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Sistema Brilliance - Has anybody used one?


Big84

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While I was in my local Supermarket today Sainsburys (UK) I saw a new product from Sistema. It was called "Sistema Brilliance" and I was wondering if anybody has used one as a cache. As it claimed to be airtight and leekproof.

 

I'm not sure if I am allowed to post links to external sites but here is the  link to the Sainsburys website

 

Thanks

BIG84 ?

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It should of course always be remembered that with any container it's only as leak proof as the seal is clean - any container that gets schmutz on the seal is no longer going to be leak proof, no matter how well designed or manufactured.

 

I think ammo cans only really remain weather tight because the lid closes and exerts a lot of pressure on the seal, it's quite a big rubber seal, and the lid has a lip that hangs down nicely over the seal most of the way round.

 

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3 minutes ago, funkymunkyzone said:

I think ammo cans only really remain weather tight because the lid closes and exerts a lot of pressure on the seal, it's quite a big rubber seal, and the lid has a lip that hangs down nicely over the seal most of the way round.

 

I agree, we haven't tested any container equal to an ammo can.    :)

When we did a two-year test on boxes years ago, we found that Plano stowaways were just as good (for a plastic container), followed by their "guide" field boxes.

They don't seem to have that much overlap, but the "lift, hook, and snap down" triple latch with a hinge really clamps 'em down into the seal.

Our County's "Open Space" now puts out caches of their own using them.

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Sistema are common here in Oz.. They are durable and do a great job keeping moisture out as they have a gasket seal which can be removed and cleaned or replaced with large O rings (tricky to find them but so far have not needed to). They have the usual container problems of finders not closing them properly or allowing some foreign matter, including a bit of baggie, to get caught in the seal. Ones I have used have been out for years. They are reasonably UV resistant,, which helps if they are exposed to weather. In a protected hide they last years. I've never had one crack due to weathering. Many of mine I give a light spray of matt (epoxy) paint, usually black, grey or olive. Occasionally (rare) a clip may break.  The ones I use do not have 'steam' vents - I yet to see any that have. They are similar to Lock'n'lock.

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2 minutes ago, colleda said:

Sistema are common here in Oz.. They are durable and do a great job keeping moisture out as they have a gasket seal which can be removed and cleaned or replaced with large O rings (tricky to find them but so far have not needed to). They have the usual container problems of finders not closing them properly or allowing some foreign matter, including a bit of baggie, to get caught in the seal. Ones I have used have been out for years. They are reasonably UV resistant,, which helps if they are exposed to weather. In a protected hide they last years. I've never had one crack due to weathering. Many of mine I give a light spray of matt (epoxy) paint, usually black, grey or olive. Occasionally (rare) a clip may break.  The ones I use do not have 'steam' vents - I yet to see any that have. They are similar to Lock'n'lock.

 

They are very common here in NZ as well.  The basic "rectangle" ones, typically blue seal and clips (although they come in other colours too), a couple of $ for a 200 or 400ml container - this range does not have the steam vents or anything else fancy and the plastic is pretty tough (flexible enough to not shatter if stressed).  The round ones are hopeless.  Have not tried the more expensive "brilliance" ones - have been curious but never got around to it.

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8 hours ago, Big84 said:

While I was in my local Supermarket today Sainsburys (UK) I saw a new product from Sistema. It was called "Sistema Brilliance" and I was wondering if anybody has used one as a cache. As it claimed to be airtight and leekproof.

 

I'm not sure if I am allowed to post links to external sites but here is the  link to the Sainsburys website

 

Thanks

BIG84 ?

We have used the official geocaching.com containers (lock-n-lock).  Never had a problem with leakage. Also used Rubbermaid and even the Dollar Store lock-n-locks. Never had a problem. But with the last two...we camo duct taped the container. I'm sure that helped to keep out moisture. 

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Slightly off topic but most of my smaller caches are medical sample containers. Obviously time will tell but they've submerged one flood submerged in river water relatively unscathed.

 

My thinking is they're designed to be used, abused and then put through hospital pod systems. Now, if you get a leak in a hospital pod system you are in all sorts of trouble so they are hopefully designed with some allowance for deterioration.

 

So they have compressible seals, aluminium screw tops and they're dirt cheap. Even on my larger caches I put the log into a specimen pot inside.

 

Will have to report back.in ten years although, of course, the best seal only works if people close it properly!

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Thanks everyone for your thoughts.

 

I have used several sistema klip it boxes before and like Funkymunkyzone & Colleda said usually they are good until you get some dirt or plant material in the seal. Luckly they do wash up well.

 

I did wonder how something with steam holes could be air tight and leakproof.

 

Thanks

BIG84 ?

Edited by Big84
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5 hours ago, colleda said:

Sistema are common here in Oz.. They are durable and do a great job keeping moisture out as they have a gasket seal which can be removed and cleaned or replaced with large O rings (tricky to find them but so far have not needed to). They have the usual container problems of finders not closing them properly or allowing some foreign matter, including a bit of baggie, to get caught in the seal. Ones I have used have been out for years. They are reasonably UV resistant,, which helps if they are exposed to weather. In a protected hide they last years. I've never had one crack due to weathering. Many of mine I give a light spray of matt (epoxy) paint, usually black, grey or olive. Occasionally (rare) a clip may break.  The ones I use do not have 'steam' vents - I yet to see any that have. They are similar to Lock'n'lock.

 

I've used the Sistema Klip-It range extensively and they've been pretty good, the only failures have been cracking when someone's put heavy rocks on top of them. I've found some in the field that are a decade or more old and still in excellent condition, like this one placed in 2005:

 

DSC_0430.jpg.f19e393ab495e201201d4c2226aca8dd.jpg

 

Probably not all that good in a fire though.

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This post might duplicate. I tried sending it from my cell but forgot to sign in but it was submitted.   Sorry about that. Anyway, here's our Arachnid camo taped cache from the dollar store. Hidden last June. So far so good, no leaking. 

IMG_20190620_122224_2.jpg

Edited by HunterandSamuel
Edited to add: The spider is hanging inside the lid on fishing wire. lol
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24 minutes ago, HunterandSamuel said:

Our rubbermaid cache that we camo taped. Never a problem, knock on wood. Love the outdoor Gorilla camo tape. 

Covering plastic containers can help protect them from UV light, which protects them from degradation, and can help them last longer in the wild.

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51 minutes ago, HunterandSamuel said:

Our rubbermaid cache that we camo taped. Never a problem, knock on wood. Love the outdoor Gorilla camo tape. 

IMG_20190825_144036.jpg

 

Nice camo tape job. Attention to detail.

 

Gorilla camo tape is my favorite camo tape too, no shine, more like fabric then plastic, and strong. 

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57 minutes ago, L0ne.R said:

 

Nice camo tape job. Attention to detail.

 

Gorilla camo tape is my favorite camo tape too, no shine, more like fabric then plastic, and strong. 

Thanks! Gorilla camo tape is the best tape on the market, in my opinion.  Here's a large vitamin bottle taped with it. We call it "grass head". Well hidden in grass since last April. Never leaked. We did cut out a round piece of rubber and placed it on the inside of the lid to help keep moisture out. The fake grass is hot gun glued on the top. I think these posts are still on topic because they also recommend containers that will last & leak proof.  

IMG_20190517_055506 (2).JPG

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1 hour ago, HunterandSamuel said:

We did cut out a round piece of rubber and placed it on the inside of the lid to help keep moisture out.

 

I wish more people would do this. It really works. I've seen the difference with regards to Kraft peanut butter jars in my area. Dry inside, check the lid, there's a liner/gasket. Wet inside, check the lid, no gasket. Fun foam is another material that can be used to make a seal liner. Cheap, and easy to get at the dollar store. 

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There almost need to be an unwritten rule that most log container without shelter must have a compressible seal. Otherwise the laws of thermodynamics mean that at some stages of the year, it won't be watertight. IMO, it also provides tactile feedback to cachers that the log is sealed.

 

As Lone R have said, even if your intended container doesn't have it, it's trivially easy/cheap to retrofit it.

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On 1/5/2020 at 2:27 PM, HunterandSamuel said:

We have used the official geocaching.com containers (lock-n-lock).  Never had a problem with leakage. Also used Rubbermaid and even the Dollar Store lock-n-locks. Never had a problem. But with the last two...we camo duct taped the container. I'm sure that helped to keep out moisture. 

 

Sorry, but I seriously doubt you have left a lock-n-lock out for any reasonable period of time without problems.  The vast majority of those containers I see have very serious problems:  the "hinges" break, the tabs fall off, and they leak.

 

Come back and tell us how good they are when you've had them out for more than a year or so.

 

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12 hours ago, daddybeth said:

There almost need to be an unwritten rule that most log container without shelter must have a compressible seal. Otherwise the laws of thermodynamics mean that at some stages of the year, it won't be watertight. IMO, it also provides tactile feedback to cachers that the log is sealed.

 

As Lone R have said, even if your intended container doesn't have it, it's trivially easy/cheap to retrofit it.

GS already has a written guideline stating the container should be waterproof so I'm not sure an unwritten rule would make much difference. I think a bigger impact would be made if hiders would take the time to make a plan before placing a cache. Is it waterproof; will it be easily muggled; is it close enough I can easily do maintenance at least twice a year, if not is it constructed/protected for the long term with plenty of log space; is it something the hider would enjoy finding?

 

I don't know if it's due to having to claim a spot before someone else does; quickly increasing their hide count; or simply not caring, coming across caches that seem to have been placed as an afterthought is becoming common. An unwashed sports drink bottle with a single sheet of notepad paper shoved inside is not a geocache in my opinion, it's trash.

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15 hours ago, daddybeth said:

As Lone R have said, even if your intended container doesn't have it, it's trivially easy/cheap to retrofit it.

We used my rubber/latex resistance band from physical therapy when I broke my ankle a few years ago.  It works great at keeping moisture out. Cut it out to fit the inside of the cap and Elmers glue it on.

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15 hours ago, fizzymagic said:

 

Your oldest cache is 19 months since placed.  As a result, your observation that they are still in fine shape is close to meaningless.

 

They are still in excellent shape although the business above one of them, the rubbermaid,  installed lawn sprinklers and the cache was getting wet. Still bone dry on the inside, outside is also in perfect condition. We keep paper towels in the car, wipe off the dirt and moisture. The camo tape protects it excellently. Until we decide what to do about the sprinklers and where to move it, we placed it in a half gallon baggy. It's hidden under a black volcanic rock (to go with the Shawshank Redemption theme of the cache).  One time a cacher didn't zip up the baggy and it became filled with water from the sprinklers but the camo taped rubbermaid cache was untouched, no damage or water got inside. Outdoor Gorilla camo tape is the best. Very durable. I highly recommend it. And not too expensive. 

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