Thon Rack Drawer 2U

I can't imagine a particularly passionate review could written about such a mundane item, but it works and succeeds at being a rack drawer.

I think where this drawer shines brightly is in its dependability. I've noticed upon putting items (cables, strings, plectrums etc) INTO the drawer and closing it, that after a cup of tea and perhaps a biscuit or piece of toast, those things are STILL THERE when I get back. They remain within the drawer where I put them. I cannot tell you how many rack drawers I've used where items placed into them are transported to to forgotten unknown realms of nothingness, where only lament and sadness thrive and cursed items realm the shadows unopposed by the lesser, weaker items.

Very solid rack drawer. Feels sturdy and tough.

The drawer closes with a clicking mechanism and opens by pushing down the handle. It opens and closes very smoothly and the "lock" feels strong. It's not going to open by itself. You could probably hold it up with a full drawer facing down and it still wont open (note that I haven't actually tried this, but it feels like it would be able to do this).

The only drawback is that it is quite heavy at 8kg. I'm using it in an 8u case and it feels as if the drawer is actually heavier than all the other gear in the case combined.
This seems like nitpicking though, and isn't even a real issue in the end. It's more a testament to its sturdiness really.

Overall I really like this item. Its solid, has a smooth drawer and fits enough tools and cables to cover a relatively simple setup.

I bought a 10U rack to hold my AxeFX III and Helix Rack (yes, I'm spoiled and spend far too much on gear). When I was building this, I decided I wanted a drawer to hold all my spare cables, strings, picks, tools, etc.

It's hard to get excited about a drawer, but the quality of this unit really is excellent. It glides smoothly on its rails, the latch holds the drawer shut when you want it shut, but opens easily.

2U is enough to easily hold several cables, half a dozen packs of spare strings, some tools, bags of picks, batteries, zip ties and there's still room for a couple of mics or spare socks.

If you have 2U available in your rack, put one of these in it.

I bought this to store microphones ? and got the "Thon Universal Inlay 2U drawer", too, which is an expanded foam liner for the drawer and well worth it if the kit you're intending to store is delicate. The drawer itself is heavy-gauge sheet steel and the pull-handle includes a latch mechanism so once it's shut, it stays shut. Build quality is reassuringly solid and the whole thing looks professional and neat. It's hard to get truly excited about bits of kit that don't make a noise or have flashing lights on (or, ideally, both), but a couple of drawers full of mics and cables are what make the studio world go round; so while this isn't exactly sexy, it's nevertheless very useful.

Good thing about this drawer is that it's sturdy! You could blow up the thing and it would probably survive.
I have two issues with the design though and they are very nitpicky indeed...

One is that the door's latch is a little stiff, sure it keeps the thing from opening but you have to pull down and out simultaneously and it can be a little tough to grip. The well on the handle could be ever so slightly deeper or the catch spring could be a tiny bit less stiff, like I said, I'm nitpicking here

And secondly the drawer extends only 2/3rds of the way out making it harder to utilise the space in the back, particularly if you have the foam insert. Not a big problem but if you're putting something large in the drawer you might have to angle it weird, I don't know...

That being said I'm quite happy with this drawer and I would recommend it to my friends and contemporaries alike