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Peter
'Mugger'
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 Posted - 11 November 2007 : 8:28:04 PM
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Platt-forms Series3 Tuff Box.
I first saw one of the Platt-forms boxes early in 2006 when Dave the Fish purchased a Series4 and I have to say that i was totally impressed, so much so that I said at the time that if I ever replaced my Boss 6 drawer one of these would definately be in the running and here it is my new box..............
Made in England  , the whole box is constructed from aluminium sheet and all catches used are the tried and tested metal toggle type along with the lift off hinges seen on many boxes such as the original Boss box, all of which are securely rivetted to the box components..
Starting from the top of the box The seat measures 13" x 17" with 2" of high density foam padding covered with what appears to be a tough hardwearing rubberised material, with a pole channel making it suitable for those that like to sit on their pole butt. This is fitted to the centre section by means of two lift off style hinges and retained by two front mounted toggle catches.There is also a rubber seal round the seat base ensuring that no water can leak between the seat and the compartment below.
Moving onto the centre section, underneath the seat is a compartment for pole rigs that's around 1½" deep including the recess into the seat and there is a moulded plastic liner dividing the tray in two which has a ridge in the moulding allowing you to pop up the winders allowing easy removal..There is space for around 25-30 rigs to be stores dependant on the size of winders used (No winders are supplied with the box) I've also added two trays of the Fox orange winders on top that allow me to store another 28 rigs, which has the added bonus of holding the rigs in place when the lid is lifted. The locking pin for the drawers is also located in this compartment.
Underneath this first compartment are the 3 cross drawers running the full width of the box and thes can be opened from either side. The top drawer is 1½" deep while the two lower ones are both ¾" deep. All the drawer contain moulded plastic liners dividing them into two seperate sections. All drawers are opened with high quality knurled aluminium knobs. the total height of this unit is 6"
All of this is retained on the box section mid frame with two lift off hinges and two side mounted toggle catches allowing access to the base unit. Yet again there is a rubber seal fitted to the base of the centre section to prevent any water leaking into the base.
The mid-frame unit housing the legs has a width of 23" and all welds appear to be 1st class. This utilises standard size square legs that are 18" long and are finished off with good qualityscrew in mud feet ( a word of warning however, as I know that Dave the Fish had some problems with these coming unscrewed and dropping off when his box was new, though a bit of muck and dirt seems to have cured this now. ) The legs are secured by what appear to be good quality hand wheels that are very similar to the Penrose ones.
These fittings however are not of the non-marking variety which may be considered a minus point by some, though it's not a concern for me.
Below this is the 6" deep base section, which again has with a one piece moulded liner which probably knocks ½" of the internal dimensions. The base can simply be removed by undoing two side mounted toggle catches if needs be. Needless to say there is yet another rubber seal between the base and mid-frame unit to keep water out.
The footplate supplied is a 4 bar square section one, again all welds appear to be 1st class.The legs are identical to those used with the box.
Nowdays there is a trend for a non slip coating to be fitted to footplates but this one doesn't have it, which may again be a minus point to some. The footplate isn't a hinged folding design but locates into a 90°bracket which is adjustable on the box legs, This provides a totally stable footplate allowing you to stand up on it without fear of it folding up. To store the footplate it can be slid under the base unit, however if the base is set lower so that isn't possible the legs can be slid into the brackets to store it as shown in the photo..........
Finally to lift or carry it the box has two carry handles securely rivetted to the mid-frame and it is supplied with a top quality detachable Air Strap® carry strap, probably the best on the market and well worth looking at if you're looking for a replacement strap for your own box.
So there it is, I've used it once and it feels absolutely bombproof. The overall build quality is IMO the equal of any box that I've seen in recent years. My initial thoughts haveing spent 6 hours sitting on it are that it is probably the most comfortable pole seat I've used.
I've pointed out in the review what i feel may be considered minus points by some and there are another couple i feel may be an improvement. Firstly the moulded plastic liners in the drawers may not be to everyones taste, but they are very securely fixed in place, if these were easily removeable it would make the available storage space a bit more versatile. Secondly, it would be nice if the legs were extendable, similar to the new Preston legs as it would make the box easier to level on uneven surfaces. It's fine for platforms though
Hopefully this will be of help to others and I'll revisit this when I've used it a bit more.
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Peter
'Mugger'
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Posted - 22 December 2007 : 4:05:24 PM
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Have used the box a couple of times now, and nothing's fallen off.
The footplate is totally rock solid in use.
I have addressed one of my initial concerns with the box however, and have changed the legs for the extending Preston legs, allowing the whole set up to be leveled more easily without affecting the footplate position.
This is the one area that I feel Platt-Forms should address on the box. |
Rolf's Lake 200+ Club
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rockyroads
rockyroads
Teesside
England
Member Since
20 October 2006
Posts: 462
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Posted - 22 December 2007 : 6:30:59 PM
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| well pete i had this box,liked the comfy seat, carry strap heaven,was quite light and looked smart,now the bad points while sitting on the box the long crossdrawers where a b*gger to open because they use to stick and it used to take ages to set up level with the platform a very fiddly job thought it might have been me but other people commented on it even chin who got it off me ( i swapped him for his milo)also the one or two of the catches started to go rusty,also found the draw lips a bit sharp as well mind you i did not have the draw inserts.now there is another story trying to get them ,had em on back order for 3months in the end told the tackle shop to forget it ,they appologised and asked if i could do em a favour by ringing them up direct and complaining as he had quite a few customers in the same boat and he was getting fobbed of with ie there are in the post-err they will here next week etc,so i did fone and i got the same answers as the dealer so there after sales is pants! dunno if it has improved over the last few months! anyway im very happy with my milo.. |
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Edited by - rockyroads on 23 December 2007 12:26:57 AM |
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Peter
'Mugger'
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Gt. London
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Posted - 23 December 2007 : 12:41:21 AM
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Dave (rockyroads)
I think we can both agree that leveling the standard box with the footplate fitted is awkward to say the least ( a point I mentioned in my initial revue) which is why, as I've said the legs have been changed for the extendable Preston Legs.
With these fitted the problem has been eliminated, though I do feel this sort of leg should be standard fit on the box. However as I saved over £100 on the RRP of the box i was prepared to spend a few bob changing them.
The drawer inserts are now standard fit on the latest models, as for the drawers sticking, I can't see how this would happen unless they were overfilled, but then this applies to any drawer. |
Rolf's Lake 200+ Club
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little_roach
Bazzer
Lancashire
England
Member Since
28 May 2006
Posts: 619
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Posted - 15 March 2008 : 09:11:20 AM
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I've now also got one of these boxes. I can't really add to what Peter as said in the desciption. A nice little feature that I personally have not seen before is the net/ side tray bag that is designed so it fits over the footplate legs via two sewn in sleeves and sits nicely at the front of the box. I am surprised this idea is not used by more manufacturers.
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Billynomates
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Nottinghamshire
United Kingdom
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25 April 2005
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Posted - 29 March 2008 : 12:41:19 PM
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| I have a Maver "Black Box" this is I am sure manufactured by the same company, fantastic quality throughout. |
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Peter
'Mugger'
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Posted - 30 December 2008 : 4:35:39 PM
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Well this box has now seen just over a year of use.
How has it performed? Perfectly, nothing has fallen off, worked loose or broken. The seat is still the most comfortable of any seatbox I've ever owned.
There is no signs of any corrosion to be seen and the paint finish is unmarked.
The box does exactly what it's designed to do, with not a single problem, hard to ask more from a box. I would recommend it to anyone  .
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chris grant
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Posted - 01 July 2009 : 6:46:43 PM
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| where and for much a pair of extendable preston legs |
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Peter
'Mugger'
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Posted - 02 July 2009 : 10:06:03 AM
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| Any Preston dealer should be able to get them Chris, can't remember what I paid, but I had a bit of a deal as I took 6 and have been a regular customer for years. |
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Peter
'Mugger'
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Posted - 12 January 2010 : 2:44:51 PM
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2 years down the line and what can I say about this box?
It's still going strong. There isn't a single sign of rust or corrosion to be seen. Absolutely nothing has worked loose, dropped off or broken. The seat has no rips or tears and remains supremely comfortable.
Just to give you an idea of the capacity of the box I'll post the following photo.....
(The photo is a little bit of a cheat as it is two stitched together to show what's kept in both sides of the 3 cross draws )
The under-seat area stores 55 rigs, 27 on the bottom and 28 in the trays on top (These are Fox orange 14 x 180mm slide winders and are a perfect fit for the box). At the bottom of the photo you can see the contents of 2 organiser boxes that are kept in the base unit and still leaves a bit of room for a few other odds and ends if need be .
I would heartily recommend that anyone looking for a seatbox considers one of these. They may not be the flashiest, but they're 100% British built and near as damn it bombproof.
You can find the full details of the Platt-Forms range of boxes HERE in the form of a pdf file.
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getinback
New Member
Member Since
05 July 2007
Posts: 23
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Posted - 12 January 2010 : 4:48:21 PM
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| I echo the above - have a series 5 and the quality of the build is superb. |
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getfishing
Pete
Staffordshire
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Posted - 12 January 2010 : 6:14:27 PM
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| That is good 2 years and still perfect |
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dave the fish
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Posted - 12 January 2010 : 11:51:38 PM
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| I totally agree with Peters comments. Mine is nearly 4 years old now and apart from some scratches on the base caused by my trolley is still in good nick with nothing broken. I cured the cause of the problem by putting some pipe lagging on the trolley. |
Grandad Dave
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endpeg
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Lancashire
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Posted - 13 January 2010 : 4:23:18 PM
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| My seat has split on mine after 2 years just ordered a new one. |
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ady-1966
Life Member
Oxfordshire
Member Since
24 July 2007
Posts: 181
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Posted - 14 January 2010 : 8:25:43 PM
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I have to agree with peter and dave,4 years old and the best box ive ever had. Replaced leg for preston extendable 1`s as did peter, and a few scratches on the base from my trolley. Rock solid on the bank and the seat is heaven. lol.
So if your in the market for a new box i dont think you can go wrong with a tuff box, far better than some of that far eastern poo. |
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Yuccaman
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Posted - 10 February 2010 : 7:53:58 PM
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| Well I've put my money where my mouth is and gone for a Series 5 that I managed to pick up 2nd hand in brilliant nick. Week off next week, so looking forward to giving it a proper clean, loading it up and far more importantly, testing it out! Certainly well impressed with it on 1st impressions...thanks in advance (I hope!) for the detailed reviews! |
To fish or not to fish, that is the question. Think carefully before you answer... |
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alarmeng
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Lancashire
United Kingdom
Member Since
05 September 2009
Posts: 31
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Posted - 19 February 2010 : 12:53:34 PM
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Hi
Just following this thread, ive just got myself a series 5 with footplate etc to replace my trusty Boss box (Still mint).
Should be getting it ain a few days time.
Do they do a pole seat for it (the flap that the pole slips into on the front of the seat?
Cheers
Gaz |
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fishing4life
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Flintshire
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Posted - 20 February 2010 : 9:58:07 PM
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| hey good stuff peter nice box and well done looking after it! |
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Peter
'Mugger'
Site Supporter
Gt. London
England
Member Since
18 September 2001
Posts: 15352
Status:
Rolfs Lake 200+ Club Member.
My Photo Album
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alarmeng
Member
Lancashire
United Kingdom
Member Since
05 September 2009
Posts: 31
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Posted - 22 February 2010 : 9:59:38 PM
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| Should be here in the morning cant wait,any isdeas what spray bar fits these? |
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Edited by - alarmeng on 22 February 2010 10:21:21 PM |
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Peter
'Mugger'
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Posted - 23 February 2010 : 12:26:15 AM
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| I have a preston one that fits mine, though I seldom use it. |
Rolf's Lake 200+ Club
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Topic |
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Platt-Forms Series 3 seat box
