Review: Really Useful Scrapbook Drawers

Is a storage tower that was originally designed for Scrapbooking perfect for your LEGO collection? It might be!

Many LEGO enthusiasts use Really Useful Boxes to store bulk LEGO bricks or bring MOCs to LEGO conventions. They are high-quality stackable plastic boxes with latching lids, which are made in the UK by Really Useful Products. (They come in a bunch of different sizes.)

Really Useful Scrapbook Drawer with Hobby Insert. (Camper Van for scale.)

Really Useful Scrapbook Drawer with Hobby Insert. (Camper Van for scale.)

They also manufacture storage towers with drawers. The drawers were designed with scrapbooking in mind, which is why each drawer has an inside dimension slightly larger than 12×12” scrapbooking paper. A separate “hobby tray” can be inserted into each drawer, dividing it into 15 equally-sized compartments.

Really Useful Scrapbook Drawers

I learned about these Scrapbook Drawers w/ Hobby Tray while researching my LEGO Storage Guide, because several prominent members of the LEGO community in Europe were pleased with how well they work for LEGO collections.

The drawers comes in both clear and translucent rainbow-colored options. I prefer the clear drawers—even though they use a soft, milky translucent plastic, you can see the color of your LEGO bricks through the front of the drawer.

Hobby Tray sits inside each drawer.

Hobby Tray sits inside each drawer.

While you can use the drawers as-is, the optional “hobby tray” makes the drawers more useful for sorting your LEGO collection by dividing each drawer into 15 identical compartments.

Technical Specifications:

  • Cabinet exterior dimensions (per drawer): 39.5 × 42 × 11cm tall. (15 9/16″ × 16 9/16″ × 4 5/16″ tall.)
  • Drawer interior dimensions:32.4 × 37.1 × 8.3cm tall. (12 3/4″ × 14 5/8″ × 3 1/4″ tall.)
  • Hobby Tray compartment interior dimensions:10.1 × 7.2 × 7.6cm tall. (4″ × 2 7/8″ × 3″ tall.)

In LEGO units, the compartments that are a little over 13 studs wide, 8 studs deep, and 8 studs tall. As such, elements which are more than 13 studs long will not fit.

Availability

Because Really Useful Products is based in the UK, their products are readily available in Europe.

In the USA, the scrapbooking drawers are available at Michaels stores, or direct from Really Useful Products. (The hobby tray was not available in the USA until recently, and to my knowledge is only available direct from reallyusefulproducts.co.uk/usa)

Pricing

You can order a cabinet direct from the manufacturer in any configuration you like, or purchase the cabinet and order the hobby insert later. Let’s look at the a-la-carte pricing, and determine how much a common configuration will cost.

Price per part

  • $4.97 – Drawer.
  • $5.98 – Stackable Section.
  • $7.84 – 15-compartment Hobby Tray insert.
  • $7.64 – Top (one per tower.)
  • $3.85 – Castors (one per tower.)

Each cabinet has a base cost of $11.49 for top and castors, plus $18.79 per drawer. That’s $161.81 plus shipping for an 8-drawer cabinet. (You may be able to save money by purchasing the tower locally, and ordering 8 hobby inserts for $62.72 plus shipping.)

The castors are optional, but recommended if you want to move the tower easily. They work great on hardwoods, and work reasonably well on low-pile carpets.

Related Products

There isn’t a lot of competition for drawers with dividers. Besides ludicrously expensive business-class solutions by companies like Schaller, the only direct competitor in this space are the Papimax StackX Drawers which were designed specifically for LEGO collectors.

Really Useful Scrapbook Drawers

Really Useful Products makes high quality drawers designed for scrapbooking, with an optional 15-compartment insert that works great for large LEGO collections. These are really large drawers that can hold a lot of LEGO bricks.

Brick Architect rated it “Very Good” (3/5 stars). Read the Review.

This UK company makes the only storage drawers designed specifically for LEGO Bricks. Dividers are removeable, allowing up to 15 compartments which fit parts up to 8×8 studs wide.

Brick Architect rated it “Very Good” (3/5 stars). Read the Review.

Akro-Mils 64 Drawer Cabinet

Plastic drawer cabinets by Akro-Mils are the top pick for most LEGO enthusiasts in the USA. They have several advantages over other options including: drawers are easily removed and stack-able, drawers are deep enough for 16-stud bricks, drawers are flexible which makes them hard to break, and have competitive prices.

Papi-max drawers are much smaller and shallower, holding about ½ as many bricks per drawer. Unlike the hobby tray insert, removeable dividers allow you to configure up to 5 rows and up to 3 columns of separate compartments. Each compartment in the Papi-max drawer was designed to hold parts up to 8×8 studs, which is a perfect fit for most parts, with the option to remove a divider to hold longer parts.

The other main competitor to this product are shallow cabinets with lots of individual removeable drawers. The most popular option in the USA are cabinets by Akro-mils which offer models with 24 large, or 64 small drawers. (While each drawer can be dividen in half, the biggest advantage is that they are much easier to use if you store multiple parts or colors on each bin, since you can easily dump out a single drawer to find the parts or colors you need.) I’ve also included the Akro-mils products in this section.

Capacity

The following table shows the dimensions and storage capacity for each of these products.

Unit Dimensions Unit Volume Compartments per Unit Compartment Dimensions Compartment Volume Qty 1×1 plates
Papimax StackX 23.1 × 37.1 × 6 cm tall
(9″ × 14 5/8″ × 2 3/8″ tall)
5.142 L 15 7.0 × 6.6 × 4.8 cm tall 222 mL 552
Really Useful Scrapbook Drawer w/ Hobby Tray 39.5×42 × 11cm tall
(15 9/16″ × 16 9/16″ × 4 5/16″ tall)
18.249 L 15 10.1 × 7.2 × 7.6cm tall 552 mL 1398
Akro-mils 24-drawer Cabinet 50.5 × 16.1 × 40 cm tall
(19 7/8″ × 6 5/16” × 15 ¾″ tall)
32.522 L 24 10.8 × 13.5 × 5.0 cm tall 729 mL 1893
Akro-mils 64-drawer Cabinet 50.5 × 16.1 × 40 cm tall
(19 7/8″ × 6 5/16″ × 15 ¾″ tall)
32.522 L 64 5.1 × 13.5 × 3.5cm high 241 mL 563

Notes:

  1. “Qty 1×1 plates” is the maximum number of pieces that fit while allowing the drawer to open and close without getting stuck. This was measured experimentally, and is the average of several measurements for each product.
  2. The divider in the Papi-max drawer is slightly shorter than the drawer itself, which seems like a bad idea, but makes it harder to over-fill the compartment and cause drawer to get stuck when opening and closing.

Storage Density

If you have a huge LEGO collection, a small LEGO room, or both, you need to make sure your storage solution uses the space efficiently. (Space which is occupied by the storage solution itself can’t be used to store more LEGO!)

In some rooms, the most limited resource will be wall space, while in other rooms the bigger issue is overall volume. If the room is plenty deep but has limited wall space, a deeper storage product might be more efficient. If you have a narrow hallway with a ton of wall space, a shallow product like Akro-mils Drawer Cabinets might make the most sense. That’s why I’ve included both overall Storage Density (as percentage of storage product’s overall volume), as well as Storage Capacity as a function of wall space.

Unit Volume Unit Wall Space Compartments per Unit Compartment Volume % Storage Density Wall Space Storage Volume
Papimax StackX 5.142 L 0.014 sq m 15 211 mL 62% 228.3 L/sq m
Really Useful Scrapbook Drawer w/ Hobby Tray 18.249 L 0.043 sq m 15 560 mL 46% 193.2 L/sq m
Akro-mils 24-drawer Cabinet 32.522 L 0.202 sq m 24 729 mL 54% 86.6 L/sq m
Akro-mils 64-drawer Cabinet 32.522 L 0.202 sq m 64 241 mL 47% 76.3

The biggest disadvantage of the Really Useful Scrapbook Drawers w/ Hobby Tray is that they aren’t very efficient with space. Even though the Scrapbook Drawers are deeper than the Papimax StackX product (5cm / 2″ deeper), they can hold 15% less pieces in the same amount of wall space, and 25% less pieces in the same volume.

They compare more favorably to the Akro-mils product, but only if you have a room that is pretty deep. Because the Akro-mils 24-drawer cabinet can store half as many pieces in 1/3 the depth, it is a more efficient product overall, and a great option for a narrow room or hallway.

Value

Lastly, I calculated the cost per liter of storage for all four of these products.

Compartments per Unit Compartment Volume Total Storage Volume Cost per unit Cost per Liter
Papimax StackX 15 222 mL 3.2 L $12.50 $3.95
Really Useful Scrapbook Drawer w/ Hobby Tray 15 552 mL 8.4 L $20.22 $2.41
Akro-mils 24-drawer Cabinet 24 729 mL 17.5 L $30 (typical) $1.71
Akro-mils 64-drawer Cabinet 64 241 mL 15.4 L $35 (typical) $2.27

Even though the Really Useful Scrapbook Drawers w/ Hobby Tray is expensive, the cost per liter is pretty competitive because each compartment is really large. This makes it a fairly good value if you have enough bricks to nearly fill most of the compartments. Otherwise, you are paying about $2.50 per Liter to store air.

How does it stack up?

This product only makes sense for people who have a very large, very well organized LEGO collection, and want to use each compartment to store a unique element (unique part and color). Storing multiple different pieces in a single compartment is an excercise in frustration—the drawers are pretty deep and you might need to scoop out all the pieces to find the color you need.

In practice, you might decide to use multiple storage products for your collection. A practical solution is to store your most common elements in a cabinet like this, and use a different storage product such as Akro-mils Drawer Cabinets for less common parts which don’t need to be sorted by both part and color.

Target Audience

Let’s start with the obvious, this is an expensive LEGO storage solution that isn’t practical for most LEGO enthusiasts. That said, there are a few people who have massive LEGO collections, dedicated LEGO studios, and are willing to invest in premium storage solutions.

In my LEGO Storage Guide, I explained that people with small collections don’t really need any organization, medium collections might sort parts by broad categories or color, and large collections which are typically sorted by part (but not necessarily by element—both part and color).

Really Useful Scrapbooking Drawers make the most sense for two of these audiences:

  1. Scrapbook Drawers with the hobby tray make the most sense for LEGO enthusiasts with very large collections that are sorted by both part and color. (While each drawer has 15 compartments, they are very deep making it hard to find specific color pieces if you put multiple colors of the same part in each compartment.)
  2. Scrapbook Drawers without the hobby tray would be perfect for a medium-sized collection, with each drawer dedicated a different broad category of pieces. (ex: Bricks, Plates, Minifigures, Technic.) Another option which is fairly popular with younger builders is to sort by color, although adults typically prefer to sort by function.
    While not the focus of this review, these drawers without the insert are highly recommended (4/5 stars) for people with medium-sized collections, due to high level of craftsmanship and durability. They’re a lot cheaper without the inserts, but it’s still a premium option compared to lower-priced flimsy plastic drawers from brands like Sterilite.

Hands-on Experiences

I found the drawers to be very satisfying to use, and easy to work with. I like the soft plastic used to make the drawers. It is quieter than other kinds of plastic, and feels both flexible and durable.

Cabinet can be configured for any number of drawers, and one lid.

Cabinet can be configured for any number of drawers, and one lid.

You can make a tower taller by clicking a module onto the top, or make it shorter by pressing a button on each leg of the support, releasing the section above it. Adding the Hobby Insert is even easier—just slide it into an empty drawer and fill with LEGO.

I dedicated a single drawer to each of the ten most common colors, with one compartment for each of the 15 most common Bricks and Plates. This makes it easy to grab all the basic parts for a single color, and bring it to my build space.

15 most common LEGO Bricks and Plates.

15 most common LEGO Bricks and Plates.

Unfortunately, each compartment is deeper than I would have preferred. A shallower drawer and insert would allow you to have more drawers in the same amount of space. Further, the decision to make each compartment the same size results in compartments storing very small pieces (such as 1×1 plates) which are much more than half full.

Potential Improvements

While it is already well suited for some LEGO collectors, there are a number of changes which would make this product appealing to a wider audience of LEGO fans.

Potential Improvements:

  • Improved Storage Density – Tubular walls waste a lot of space which I would rather use to store more LEGO Bricks.
  • Shallower drawers – The drawers are too deep for anything but common and bulky parts like the classic 2×4 brick.
  • Removeable compartments – If each compartment could be removed separately, I could store multiple colors in the same compartment since it would be easy to dump out one compartment to find what I needed.
  • Lower Price – While I love high quality products, these drawers are a bit over-engineered for LEGO storage.

Conclusion

Really Useful Scrapbook Drawers w/ Hobby tray is a very high quality product that is pleasant to use. The drawers slide easily and feel solid when carried across the room. The storage insert fits perfectly in the drawer, and it’s easy to remove pieces from each compartment due to gently rounded corners at the bottom of each compartment. It is an excellent option for people who have a huge collection that is sorted by element, a lot of space, and a large budget. If you happen to fit this demographic, you should give it a serious look.

Really Useful Scrapbook Drawers with Hobby Tray.

Really Useful Scrapbook Drawers with Hobby Tray.

Unfortunately, there aren’t very many LEGO fans that have collections quite that big, let alone enough space for relatively inefficient storage products. Due to the incredibly narrow audience for this product, my overall rating is “Very Good” (3/5 stars). I would love to see a similar premium quality product with shallower drawers, higher storage efficiency, and removeable storage cups.

If you have a huge home and a huge collection, consider Really Useful Scrapbook Drawers to store your most common LEGO parts.
Really Useful Products provided the drawers used for this review, and commisioned Brick Architect to build a LEGO model of their factory in 2018. The opinions in this article are strictly my own—providing products for review does not guarantee a positive review. Photos in this article are by Tom Alphin unless otherwise noted. Visit the About page for more info about our journalistic standards and affiliate programs.

10 Responses

  1. I have purchased many of their assortment packages (140 pcs 2” deep- my favorite- for example) and I end up using all of them very quickly – actually in a matter of days if I’m on my annual ‘organizing / cleanup / labeling binge’. I have also purchased a 3” deep 67 pc assortment for some of my IRIS drawers. Note that depending on the drawer you may be able to get a perfect fit or have some slight gaps.

    I have a very large collection so bins get sucked up really fast. For a smaller collection you have the option of ‘designing‘ your drawers individually and customizing the order which I have done, but in the long run, I found any of the available packages much more economical. You don’t have to use them all right away!

    With the Schaller bins I average $7 per drawer; divided anywhere from 2 – 20 bins per drawer. Literally, no two of my drawers are divided the same.

    I just love this solution. They work with my existing drawers. The bins are efficient (exact size bin necessary); accessible (pull only the bin of the part you need); easily expandable (adjust the bin size as your quantity of that part increases); and allow near infinite solutions for any size drawer. I can easily mix divided drawers with undivided drawers (for large quantities) in the same stack. Lovely.

    I have posted pictures on Flickr (Organizing Album) over the years on my search for the elusive Perfect Efficient Adjustable Divided Drawer. Included are several pictures of the Schaller solutions (as well as others that I use or have tried). I haven’t updated this album in a while and now I’m packing to move (yukko!) but let me know if there is something more specific you are looking for.

    https://www.flickr.com/photos/59068359@N04/albums/72157626238318289/with/39425480142/

  2. Michele Van Hecker says:

    Hi Tom,
    Nice detailed review. Just one comment. I have purchased Schaller many times. I usually get the 140pc pack for $103 (sometimes with free shipping). I can easily divide 15 of the standard Sterilite or IRIS 12×12 drawers with that mix. That averages to less than $7 a drawer. I’m unclear how that is ‘ludicrously expensive’ compared to the other alternatives? They also provide the flexibility of taking just the part I need out of the drawer, configuring drawers to accommodate disparate quantities, and easily rearranging the drawers as my collection changes.

    • Tom Alphin says:

      My comment was based on the cost of Schaller organizational cups used with expensive metal tool cabinets (with ball-bearing drawers). I had not considered the possibility of using plastic storage cups from Schaller or similar inside lower-cost plastic drawers such as those from Iris.

      I’d love to learn more about which cups work best with which drawer solution.

      —tom

  3. Donald van de Weyer says:

    Unfortunately the Really Useful products only have a partial product range available outside UK. Also the prices are (much) higher, making it very often not such a great choice.

    • Below the link to the full storage offerings in UK. Select a different country and you will see most is not offered. For Switzerland you will see prices that are about double the UK price.

  4. Keith says:

    I have several 11 drawer towers of the larger 9L clear drawers which I got at a good rate. I found that if I added extra drawers to the height the drawers became more difficult to pull out. The biggest frustration for me is that the 9L drawers do not have an equivalent tray like the scrapbook drawers do. I agree though that the trays are far too deep anyway. One of the big pluses to these drawers is the ability to purchase extra component parts of the drawers should anything get broken or you simply wish to build a custom stack. Though this does get more expensive and delivery costs are prohibitive.

  5. Dennis Van Puyvelde says:

    HI Tom

    This looks great. It is similar to the tubs I have but they are 1L compartments with a divider in the middle. This creates additional flexibility for when I have lots of a certain type of brick.

    I also think have different storage units is helpful as it allows me to store 2*4 bricks in a larger tub and then some of the smaller bricks with fewer of them in fishing style tackle boxes.

    Cheers
    Dennis

  6. S Longlands says:

    I have used Really Useful Drawer Sets in the past. If the towers get too tall – ours were floor to ceiling – then the castors tend to buckle from the weight. Also the drawers can become hard to pull out. We didn’t have lego in ours but I would say the weight was about the same. Just something to be aware off if you are planning tall units.

    • Tom Alphin says:

      Thanks for sharing your experiences! My tallest tower was 16 drawers tall. It worked fine, but each drawer was on average only about 1/2 full with LEGO pieces.

      (I suspect that it would have worked better if you removed the castors and placed it on a level surface, but can not confirm as such…)

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