Snapware vs Prep Naturals Plastic Food Storage Containers

This is the small-portion set. According to the brand, you get four 2-cup and four 1-cup round containers, each with its own snap lid, so 16 pieces in all. Snapware lists the whole set at 1.6 pounds and describes the closure as airtight.

Think of the sizes as side containers, not meal containers. A one-cup container takes a dip, a dressing or a handful of cut fruit, and two cups is a snack or a small bowl of soup.

For portioning lunch across a week, the 8.5-cup containers in the next section fit better.

Snapware calls the set BPA free, food grade, freezer safe and microwave safe, and lists it as dishwasher safe. It also says the plastic resists stains, odors and flavors. Those are the brand's claims, and the written reviews we read for this set do not speak to stains either way.

Those written reviews are few: four, all from Canada. So lean on the star breakdown, where about 82 percent of ratings are five stars and about 3 percent are one or two stars. That is a good spread for a plastic set.

The complaints are small ones. One four-star reviewer says some of the containers are difficult to close unless lined up properly. Another, scoring five stars, calls the locks easy to use but a little stiff at first, and says the containers passed a water drip check.

A third reviewer found them a little smaller than expected, though still worth keeping. Nobody mentions leaks or stains in the written reviews.

One odd note: a five-star reviewer says the cups are glass, not plastic. That does not match a product description that lists plastic. We cannot say which is right, so check the material when the box arrives.

Who should skip it? Anyone who batch-cooks, since eight containers of two cups or less will not hold dinners.

You should also skip it if you want to write on lids, since the description for this set mentions no write-and-erase panel, unlike the larger Snapware set.

Five rectangular containers, 8.5 cups each, with lids that latch shut on four locking tabs. The brand lists each container at 9 by 7 by 3.25 inches, which suits a fridge shelf better than a deep cabinet. Snapware says the containers and lids stack, and that the plastic is BPA free and made in the USA.

The brand also describes the lids as airtight and leak-proof, and top-rack dishwasher, freezer and microwave safe. A write-and-erase panel is built into each lid: in the brand's words, you can simply write on the lid to avoid any confusion. One reviewer says dry erase markers work great on it.

Snapware lists a limited lifetime warranty on the containers and lids. We would read the terms before counting on it, since the product description gives only that one line.

Buyers use these for exactly what the size suggests. A U.S. reviewer fills them with homemade soups and sauces, and says they seal well and have not stained or warped like the cheaper ones bought before.

An Australian reviewer likes the modular fit in fridge and freezer and takes ready meals to work to microwave. Another reviewer has used a set for years, washes the lids on the bottom rack, and lost one tab only after dropping a lid on the floor.

The criticism is about the lid tabs and the seal. A Canadian reviewer says a clip snapped off after a single wash, and without it the lid will not close. Another gives three stars and says the containers are not leakproof or stainproof, though sturdy.

A U.S. reviewer reports the cap seal may leach a small amount of silicone oil after five years in use. That is one reviewer's observation, and we have nothing else on it.

One reviewer in the United Kingdom got five glass containers with only four lids and is returning them. The brand's description says plastic, so this looks like a packing mix-up, but count the lids when the box opens.

Skip this set if you want a sturdy lid you can drop without worry, or if red sauce stains are a dealbreaker. For soup, chili and leftovers in the fridge or freezer, it is the one we would reach for.

A 50-pack of 25 oz containers with clear lids, 50 of each. That is a lot of portions for the shelf space, and the brand lists them as stackable. It calls the plastic BPA free, phthalate free and PVC free, and says the containers are microwave and freezer safe.

Care is where the brand disagrees with itself. The spec sheet says hand wash only, while the bullets call the containers dishwasher safe, and the details list dishwasher safe too. We would follow the stricter line until the brand is clear.

One reviewer says they worked well in the microwave and the dishwasher, but that is one buyer's experience.

The most useful review comes from a U.S. buyer who measured the container carefully. The reviewer says each holds 3 cups of water with a little room left, fits a six-inch sub or a wrap with the ends tucked in, and has a lid area for a label or marker. The same buyer reads the recycling mark as polypropylene.

That is the buyer's reading, not the brand's claim.

Lids are the weak point. An Australian reviewer in March says the lids sit on top but lift off with no pressure, and suspects a bad batch. Another says the lid fit is snug and leaves it loose for the microwave.

Those two reviews cannot both describe the typical box, so test one lid on arrival.

There are other complaints. One one-star reviewer calls the containers thin and about 16 oz, not what was advertised. A three-star reviewer says they stained and scratched after the first use, adding that you get what you pay for.

Another reviewer received 49 containers in a pack of 50.

The star breakdown is more generous than those quotes: about 71 percent five stars, 14 percent four, and 7 percent one or two. Buyers in the United Kingdom praise the sturdy feel and the portion size for lunches.

Buy it for lunches, school portions and food you will hand to a neighbor. Skip it if you need leakproof lids or stain-proof containers for tomato sauce.

Here the title says one thing and the description says three. The title calls it a chopbox and rectangle plastic reusable container, pack of 50. The bullets describe a French fry cutter with three interchangeable stainless steel blades and a blade organizer.

Then the bullets switch to borosilicate glass containers. The brand says they withstand temperatures up to 840F and can go in the microwave, oven, dishwasher and freezer.

The specs agree with the fry cutter: blade material, blade shape, manual operation. Nothing in them says container. The category rank sits in seasoning and spice choppers, not food container sets.

No buyer reviews and no star rating are there to settle which product ships. We read what the brand wrote, and it does not add up to one item.

So nobody can say from the product page what is in the box. It may be plastic containers, it may be a fry cutter, it may be glass, and we would not guess with your money. A claim like oven safe to 840F means nothing when the description cannot say what the claim is attached to.

There is also a plain cost to guessing. A fry cutter in a cupboard planned for 50 containers is a return, and so is glass when you wanted lightweight plastic for lunches.

Our advice is simple. If you want a 50-pack of plastic containers, take the other Prep Naturals pack above, which has a clear description and thousands of ratings.

If you want glass, look at the glass sets in the alternatives section. We do not recommend this one until it describes a single product and has some buyer reviews behind it.