not do so as the strap failed early on the way up to those shoulders.
so my mixed opinion so far is that the material choice and construction quality of these is on one hand acceptable as zippers still work and the contraption still has its wheels.
on the other hand: SHAME on you gator, this is utter GARBAGE. with selling this as a trustworthy product you are risking breaking an instrument. not on the 23.542nd use, but straight out of the bag.
now restoring a broken conga is a real pain and often doesn't even worth the cost. think high-end custom and vintage congas: big trouble if that drops.
I was so pissed that I immediately cut off the shoulder straps of all bags at the venue to avoid any road or friend ever attempt lifting it up using those. being able to cut them with a surprising ease again reassured me of the shit material these are made from.
best regards,
MANANA percussion
proper instrument maker
