After much back and forth, I finally decided to take the plunge and upgrade my short boxes to DrawerBoxes. I say “upgrade,” because that’s what it is – they are higher quality and have more functional utility than standard comic book long boxes and short boxes.
DrawerBoxes by The Collection Drawer Co. is a comic book storage system designed to create a stackable system of boxes that slide in and out like drawers (hence the name), creating a more efficient way to access your collection. For most collectors, long and short boxes are simply stacked on top of each other, or on shelves, which is a fine way to store your comic books, but it’s very inconvenient to unstack boxes or pull them off shelves and remove the cover and replace them just to have access to your books. It’s not the end of the world, or the most difficult task, but it does get very annoying and repetitive. DrawerBoxes aim to solve that issue.
The boxes are rated to stack five rows high without collapsing, but I’d probably max it out around 4 rows high to be safe. The boxes are designed to work as one cohesive system, with the best performance coming from utilizing BoxLox to hold the boxes together so they stay aligned and have the most structural integrity. BoxLox are simply two “buttons” that clasp together and “lock” two boxes side by side so they don’t move around or wobble. Combined with multiple boxes and rows stacked against each other, it creates a very sturdy system of drawers that keeps top rows from toppling over, even when you pull out the drawer fully.
I ordered a set of 10 boxes and created 2 rows of 5 columns, and it’s sturdy enough for me to even sit on top of without it collapsing in on itself. The bottom drawers slide in and out easily, and the BoxLox keep everything nice and tight. I would recommend buying the BoxLox – there’s really no reason not to use them.
I also added the BoxSort Rails, which is a system that allows you to insert dividers within the boxes. You could use standard dividers to separate your comics and titles, but these dividers serve a more functional purpose – they create “spaces” within each box so keeps all the books remain upright in separate sections, so you can remove a chunk of comics without the whole row sliding down, causing spine damage and bends – it happens to everyone and I didn’t think it could be fixed, until I used the BoxSort Rails. I also recommend adding these to your order – it does a great job making sure all the comics stay upright.
The quality of the cardboard is very high, with the manufacturer claiming 4 layers of cardboard. When you assemble a sleeve, insert, and box, you really feel the weight of it, which is substantial. When locked together with the BoxLox, one row of 5 boxes is fairly heavy. Altogether the system feels very solid and should withstand a lot of abuse – but only time will tell, as I’ve definitely seen some DrawerBox systems with sagging shells, but those could likely be a result of misaligned rows from the lack of using BoxLox, which is a relatively new addition to the DrawerBoxes system.
How Much Do DrawerBoxes Cost?
Not everything is perfect, however. My biggest reservation before ordering them was the cost, which is significantly more expensive than standard short boxes. You can order them in long or short size, but I opted for the short size. My total order cost was $159.20, which includes a hefty shipping cost of $36.70 to San Francisco, CA (they are located in Denver, CO so your shipping rates will vary). Here’s what I ordered:
- (2) 5-pack sets of Short DrawerBoxes
- (10) BoxSort Rails
- (8) BoxLox Anchor Packs
The DrawerBoxes are sold in sets of 5, so keep that in mind if ordering directly from them. I had 10 total boxes, so I ordered 10 sets of BoxSort Rails. The confusing part is ordering BoxLox – “Multiply the number of rows high they are stacked times one less than the number of rows across. For example, 30 DrawerBoxes stacked 5 high could use 25 BoxLox.” In my case, the equation for 10 DrawerBoxes stacked 2 rows high, was 2 (number of rows stacked high) x 4 (one less than 5 rows) = 8.
Final unit cost out the door for 10 DrawerBoxes with BoxRails and BoxLox shipped to San Francisco, CA came out to just under $16/ea. I pick up standard short boxes from my local comic shop for $5, so these cost over 3x as much. I have heard that some LCS will sell one DrawerBox for around $15, so if you’re LCS stocks them you could just go that route, but keep in mind that may just be for just the DrawerBox and not the BoxSort Rails or BoxLox. If you need any more than 1-2, then you’re better off just ordering direct from http://www.collectiondrawer.com.
Verdict
Overall, I’m very happy with the purchase. They display much nicer than standard short boxes and are a much more efficient and functional way to store and organize your comic books. Being able to slide the drawers in and out is great, but combined with the BoxSort Rails, I’m comfortable saying these are the best cardboard comic book storage system, even at the premium cost. Hopefully they hold up over the years and don’t degrade.
DrawerBoxes Assembly Instructions
The instructions that ship with the DrawerBoxes are printed on a single page that’s mostly just text, which isn’t very helpful when looking at a pile of cardboard in different shapes that need to be folded in very specific ways. I’m sure it keeps the cost down to not produce and print a full-color instruction manual with photos, so it’s not a big deal, but I did have to keep reading the same step over and over to understand what they meant. I took photos throughout the process so hopefully this photo guide combined with the packaged written instructions will help you assemble them quickly without any issues.
1. Unpack the contents of the box – instructions, BoxLox, DrawerBoxes, BoxSort Rails and instruction sheet. No tools required!
2. Unfold the outer shells first.
3. Snap the shells together using the BoxLox – the white dots on the inside are the two halves of the BoxLox that clip together.
4. Fold and insert the reinforcement…inserts. You’ll have two use both hands to “spread” the open ends apart so they line up flush with each other, as seen in the second photo.
5. Detach the BoxSort Rail dividers, which are attached to the DrawerBoxes themselves. Save these for later.
6. Assemble the DrawerBox – super simple, just like assembling a standard short box. You can see in the second photo that I use packing tape to reinforce the edges. I do this with standard short boxes, too, to help lessen the strain of picking them up and pulling them out.
7. The BoxSort Rails slide right in and fit under the interior handle flap.
8. Take the BoxSort dividers from step 5, fold in the edges, and slide them into the desired slot.
9. The DrawerBoxes are ready to be inserted into the shells.
10. Now fill them with comics!
Thanks for reading! If you have any additional questions about DrawerBoxes, feel free to leave a comment or reach out to us!
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