DrawerBoxes(TM), stackable
cardboard comic book boxes with drawers that create a file cabinet storage system
for organizing your comic book collection, making them more accessible.
If
you need
a copy of the
instructions to
put together
the DrawerBox,
download this PDF file.
If
you need
a copy of the
instructions to
install Boxlox
Box Anchors,
download this PDF file.
WHAT
ARE BOXLOX BOX ANCHORS?
BoxLox Box Anchors are connecting devices that will tie the outside
shells together side-by-side. They are flat button-like devices that
are inserted inside the shell on either side of adjoining shells. When
snapped into place they actually lock the two shells together. There
are numerous advantages in doing this:
DrawerBox shells and drawers are an "integrated" design in
which each part is matched to the dimensions of the other so they will
work like a cabinet or other drawer. You can pull open a drawer to its
full extent and it will hang open. It does this because the weight of
the open drawer is cantilevered by the weight of the box on top. However,
since the top unit has no weight above it, it can tip when pulled further
than halfway open. The box anchors will anchor the unit to the unit
on either side, so they provide the counterweight needed to prevent
tipping.
But the advantages don't end there. By binding the sides of lower units
tightly to each other, they help counter the weight of the units pressing
down and will increase long term stacking strength. Additionally, they
will prevent any lightly filled units, or full units that are "slammed"
closed, from shifting. When used throughout they will make your array
of DrawerBoxes one unified bank.
HOW MANY BOXLOX BOX ANCHORS DO I NEED?
The BoxLox Box Anchors are sold separately since how many each
person uses depends on their configuration. If you just want enough
to keep the top unit from tipping (the lower units are counterbalanced
by the one above), then you need one less BoxLox pack than the number
of rows across. However, they provide other benefits as well. They will
keep the entire array more stable and increase the long term stacking
strength on the lower units. So, we recommend using them throughout.
To use them throughout multiply the number of rows high that your DrawerBoxes
are stacked* times one less than the number of rows across. For example,
30 DrawerBoxes stacked 5 high could use 25 BoxLox.
* Please note in our instructions that it is important to always stack
the DrawerBoxes one more column across than they are rows high.
They should never be stacked in a "tower" arrangement. This
is both for safety reasons since it is easy for a narrow stack to be
knocked over and because part of the engineering behind the DrawerBoxes
requires as much mass on the sides supporting each unit as there is
weight on top pushing down to maintain stacking strength.
CAN BOXLOX BOX ANCHORS BE USED ON OLDER UNITS?
Absolutely. Our newer shells have holes pre-drilled to accept the BoxLox.
However, we also have a template guide available so the holes can be
located precisely in older shells. With the template, retrofitting is
simple and keeps everything compatible when you purchase new units.
However, BoxLox will NOT work on other products. Most other products
are made with 200# or 250# test cardboard (the industry measure of puncture
resistance), which is not strong enough to withstand the stress. Only
genuine DrawerBoxes are made with the heavier weight cardboard necessary
for BoxLox.
D
R A W E R D E S I G N
We
are very pleased to introduce the DrawerBox Storage System,
the comic collecting hobby's only complete organizational and storage
system. And the best part is it is completely modular. You can select
the components that best fit your needs and add to them as your collection
grows. The system is designed to be space efficient by being stackable
up to 6' high taking advantage of all the vertical height you have
available. Or they can be arranged side-by-side in short stacks to
fit under or on top of a table, all connected by our BoxLox
Box Anchors so any slippage or tipping is eliminated. Our short boxes
are designed to be short enough to fit in the shallowest of closets
yet still provide the maximum amount of storage capacity. Long and
short DrawerBoxes can even be tied together with our BoxLox to fit
unusual spaces.
But an effective organizational system needs to address how to organize
the inside of the drawer as well. Our belief is the contents inside
the drawer need to be as accessible as the drawer itself. So our system
also features our BoxSort Upright Dividers. Unlike traditional
dividers, our upright dividers do a lot more than mark the separation
between different titles. They will hold your comics upright even
if there are as few as 20 or 30 comics in the drawer, and can continue
to do so as the drawer fills. With multiple upright dividers you are
free to organize the contents of the drawer to suit your needs.
The complete DrawerBox Storage System has 3 basic components:
WHAT
IS A "DRAWERBOX"?
If you've been collecting comics for any length of time and have more
than a few hundred comics in your collection, chances are you have
seen the old-fashioned "long boxes". They've been the standard
storage container box for comics for over 20 years. There are a couple
of different brands, but all long boxes load from the top and have
lids.
A number of years ago, because of the weight involved in lifting long
boxes, some manufacturers came out with a smaller version, typically
known as a short box. Like its bigger brother, it has a lid and is
filled from the top.
But both styles suffer from the same disadvantage, namely that if
you stack the boxes on top of each other you need to constantly keep
lifting boxes to get into the ones at the bottom of the pile. Worse,
if you stack them more than 3 or 4 high, you run the risk of the boxes
crushing, possibly damaging the valuable comics inside since they
were never designed to be stacked.
There has to be a better way.
And now there is!
"DrawerBoxes" are storage boxes designed to fill from
the end rather than the top. They are actually a two-part container,
consisting of an outside shell that provides support and a drawer
that slides out of the shell from the end. This eliminates the need
to repeatedly move boxes to get to the contents of the box at the
bottom of the stack since all of the boxes can be opened just like
a filing cabinet. And the shells are made of extra durable cardboard,
reinforced in such a way that they will support much more weight than
the old-fashioned long boxes. Yet, because each box is separate and
has handles on either end, they are just as portable. DrawerBoxes
can be stacked in any configuration you want and every comic in each
drawer remains accessible. You can even remove the drawer in the box
at the bottom of the stack and leave the rest of the boxes in place
while you peruse your collection.
This unique design means that you can gain more storage space per
square foot than was previously possible. It also means you won't
have to lift another box again to find a comic.
HOW BIG ARE THEY?
Long
DrawerBoxes are 9" wide and 26" deep, a little shorter
than a long box. This both enables them to fit in areas where most
long boxes are too long to fit and reduces the weight of the drawer
so they are not as burdensome to pull open or close. Short DrawerBoxes
are 9" wide and 18" deep, a little longer than other "short
boxes" to maximize the number of comics that can be stored in
each unit. Both lengths are 13 3/16" tall, so even dividers with
tabs and Mylars will fit in them.
They are made of heavy-duty white corrugated cardboard and there is
a pull opening on the front of each drawer to facilitate opening the
drawer. The ends of the drawers around the handles are made with four
layers of cardboard - a very important feature since the ends of typical
long and short boxes are made with only one layer of cardboard that
will not last with repeated pulling when filled with comics. Because
each box uses considerably more cardboard than a long box, one unit
weighs almost 5 pounds.
Each long DrawerBox holds approximately 235 bagged and boarded
comics and each short DrawerBox holds approximately 145 bagged and
boarded comics, depending, of course, on the number of pages in the
comic. They will hold both Modern Age and Silver Age comics with boards.
They will also hold Mill Cases . Oh, and did we mention that
each box comes with four Upright Dividers?
HOW
STRONG ARE THEY?
For the DrawerBoxes to work, they have to withstand two types
of stress:
They have to be strong enough to hold up over long periods of time
under other boxes loaded with comics. To accomplish this, we especially
manufacture our own weight of cardboard to make it the heaviest board
used in any comic storage container. The shell is further strengthened
by a double wall construction.
The drawers also have to withstand pulling from the front when the
unit is opened. Keep in mind that a full drawer weighs as much as
50#. We accomplish this by featuring four layers of cardboard around
the handle portion on the front of the drawer. Regular long and short
boxes typically have only one, or possibly two, layers of board on
the ends. We have found that over a period of time this is not enough
support to withstand repeated opening and closing without bending
and tearing.
The drawers
are further designed with tabs that will warn you when the drawer
is pulled to its fullest extent, so you do not accidentally open it
too far and spill its contents on the floor. Unlike many long and
short boxes made today, the drawers are also made with a "solid
bottom" design, so it cannot fall out, emptying its contents
if it is removed from its shell.
WILL THEY REALLY DO WHAT YOU SAY THEY WILL?
You bet they will! The boxes are strong enough to be stacked six (6)
boxes high when completely filled with comics. And with the use of
BoxLox Box Anchors, the sides of the shells are bound together so
they will even provide support for each other. Do not be fooled by
manufacturers that tell you their boxes are made with "heavy
duty" 200# or 250# cardboard. That is the same material that
is used in old-fashioned long and short boxes, which fails over time
when stacked 3 or 4 high. DrawerBoxes are the strongest boxes made
for comics by anyone. Period. Should you be using anything less for
your collection?
We do encourage you to use good judgment when building your arrangement.
Anything can tip over when stacked tall enough. For stability we suggest
either stacking them against a wall and arranging them with at least
one more in the number of rows going across as they are stacked high.
That is, if you stack them 3 high we suggest stacking them at least
4 across.
By the way, a stack of 12 boxes will hold over 2,800 comics in just
over 5 square feet of floor space, with every comic at your fingertips.
Let's see you do that with a long box!
O.K! O.K.! YOU TALKED ME INTO IT. HOW MUCH ARE THEY?
Long DrawerBoxes retail through this web-site for $13.00 each
plus shipping. But, to get the best value for the shipping cost, we
suggest a 5-pack case. If you order 5 we will give you a discounted
price of $49.75 plus shipping. That works out to only $9.95 plus shipping
per box. A pack of 5 Short DrawerBoxes are $43.75 plus, shipping,
which works out to $8.75 each plus shipping.
They
are also available in select stores around the country, with more
stores being added all the time. Please see our store locator for
a list of locations.
WHAT
ARE BOXSORT UPRIGHT DIVIDERS?
Every collector has encountered the frustration of comics flopping
over when a long or short box is only partially filled. When this
happens, your comics run the risk of developing stress cracks along
the spine from being bent. And in extreme situations, the entire comic
can become permanently bent, even with backing boards, due to the
weight of 50 or 100 comics lying on top of it for a period of time.
One solution is to always keep boxes as full as possible. But that
creates another problem when you want to file new issues, only to
find the box is too full for them to fit. Even more time is then required
to shift comics from one box to another to create more space. And
who hasn't struggled with thumbing through a tightly packed box to
find a particular issue?
BoxSort Upright Dividers make keeping your collection organized easier
than ever by solving these problems. All of our DrawerBoxes include
four (4) upright dividers. When used with our optional BoxSort rails,
you can keep any quantity of comics standing upright in the box. Slip
an upright divider into the front slot and even as few as ten comics
will stand upright, keeping them safe from damage and making them
easy to thumb through. As the box fills, simply move the upright divider
back to create more room.
Want to keep several titles in the same drawer? Traditional dividers
only mark the point at which one run ends and the next begins. But
upright dividers can even be used to create sections or pockets for
each title, each with enough space that they can easily be thumbed
through. Or use multiple dividers to leave gaps between titles so
you have room for each title to grow.
They can even be used to block out the very back of the drawer if
you prefer not to use that space. As you organize your collection,
the possibilities are endless, forever eliminating shoving comics
back and forth in the drawer.
Don't need the BoxSort system in a drawer? The extensions on our upright
dividers are perforated so they can even be used as a regular divider.
But honestly, we aren't sure why you would want to once you experience
the advantages of the BoxSort system.
Note
that you can order rails for only the number of drawers that you feel
need them.
HOW MUCH WIDTH DO THEY TAKE UP?
Even with the BoxSort rails and upright dividers in place, you will
still have 7 ¼" of usable space, wide enough for all Modern
Age storage products and most Silver Age products. We even have an
ultra-thin upright divider available on request for our customers
should you find some Silver Age products are a little snug.
CAN I USE THE BOXSORT UPRIGHT DIVIDER SYTEM ON MY
OLDER DRAWERBOXES?
You bet! We believe that it is very important that we never make our
products obsolete with new improvements. Retrofit kits are available
for both long and short DrawerBoxes. These kits include both the BoxSort
rails and our thin upright dividers.