Reptile & Amphibian Forums

First the good news..... I got a call from my distributor today. Rubbermaid has brought back the 2200 series of clear boxes (2217, 2218, 2220, 2221, 2224 etc...) They are back in production and will be available within the month.

The bad news..... The prices have gone up. I will post details as I get them. My distributor has the price increase in percentage, but he has to figure out MSRP difference. I will keep you guys up to date.

If the price increase is alot more, I will probably just stick with sterilite, as they are cheaper then what the old rubbermaid prices were anyway. But I think rubbermaid boxes are a nicer and more durable box, IMO. Anyways, this should bring a little good news to those out there searching for the RM boxes.

Sam Craver
Cage Crafters
Cage Crafters

That is good news. I also prefer the rubbermaid boxes, especially when building with melamine. The sterilite boxes are great but are just tall enough to lose a tier when building a 4' tall rack with 3/4" melamine.

Not as big of a deal with thinner plastic racks.

Thanks for the update.

Good news....But I just bought 24 of the 28qt sterilite boxes. I havn't drilled them with air holes yet, is it worth taking them back and getting the Rubbermaid's? I have not started building the rack yet, so I could alter the plans to accomadate Rubbermaid boxes instead. Are the rubbermaid 28qt and 12qt the same height? I'd like to build the rack to accept either box(lidless) on any shelf.

Sorry for all the questions. Any input or personal experience is greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!
Scott

Hi Scott,

I do think it's worth returning the 28 qt. Sterilites. My friend used those in a rack and they all started to sag around the feet on the bottom, making for a very large gap. I was actually able to squeeze my pinky finger into one of the box corners while it was in the rack. I measued every box after two months in the racks and the heights varied by over 1/4".

He junked the the rack and bought the rubbermaids.

But I know many others have had good luck with them.

Thanks for the reply.

That is something I had not considered with the feet. It should not happen with the rubbermaids due to the square "channel" around the bottom.

The Price issue should not be a factor for me on the first rack that I build (I already have 4 of the rubbermaids from several years ago and will not have to buy as many). I wanted to use them in the first place, but when when they couldn't be found, I turned to the sterilite.

Unless I hear raving reviews for the sterilite, I guess I'm headed back to walmart!

Great info...thanks for the time and input!

Scott

Gosh, no wonder nobody likes Sterilite, you're using the wrong tubs The 32-quart, 15-quart, and 6 quart tubs are much better than they're off sizes (4.5 quart, 12-quart, and 28-quart). All have one nice smooth ridge in the bottom. No feet/knobs on the bottom and most of all (and why I prefer them over the Sterilites), they're easier to clean, no knooks and crannies to get into. All of those are available at Target ($5, $3, and $1.29 if I'm not mistaken).
Good luck,
Jason @ Jason's Jungle

Jason,

Thanks for your input.
So as I read your post, I understand that you prefer the Rubbermaids? Is that correct?

Thanks again,..... and for your time,

Scott

Sorry to butt in here, but I've seen Jason's racks in person and think I can answer this one.

He uses the 32 and 15 qt. Sterilites for his racks. They have no feet and are a bit deeper than the typical rubbermaids and the 28/12 qt. Sterilites. As you know I do not like the 28/12 qt. Sterilites due to the feet on the bottom. The 32/15 qt. Sterilites are very nice save for two minor nuances. Sorry if I've already written this...

I have two gripes with the 32/15 qt. Sterilites. The primary one is that the depth limits them to 6 levels in a 4' tall rack constructed from 3/4" material like melamine. Since most material comes in 4' increments I prefer to limit my racks to 4' tall. I can buy a sheet of material and use all cross-cuts, thereby saving a lot of wood.

With the rubbermaids I can fit 7 tiers. Probably a trivial concern, but it's something take into consideration. Not a concern for Jason since he can't easily ship a 4' tall rack.

My other grip with the Sterilites is for venomous species. I used to work with a lot of venomous and opened each box with a snake hook rather than my hands. My hooks did not grip the rim around the 32/15 qt. Sterilites as well as they did that of the typical rubbermaids. When I kept venomous that was another reason to limit my racks to 4'. Much taller and hooking a snake out of the top tier could be problematic.

Chris,

Thanks for relating your experiences, I appreciate the time you've spent on the posts.

I have taken back the 28/12 sterilites and will wait for the Rubbermaids to be remanufactured. 1 extra level per 4' seems to be a more efficient use of space, besides, I keep Rosy Boas (and may get into sand boas), so the extra 1" or so of height per enclosure will not be of much use.

I wanted to use the Rubbermaids in the first place, but had to settle on the Sterilites when the R's were discontinued.

Jason,

Thanks for your input. It was good to hear from people using both products. Thanks for your time!

Thanks All!

Scott

Jason are you refering to #'s 1752, 1754, and 1756 as being the good sterilites?

Thanks
Sam Craver

There must be a serious difference in the different manufacturing processes for sterilite tubs.. I have used the 28 quart sterilite tubs in racks for the past 2 years and I have yet to have a single sag issue or worn out foot issue, or any of the other regularly mentioned problems so many people have with them. (and this includes purchasing sterilite tubs on atleast 4 different occasions with upto 6 months between purchases, so I know they couldn't be from the same raw material batches..
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Randall L Turner Jr.
www.aircapitalconstrictors.com