I guess it also comes down to what you are planning to put in each.
I've a company issue (Ogio) backpack that I use most of the time, except when I'm headed out to the Far East when I use a Briggs & Riley hard-bodied spinner carry-on with an external laptop pocket, as the trips tend to be a bit different in character & most of the time I only need limited documents with me so the backpack does fine. When I need more paperwork & electronic entertainment with me the hard carryon is a better option. Briggs & Riley are expensive though, but on balance, I think worth it.
As far as hold bags go, I used to be a devotee of Samsonite, as I have a bag I bought in Houston about 15 years ago & it's still going strong. Having said that I stopped using it a few years ago and switched to Helly Hansen (mainly) soft bags as I don't tend to pack anything fragile in the hold. I do have two HH trolley bags, one of which goes on holiday with me. My only issue with it is that the stitching on the small external pocket for keys or Ipod or something similar was done too close to the edge of the cloth and it has partially pulled away from the zip. I guess one day I'll need to get out the sewing thread and fix it, but it doesn't impact the use of the bag, so it's low on the priority list. North Face also do the same kind of heavy duty holdalls - either square or barrel shaped made from heavy duty pvc waterproofed fabric and normally with concealed backpack straps - handy if you've multiple bags and no airport trolleys.....
This year however, I've invested in a couple of Eagle Creek Cargo Hauler duffels. They are very light, pack down very small into (provided) packs and appear very robust so far. A little more expensive than HH of NF, but weight was a concern for a couple of trips that justified their purchase. One selling point for me apart from their light weight was a (3rd party IIRC) video showing their use as roof luggage, tied on simply using the existing handles in some rough weather with no ill-effects. Again, I had nothing particularly fragile packed into the bags when I used them and it's proved successful so far.
As with anything, you broadly get what you pay for. I've used a fair variety of cheaper bags over the years and as expected one or two hard trips and they need replaced, but even the high end of the market will get damaged in the worst of the baggage systems, so ultimately you kind of have to accept that luggage is a consumable item if you are doing any kind of business or personal travel.
My only other tip would be if you are based in the US and you can find a US Walmart with old stock "Jeep" trolley holdalls, (as I recall about 75 litre capacity, are dark grey & silver with a square cross section) these are worth snapping up. I last saw them in Walmart a couple of years ago, but haven't been in a luggage section since. I picked up a pair about 10 years ago for USD45 the pair and despite some serious abuse are still usable.
Hope this helps & before anyone asks, no, I am not on a retainer from any of the above manufacturers.