Cheeki Stainless Steel Lunchbox 1.2L - Hungry Max

I bought this lunch box for my primary-school age son in January, 2019, as he had broken so many plastic ones that steel seemed like a more robust option. Also, I wanted a box large enough to fit whole pieces of fruit, a sandwich, snacks and maybe even an ice pack.

At the time of purchase I did not receive a silicon seal for the lid - unlike the earlier review for this product, the seal is a separate piece. However, Biome were quick to follow up with the supplier, who quickly posted a seal to me.

The size is great, I can fit all but the largest pieces of fruit in the box, and it has survived being knocked around in my son's school bag. Also, it cleans up very well, with no residual stains or smells (as one would expect from stainless steel)

The seal was difficult to fit in, until I figured out I should soak it in hot water before inserting it into the lid. That it is removable is great for cleaning, but it often would pop out when I didn't need it to, sometimes when my son took the lid off at school. Having said that, when the seal was in properly, the box was completely airtight.

Unfortunately, within months of purchase, two sides of the box split at the top while it was in the dishwasher. The box is clearly labelled as 'dishwasher safe', yet the only damage it has sustained is in the dishwasher - presumably the heat made it split. This has meant that the box is no longer airtight, and so I don't bother with the seal any more. Fortunately the lid still fits adequately…

I bought 10 of these, all were faulty in one way or another. The brand - Cheeki - were fantastic in fully reimbursing me for all, and their communication was wonderful. However, I don't think the quality of the products has changed.

The silicone seal was glued in which was not specified when I bought it, otherwise, I wouldn't have bought it and risked contamination into my food. The glue was also very messy and all up the sides, it didn;t look professional on any of the containers.

I've had multiple of them split at the corners after following the correct directions when freezing. They still work, you just can't fill them up very high without spillages through the split (top rim down).

Depsite all this, they are a great size, and great in theory for freezing and storing food.