Warning: that $40 waterproof storage bench from Amazon is a leaky mess

I bought a resin deck box from some brand called Suncast last spring to keep my garden tools dry, and after three rainstorms the inside was soaked and my pruners rusted out. Customer service said it's just for "light moisture" not actual rain, which they didn't put in the listing. Has anyone found a cheap storage bin that actually keeps water out?

3 comments

3 Comments

ray_sullivan15d ago

Gotta say I'm skeptical of how serious this really is. I've got one of those Keter boxes sitting in my backyard that I bought two years ago for about the same price, and it's held up fine through plenty of rain. Sure, if you're leaving expensive tools in there for months at a time maybe it's a bigger deal, but I keep bags of potting soil and some spare pots in mine and never noticed anything more than a little dampness after a heavy storm. @wren230 might have had a bad experience, but honestly I think the foam seal works okay for casual use if you just make sure the lid's fully shut. People expect outdoor plastic bins to be submarines, man.

wren23015d ago

Yeah that "light moisture" line is a joke. I dealt with the same thing with a Keter box I got from Home Depot. The lid seal on those resin boxes is basically just a foam strip that lets water right through if it rains sideways even a little bit. What finally worked for me was grabbing a heavy duty rubber gasket strip from the hardware store and gluing it onto the existing seal. Cost maybe twelve bucks and now the box stays bone dry through storms. If you want something that just works out of the box, look for deck boxes that specifically say they have a compression latch and a continuous rubber seal. The cheap ones always use that flimsy foam.

jason_stone5915d ago

Man that sucks, I feel you on the rusted pruners. I had basically the exact same thing happen with a cheap deck box last year, my hand trowels got all gross and I was pretty annoyed. It's really frustrating when companies fudge the description like that, makes you feel kind of dumb for trusting it. I went with a Rubbermaid action packer eventually, it's not fancy but it actually stays dry. Hope you find something that works without breaking the bank.

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