Road case - are all brands decent?

[Robobo1]

Searched around a bit in the forum, and it seems like no one has complaints about any of the bazillion brands that exist (except for SKB?).

So, is one brand better than another?

Specifically, I'm looking at purchasing a shock case with casters.

Thanks...

[Remoteness]

I would not say that since there was someone complaining about a roadcase manufacturer in California...

It wasn't a happy moment for the guy.

[Robobo1]

Originally Posted by Remoteness

I would not say that since there was someone complaining about a roadcase manufacturer in California...

It wasn't a happy moment for the guy.

True, true... I remember that thread! Luckily I'm not looking to go custom

[acousticmaniac]

This is something I spent along time looking at in the UK when I was looking for cases.

I know you aren't looking to go down the 'custom' route but many small independant flightcase manufacturers produce a range of 'stock' cases. I found that dealing with these companies offered lots of advantages, especially small modifications and lifetime warranty for replacing catches and casters etc.

I just enjoy dealing with people face to face, you can always get exactly what you want.

For anyone in the UK I can highly recommend Flightcase Warehouse, I think Jase is the head of production there.

[talbe1019]

I live very close to Caravan Cases. I had them make a 10 space and 16 space shock mount with casters and loved the quality.
They are just outside Cleveland.

[fifthcircle]

All cases are unfortunately not made the same... Most of the ones you see advertisted on ebay are junk. Also, there is a brand call Road Ready (if memory serves me right) that a client of mine purchased that are really poor quality. The mixer case had bad casters and only 2 of them had a swivel on them as opposed to the 4 you need to manuver it...

I've had great service and quality from Encore cases, Jan-Al (the company that had the complaint in the other thread), and A&S Cases. All are here in LA.

Of course, the old standby cases like Anvil are also going to be a quality product.

There are tons of good manufacturers out there, but the good cases will cost. There really isn't any way around that.

--Ben

[bishopthomas]

Ben, have you ever dealt with Get Off My Case? They are in the LA area. The band I work for uses GOMC exclusively and they are very solid cases. We just picked up a couple of acoustic guitar cases and an electric upright case from them - VERY nice and a great price.

[bit mangler]

Also anybody has feedback about OSp cases which sells on ebay.In the photographs they look rugged but any real world experiences

[tombak]

Originally Posted by fifthcircle

All cases are unfortunately not made the same... Most of the ones you see advertisted on ebay are junk.

Ben's absolutely right. Are you going to be transporting your gear via truck, freight, or air?

If it's just casual use coming in and out of a cargo van I recommend any "pro" anvil style cases made with 3/4" plywood and recessed handles, latches and corners with a proper laminate.

Nelson Cases are my favorite, I own quite a few. I've always bought them second hand though.
Try AVForSale via eBay. That's where I get all my cases from. Rack, trunk, utility, etc. They are a clearing house for pro AV companies. Some cases are beat to hell but they also have ones in great shape that usually previously hosted some now out of date technology. It must be less expensive to make new cases than try to refit old ones for new gear.

Originally Posted by fifthcircle

Also, there is a brand call Road Ready (if memory serves me right) that a client of mine purchased that are really poor quality.

For the money these cases are not bad. I own a few for some Pioneer CD decks and a couple of their two space racks that I use when I need to quickly throw small outboard gear in the truck. My biggest complaint is that they are HEAVY AS F#%K because they are made with MDF which is much heavier in weight than 3/4" plywood.

If the casters suck that bad get a rack with no casters and put your own fancy ones on yourself. That's what I do and it's super easy.

Originally Posted by fifthcircle

There are tons of good manufacturers out there, but the good cases will cost. There really isn't any way around that.

--Ben

Buy used, save big!


These guys are good for the variety of choices of materials, quality and sizes.

ALL CASES
CASEMAN

[Robobo1]

I'll be transporting by car... by hand. Actually now thinking of going with two smaller cases, maybe two 6-space or 4-space racks.

Thanks for the company names all.

I'm curious to know if anyone's used OSP. A friend recommended them to me.

[Jimbo]

Originally Posted by Robobo1

Searched around a bit in the forum, and it seems like no one has complaints about any of the bazillion brands that exist (except for SKB?).

I was recommended the SKB "standard" cases by the good folks on this forum.

Rack Products by SKB Cases

They are lightweight and very good for car/road transport.

I have the 3U.

[nathanvacha]

i don't own any, but i've run across some of the osp cases. they're not up to par with like an anvil case, for example, but they seem pretty sturdy, i'd say they're worth their cost.

the casters are not the best, but you won't have those on a four or six-spacer anyway.

they're definitely a notch above the road-ready cases, for sure, and not as light as an skb, but they do look a lot nicer, which is a plus when you're rolling in in front of a client.

[ergower]

I use Gator G-Tour Shock Racks.....and I do believe they are indestructable.....although, if you like your back to remain in an uncontorted state, I would go with the one of the ones with casters already attached, as these are not easy to carry when loaded with gear....especially with a ups power supply and an HD24....yikes

cheers,

Ross

[Graham Tobias]

I did have some troubles with Jan-Al cases, but they always in the end made sure everything worked out at no additional cost to me. They're also kindly refunding me for the issues by making me monitor cases. Beyond the troubles I had with them, their cases are incredibly high quality and I am not worried about gear getting damaged in shipment. The pelican case they foamed for me is awesome too. I can absolutely recommend them as builders of very high quality cases.

[bishopthomas]

I'm glad to hear your song of a totally new tune, Graham.

[Graham Tobias]

Originally Posted by bishopthomas

I'm glad to hear your song of a totally new tune, Graham.

haha yeah. I just got my company going.. I'm rather excited. New website too.

[GJS]

I have had custom cases done by both Rock Hard Road Cases and Get Off My Case Company (who at least used to do the Korby cases for their KAT mics) and had great experiences with both: really well made, and not too expensive as compared to off the shelf stuff that is substantially inferior. My 2 cents.

[valleysound]

As far as massed produced cases, I'm a user of "Road Ready" brand and used Anvil. For some they might not be deep enough, but the price point is there.

[Gaston69]

Lately I noticed that's important to keep a low profile when it comes to down to remote recordings in city with very limited (expensive) car parks. Therefore I am looking for 19" Rack Bag or Trolley which can hold up max 4 19" units, Mic-preamp, Headphone amplifier, Headphones, Macbook, Powersupply, Power extension cable, Mic cables & 4 microfoons.

Any of you a suggestion?


Gaston

[sluttygearhere]

I bought an OSP case for my Allen and Heath console. It's built really well, and very thoughtfully designed. It's the only case near that price range (200 bucks) that has a raised shock absorber grid built into the bottom of the case so that the console isn't resting directly on the bottom. The latches are better than most cheap cases too. For some reason those butterfly latches on cheap cases are the most aggravating things in the world. I have sold and used a lot of Unitec cases. Not the best build quality and what not, but they are not bad for what they are. The latches on those are annoying too though. but for the price they aren't bad. But they could be better.

-- Ben

[Barnabas]

Originally Posted by Robobo1

I'll be transporting by car... by hand. Actually now thinking of going with two smaller cases, maybe two 6-space or 4-space racks.

If transporting by car and by hand, you want something light, which means a plastic rack over a wooden one.

I've been using SKB cases since they came out many years ago, and I like them a lot.
I prefer the Standard racks over the Roto racks. The Rotos seem to be a little flimsy.

Rather then casters, I move my SKB racks with a hand truck.

SKB makes some rack cases with built-in wheels and a handle like a nice piece of luggage. That might work for you depending on how much room you have in the car.

[aussie_techie]

SKB are far better than any of the gators or the no name plastics ive seen. i do have both an SKB and a gator.
most people that complain about SKB usually should of got a real wood/metal rack not a plastic. its the same old story of you need the right tool for the job and everyone has a different job so there is no one size fits all.

Ive never had any issues with road ready rack cases, always had heavy duty casters added to a standard case rather than buying them with casters. and no major issues with there other cases but you have to keep in mind they are standard sizes to fit a bunch of different gear they are not custom made cases made to exact sizes. you get what you pay for in a mixer cases, but with a bit of extra foam and/or rubber they are fine. as have been said they are nice and heavy.

dont bother with wheels on plastics, the wheels always suck and crap out after awhile and being a plastic its damn hard to replace them and you cant bolt real casters on them. if you need wheels just get/make a dolly that you can put any case on. with enough weight in them to warrant wheels the wheels never stand up.

[hookandgroove]

I have bought dozens of OSP cases. For the cost, there is simply no competition. Through my company, I have purchased tens of thousands of dollars worth of cases from custom shops all over the country, so I have a very wide basis for comparison. For this reason, I now distribute OSP cases.

[iluvatar]

Originally Posted by initialsmm

For the money these cases are not bad. I own a few for some Pioneer CD decks and a couple of their two space racks that I use when I need to quickly throw small outboard gear in the truck. My biggest complaint is that they are HEAVY AS F#%K

Yeah they are. IME, the keyboard cases were kind of shitty too - they had a tendency to warp.

I've always liked R & R Cases

-Dan.

[edwinhurwitz]

Originally Posted by aussie_techie

SKB are far better than any of the gators or the no name plastics ive seen. i do have both an SKB and a gator.
most people that complain about SKB usually should of got a real wood/metal rack not a plastic. its the same old story of you need the right tool for the job and everyone has a different job so there is no one size fits all.

I have to agree with this. I tried a Gator plastic rack and there were a couple of issues that really bothered me. One is that the latches are on the case and not the lid. This means that they rattle and get in the way. With an SKB, they are on the lid and when you stow the lid, there is no rattling. The Gator latches also became very loose quickly and they wanted me to send the rack back and have them repair it all on my dime. I've bought used SKB cases, developed and called them up and they send me new latches right away without any need to prove when and where I got the case.

One thing that is nice about the plastic cases is that they absorb blows that a wood rack will transmit to the gear. They will even break in a way that will soften the blow to your gear if suffering a major abuse. Obviously a shock rack is better, but they are more expensive and much heavier.

If I were on a major tour with a good crew, I'd never consider an SKB, but as long as I'm hauling my own gear out of my Suburu or my band's trailer, I think the SKBs are perfect.

Edwin

[smitty0069]

I've found these to be some of the best for the money.

Audiopile Pro Audio - Case Products

On top of that.....Mark and Liz are some of the best people around to deal with.

Smitty

[shadyru]

I was looking into this
Gator GRR-8L

Any reviews or thoughts?

[edwinhurwitz]

Originally Posted by shadyru

I was looking into this
Gator GRR-8L

Any reviews or thoughts?

I will never again buy or recommend another Gator case excepting their generic bass or guitar case. The rack cases are not well made and they don't stand behind them. For that style SKB is way better. The latches are better (and affixed to the lids instead of the case. I hate having the latches rattle). The Gator latches get loose after a short period of time and getting service for them is next to impossible. SKB will send you new latches free very quickly even if you are the 5th or 20th owner of the rack.

In short, don't do it. Unless you get it for $5. Then you'll get your money's worth.

My bass case, on the other hand, I bought as a basically disposable airplane case expecting it to not last any longer than my SKB case (5 flights) and it's been damn near indestructible. There are other issues (who makes an instrument case without leaving enough room in the accessory space for a pack of strings??????).

My 02c.
Edwin

[fifthcircle]

Yup... Gator SUX. Can't say anything good about them. I'm not a fan of SKB, but Gator makes SKB look seriously high quality.

For quality lightweight cases, I like EMS. Just wish they were easier to get in the USA. EUROMODULE

--Ben

[freud2000]

Hi ... nice informative thread. I joined specifically to warn you about OSP ATA cases. I have tons of vintage gear that I protect while I store it between sessions. I have had great experiences with cases by Anvil, LM Engineering, X Case, Angstrom Cases, to name a few. These cases for storage range from 1/4" to 3/8" in wall thickness and both are durable for storage and short moves. The OSP cases looked to be very durable and apparently I was dead wrong. I purchased 3 OSP ATA cases several years ago and they got very little use other than getting loaded up with some vintage gear. One case was 1/4" and the other two were shock protected cases. Yesterday I carefully moved the two heavy shock cases downstairs with a moving dolly. When I went to see how they fared ... I was in shock ... the plastic laminate had developed severe cracks in several places on both cases! OSP apparently uses a very thick but fragile plastic laminate that cracks around rivet points when under stress. When I had originally received the NEW cases 1 of three had severely rusted exterior carriage bolts (cleaned up though with mild steel wool ... bad plating).. Also, all three had loose hardware and the rails had to be tightened ... I've this to be true of Odyssey and Gator gig bags as well. OSP customer service? When I first contacted them with one claim ... my responsibility to return the case at my cost ... I would not buy OSP again. Just my opinion based on bad experiences with cheaply built OSP cases.