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WebHobbit
USA
701 Posts |
 Posted - 03/04/2007 : 07:36:20
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Well I have a b-day coming up in a couple of months. I think the wife will let me score a legal sized file cabinet for my comics OR 5-10 drawer-boxes.
Which do you all thing I should go for? Which would be the better value? I think I can get 10 drawer-boxes shipped to my house for about $140.00 This should hold about 2350 comics.
I can get a HON brand legal sized 4-drawer cabinet locally for about $190.00...this would probably hold about 1700 books.
I am strongly leaning toward the cabinets as it seems my worst fears about the drawer-boxes are true -they don't hold up over time:
http://www.comiccovers.net/drawerboxes_update.html
Opinions please! |
Larry Robertson
ComicBase 15.0 (Build 0) Archive Edition
Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit
http://lrpctechblog.com
http://lrpctech.com
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Norman Osborne
USA
50 Posts |
Posted - 03/04/2007 : 07:49:46
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Cardboard is cardboard so I would imagine they wouldn't hold up like the cabinet but they are pretty slick and would be more suited for comics than a legal cabinent IMO. You might try to find those boxes locally ..... my local shop sells them for $10.00 piece.
I've been "seriously" collecting for about 25 years and you'll find that a lot of the boxes you won't be getting in all that often once your collection grows... which should help them hold up longer...
I've got a couple legal file cabs in my house and i just cna't see filling them with comics
just my 2 cents .........................
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*-NoRmaN/OsBoRN-*
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WebHobbit
USA
701 Posts |
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WebHobbit
USA
701 Posts |
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Stealth_DBA
USA
1874 Posts |
Posted - 03/04/2007 : 10:27:34
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To keep things simple and compare like to like consider: 1 Legal File cabinet = 8 long Drawer boxes.
Size:
1 Legal File cabinet - 18 1/4 W x 26 1/2 D x 56 1/2 H (plus a couple of inches if you add wheels)
8 Drawer Boxes - 18 W x 26 D x 53 H
Capacity:
1 Legal File cabinet - 400-425 per draws x 4 draws = 1600-1700 comics
8 Drawer Boxes - 235 per box x 8 boxes = 1880 comics
Cost: (your numbers)
1 Legal File Cabinet = $190
8 Drawer Boxes = $110 (I know you can't buy just 8 )
Summary:
If Money is the driving factor, in the same Sq ft of space you can put approx. 200 more comics for $80 less money.
If Looks is a driving factor, File Cabinets win going away. (I would think that if, given a choice between the look of Drawer boxes and File Cabinets, the wife would probably pick File cabinets 99% of the time.)
If you ever need to move the comics, File Cabinets (with the optional Wheel dolly) would be much easier to move on the same floor. Stairs would tend to negate this advantage.
If protection is an issue, I would think File cabinets would provide better protection in case of a fire (I am thinking of the water used to put it out more than the flames. The heat could probably melt the plastic bags if the fire is close enough or hot enough. But if it was that close or hot, the Drawer boxes would be probably be a blazing inferno).
If durability is an issue, I would think steel file cabinets would last much longer than Cardboard. I am not saying that the Drawer boxes won't last (and possibly a long time), it is just logically, steel will out last paper.
Finally, if you plan to use Drawer Boxes they do need to be stabilized. If you don't have the end column of boxes against a wall (or other immovable object), they can be tipped over. And if you plan to stack more than 4 high (which would give you more storage in the same Sq Ft of Space), Plywood between the 4th and 5th level is a very good idea to distribute the weight.
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comicsatemybrain
423 Posts |
Posted - 03/04/2007 : 13:46:01
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I agree 100% with Stealth's analysis. I think he's laid out the various factors and pointed out the advantages and disadvantages of each.
For what it's worth, I have lateral file cabinets. Expensive to be sure, but absolutely no regrets. Their combination of accessibility and durability is tough to beat. In terms of major purchases relating to my comic collection, I would have a hard time deciding whether to rank ComicBase or steel cabinets as #1.
Greg
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WebHobbit
USA
701 Posts |
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Stealth_DBA
USA
1874 Posts |
Posted - 03/04/2007 : 17:13:12
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If you go to a site that sells File Cabinets (Office Depot / Office Max for example), you can see examples.
A Vertical cabinet has documents filed front to back. you would have 1 row on the left and 1 on the right. It has a short width and a long depth.
ex. 18 inches width x 26 inches depth.
A Lateral cabinet has documents filed side to side. You would have 1 row in the back and 1 in the front. It has a long width and a short depth.
ex. 30 inches width x 19 inches depth (width of 36 and 40 inches also available).
(after thinking about this, I don't see any reason why the lateral cabinet couldn't have the comics filed front to back like Vertical cabinets. You would just have more rows. At approx. 8 inches for a comic book, you would have 3 (maybe 4) rows in 30 inches, 4 rows in 36 inches and 4 (maybe 5) rows in 40 inches. Is this how you have yours filed comicsatemybrain?)
PS, comicsatemybrain can confirm or deny this but I am not sure how stable a 4 drawer Lateral cabinet is if you pull out the top drawer full of comics. Do you have to fasten it to the wall so it won't tip over?
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Edited by - Stealth_DBA on 03/04/2007 17:20:45 |
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Norman Osborne
USA
50 Posts |
Posted - 03/05/2007 : 13:05:20
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Wow, shows what i know ....... I guess it's all about YOUR means.... if you can afford the legal cabs than go that route. Ofcourse the money you save by using the cardboard boxes you can use to buy MORE comics!  |
*-NoRmaN/OsBoRN-*
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Edited by - Norman Osborne on 03/05/2007 17:54:08 |
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Bobb
USA
838 Posts |
Posted - 03/05/2007 : 13:19:35
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Not sure how many folks will think this is relevant to the discussion.
There is one thing that came to mind in the filing cabinet vs. drawer boxes.
If you ever move, which will take less labor and be easier to move?
Just my 2 cents, and we know how much that buys these days. 
Bobb |
ComicBase Archive Blu-Ray Edition 15, Windows 7 Home Premium
When I get money I buy Comic Books. What's left over I use to buy food, and other things
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Slai
USA
1313 Posts |
Posted - 03/06/2007 : 12:29:48
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quote:
Originally posted by WebHobbit
I am strongly leaning toward the cabinets as it seems my worst fears about the drawer-boxes are true -they don't hold up over time:
http://www.comiccovers.net/drawerboxes_update.html
Opinions please!
As far as I know, we haven’t had that problem with the drawer boxes here in the office in our two years of use. There’s just nothing for the drawer box to cut/rub itself against that would make them peel that way. I’m curious how he got them to look like that—it’s as if he keeps his comics somewhere very damp? 
In any case, the structural integrity of the box itself isn’t affected by the peeling—I guess it just doesn’t look as pretty if you scuff it (?), but neither would wood. Our resident engineer/intern/filing guru onsite says that the cardboard drawer boxes are very well designed (if properly set up) and as strong as wood. We’ve also successfully moved all of our boxes to a new office *and* stacked them to seven boxes high (one box past the stated specs) and they still work wonderfully. None of them look like the ones in the picture you reference.
So there’s my 2 cents, adding to about a dime that you’ve collected so far? 
Shiaw-Ling |
Meddlin' Moderator |
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jominor
29 Posts |
Posted - 03/08/2007 : 13:20:00
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quote:
Originally posted by WebHobbit
Well I have a b-day coming up in a couple of months. I think the wife will let me score a legal sized file cabinet for my comics OR 5-10 drawer-boxes.
Which do you all thing I should go for? Which would be the better value? I think I can get 10 drawer-boxes shipped to my house for about $140.00 This should hold about 2350 comics.
I can get a HON brand legal sized 4-drawer cabinet locally for about $190.00...this would probably hold about 1700 books.
I am strongly leaning toward the cabinets as it seems my worst fears about the drawer-boxes are true -they don't hold up over time:
http://www.comiccovers.net/drawerboxes_update.html
Opinions please!
I currently have 35 drawer boxes holding about 6k books. I don't want the books tightly packed because I want to shuffle through them.
I think that they are worth the money and I've had mine a bit more than a year, I think.
Consider rebalancing the books. As I add(or subtract[mostly add]) books, I've had (read: wanted to for asthetics) the books in the boxes. I just pull them all out and lay them on the floor and move entire groups around until they are balanced correctly. For example, if I don't collect something, I tend to leave less space for growth than the box that holds a title that I get monthly.
That may not be as easy with cabinets. |
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Rocket2600
27 Posts |
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Rocket2600
27 Posts |
Posted - 03/09/2007 : 22:08:15
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quote:
but I am not sure how stable a 4 drawer Lateral cabinet is if you pull out the top drawer full of comics. Do you have to fasten it to the wall so it won't tip over?
No, not at all. You can pull the top drawer out fully with no worries.
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Comic Cover Scans @ http://www.comiccovers.net
Come visit the chatroom nitely @ 10pm EST. =)
Comic Chat & Trade Forum |
Edited by - Rocket2600 on 03/09/2007 22:30:33 |
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Stealth_DBA
USA
1874 Posts |
Posted - 03/10/2007 : 06:12:56
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quote:
PS, comicsatemybrain can confirm or deny this but I am not sure how stable a 4 drawer Lateral cabinet is if you pull out the top drawer full of comics. Do you have to fasten it to the wall so it won't tip over?
Rocket26000. A point of clarification. My question to comicsatemybrain was in regards to Lateral cabinets and not Vertical cabinets. The narrow part of a Lateral cabinet is front-to-back (the same direction the drawer pulls out). On Vertical cabinets, the narrow part side to side (opposite of the direction the drawer pulls out). So I was curious if this made Lateral any less stable than Vertical cabinets.
Now that that is out of the way, Thanks for the pictures. They look great. |
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WebHobbit
USA
701 Posts |
Posted - 03/10/2007 : 06:50:42
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Yesterday (not my B-Day just plastic) I bought a HON370 4 drawer legal file cabinet. It cost me $211 at a local OfficeDepot.
So far I am not sure if it was worth it. Hopefully once I work out a few bugs I will not regret the purchase.
A few quick notes:
1) Two Golden Age comics will NOT fit side by side as has been reported by many.
2) The "ditch" in the center doesn't hurt anything as 92% of the comic is supported by the flat part of the drawer and I board and bag all my books anyway.
3) Even though I started loading with the bottom drawer first the cabinet WILL tip over if you pull a loaded bottom drawer all the way out with nothing in the other 3 drawers! The solution was a full short box sitting on top as a counter-balance.
4) I don't know how ANYONE has the patience to work with these without building some sort of divider to put between the two rows! The metal is so SLICK that the comics SLIIIIIDE all over the place if the drawer isn't mostly full. There are also a LOT of alignment issues with the two rows colliding with one another. VERY FRUSTRATING. After much cussing and experimentation I have a devised a solution that I am testing out.
I made a divider out of foam board (this is usually found right next to poster boards at office supply places). This seems to help a LOT.
5) My title dividers are TOO TALL to clear the cabinet lip. I use the white plastic variety and they are too tall. So I am having to cut a tiny bit off of the bottom of each one.
I'm going to work with the cabinet some more today. Later I'll post pics and give a full review of the concept.
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Larry Robertson
ComicBase 15.0 (Build 0) Archive Edition
Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit
http://lrpctechblog.com
http://lrpctech.com
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Rocket2600
27 Posts |
Posted - 03/10/2007 : 12:14:14
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quote:
Rocket26000. A point of clarification. My question to comicsatemybrain was in regards to Lateral cabinets and not Vertical cabinets.
Oops, sorry about that. I see what you are saying now.  
Here are a few more pics...
1. - The cabinet
2. - The file drawer. You can see a slight mold into the metal in the middle. I didn't care for that much.
3. - A few old backboards and a few in the back work like a charm.
I took the old backs out of the bags and taped them to the metal to prevent sliding.
4. - Top Drawer. Loaded this puppy up full just to test and it was solid as a rock. No worries of tipping over.
There is a nice 1" space between the tow rows. Plenty of space to browse.
5. - Comic Dividers. They fit, but just barely. I mean they are close.
6. - Card Catalog Slot. Very nice feature.
7. Cardboard Divider.
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Comic Cover Scans @ http://www.comiccovers.net
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Comic Chat & Trade Forum |
Edited by - Rocket2600 on 03/10/2007 12:15:15 |
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Rocket2600
27 Posts |
Posted - 03/10/2007 : 12:15:37
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Here is how to turn a long box into a drawer divider.
http://www.comiccovers.net/images/filecab/cab007.jpg
First measure your file cabinet drawer to see the exact lengths you will need.
The ones pictured below are what I used for the HON file cab.
Using the two sides of the LB, measure and draw out the 2 panels you will need.
Cut from the top to the bottom using a box cutter.
Find the exact center and cut a 1/4" strip gap from the middle.
Make sure to cut one from the top and the other from the bottom.
This way you can form a X with the two pieces.
After you have them together put them into place in the drawer.
Adjust as needed.
Finally use 2 pieces of Scotch Packaging Tape on both the front and back of the cardboard at all 4 ends.
Try and place 1 or 2 pieces where the 2 panels meet in the middle.
This helps make the divider very rigid and strong.
Now it's ready for comics!
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Comic Cover Scans @ http://www.comiccovers.net
Come visit the chatroom nitely @ 10pm EST. =)
Comic Chat & Trade Forum |
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WebHobbit
USA
701 Posts |
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comicsatemybrain
423 Posts |
Posted - 03/11/2007 : 14:31:00
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quote:
Originally posted by Stealth_DBA
PS, comicsatemybrain can confirm or deny this but I am not sure how stable a 4 drawer Lateral cabinet is if you pull out the top drawer full of comics. Do you have to fasten it to the wall so it won't tip over?
If you level the cabinet properly, then tipping shouldn't be a problem.
For a cabinet that has quite a few books in the lower drawers, the weight of the comics in the lower drawers will prevent the cabinet from tipping when opening an upper drawer. I find this to be true even in cases where glossy floppies are in the upper drawer and lighter newsprint floppies are in the lower drawers.
To prevent tipping when loading up a brand new empty cabinet, I recommend loading at least some comics into the lower drawers first (even if just as a temporary arrangement). Putting some full comic boxes on top of the cabinet will also do the trick until you can get some of the drawers loaded up.
Lateral cabinets should be less of a tip hazard than standard cabinets b/c the drawers don't pull out as far (lateral cabinets are much wider than they are deep).
quote:
Originally posted by WebHobbit
1) Two Golden Age comics will NOT fit side by side as has been reported by many.
2) The "ditch" in the center doesn't hurt anything as 92% of the comic is supported by the flat part of the drawer and I board and bag all my books anyway.
3) Even though I started loading with the bottom drawer first the cabinet WILL tip over if you pull a loaded bottom drawer all the way out with nothing in the other 3 drawers! The solution was a full short box sitting on top as a counter-balance.
4) I don't know how ANYONE has the patience to work with these without building some sort of divider to put between the two rows! The metal is so SLICK that the comics SLIIIIIDE all over the place if the drawer isn't mostly full. There are also a LOT of alignment issues with the two rows colliding with one another. VERY FRUSTRATING. After much cussing and experimentation I have a devised a solution that I am testing out.
I made a divider out of foam board (this is usually found right next to poster boards at office supply places). This seems to help a LOT.
Yes, I have found that putting something into the "ditch" is very helpful. Since I have very few Golden Age books, I was able to use the thick corrugated packing cardboard that surrounded the cabinet when it was delivered. This cardboard is about an inch thick, but is mostly air, so it is light weight yet fairly sturdy, and it is easy to cut to size with a good utility knife. I find that this works well even with two rows of
Regarding your issue about two side-by-side rows of Golden Age books, there may be a couple of solutions for you:
*** My lateral drawers have 15" between the support bars. If you go with a thinner piece of cardboard in the "ditch", you could probably fit one row of Golden Age (8" wide) with modern (7" wide).
*** If you have a lateral cabinet instead of a vertical cabinet, you could try going without the front support bar in the drawers with Golden Age books. This might give you an extra inch. (As I said, my drawers have 15" between the support bars, and I'm guessing that you need about 16" for two side-by-side rows of Golden Age books, right?) You will probably need to leave in the back support bar.
*** Or, instead of making two long rows of comics in each drawer, you could orient your comics the short way, and have several side-by-side rows. (If you have a lateral cabinet, this would mean the comics would be parallel to the front face of the drawer. If you have a vertical cabinet, the comics would be perpendicular to the front face of the drawer.)
Hope the above is helpful! I did a search on the ComicBase boards for the recommendation re: file cabinet drawers and two side-by-side rows of G.A. books, and had difficulty locating it. Hopefully the person who made the claim can speak up and offer their advice. I can understand your frustration, though!
Yes, the metal floor of the drawer is slick. As with boxes, you will want to do something to prop up a row of books that is doesn't completely fill out the row. And as mark pointed out on another thread, you'll want to leave room for future acquisitions anyway.
As Rocket and mark both mentioned, old backer boards or other thin cardboard on the floor of the drawer also helps prevent sliding. Plus, it helps prevent any sort of nicking or denting by any raised divets on the bottom of the drawer.
Hope this is useful to you and others who are thinking of giving laterals a try. I also recommend Mark's "Top Ten" thread. |
Edited by - comicsatemybrain on 03/11/2007 14:32:10 |
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4-drawer file cabinet or drawer boxes?
