Best storage containers?

[lithdoc]

Hello,

I'm looking into getting some decent storage containers for my home. Particularly, I've been looking into the containers made by Monoflo. Does anyone have any experience with them? I've seen both Costco and HD sell them, but for ~$8-10 each. Are there any other ones you would recommend? Is there any way of getting these for less? Thanks!

 

[Outlawmws]

Depends on what you are storing and where. Those are decent containers, but like all that breed, the taper wastes some space between the containers.

Personally I use a lot of std, moving boxes and bankers boxes for storage, and built one bank of shelves that allows me either three or four wide and two high per shelf, so it's not too much of a pain to get to any one box. That bank goes from about 4' off the floor to the peak of the roof on my back wall of my garage.

A lot of these boxes are now over 30 years old and still going strong.

 

[Modern Jess]

The Costco / Monoflo containers (the ones I'm thinking of are pictured below) are awesome. Way, way, way better than the craptastic ones at Home Depot. It's true that you lose some due to the taper at the bottom, but these things are very rugged and stack extremely well.

<--- Has way too many of them piled up

 

[ZRX61]

The Costco / Monoflo containers (the ones I'm thinking of are pictured below) are awesome. Way, way, way better than the craptastic ones at Home Depot. It's true that you lose some due to the taper at the bottom, but these things are very rugged and stack extremely well.

<--- Has way too many of them piled up

What he said, I've got about 30 of them... Just don't fill them more than half way with ammo though, you won't be able to lift it

 

[Ric in Richmond]

I like these:

http://www.homedepot.com/buy/tough-box-27-gal-tote-207585.html#.UJT56GOe8pM

They are hell strong, stack well, capable of stacking several high, and they seal very well.

 

[Burtonrider10022]

I like these:

http://www.homedepot.com/buy/tough-box-27-gal-tote-207585.html#.UJT56GOe8pM

They are hell strong, stack well, capable of stacking several high, and they seal very well.

Holy **** those are a great deal! At $14 a piece they're cheap enough to grab a bunch. These would be great to find on sale as well.

 

[lithdoc]

My Costco has the Monoflo containers for I think $7.99 each. Do they ever go on sale for any cheaper?

 

[ddawg16]

We like the clear ones for items that you want to see what's inside......only downside to them, the top does not seal completely.

We 'also' use the colored ones. Typically for seasonal items....orange for Thanksgiving....red and green for Xmas....(green has all the lights).

For items that need to be sealed, we use the tubes with the lid that lifts off...but seals pretty good when you snap it on. Downside to these....they don't stack as easy as the above.

 

[larry_g]

A lot of these boxes are now over 30 years old and still going strong.

Curious as to how many of these 30 yo boxes have not had their contents see the light of day in the last 10 years or so? I found that cleaning out the folks' house that some items in there hadn't seen the light of day in 30 plus years. Kinda sad that one generations items of importance is the nexts trash.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[lithdoc]

We like the clear ones for items that you want to see what's inside......only downside to them, the top does not seal completely.

We 'also' use the colored ones. Typically for seasonal items....orange for Thanksgiving....red and green for Xmas....(green has all the lights).

For items that need to be sealed, we use the tubes with the lid that lifts off...but seals pretty good when you snap it on. Downside to these....they don't stack as easy as the above.

I saw the Christmas-colored ones yesterday at HD. They looked very similar to the Monoflo ones at Costco (very likely made by Monoflo as well), but the quality seemed substantially worse - plastics were thinner, flimsier, even warped.

 

[Freefall_Doug]

Holy **** those are a great deal! At $14 a piece they're cheap enough to grab a bunch. These would be great to find on sale as well.

They did look awesome! I got the motivation to get a few and start organizing today. Unfortunately there isn't a home depot within 50 miles that has a single one in stock.

 

[rockchucker]

http://www.graciousliving.com/organization_solutions.php?id=86

I have TONS of these. Some of them with some really heavy stuff in them. You can stack them high. They max out at 400 pounds. I have the old style because I bought them years ago. Great Storage. I just take a Permanent Silver Sharpie to write on the side. If you change what is in the box just wipe off the Sharpie with Solvent/Brakeleen/Alcohol and start with a clean slate.

 

[camarotoolman]

I like the ones from behind the grocery store!

 

[Outlawmws]

I like the ones from behind the grocery store!

You mean the ones that say:

*****Warning *****

Use by other than Registered Owner
Prohibited by Law. $500 Fine Max
Agriculture Code Sec 34576 & 35261 ​

 

[crewchief888]

We 'also' use the colored ones. Typically for seasonal items....orange for Thanksgiving....red and green for Xmas....(green has all the lights).

orange/black for halloween
red indoor decorations
red/green indoor lights
green outdoor decorations
blue/white outdoor lights
blue tree, garland, small wreaths ect.

 

[sophijo]

The folding tops collapse in my experience. The Rubbermaid (snap on top) work well. Not to big and stack nicely. They make them in holiday colors too! After the holidays they go on sale.

 

[lithdoc]

Haha thank you guys for your advice!

I guess it will be a handful of toughboxes from HD and a few of the Costco Monoflos!

 

[Burtonrider10022]

You mean the ones that say:

Did you just copy that off the ones in your garage?

 

[Freefall_Doug]

I don't like people stealing from my garage, why would the various companies totes be different?

 

[ket-tek]

I have like 50 of these around the house, garage, shed, attic. Got them cheap.

They are a good size, not too big, not too small. The taper does kill some packing if your packing in square~ish item tightly.

But on thing to consider, I had a bunch of these stored in an old shed that ended up getting a massive leak directly over them, and most of them took in tons of water through the split lid and ruined most of the stuff in the boxes.

I also had some rubbermaid containers similar to the ones below with the single one piece style lid in the same area, they also got drenched and the insides were all bone dry because the water spilled over the sides.

 

[Cougar]

Last year bought a bunch of them in an after halloween sale at Menards.
Got a really good deal on them. Problem is they're no good, to flimsy.

Spend a little more get some HD ones.

 

[Burtonrider10022]

I like these:

http://www.homedepot.com/buy/tough-box-27-gal-tote-207585.html#.UJT56GOe8pM

They are hell strong, stack well, capable of stacking several high, and they seal very well.

Ok, here's my little "not really a review" review.


I stopped by HD yesterday to grab a few things (FYI they have a pretty good deal on Irwin bar clamps right now) and I took a look at these. Price in store is obviously the same as online, $14. The boxes look well made and sturdy, and have a pretty ballsy claim of a 700 pound maximum weight capacity Walls and top are thicker than the Suzy Homemaker variety, but a little thicker wouldn't have killed 'em... I really have no use for these at this very moment, but these look like a great buy for anyone who needs them.

Food for thought, a comparably sized Rubbermaid tote is in the same price range, but we all know how well those hold up...

 

[PeterT]

FYI the 27gal rubbermaid totes above are 9.97 in my local Cleveland HD stores,, so pricing is based on location.

 

[Burtonrider10022]

FYI the 27gal rubbermaid totes above are 9.97 in my local Cleveland HD stores,, so pricing is based on location.

The Rubbermaid brand that you would by at Target/KMart or are you referring to the Tough Box brand tote in the picture?


EDIT: Also, the HDX brand shelving units they have are actually a decent shelf for the money. THIS ONE. 4 of those Tough Box totes + 1 shelving unit = a lot of storage for roughly $50-$60 plus tax

 

[neel2008]

I am also currently looking for some storage totes to aid in moving here at the end of the month.....thankfully I have a pallet jack and can get some pallets for free and my dad's 6x12 enclosed trailer has a pull down door/ramp so I get to move kinda like the big boys. lol I like those larger and strong totes, and a couple companies I have worked for ship most of their smaller product to their stores in the split top stack together totes and they stack them high enough on pallets to barely fit in a semi trailer.....I wish I would have snagged a couple dozen over the years....being that I'm a cheap ***....I think I'm going to give these 20 gallon ones they have on sale at menards for 3.88 each with lid....atleast for the light stuff...Im not sure how they would work if I titled one "SBC parts", but cant beat how cheap they are....they should atleast work for the "geo metro parts" bin. lol http://www.menards.com/main/housewa.../20-gallon-tote-with-lid/p-135297-c-12667.htm

 

[PeterT]

The Rubbermaid brand that you would by at Target/KMart or are you referring to the Tough Box brand tote in the picture?


EDIT: Also, the HDX brand shelving units they have are actually a decent shelf for the money. THIS ONE. 4 of those Tough Box totes + 1 shelving unit = a lot of storage for roughly $50-$60 plus tax

I am referring to the link above, the stores in the cleveland area have them for 9.97 online or instore as seen if you change your store.
Tough Box 27 gal. Tote
Model # 207585 Store SKU # 207585

 

[PeterT]

I am also currently looking for some storage totes to aid in moving here at the end of the month.....thankfully I have a pallet jack and can get some pallets for free and my dad's 6x12 enclosed trailer has a pull down door/ramp so I get to move kinda like the big boys. lol I like those larger and strong totes, and a couple companies I have worked for ship most of their smaller product to their stores in the split top stack together totes and they stack them high enough on pallets to barely fit in a semi trailer.....I wish I would have snagged a couple dozen over the years....being that I'm a cheap ***....I think I'm going to give these 20 gallon ones they have on sale at menards for 3.88 each with lid....atleast for the light stuff...Im not sure how they would work if I titled one "SBC parts", but cant beat how cheap they are....they should atleast work for the "geo metro parts" bin. lol http://www.menards.com/main/housewa.../20-gallon-tote-with-lid/p-135297-c-12667.htm

I was in Menards just this morning thinking about those 3.88 totes,, you won't be impressed. They look really flimsy - so flimsy I didn't even pick one up, just kept going onto the furnace filters.

 

[Steevo]

Ok, here's my little "not really a review" review.


I stopped by HD yesterday to grab a few things (FYI they have a pretty good deal on Irwin bar clamps right now) and I took a look at these. Price in store is obviously the same as online, $14. The boxes look well made and sturdy, and have a pretty ballsy claim of a 700 pound maximum weight capacity Walls and top are thicker than the Suzy Homemaker variety, but a little thicker wouldn't have killed 'em... I really have no use for these at this very moment, but these look like a great buy for anyone who needs them.

Food for thought, a comparably sized Rubbermaid tote is in the same price range, but we all know how well those hold up...

I have three of these and they have made numerous trips between calif and Idaho, loaded with tools and materials as I was building/finishing my shop there. No signs of damage, cracking, etc., and they are now going on four years old. I've loaded them so heavy that it took two men to get them into/out of the truck.

When empty, they also nest tightly and the lids do as well.
The holes around the perimeter can be used to secure the lids, or to hook tie downs in to secure them from sliding in a vehicle.

 

[Strouty]

I purchased a dozen or more of these, the tote itself is great, but the lids are terribly thin and crack way too easy. I think all of mine have lids that are cracked or turning white from too much weight on them. I can still pick them up, so I know they are not overloaded and I only stack them two high so even with another on top they should hold up. I imagine as soon as it gets cold out, they will start self destructing every time I have to get at something.

I like these:

http://www.homedepot.com/buy/tough-box-27-gal-tote-207585.html#.UJT56GOe8pM

They are hell strong, stack well, capable of stacking several high, and they seal very well.

 

[Strouty]

I have found that these are some of the strongest totes on the market and they are made in the USA!
http://www.lowes.com/pd_337471-230-...ntico&pl=1&currentURL=?Ntt=contico&facetInfo=

They are not cheap ($25) and the lids ($6) are sold separate, but they rival the rubbermaid brute industrial line. They also have a separate caster assembly ($25) so you can roll them around. Just so people know the rubbermaid caster assembly works with them as well. These bins as well as the rubbermaid totes will hold scrap steel and still roll around with the casters under them. I use a large brute one for all my scrap steel pieces anything that fits inside them. I have to unload a good part of them by hand before two of us can dump the rest into the truck. I also found some brute rectangular tubs at a home depot in Virginia, but I can't find them local or online. I will have to check out the UPC and see if I can track them down. They are very tough as well and I think they were $16 with the lid. They are about 20 gallon size, they stack nice and should hold up to most abusers.

 

[neel2008]

I was in Menards just this morning thinking about those 3.88 totes,, you won't be impressed. They look really flimsy - so flimsy I didn't even pick one up, just kept going onto the furnace filters.

well that's a let down....the gf wants to go to menards later anyway (yes you heard that right lol) so im guessing Ill end up taking a few home for off season clothes and other light household items that get thrown in the attic....

 

[Cougar]

Quote:
Originally Posted by PeterT
I was in Menards just this morning thinking about those 3.88 totes,, you won't be impressed. They look really flimsy - so flimsy I didn't even pick one up, just kept going onto the furnace filters.

well that's a let down....the gf wants to go to menards later anyway (yes you heard that right lol) so im guessing Ill end up taking a few home for off season clothes and other light household items that get thrown in the attic....

Wish I would have kept going. I'm stuck with a bunch of them.
Had them stacked in the garage, I didn't think overly loaded. Went out there on a warm day and they were all collapsing, tipping over.

But they might be ok for some light household items. Just don't stack them, I would say, more than two high.

 

[EOC_Jason]

I like these:

http://www.homedepot.com/buy/tough-box-27-gal-tote-207585.html#.UJT56GOe8pM

They are hell strong, stack well, capable of stacking several high, and they seal very well.

Those are the ones I like too... Not that much more than a cheap rubbermaid but SOOO much better quality.

 

[archirelic]

I like these:

http://www.homedepot.com/buy/tough-box-27-gal-tote-207585.html#.UJT56GOe8pM

They are hell strong, stack well, capable of stacking several high, and they seal very well.

Our garage and attic are full of these totes. For their price, they can't be beat!

 

[Cougar]

I'm going to Home Depot.

 

[lithdoc]

I'm going to Home Depot.

Haha, so am I! I still have a couple of the $50 coupons left, so I'll pick up like 16 of these bins, should take care of my immediate needs!

 

[Steevo]

I also use a lot of these flip-top bins.
Not the box store ones, but the industrial grade ones the stores use for merchandise deliveries. They are thicker material, come in various sizes and depths, have stronger lids, tougher hinges and accommodations for a padlock/security tie also.

Most are stamped with original owner warnings, but all of mine have been purchased legitimately at auctions or through C/L redistribution of large auction lots.

 

[RCStocker]

Costco containers work great. I have been using them for over 12 years. I have them up in a hot walk up attic. My wifes knitting and sewing remenents are in some. I put up 25 thousand outside Christmas lights and 61 displays. The Costco plastic containers are all I use. They don't crack in the heat or break when you bump them like so many other brands.
Rubbermade collapses in the heat if you stack them and they all go to hell if you leave them out in the sun.

$7 or $8 is cheap these days. That is the price of luch at a fast food joint. Starbucks is $5 and what is the freeking price of thier food. I don't know I do do business any of them.
When coffe hit $1 I said it was time to quit drinking it. It does not give me energy or wake me up. I wake up bright eyed and bushie tailed every morning around 4:30 When you have milked cows, dilivered papers and worke the breakfast shift in boarding school you get up early. I never set an alarm clock not even in school. I did not start drinking coffe until I was in my 30's and I did not have a coffee pot at home until I was in my 40's.

If they are too expensive for you, build yourself a pine coffin and make removable shelves and trays. When you die they can burry you in it and then you will not have wasted your money. LOL

Another solution is to use free cardboard boxes which work great the last time I used them which was this moring. I have about 100 boxes full of stuff stored away. It is all stuff I buy to resell. When I go to the swpa meet my good containers would get sun cracked. I am to cheap to waste my money on the junk end.

The real solution is to get rid of all the stuff you need to store and make life free and easy.

Take a pick they all work. LOL

 

[carhunter]

The Costco / Monoflo containers (the ones I'm thinking of are pictured below) are awesome. Way, way, way better than the craptastic ones at Home Depot. It's true that you lose some due to the taper at the bottom, but these things are very rugged and stack extremely well.

<--- Has way too many of them piled up

Just trashpicked about 50 of these from the election commission headquarters. Apparently they bought the cheaper brand that cracks easily and replaced the bad ones. Nothing a little duct tape won't fix.

Home Depot sells a black version of this that's more flexible, made by Best. The flip lids come loose easily but they will hold 50+ lbs of car parts and at the time, were 3.88 each!

Ditto on water leakage though. I take a dozen or so empties to auctions to organize parts purchases, but invariably it will rain on the way home and water finds its way in even when tarped.

 

[EW57]

I prefer the Rubbermaid Roughnecks as there are four sizes from 7-18gallon with the same LxW footprint. Sterlite & other brands are all over the map regarding dimensions making it difficult to build racks/shelving that use space efficiently.