BCW Short Comic Book Bin Review

I’ve already previously mentioned that I suffered from a flood that destroyed most of the cardboard comic book boxes (they soak up the water and were just destroyed). All the comics that were not bagged (most collectors have comics in individual bag & board to straighten and protect the comic books) were also destroyed… basically, I lost about half my collection.

Thankfully, the important comics, at least to me, were well protected with bag and board. Unfortunately, many of the storage boxes were destroyed from the water. For the past few years, I’ve been looking for alternative storage solution: from traditional cardboard boxes (the cheapest option) to fabric box (too flimsy) to Hefty 32qt bins (not designed for comics), to now BCW plastic boxes.

I have been in the market for a better storage solution for my comic books, and I think my journey is ending with the best storage protection with these BCW Short Comic Book Bins… but it comes at a very high price. If price was not a factor, these BCW Short Bins are nothing less than the best comic book storage I’ve ever used. Unfortunately, it’s the high price that is preventing me from continuing to buy additional boxes. Currently these are $40 each, but you can buy a 2-pack for $60, so it brings the cost down to $30. In the future, I will likely purchase their competitor Inmaker Comic Box Bins for $31 each. It looks like Inmaker offers similar design, but sells it for less.

You might recall that Leo reviewed BCW Short Comic Book Bin, but it doesn’t really go into a lot of details (for example the top lids are lockable).

Assembly
These BCW bins come in a flat box, and you have to assemble the box yourself. It’s very easy to do, just follow the pictured instructions. My only concern was putting the side walls the wrong direction, but I think the way it’s designed, you can’t snap it in the wrong way. The longer side has one-half of the top lid (the lid came pre-assembled or part of the side wall). Make sure everything is locked and popped in. I recommend a firm squeeze and listen for the snap.

Durability
This is the biggest selling point for the BCW Comic Book plastic bins. The plastic is hard and solid. It is going to easily outlast cardboard boxes, and can withstand impact. The walls are not going to bend and it’s not going to fall apart. You can drop the box and I feel it’s going to still protect the comic books inside (especially if it’s a full box). If you want the best protection for your comics, these tough boxes are it. I’m very happy with its construction.

Sectional Divider
You get one divider, which you can use in four pre-determined sections. Although it’s cool that you can section off, I hate this design, because there are eight holes at the bottom to lock the divider – the holes can let water can leak in or allow for unwanted bugs to crawl in. Not a fan of this design. You can always buy additional dividers, maybe to plug in the holes, but that’s an added expense that is not worth it. I suppose I can always use electrical tape to seal the holes, but then you can’t adjust the divider. I like the divider, but I’m just not a fan of the implementation.

Lid
The cool thing is the interlocking lid. They’re divided in two parts, and to close the lid, you have to zig-zag it to properly close it. This is a cool way to close the lid, preventing it from accidentally opening… but it can be tricky to properly close it. It is also annoying if you just want to open, grab a comic, and close it quickly. If you close it wrong, you can do serious damage it if you stack another box on top.

I think the best part about the lid is that there are two slider tabs (one on each end) to lock the lids in place. This is really useful if you have to move boxes around and don’t want the top lid to accidentally open. Really useful if you’re moving houses. For extra security, I can see myself taping the BCW bins if I’m moving to another house. The tape won’t do any damage to the plastic (unlike my old cardboard comic book boxes).

Size
Since BCW specifically designed these bins for comic books, it’s spacious enough for modern and silver age comics. For anything larger, like golden age size or slabbed comics, you’ll need to the more expensive Graded Comics or Magazine size bins. Most of my comics were printed in the late 70s to current, so it’s not really a problem for me. The few oversized comic, I have stored in a larger magazine-sized cardboard box.

Also worth noting is that the box is tall enough (about one inch) to accommodate for plastic dividers, which I use to organize by titles.

Labeling
There is a small area (it’s slightly larger than a traditional trading card), where you can put a label to name your box. I have an old Dymo thermos printer that I used to label my boxes. I recommend printing the title’s logo… or publisher’s logo. I can easily tell what’s inside the boxes, based on the two included colors of red and blue… I do wish they included a free label sample (so you know exactly the right dimension). The sample could just be a blank card, where you can use a marker to write the description. I believe BCW’s Trading Card Dividers or 3×5 Index Card will perfectly fit the comic book box’s labels. If I remember, I’ll have to pick up some index cards at Walmart later this week to test out my theory.

Design
The design and plastic are strong and durable. You can’t bend it, the design is very rigid and just wonderful protection for your comics. My only complaint is I wish it was air tight, or water resistant. But there are holes at the bottom panel, and there are holes in the side wall. The side holes are for placing label cards. In my opinion, I think this was poorly designed. I’m also not a fan of the “BCW” logo and branding on the side.

Besides from the holes, I really think whoever designed the box did a great job. They really thought it through, from the hand grips to the assembly process to accessing and securing your comics… it’s a well-designed comic book bin.

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