****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
I replaced the deep-cycle marine batteries on a solar-powered gate opener with a pair of LiFePO lithium batteries, and for piece of mind, I wanted a metal box like this to make it easy to conceal and secure those expensive batteries.Man, this thing far exceeded my expectations. Much attention to detail was paid in fabricating and assembling this box. The lid opens and closes smoothly without binding up. The latch lines up perfectly and snaps closed firmly. The handles are spring-loaded so they stay down (perfect for those who plan to mount this on a trailer, they don't rattle). The welds go all the way up the seams, so I expect this to be almost waterproof.My two Group 24 -sized LiFePO4 batteries fit perfectly with plenty of room to spare -- I'd say about an inch or two around the sides of each, and plenty of room above so there's no worry about the battery poles coming into contact with the lid.My only complaint, and it's kinda trivial, is with the holes and the plugs that were included. I think it's great that the holes are pre-fabricated, and even better that the plugs double as grommets for passing wires through the box. However, if you want to use the plugs to seal off holes you won't use, they don't go in very tight. So even though the box seems like it would be quite resistant to water ingress from rain or highway spray, water will surely slide past these plugs.If all you have in the box are batteries, then you're probably not worried about it getting a little wet inside, so long as you drill a weep hole in it (or leave the pre-drilled bolt holes in the bottom unplugged if you don't use them for mounting).For my needs, I may have solved this by adding an O-ring around the interior side of the plug, which causes the edge on the exterior side to pull snugly to the surface. I wish they would have included some other method for plugging unused holes, like maybe a threaded insert that could be tightened securely.The included pad lock is definitely a cheap-o, so if that's a problem for you, just use your own lock. But know this: the hole in the latch is quite small, so the shackle on the most typical size of padlock probably won't fit (and the metal on that portion of the latch is thin enough that a larger lock could be used as a grip for ripping it off anyway). Thus, the use of a lock would really only serve as a visual deterrent to an idle-handed passer-by and not actual theft attempts, and that may be enough for most people.Overall, this box is made well, serves its purpose, and worth every penny.
