Enviro World Corporation EWC-14 FreeGarden Black Rain Collection Barrel-Lawn and Garden

I enjoy gardening but due to our California drought I feel the guilt to conserve water. After purchasing 2 of these my only regret is not doing it sooner. With that said I had been browsing for something like this since last year, and had not come across this product until earlier this year. So maybe not so bad that I waited.Price: These seem to be priced lower than many products of the same size, but come with all or more features than most of what I have come across. I wanted to purchase a 3rd one but noticed they were not available from the same supplier for some time. It was still available but at almost double the price! should not be more than $80 range.Shipping/packaging: Big item so it comes in a big box. Box itself is very light. One of the two I bought was missing directions and 1 of the 4 screws. Some reviews have mentioned missing parts so I don't doubt it and it is concerning but due to my experience will still order another and hope for the best. The directions can be printed from Enviro World's website, so not a big deal even if I had only ordered one and it had not come with directions. The box with missing items did have a tore up corner, not a huge tear but a tear big enough for a screw to fall out. This is a problem as the screws and clamp hose are shipped in a small plastic baggie with no closure. The screws had come out of the bag and were loose in the big box when I opened it. A sandwich type zip lock baggie would work better. The screws are used to secure the top lid, using 3 has worked just fine so not a big issue but should still come with the package.Set up: Set up was easy. Just make sure you have the proper tools and knowledge to cut your downspout. Youtube will help. I connected both of my barrel's to the same spout to get the most out of my work on this spout. Connecting both barrel's was also easy. The most difficult part was pushing the hose onto the second barrel. You really have to use some muscle to get it on(i'm 5'10 210 lbs weightlift 4-5 x week). I didn't get it on all the way but not a problem as it is very secure anyways. You will only come across this if connecting 2 or more barrel's. With this said I will add a 3rd to my system as 2 barrel's have proven to fill up quickly even with our limited rain.Quality/Functionality: The quality is very good. I don't see why this wouldn't last a very long time. The spigot looks and feels like good quality. I have noticed no leaks, but only time will tell as it is the only moving part. I like the lid having a slight slope toward the screen, I'm guessing this helps get all the water in the barrel and reduces the necessity for exact preciseness when cutting the downspout. The screen works very well to keep junk out but allows all water in. I have experienced rain twice since I set both barrel's together. Both times it was maybe a couple of hours of rain and both times the result was 2 full barrel's. Nice! Which is why I will set up a third to the same system. The spigot is at a good height, it allows me to fit my watering can but also get most of the water from the barrel. The water does flow slower once you are getting near the bottom, but that's physics and not a design flaw.Looks: The picture on amazon says it all. It has a clean look. I like it, but would be nice if this company offered a nicer looking product. I have mine set up on the side of our house so it doesn't matter much for my current system. Once I set up something in our backyard I might consider something different, like the one's that look like a large planter to better fit our backyard décor. Overall looks good but don't expect compliments based on just looks.Overall: Works great. Should last a very long time. Would be a definite 5 star but missing screw and instructions and loose packaging keep me from rating it as such. Not ugly, but nicer looking options would also be nice. Will buy a 3rd for my current system.

I've had this barrel for seven years. I only have two small cons: one, the spigot is too low for the watering cans we use to fit under it, and two, the spigot has self-clogged and gotten rusty while sitting idle in the off-season.I've gotten around both of these by just keeping the lid unscrewed, and popping it off to dunk a watering can in when I need rainwater. Much faster!After seven years in use, aside from the spigot aging, it works great. No leaks from the spigot (though I worry the gasket wouldn't seal again if I tried taking it apart), and this is the only barrel I've found with an overflow hose to go right back into the downspout.This past summer I've found shed mosquito larvae exoskeletons in the watering cans when I dunk them - I'm not sure if females are laying eggs on the screen, which then get washed in by the rain, or if a few get in to lay eggs when I take the lid off for a few moments. But, judging by all the dead adults I see floating in there, none of them escape once they pupate. I'm calling that a win. You could treat the water with Bt for mosquitoes, but we use this water for our invertebrate pets so we don't have that option.

It took seven days to arrive. The box was open and missing the filter and was warped making the lid misalign. Sending back!

Just received this rain barrel. The packaging was not that great, but the unit was complete and sturdy. Installing was pretty easy. I've only had the barrel a few days, and I am very satisfied with it. Three short rain showers and the rain barrel is full of water, ready to use. Very please so far.

We bought one barrel in the beginning of our rainy season in 2016, and one in the middle of rainy season 2016 because we liked the first so much. So at the time of writing this is the end of our third rainy season with the barrels and they are still working well. *knock on wood* A few things might have contributed to this:1) we're in the SF bay area so the barrels have never been frozen. They have also never seen the inside of our house so while they are element-hardy, I cannot speak to the effect of freeze thaws.2) I empty them every beginning of summer and try to scrub down the gunk that may build up on the sides. This is where the removable top makes this barrel a superior design to completely closed barrels.3) we don't move our hoses from the spigot. One barrel is behind a fence and some bushes - a real pain to get to - so we elevated the barrel on a few bricks and connected a long hose to the barrel with a simple ball and socket spigot at the user end. If we want water from this barrel we open the ball and socket spigot and use the hose, but we never connect or disconnect the hose from the spigot on the barrel itself. When we're done we throw the hose into the bush that the barrel lives in. You can't really see it. The other barrel we find it just easier to remove the top and scoop water out to hand water plants. A bit more labor intensive but we don't mind, our yard is small.I only wish the barrels were bigger now that we see how durable and easily maintained they are.

We were so excited to buy this rain barrel. It worked well for the first summer. In winter, we drained it completely but when we went to use it this year, the seam on the bottom of the barrel had cracked open. It is so hard to find a rain barrel that lasts more than one season. It’s disappointing for the price.