Why Our Lids Don't Clip On (And Why Thats Fine!)

Hi all,

A lady wrote in a while back and asked why our lids don't clip on. I thought it was a fair question and worth answering properly, because I don't think we've ever explained it in one place.

The short version

Almost every box we make has a drop-on lid. They sit over the base of the box and stay there simply by fit (and gravity!). There are no clips, no catches and no hinges on the standard range.

That's a deliberate design decision, not a corner cut. Here's the thinking, and then I'll go through exactly how snug each one is, because "drop-on" covers a range and it might help to explain in more detail what each boxes lid fit is actually like.

Why drop-on, and why I've come round to it

They stack properly. Clips stick out. Clips on the sides mean the boxes don't sit flush against each other and don't stack squarely. Our lids and bases are moulded to sit on one another, which saves space - important in a home craftroom where every bit of available space counts.

They're really easy to open. When you're mid-project with a glue pen in one hand, unclipping clips can be a nuisance. With WestonBoxes you can simply lift the lid off - even using one hand on the smaller boxes.

Clips are the first thing to break. Anyone who's had a plastic box with clips knows how it ends — one clip snaps, then another, and now you've got a box you can't shut with a lid that doesn't fit anything. A drop-on lid has nothing to break.

They fit the Staks. A box with clips sticking out won't slide in and out of a Box Stak frame.

Now the honest bit — how snug is each one?

Not all of the 'drop on' lids on the boxes in our range are the same.

The paper boxes — A4, A5, A6, the slims, the 12x12 and 8x8. Loose drop-on lids. They'll stay on for shelf storage, stacking, carrying about the house and going in and out of a Stak. Turn one upside down though and the lid will drop off.

The business card boxes — the 35mm and the 70mm. Two different boxes with two different lid fits. The 35mm Box has a snug 'interference fit' lid, with little cut-away grips on the sides of the lid so you can actually get hold of it. It sits closely and holds well for everyday storage. The 70mm deep business card boxes lid is different, it's looser. The lid will easily come off this box if it is flipped or dropped. I'd rather be accurate than make any false claims here, i mean these boxes are great obviously and the fact that we've sold millions of them just goes to show that the lids do function and the boxes perform in most usage scenarios without issue. They continue to be useful for many customers who decades on, still continue to reorder this product.

The playing card box — this one I want you to be clear about. The playing card box has a genuinely loose drop-on lid. It's designed for static storage — sitting in a drawer or on a shelf. Don't put one in a bag with loose beads in it or playing cards for that matter... An elastic band sorts it!

The Crafty Tool Box — the Crafty Tool Box lid is manufactured from thicker plastic than most of the other boxes, and the lid is deeper than the other similar boxes, coming down further over the base. This makes the lid noticeably more secure than the lid on the standard A4. It also makes a rather good work tray upside down.

The business card wallet — the wallet is the odd one out: it has a hinged clip lid, because it's designed to go in a pocket.

And when you genuinely need a clip

Sometimes you do, and we make exactly one box for it: the A4 Clip Lid Box. It's the only clip-lid product in the whole range.

It's an oversize A4 format — 310 x 218 x 65mm inside, so it's the deepest A4 box we make — with a double clip fastening and locating feet on the lid so it still stacks safely despite the clips. That's the one to choose if the box is going to be carried by children, moved about in a car boot, taken to a class, or used for anything you really don't want redistributed across the floor.

The small tubs have press-fit lids too, if you want something small and properly shut.

Why I'm telling you all this

I'd rather you bought the right box than bought one and were disappointed! I've been here a very long time and the thing I've always liked about this company is that when somebody asks how something works, they get told how it works.

Generally, WestonBoxes lids don't clip. For nearly everything I do, that's a feature. For a couple of things, it isn't — and for those we now produce the clip lid A4 box.

If you're not sure which is right for what you're storing, do just email contact@westonboxes.com and ask. Somebody who's actually held one will answer you.

Bye for now!

Sandra.