Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Had two great big cardboard boxes of vinyl in my storage room which were taking up WAY too much space. Plus, they were heavy--- youngsters today, with their fancy-pants lightweight CDs and high-falootin' e-lec-tronic MP3 files, are clueless (clueless I say!) <shakes cane for emphasis> as to how tough we grown-ups had it when WE were kids, blowing out our backs whenever we wanted to move our record collection across the room. So I recently decided there's no way I'm going to turn over my precious Herb Alpert collection to the Salvation Army just because the boxes were always getting in my way. No, I needed a storage solution. Enter the Crosely CR401-TA. My first reaction---it only holds 30 records? Hell...that meant I had to buy four! The size seemed skimpy---until you remember the weight of stacked vinyl records. Actually 30 is reasonable. If you shoved 50 in there, you wouldn't enjoy lifting the thing. Remember, the case itself adds another 10 pounds. My second reaction---fiddy bucks? I've had root canals that cost less (they do them at the local veterinary dental school for free). But after I received my cases, I was duly impressed with the quality of the construction---heavy duty sides, with corner bumpers and a strongly-mounted carry-handle. And the attractive beige vinyl finish imparts the charm of Corinthian leather, without the haunting guilt of bovine slaughter. The cases look like they should last a lifetime. Still, I would say they are a tad overpriced for what you get. I price-shopped these aggressively on the interweb for a few months before buying, and came away empty handed. If you can find one for an even fifty, or a buck or two less, that's as good as it gets. Hoping the explanation is that they're made in America. The odd "free hinge lid" design is an acquired taste---the lid completely detaches from the case when you flip it open. Perhaps removing the lid makes it easier to flip through the records without the weight of the open lid tipping the case over backwards? Still not sure I get it. So, a nicely-made, good-looking, space-saving product which telegraphs "I'm a card-carrying hoarder who can afford the best." Minus one star for the weird lid thing, and the price.