Rubbermaid 3J05 Configurations Sliding Wire Basket, Titanium

Rubbermaid 3J05 Configurations Sliding Wire Basket, Titanium I ordered a Rubbermaid Configurations 4-8 foot Deluxe Custom Closet Kit, as well as sliding wire basket to go along with it. First, the few negatives...at no fault of Amazon.com's. The basket arrived damaged, at a point that was very noticeable and not easy to fix or hide (the plastic caps that are built-in to the ends of the grab bar to slide the drawer out, one was cracked...or more crunched beyond belief). These pieces aren't put in by the consumer, they are already glued (I'm assuming) into the ends of the bar, and it sticks out like a sore thumb, not to mention can CAUSE a sore thumb...when you cut yourself from grabbing the bar near the cracked plastic. So, I returned the basket and asked that another one be shipped to me. The Amazon return process is pretty easy, I opted for the Amazon-paid USPS shipper, which I printed immediately. The return seemed to get "lost", and unfortunately Amazon doesn't pay for tracking on those returns (A tip that I got from the post office: in the future, pay the extra .50 or so for the USPS track and confirm service, added onto what's pre-paid by Amazon, to avoid this. Even though Amazon.com pays shipping, you can add this service out of your pocket without re-paying for the entire shipping charge.). After getting the "you will be charged in a few days" e-mail and going back and forth, Amazon assured me they would't charge me, then miraculously a few weeks later, they got the return package.

So that was my sliding drawer. The replacement came and wasn't damaged. However, the 4-8 foot deluxe closet kit also had damaged clothes rod caps. Fortunately, these caps you put in yourself, so I could pick and choose the less damaged ones (most if not all were damaged to some extent, but most damage was easily hidden in the clothes rods, as it was the inner part of the caps that was crushed). After getting around this small inconvenience, I got the hand rails mounted, the rails hung, and the shelves in place.

So that's the bad part...and for that reason, I would recommend what I've since found out...Lowe's sells the white version of these, and just calls them something different, but still Rubbermaid (I believe Rubbermaid Home or Rubbermaid Closet Home Essentials, or something like that). So you can probably get it at your local Lowe's at prices that are about the same, and not have to worry about shipping damage. [..], however, doesn't sell these...so I imagine only certain markets have them in stores.

Now for the good part. I did some research on Consumer Reports on custom closet systems before purchasing them. I had Closetmaid in my mind at the time, until I saw the ratings...and Rubbermaid won for several reasons, including quality of the product, ease of installation/customization, etc. It really was very easy to install, and I used this particular kit in my laundry room...and well, since I installed it, I've rearranged the shelves about 5 or 6 times. Each time it only took me about 5 minutes to completely rearrange things, and half that time was spent taking everything off of the shelves. You just slide the shelf locks to the unlocked position, pull the shelves off, move the brackets, put the shelves back up, and re-lock them in place with the sliding locks. It's that simple. Being that easy, you might thing they don't hold in place very well, but the simple shelf locks do the trick--they aren't going anywhere once you slide the locking mechanism. Quality seems very good too (assuming it arrives undamaged). I was somewhat leary with the overlapping shelves idea...to combine two smaller shelves into one bigger shelf, but the way Rubbermaid does it is pretty clever...they have A and B shelves, clearly labeled. One is slightly longer than the other, but not so much that it's noticeable or looks funny. They overlap when needed perfectly, without looking odd, being out of balance, or anything like that.

Overall I would highly recommend this product, but you may want to try Lowe's for it, based on potential shipping damage which occurred with both of my shipments. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Amazon.com, and have NEVER had an unresolved issue with them. However, this just might be a product that is better purchased in the store, unless you have the time and patience for a potential return/exchange. It didn't cost me a cent, other than a few extra days delay, and some follow-up finding the return package. However, although I've placed about 7 or 8 Amazon.com orders since then...this is one product I probably won't purchase via ANY mail-order method again. ;)

Specifically referring to this basket...I read that this wire basket was much more sturdy than the other options (canvas baskets and I think there's one other kind), and I tested them out at my local Lowe's...they're all on display there. I found the same thing, the other baskets don't slide so well, but this one slides just fine.
Rubbermaid: 3J05 Rubbermaid 3J0500TITNM Configurations; Sliding Basket TitaniumRubbermaid 3J0500TITNM Configurations; Sliding Basket Titanium Features:; Large capacity basket with pull handle provides convenient storage for purses, hats, keepsakes and accessories; Ball bearing glides ensure easy sliding; Mount separately or share bracket with a shelf for maximum storage space; 8" x 23.5" x 18" assembled dimensions; Titanium finish There's nothing handier than a sturdy, slide-out basket when it comes to storage. This one measures 7-1/4 by 23-1/2 18 inches (height by width by depth). A large capacity is great for towels, jeans, shoes, and many storage accessories, such as smaller boxes. The ball bearing guides ensure that the basket slides in and out smoothly without derailing and causing a fuss. A chrome handle accents the satin-nickel finish for sharp looks. The unit is one of many components of the Rubbermaid Configurations system, much of which can also be found here on Amazon.com. --Brian D. Olson

Rubbermaid 3J05 Configurations Sliding Wire Basket, Titanium

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