Why Lunchbot MAY be right for you
I don't mean to come off preachy but when there are complaints about what an item is not supposed to do anyway...I get quite frustrated. For example the Lunchbot description states this item is for dry foods but there are complaints that people's yogurt leaked. As my kids would say "No Duh" :). Anyway, that being said. ... We LOVE our lunch bots ...we have five( all Large). Two cinco two trio and one Duo. We purchased last August and used just about every day (four kids) during the school year. I have not used the smaller version but my boys are nine eight six and six and each box holds enough food for each boy to fill up at lunch. The boxes have not stained or rusted and ...true story... Their dad ran over a lunch box with one of these inside coming into the drive way and only dented the lid a small bit. Didn't affect closing divets or dividers. Still in use. :).The dividers seem like they are stamped from sheet metal then bent and sautered to the interior...this leaves tiny open spaces at the corners of dividers. Goo WILL leak. When I put cantaloupe or watermelon in lunch I just line with a cupcake liner and that seems to contain what moisture there is. Our lunch bots go into lunch boxes that allow them to lie flat so leaking out of the Lunchbot and into a lunch box is a non issue for us. If yours will be vertical think closely about what you send for lunch. (We use eBags crew cooler junior...another great item for us ). If food is ever left in the space after dish washing a quick push with a toothpick takes care of it, my kids have left these at school on a Friday and you can imagine the science experiment that comes home to me on a Monday afternoon....even THAT washes clean.I make lunch at 6 AM ... Even with a good hot cup of coffee making lunch can be rough ...the lunch bots help me along in that if there is an empty spot I know there needs to be more food. I can also see ALL the food I am packing at a glance so I don't end up with five fruits and no " meal" or three different kinds of crackers. These Are Not Thermal. Food will be room temp by lunchtime. Please note if you put hot food next to a cold food the stainless steel will transfer heat and " cook" whatever is next to it ...just let hot food come to room temp before packingIf you are looking for something to toss in a tote bag instead of a lunch box...then I wouldn't pack anything other than non gooey sandwiches ...nuts...granola...apples...you get the idea. The edges are not completely sealed when closed ( like with Lock and Lock) and some foods could seep onto belongings when bounced around or turned on side.My kids have no issues opening or closing lids...all,though the nine year old refuses to use the Cinco as he thinks it looks like a "baby tray". When they hit middle school boys may need two of these especially if into athletics... But the good thing is they don't look juvenile so these boxes will transition to older grades. No need to toss into a yard sale with the Spongebob Funtainer :) all though the name Lunchbot is stamped on the lid which I suppose could be cause for snarky lunchroom comments when kids are older ;). Who knows ???In summary ...assess your needs and check the size closely before ordering... If it fits your needs then I think you will be very happy with quality. My only issue is a twenty percent price increase in a year seems steep but as we are moving into second year with them ...price averages out in long run. This year we have a fifth child to pack lunch for so I will be ordering a sixth to ensure we always have enough on hand. No landfill. No plastic touching food...no need to hand wash !!!!!!!!! And once kids have moved on I suppose you could use them to store screws or buttons or whatever tiny things are in the junk drawer :)This is one of those love-hate items. Works for us so we LOVE it :) but it's not for everyone. It's just one of those things you need to overthink for a day before you commit.