My purchase of this lunch box was influenced by this New York Times review that declared Planetbox the best lunch box for kids. But holy cow, those are some high price points for a lunch box. So is it worth it?
Well first off, I got the Planetbox Rover used from eBay. If these lunch boxes are as good as they are hyped up to be then being a second (or third) owner shouldn’t make much of a difference. I paid about $25 total for it, which is a much more palatable price tag than $60. And at $25 it’s 100% worth it. But yes even at $60 I think it is worth it. (During back to school sales you can get it for $45, which I think is also definitely worth it!)
What’s so great about it you ask? Well my daughter loves the 5 compartments so that there’s more variety for lunch. Originally I was using a bento box with 3 compartments. Right now, since she’s only still 3 I fill four compartments and use the fifth for utensils. I can see that as she gets older (and needs more food) I can fill all 5 compartments and pack utensils separately. Also each compartment is quite deep since both the lid and the bottom have indentations. When I was first packing the lunchbox, I only filled it up flat but now I realize I can actually fit more food (by like standing up the cucumber slices in the photo above).
Full, the lunch box is definitely heavier than a small plastic one. However my three year old can easily carry it (even with a heavy insulated lunch bag), so I don’t think the weight is an issue.
The lid latches firmly and yet it’s easy for my three year old to open and close by herself. And even though it’s not quite leak proof (there’s no plastic to create a seal), a small amount of salad dressing or sauce doesn’t leak out (though it also comes with two leak proof containers if you buy it directly from their website).
The website also sells magnets that you can use to decorate the lunchbox (because as is, it’s pretty plain and utilitarian). However we don’t yet have magnets on ours and Emi has no complaints.
I love that this lunch box can be thrown in the dishwasher, and since there’s no plastic I don’t have to worry about any of it leaching into Emi’s food (even when I throw in hot foods). The lunch box is super sturdy. We’re the second owners (at least) and even though it came a little scratched up, the functionality is as if it was new. So yes, that’s why I do think the Planetbox is worth it. You can use it until your kid no longer wants to bring lunch from home, and then you could probably sell it on eBay for $20+. So years of use could only cost you about $40. That’s a pretty good value.
Currently I’m using a lunchbag with insulation (similar to this) and it juuuust barely fits the Planetbox lunch box. I am considering buying the official Planetbox lunch bag that goes with the Rover at some point (maybe when she starts kindergarten?). But for now we’re making it work with what we have, and both Emi and I love it.
{September 2023 update: It’s been a year since I wrote this, and with the start of another school year I thought I’d update this review. Do I still love this planetbox lunch box? Heck yes! It’s been holding up like a champ, and looks as good as the day I got it despite a 4 year-old dropping it and banging it around daily. And I still love the fact we can throw it in the dishwasher and there’s no plastic leaching into my kids food. And during the back to school sale this year I bought the lunch bag that fits the Rover (because they had one with unicorns which is a must for her right now). Even though this lunch bag is not freezable, it is insulated so it does keep her food cool enough until lunch. I was tempted to buy another Rover during the back to school sale because it’s such a great deal, but realistically when am I going to need another one when this first one is going strong?}