Still Air Box Mycology (Sturdy) Mushroom Grow Box Alt to Laminar Flow Hood Fume Hood for Lab Mycology Supplies by USA Mycologists (Outdated Version)

I use this for plant tissue culture at home, it's a little nicer and easier to see through than a still air box made form a tote. Overall, I think it serves it's purpose well enough and is easy to setup. It has some small issues which are probably difficult to remedy with the design... it's light so it moves really easily unless you have it well weighted and you can feel air move in and out when you move your arms simply because it moves the plastic sheeting that covers the whole thing. I guess any SAB would have air go in and out as you move simply because of displacement; however, this one probably does it a little more. The 3-layered arm holes are a nice touch, I spray some alcohol in between them when I put my arms in and out, which I hope helps prevent any microbial contamination while I work. I'm pretty new to all of this, so I don't have a lot of experience to go on. I think I'll eventually move to a cheap flow hood from etsy or create my own., but this will do for now.

Simple and effective! I saw in the past reviews complaints about the cover not easily fitted over the frame. However, during their off time, I reached out to the seller about the availability of this SAB and they informed me they made revisions to their design and I can attest that the cover slips on with ease now! This SAB is the perfect compromise in-between a plastic bin and a laminar flow hood. It adds a really good layer of protection against the outside air, and it really feels like you are in a clean room per se. I have much more peace of mind when I'm working inside of it as opposed to my old plastic bin SAB I made a while back. I don't have to worry about the ac being on, windows being open. Back then, I was even holding my breath while working inside the SAB. Now I kind of do whatever I need to do without thinking about it too much and I haven't had any contamination since! I've already done a couple successful grows with this SAB so I'd say it's already earning its keep! Also, it being collapsible is the biggest selling point. It's like the size of a camping chair. So great!

Love this SAB! Made it into a fully automated mini Martha. Use it for everything from agar and transfers to cultivation ad harvesting. Really cuts down on contamination. Quick to set up, take down and clean. Highly recommend!

I purchased the Bella Bora Still Air Box expecting a reliable solution for sterile work, but in practice it does not function as advertised. The arm holes are extremely tight, which creates a piston-like effect — I can feel air rushing in and out and even see the sides of the box “breathe” as I move my arms. The box is very lightweight and flimsy, and it shifts around during use, which further stirs up air and defeats the purpose of maintaining a still, contamination-free environment. The plastic panels are wrinkled and distort visibility, making it difficult to work with small tools or observe details. The thin, flexible structure bends at the top when the outer zipper is fully closed. Additionally, the sealed arm holes make it impossible to safely flame-sterilize or pass heated instruments inside, which is essential for aseptic technique. Overall, despite the company’s claims that the “piston effect” does not occur, my real-world experience proves that air is moving inside the box. The combination of tight arm holes, light and flexible construction, and awkward tool access makes this product unsuitable for true sterile work. I cannot recommend it.

Overall I’m fairly content with this purchase that I made a few weeks ago but very disappointed in several of the features and would consider this product way over priced for being low tech plastic rods and a plastic cover. The first thing you’ll notice is how huge this thing is! I had to buy a separate table to be able to place this item on. Even when I stick my arms all the way in, I don’t come close to being able to reach the back of the box so I’m a bit unsure of the purpose for making this box this big. The instructions say to assemble the frame first and slide the cover over the frame, but a huge design flaw is how snug the cover is. The zipper doesn’t zip all the way down to the corner end and even with making sure all the rods are tightly connected, you have to stretch the cover to the point of almost ripping it in order to slide it over the frame. I don’t see the purpose of making the cover that snug with zero give when the “self-sealing” armports are huge holes on the side of the box. For the price point that I paid for this item, I would expect the arm ports to actually seal when your arms aren’t in it, perhaps have gloved sleeves instead of just ports. You pretty much have to have your arms in the box to prevent air from circulating inside of it, otherwise you have two holes that let air in. It kind of defeats the purpose of having such a tight fit around the frame when the arm ports don’t seal all the way in my opinion. In theory, this should be a 5 minute assembly since it’s just plastic rods and a sleeve. The first time I put this thing together though it took me roughly 20 minutes and I was sweaty by the end of it since I was doing this alone. I would say that after a couple times I’m now able to assemble this quicker in about 5 minutes now that I’ve learned to assemble one side of the frame first, slide the cover, and assemble the rest inside the box. Another issue with this product is visibility. Since this product comes bundled up, there are several creases that don’t smoothen out and make it really difficult to see through the plastic. You pretty much have to hold your face and the item your holding right up to the cover to see something clearly. It’s clear enough to see large objects well but very murky if you’re trying to read something through it. Overall, I’ve been successful in what I use this for so can’t complain too much but I wouldn’t expect to be having this many issues for this price point. Edit - ever since I initially wrote this review, the seller had reached out to me to apologize for the design flaws and pledged to make improvements. The seller went out of their way to send me a replacement cover, and sent me a new improved design. I took an extended break from my mycology hobby and it wasn’t until recently that I gave the new cover a try. The current design is a much better fit around the frame. It’s been a year since I put this together last and was able to put this together much faster than with the old design which I had reviewed! The cover has more give around the corners to allow assembly of the frame without ripping the plastic. The visibility through the plastic is much better and the placement of the arm holes is improved. It’s easy to see the seller really cares about this product and their customer service was above and beyond what I had expected. My only regret is not having updated this review much sooner. I previously rated this a 3 but I’ve upgraded my rating to a 4.

I got this box because space is an issue for me. though it's a huge thing when set up, it packs away to a nice small bundle. A+ for that. It is roomy and effective. An excellent and clever design. I couldn't have made one half as good for twice the cost. I use an industrial UV disinfecting light to prepare it (30 minutes to be safe) - you can find these for around $60 and they're good to have for general safety. So far not a hitch with contamination after 5 sessions. The only problem might be the size. The arm holes are in the middle of one side. For my height it's tricky to use on a regular table. I'd like to sit sometimes and can, but the level is a little wonky. I've made it work, but it's not as comfortable as I'd like. I probably just need to prop it up, maybe put a platform within the tent. don't know. I haven't tried anything like that yet, which tells you how much of a problem it really is (not that much). All told an excellent Still Air Box. Recommended.

I normally don't write reviews but am taking the time for this one cause I think it's important for shoppers to know that the creators of this product really did fix all the issues you'll read about in the bad reviews. When I ordered this product I bought a different one as well from a different company thinking that if this product gave me all the struggles people wrote about then I can return it & use the back-up. I'm happy to say that the sellers note in the item description is indeed true - they took the negative feedback & fixed the issues. Important: Like the instructions say, if the plastic case doesn't easily slide over the frame allowing you to effortlessly zip it up, then you need to push the frame bars further into the joints. 1 thing I couldn't tell from the reviews/photos was how the arm holes were designed to keep in. I'm happy to report that the creators were really creative in their set up to both not let the air escape but also give the user easy in/out. They set up the blue material overlapping (there are 3 layers of materials, each pulled tightly with elastic). When you slide your hand in, it's like a maze your hand has to navigate to get into the box. The maze & tight elastic creates an almost solid seal around your arms, wrists, hands - whatever size is at the entryway it wraps itself tightly around it. When I say "almost," it would be maybe a Q-tip size opening on either side of my arm at the most. I needed this box to suck the humidity out of the air insode the box so I can work with dried flowers. So it was really important to me that humidity couldn't get in from the outside. I'm happy to report that the blue fabric the creator chose along with all the layering, is doing it's job excellently. I've been monitoring the humidity reading inside & outside of the box multiple times a day for a week now. I am very happy with this product.

So this product was on sale and I snagged it while it was. Way too expensive for not really being able to see. It’s hard to determine where you’re at unless you have your face right on the plastic and your hands up close. Other wise, sturdy product and mine had no rips or tears so it is doing it’s job. Arm holes are snug. Try to keep them sanitized and re-sanitize after inserting arms. Sucks to say, but I think I could have made one for WAY cheaper. Even after the discounted price. Depending on who you are, this product is either perfect or it just isn’t. Still works though. Keep it runnin’!

I made sure all the tubes were inserted all the way. I can zip up one end no problem. The other end I can not zip up. The cover is about 1 1/2” to 2” short. I can get it part way zipped up but the frame is bowing. I am afraid of damaging the SAB trying to get the end zipped up. I am left with either returning it or modifying the SAB so the cover will fit. Might I suggest a version 3 of this SAB so you can gain easy access to the inside without fighting with the cover to get it zipped up if you can even get it zipped up. Great concept poor execution. One star.