Customer Reviews

Brabantia 397103 Touch Bread Bin, Large

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I bought this years ago in San Francisco while shopping with my nephew who now lives in Japan. He thought I was a little nuts because I live in the DC area and that meant I'd have to fit this into my already bursting suitcase to bring it home. Because it was a price I couldn't resist, I took the plunge and figured that I'd fill the bin with clothes and wrap it inside other garments. It worked well and after all these years, I still love the Brabantia bread bin that sits in its regal position atop the refrigerator. Not wanting to waste a fraction of space, I have boxes of cereal and aluminum foil perching on top of the flat bin, all displayed for easy access. The rolling lid moves very smoothly and is easy to operate up and down, exposing the breads (and crackers) housed in the unit. I must admit that I sometimes forget to close the door if I have no fresh bread in the bin, but it looks nice even in opened position. It's a cinch to clean this and unlike us mortals, it doesn't seem to age. Should something happen to destroy this storage, I will likely replace it with the same.

This bread box is beautiful and kept our bread extremely fresh ... until a part of the latch broke. This delicate latch is necessary to keep the box closed, which renders our lovely box useless. The guarantee is for 10 years, so I assume we will get a new one, but I worry that a new one will break down the line.... If I were to purchase a new bread box, I would go for one that doesn't automatically spring open. I wouldn't mind manually raising the door, if that meant I would have the box forever.

My kitchen is tiny, so I was hesitant to put more stuff on the counter, but this bread box helps it to look less cluttered in there. With its shiny surface, it's kind of like putting a mirror in the room, adding "visual" space. It holds a bag of large hamburger buns, a small loaf of bread, and a half-eaten bag of chips.

It was hard to tell from the description whether this is chrome-plated or stainless. The Brabantia site lists the color as "steel" but states merely that the materials are "corrosion-resistant." I'm thinking it's chrome, but I do wish I knew for sure.

It comes with a small plastic stopper for the hole in the back, so you get to decide whether it is ventilated or not.

For anyone who spends much time in the kitchen, where two hands are never enough, the one-touch opener system (nearly soundless) is a blessing. I like the way it rolls upward to open, leaving the space in front and above available for more of my stuff while still having access to the contents.

Mine arrived with a tiny dent in one side. It's barely noticeable, though, and I figure it will suffer much worse once it has been in my kitchen for any length of time.

I recently purchased this stainless bread box to replace an old style wooden one. It is perfect, opens very smoothly with just a touch. Holds a large loaf of bread, one package of 6 bagels, one package of English muffins with room for more. It had fast delivery, was boxed nicely with plenty of protection, arrived in perfect condition. I highly recommend this item. I would purchase it again for a gift or possibly another for myself if I decide I would like an additional one.

nice looking, great space for at least 2 loaves plus buns
nice flat top for shelving if wanted.
liked the roll top function, until after only 3 days of use, the latch broke and would not function. had to return it and not replace since it must have been pretty flimsy.

Beware if you are ordering from "Warehouse Deals", which Amazon considers a 3rd party seller. It's nothing more than a subsidiary, where they sell those items that are returned from customers, for whatever reason AND they DO NOT check the items once it returns. That has been my experience to date. I have ordered a total of 158 items from "Warehouse Deals" and 23 (or 15%) of those items were unusable once I received them. Items that never should have left the warehouse. They were either broken, bent, or just plain didn't work. I only buy those items where the condition is marked "Like New". Usually the comments state that the packaging may be worn or it has been repackaged, which in both cases is fine with me because 99% of the time, that is thrown out anyway. I think "Warehouse Deals" is great! You can really save money on those items you want and may not can afford at regular price, so the idea is wonderful but their management and training is lacking and that just creates extra effort, time and expense for everyone to send those items back that are unusable.

I am not saying not to use "Warehouse Deals", just be forewarned on what you might can expect by ordering from there.

In the case of this item, the "Brabantia 397103 Touch Bread Bin, Large", it is a beautiful bread bin and the idea of the touch latch is excellent but the latch did not work when it arrived. Customer Service did a great job and even gave me a telephone number to call Brabantia, if I wanted to keep the bread box and get a new latch from them under warranty. Apparently this is a known problem and Customer Service had a memo with this information. I considered it but in the end sent it back, where I can almost guarantee, it is sitting in the warehouse, waiting on someone else to buy it. You'd think in the end, Amazon would lose money, in paying for shipping both ways. Oh well, this information is for your consideration ... have a great day!

I will admit I felt like this was a lot to spend for a bread box. And it is...but this one loooks soooo much nicer than the one it replaced and it works really well. It's a great size for my family of four and the automatic opening feature is really convenient. Highly recommended.

I have been a long time, highly satisfied, customer of Amazon. But, they REALLY let me down on this one. I received my order triple boxed, no damage to the boxes what so ever. When I pulled the bread bin from the box it was immediately obvious this had been a previous return that Amazon was trying to pass off as new. Now, as a retailer myself, I understand that often times PERFECT returns are re-boxed and shipped...only makes sense. However, this was SO obviously damaged and returned it wasn't funny. There were two dents on the door, several fingerprints, and the blue protective film had been removed (except for a small tell-tale strip). I've read reviews of Amazon doing this kind of thing before, as well as sending out-dated food products...but never believed it until now. I am returning this for a refund and will think long and hard before buying from Amazon again!

Ended up very expensive (due to shipping charges), when found I could have bought in Canada for 1/2 the price. Overall I am pleased with the bin, other than it doesn't actually hold 2 full loaves of bread (unless they are small), can get in 1 loaf & some buns. It is also very lightweight, and moves around easily, but I don't mind that. Arrived in excellent condition and I like the "click on tab" to open the bin.

I purchased this bread bin in summer 2009. Within a few months the latch became less effective at closing. After a year, it broke. Here's the skinny:

--The latching system is plastic: two plastic clips on the top "clip" to the bottom.
--The plastic bends each time, and as you know, bend plastic back and forth over and over and it breaks off.
--Et voila! So the latch breaks from normal use.
--The Brabanita "customer service" is non-existent. No 800 number. The web site does a great job of hiding service repair requests.
--After much trouble I found a way to email Brabantia and got two replacement clasps mailed to me.
--However, these were for... Brabantia garbage cans!

I tossed the bin out and placed an order for this replacement one: ZUCCOR Fingerprint-Proof Powder Coated Steel Bread Box (MILANO RED). It was $40 with shipping.

Bottom line: don't buy this bread basket.

And if anyone from Brabantia reads these reviews, I recommend you replace this latch system with a magnetic latch, similar to that used by Apple on their Macbook Air line. It will last for 2000 years. Until then, I must say, you guys make a hunk 'o junk.