Sunday, January 5, 2014

Rac-N-Roll Dance bag vs. Dream Duffel bags & accessories


Rac-N-Roll vs Dream Duffel- Competition & recital dance bags and accessories.
Rac-N-Roll with hanging mirror
Dream Duffel with accessories



We are quickly approaching yet another hectic time of year.  
If you're a dance mom, which is probably why you would be reading this post, then you are gearing up for months of early mornings, long days and or weekends because this month, February, dance competitions officially begin.  Therefore, I thought that this would be a good time to post a comparative analysis of the now well known rolling dance bags that are a dancer's and mom's dream.

Okay- So, I'm going to give you my personal and my professional opinion on the two, the only two companies that provide, what I commonly refer to as "rolling dance closets," a term that I have coined to describe these all-in-one style traveling, on wheels, luggage racks.  Am I bias?  Yes, and here's why.

You should know that I avoided purchasing these bags for quite some time.  Frankly, they cost a lot of money and the shipping isn't free, ever.  This is due to the size of the box.  Once I finally took the plunge and had the opportunity to use the bag/rolling closet, I did a "I could of had a V-8" moment!  These bags are great.  You literally tote everything around in one convenient place.  And the wheels, wow! 

The following comparison is based on two points of view.  1.  A dance mom.  2.  A business owner and supplier of all things that pertain to dance.  It should be noted that I personally own both of these bags, thus my opinions and summaries are based on ownership, other dance moms experiences and customer feedback.

My perspective-
Both of these bags are great.  However, there are a few things that separate them and make one of them better than the other.  Both of the bags have adequate storage pockets and netted pockets for additional storage and organization of items such as hair spray, shoes, tights etc.  The Rac-N-Roll bags come in two sizes, medium and large while the Dream Duffel offers 3 sizes, small, medium and large.  They both hold anywhere from 7-15 costumes.  This solely depends on whether your costumes are bulky and poofy or are your average simple costume.  Weight is not an issue in regards to the total capacity of how many costumes either of the bags hold on the rack. Both of the bags have hooks on the inside that hold your costumes in place when the bag is in an upright position.  Both of the bags are durable, well made and roll smoothly and easily.  Both of the bags are somewhat lightweight and lastly, both of the bags boast colored and pattern options and various accessories.

The main difference-
The rack!  The key and critical component of the bag.  This is where the two bags are completely different and this is what makes the bag so desirable in the first place.  Each company has a different yet similar way in which the rack operates in regards to opening and closing, or going up and down.  The Rac-N-Roll rack has to be assembled (3 quick & easy steps) and disassembled each time you use the bag, which can be cumbersome.  The Dream Duffel rack simply, with a push of the side buttons, goes up and down, with each use.  Here's where the problem is.  The quality of the rack and how it operates!  The Rac-N-Roll bar is very sturdy as are the side bars that support the rack.  The Dream Duffel rack and the side support bars are flimsy and completely unreliable.  I must tell you that with the Dream Duffel you never know if the rack will rise to it's full height every usage or if one side will be lower than the other or whether or not the rack will go down!  It is very frustrating.  I have not once experienced these issues with the Rac-N-Roll rack.

Customer service-
When you contact customer service at Dream Duffel they will, not so politely, inform you that you can order replacement parts plus shipping.  Hello, really?  When the cost of an item is approximately $200.00 the last thing that you want to hear from the representative is that you will incur additional costs for an item that should work well in the first place. 

When you contact Rac-N-Roll you will always receive a very polite and positive response from the service representative.  I will say that if and when you need replacement parts from this company, if the product is out of warranty you will have to pay for the parts and shipping too.  However, I have yet to hear from a dance mom, or receive, from a business perspective, anyone ever having to replace any parts from a Rac-N-Roll product.

Accessories-
Indeed both companies sell accessories.  Hands down, Rac-N-Roll products are superior.  No, Rac-N-Roll does not offer all inclusive packages.  They don't need to.  They offer a hanging mirror, which is a must have, a cosmetics bag, garment bags, which I highly recommend and that's it.  The focus of Rac-N-Roll is to provide quality reliable products that are useful.  Rac-N-Roll offers the necessities, period. Dream Duffel offers fluff stuff that you don't need, won't use and honestly, the quality and usefulness is just not there.

Cost- 
Rac n Roll in Camouflage
Rac-N-Roll, the solid color bag is approximately $10.00 less than Dream Duffel.
Rac n Roll in Purple polka dots
                                                         The pattern bags
are the same price.  The shipping is based on zip code.  RNR ships via Fedex only.  DD ships via UPS only. 


Dream Duffel in purple polka dot
Conclusion-
If you want, the original, "rolling dance closet" which by the way is designed and owned by a dance mom,  is better quality and offers great customer care, then you should go with the Rac-N-Roll product.
If you want a copy (and I mean this literally), a product that has known issues and poor customer care, then go with the Dream Duffel.


If you are interested in more information or would like to purchase any Rac-N-Roll products, then you can visit my website.  I am an authorized dealer and have the lowest prices on the web for RNR products.

All About Attitude Dancewear
Rack Monsters

No comments:

Post a Comment