Hey Baby – You Got A Nice Rack!
Written: Nov 23 '02
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Allows easy access to your most used CD, eliminates clutter.
Cons: Won't hold thin jewel cases, a dust magnet, requires a lot of room.
The Bottom Line: If you have a small collection of CD's, this is a great way to organize them providing you can deal with some small design flaws.
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| Freak369's Full Review: Fellowes Spinner 112 CD Rack |
I'll admit it, I am not the most organized person when it comes to my CD collection. One rainy Saturday afternoon I dragged out all the boxes of CD's that hadn't seen the light of day for years and started to weed through them. Two things became painfully obvious to me:
1. I must have had some ongoing drug problem in the late 80’s and early 90’s because I never remember buying Men In Hats, Disco Till You Drop, Quack With Me, The Best of Brit Pop and about 70 other titles that left me puzzled.
2. I needed to get rid of about 300 CD’s that were played once and chalked up as an impulse purchase. Well, that or streamline the CD that were on current rotation in my Fellowes Spinner 112 CD Rack.
With that being said, I decided that the Saturday would be best spent trying to figure out what stays, what gets pitched, what gets resold and what goes into the organizer that sits atop my file cabinet. It wasn’t an easy task but eventually I narrowed it down to about 100 of the CD’s I’d most like to listen to.
The Fellowes Spinner 112 CD Rack
If you have never seen this rather interesting looking media organizer then a little detail is well in order. This rack allows you to organize your CD jewel cases, keep them from getting lost or damaged and gives you a clear view of the titles. With some organizers [the rack kind] you have to stand with your head cocked to the side – which [for me] usually results in a sore neck and headache. With this spinning organizer you can see the titles horizontally instead of vertically. Of course one of the greatest assets to owning one of these is the simple fact that you can organize your cases and put an end to needless clutter.
The rack rests on an attached base that spins – allowing you to see all the cases you have inserted into the spines. The fact that the base is attached is a great selling point since you can easily move it without having to worry about resetting the organizer onto the base. Some of the less expensive spinning racks have a detachable base which turns into a real nightmare when you want to move it to another location or when you want to dust.
The Fellowes Spinner 112 CD Rack measures ten inches wide, fourteen inches high and has a diagonal span of fourteen inches. Make sure you have enough space to accommodate this as well as enough room to turn it or you’ll find yourself getting frustrated when searching for a CD or video game case. When this is empty it weighs about two pounds but when completely full with jewel cases it’s about eight to nine pounds. Of course this weight can vary depending on the type and style of case, liner notes, video game booklets etc.
The Good
Well, if nothing else this has almost completely eliminated the late night crunch of jewel cases that littered my office floor. At one point in time I thought that Lego pieces were possibly the most painful household object to step on – until my foot met a Pearl Jam jewel case resulting in a colorful array of four, eight and twelve letter words streaming out of my mouth like a trucker stuck behind a VW Beetle on a two lane road. Providing that you take the time to put the cases into the organizer – your late night swear sessions should be pretty much eliminated.
This also works for Playstation, PS2 and Dreamcast games that are packaged in jewel cases. The large double CD slots at the bottom of the organizer are great for games like Metal Gear Solid, Syphon Filter and any game that has two CD’s or an oversized case. We’ve accumulated so many games that this has been a real godsend for the kids playroom. Since there are four sides to the organizer we have the games split up according to the individual platforms so they are easy to find.
The Bad
Maybe it’s just me, maybe my house is overrun with dust fairies – this thing just seems to attract dust like there’s no tomorrow. If you have a small collection of CD’s and don’t anticipate using all the slots be prepared to either have one side of this against the wall and out of site or you’ll find yourself with a wad of Q-Tips cleaning out the slots. Granted the spines are only about a quarter of an inch wide but when you have to clean 50 to 60 of them it does become a chore.
If you have a limited amount of space you really have to think long and hard about this type of media organizer. These aren’t very practical for wall units or shelves unless you have fourteen inches of space. The actual width of the unit is ten inches however the diagonal measurement with the jewel cases in place is fourteen inches. You need at least this much space to be able to turn the unit without having it bump into other items or walls. For me this is a real turn off since the organizer gets bumped a lot and when I go to give it a good spin it bangs off the wall. Not a good thing at 2 a.m. when the rest of the household is sleeping.
The Things You Should Know
Yes, this does look like the solution to having tons of jewel cases lying around but there are a few things that you do need to take into consideration before you toss one of these in your shopping cart. The dimensions of the unit are one thing, but you have to realize that it needs room it spin. Without an adequate amount of space you will find the CD rank hard to turn and more of a burden than a blessing. I know I have said that a few times but I am trying to stress the point – it’s better to go with a different model or brand if you have limited space than to have the constant bother of having to reposition it or move other items to get it to work properly.
There are several different styles of the Fellowes Spinner 112 CD Rack currently on the market. The one featured in the photo shows the CD cases sticking out from the rack but there are ones that offer a little more protection and allow you to slide the jewel case completely into the slot. This model has the rounded top section while the other model [released a few years ago] has a square top. You can find the Fellowes Spinner 112 CD Rack at Target, Wal-Mart, Sam Goody and almost any major retail store that carries music or video games. I own several of the organizers featured in the above photo however I must admit that I do have a personal preference for the one that allows you to slide the case completely into the slot. This almost completely eliminates they getting bumped or knocked out of the slot.
If you are looking into purchasing one of these please do yourself a favor and make sure you open the box before you buy it. These things are pretty sturdy once you get the CD cases in it however they are a little on the fragile side when being shipped. I made the mistake of not checking the contents before I purchased one of these and ended up having to stand in the return line for fifteen minutes because the top of it was cracked.
These aren’t cheap but if you need to get your CD collection in order, this is a great way to start. If you have more than 200 CD’s then I suggest going with a wall rack that will accommodate 300 to 500 cases. Having more than a few of these around the house ends up taking up too much room and turns into a real hassle when trying to locate a particular CD. You can look to spend between $16.99 and $21.99 on one of these organizers so be sure to shop around to make sure you are getting the best price. I’ve had the best luck picking these up at Target but as mentioned earlier they are also available at most stores that sell CD’s, video games or blank media.
The Bottom Line
For my needs this organizer is good, but not great. I have several standard wooden racks that hold a majority of my CD’s but that doesn’t allow me to view them horizontally. This is great for use with video games since there are four sides – great if you have multiple platforms in use. The double CD slots at the bottom are an added plus since most standard racks that have spines can’t accommodate these oversized cases. Providing you have the room to allow this to spin freely I suggest this for those with a moderate CD collection and those looking to eliminate clutter and piles of jewel cases.
For more information about other Fellowes products please feel free to visit their website at www.fellowes.com
As always, thanks for the visit!
^V^ Freak ^V^
© 2002 Freak369
Recommended:
Yes
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