Review: OOTS! Lunchbox

I don't know about you all, but I NEVER realized how much crap has licensed stuff plastered all over it. Walking through my "home away from home" (Target) is like a veritable mine-field, with my gal begging for anything with Tinkerbell or the Princesses on it (which is pretty much everything).

Thankfully, there are products that rely on design, materials, and functionality to sell them vs. some licensed character. One such product is the OOTS Lunchbox. I totally dig the look and feel of these. They are from OOTS!, a company focused on food related necessities founded in the U.S. by a duo from the Netherlands.

Click on "Read More" for more info. on this innovative product.

As you can see from the picture, this is not a traditional lunch box. It's taller than most, with the option to either purchase it empty or with containers fitted to it. And there is a stretchy strap on the outside that can be adjusted to secure a drink/bottle across the top of the lid via velcro.

Reviews based on a four star scale.

Materials and Durability ****: They certainly pass all material criteria these days. The lunch box and containers are made from BPA-free and phthalate-free polypropylene and are safety tested for lead. Everything is dishwasher safe (top rack) and the containers can be used in a microwave. The lunch box feels very durable and has a rubberized finish so it's tactile and not slippery, which also helps keep a bottle in place.

Design and Functionality ***: It's design is clean and simple. The strap is easy to adjust and very flexible. The containers fit easily in the lunch box, and I do recommend getting it with the containers because most standard tupperware containers either don't fit very well in it, or if they do, they don't allow much room for anything else.

There are however two down-sides to the containers. One is that they definitely would not keep liquid in if it were turned on the side or upside down. The other is that you have to cut up a sandwich into squares or triangles to get it to fit into the large rectangular container. This isn't a big deal for a kid's sandwich since that's what most of us do upon much whining, but for an adult's sandwich it may be trickier since there's usually more stuff packed in them.

I was concerned about insulation (or lack thereof), but was pleased to see that it fits a small, rectangular blue ice in it.

I was also concerned about how well pre-packaged items would fit in it and if it still had room for other items or containers. However, it the overall dimensions easily fit a wide-lipped container of yogurt, a large apple, and an individual applesauce. If you were to pack a yogurt, and apple, you could still fit two of the small containers and the large container. The other nice thing about the design is that the lid doesn't have to be all the way in the box. The strap allows it to be higher up while still keeping the contents in place. With that said though, it's a little tricky getting the lid inside the box, one corner always tends to challenge me. I don't know if that's just mine or if all of them are like that, but it could be tough for a kid to figure out.

Style ****: Clean and simple. It's offered in three color combos - blue w/a red lid, green w/a greenish lid, and orange with a yellow lid. They have a fun look and feel while being totally functional. The trick now is making sure that the kiddos don't continually beg for a Tinker Bell lunch box, but the nice thing is that this could totally be used by the hubs for his lunches as well....it's not age-specific.

Price ***: These are $35 w/no containers or $45 with four small containers and one large one. As noted, I think it's worth the additional $10 for the containers. However, it is much pricier than your standard tin lunch box/thermos combo which looks to average around $20. But there are two big reasons I think it's worth it.

One is that you won't have to get a new lunch box every year to have the latest character that your kiddo is into on it. So, even if you use it for just two years you've gotten the same value.

Two is that it's all machine-washable and free of harmful chemicals, which is not only comforting as a parent, but will greatly reduce baggie usage and landfill waste.

Overall *** 1/2: This is a well-designed, very functional product with a fun look and feel. It's going to get a lot of use in our house for many years to come. A great alternative to the standard licensed crap and something that both young and old can use.