**The views and opinions expressed in the post Planetbox vs Lunchbots are my own. I am not affiliated with either company, I just love their products! This post does contain affiliate links and I receive a small commission for referring purchase. 

 

***Review update 2018: I am completely revamping this post with new information as I feel what I wrote a couple years back is outdated now! I have also reviewed other lunch boxes and gear on my Best Lunch Boxes for Kids post. Go check that out for some other options!

**Review update 2017: Can summer slow down already? How is it even August? With “Back to School” back again I noticed this post was getting a lot of new traffic and I wanted to give an update. Last school year my son was in 2nd grade. We used the LunchBots system for the whole year. Just to clarify, I used the PlanetBox Rover during his 1st grade year. I  gained a ton of knowledge about both systems during my first two years packing school lunches! We learned what worked and what didn’t.

This coming school year I will be packing for my now 3rd grade son, as well as occasionally packing for my pre-school aged son who is starting pre-school in September. My family will also be welcoming a new baby boy so packing lunches will likely be done the night before. I will definitely be looking for time saving tips! Both companies have made a few changes over the past year that I should note:

• LunchBots added a line of colorful Dots covers that fit over the lids. I believe this change was made due to color chipping complaints, as well as the logo wearing off the top of the lid. I do not own any of the Dots covers but they are SUPER CUTE and I must get my hands on one this year!
• LunchBots also added a line of smaller, snack-sized containers called Pico, as well as two new “clicks” containers that are round.
• PlanetBox changed their website completely and it is so much more fabulous then it was before. Bravo PlanetBox!
• PlanetBox updated their bags, some appear to have prints.
• PlanetBox also now offers a more “one-stop-shop” by offering their new “Bottle Rocket” water bottle with their kits. I really love that they made this update because the kits are pricey and the more you get for the price, the better! I would be interested to see if the new Bottle Rocket solves the water bottle issue I discuss below (water bottles not fitting into front pouch, slipping out of bag, getting lost continuously!) If anyone has an update on this, please share in the comments!

*Review Update 2016: We are still going strong with our Lunchbots! Started packing lunches again this week and saw this post was trending as it does at the start of every school year. This year is a very different start to the school year for us as we are moving into a new home shortly and things are a little chaotic!

I have noticed LunchBots has added a few new items including a deeper box and newly styled lunchbox. I did happen to get my hands on a dots lid this year and it is fabulous! We also added a few more of the rounds to our LunchBots collection as I provide snacks in them to my two younger boys. I noticed they did away with the plastic on the lid of the rounds, and that is awesome! All in all we still love our whole collection and our pieces are in great shape!

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While browsing at Target today I noticed the dreaded “Back to School” section has sprung up out of nowhere, ready to remind me that there are only a few short weeks of summer left. Am I the only one who is super depressed about this? Not only will I have to face the fact that my son is no longer a little 1st grader, I will also have to face the “Back to School” schedule. I wouldn’t mind it so much if pick-up time wasn’t smack dab in the middle of naptime, but that’s a totally different story!

Last year was my first year packing lunches and I have to admit it was a learning experience! The first thing I realized was that Ziplock baggies and little containers weren’t going to cut it. I can’t explain how disgusting my son’s lunchbox would be when it came home. Every night I would reluctantly unzip the lunchbox and find a slimy mess of half eaten food and wet baggies waiting for me.

Thoughts of dirty little hands would run through my mind as I touched the slime inside the lunchbox. One long weekend I forgot about the box of horrors in my son’s backpack and I had a nice moldy mess waiting for me on Monday morning. What a blessing in disguise that moldy mess was, because it prompted me to search for a better solution to lunch packing.

I had seen the Planetbox all over social media and knew I wanted to go the stainless steel route because I’m not 100% on board with plastics. Too many studies are now showing even BPA free plastics are laden with chemicals that can leach into food even if it isn’t hot. After I purchased the Planetbox I’ll admit, I became a lunchbox junkie! I found the LunchBots line and loved the look so I purchased a few of their boxes to switch things up once in a while.

Positives of Both Systems

1. No more slime- My son would come home with just one thing for me to clean up that wasn’t covered in goo and other unknowns. Cleanup was a breeze, even if the lunchbox was forgotten about over the weekend. I didn’t have to dig around the box to pick up all the pieces that were left. It was simply one piece that I could easily wash up for the next day.
2. My lunches got healthier- Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t packing highly processed junk food to begin with but with the food spread out nicely in front of me it was easier to see where I needed to add nutrition. I also got more creative and started packing hot lunches with a thermos. This was an awesome way to switch things up and not fall into a boring lunchbox routine.
3. My son started eating more of his lunch- With all of his food right in front of him he could dig right in. He is a talker and I knew a lot of his time was wasted during lunch talking. I also knew having to open a bunch of containers and baggies wouldn’t distract him. I know that sounds silly but my son is easily distracted and their lunch time is short.
4. No more plastics- When I started using the Planetbox and LunchBots lunchboxes I was also inspired to get rid of the plastic water bottles and utensils my son was using for lunch as well. I can now pack his lunch knowing there are no harmful chemicals that are leaching into his food and potentially hurting his growing body.
5. It made the teacher’s job easier- I’m not actually there during my son’s lunch but I’ve heard from him that teachers on duty essentially spend their time opening things for the kids. There is one exception to this with the Planetbox, and I will get there later, but these lunchboxes eliminate frustrating packaging.
6. No more throwing away baggies- If everyone cut those stupid plastic baggies from their routine think of how much landfill space we could save. It honestly feels really good to know that I’m sending my son to school with a lunch that contains no waste. No baggies, no single serve packets, no single serve containers. Just one box that I reuse everyday that creates zero waste.
7. Speaking of single serve packets- Seriously, who hasn’t been begged by their child to purchase those lousy, expensive, and totally not worth your money single serve packets!?!? Can I just say I hate those things? Not only are they expensive, all you really are paying for is packaging. You get lots of packaging and a little product. But for some reason, there is a market for them. Not to mention 99% of those packets are filled with nothing but junk. These lunchbox systems eliminate the idea in your child’s mind that they NEED to have the single serve packets, and if they ask, you have a really reasonable reason why you don’t need them!

LunchBots

Products from Amazon.com

Pricing

The LunchBots pricing differs from the Planetbox as it is more of a whole system of containers rather then just one box. The box sizes are great for mixing and matching, but that also means you have to buy more then one container. By all means, you could just purchase one box if that was all you were looking for, and Lunchbots has made it easier then ever by coming out with new boxes to suit the needs of just about everyone. Their recent addition, the small protein packer  is perfect for a mix of nuts, protein, cheeses, chicken, etc.

With that being said, I highly recommend getting at the very least a box and one rounds set. The reason I recommend a rounds is that the box is NOT leakproof, so if you’d like to send anything even slightly wet, you need a separate container.

I have several rounds sets and they are one of my most used kitchen items! They are easy to throw in a bag quick if we are going somewhere and I think the kids will need a snack. Both of my sons also took snacks to school daily, and we used the rounds instead of plastic baggies or a big thermos that was a bit too big for a quick snack. Our rounds are indeed leakproof and have a seal around the top.

What I have consistently seen from Lunchbots is that they are always expanding and improving based upon feedback from customers. They listen to what their customers want and they make it happen! I honestly haven’t followed a company that was as accommodating as Lunchbots!

Pros:

• Customizable lunch with different pieces.
• Fun design, perfect for adults or kids.
• The durability of these containers has proven to be amazing over and over again. My kids abuse the heck out of these containers and they look nearly identical to what they did when I first purchased them. We have been using them for over 5 years now, and that speaks to how durable and loved our Lunchbots are. As I researched a couple of other lunch boxes I saw the word mold over and over again.
• These are super easy to clean, and dishwasher safe. I have never had any issues with cleaning, mold, weird smalls, discoloration, etc.
• Lightweight compared to other stainless steel lunch boxes.

Cons:

• The LunchBots system doesn’t have an icepack specifically designed to go overtop of the boxes. However, they do offer an insulated carrying bag that can fit one or two boxes along with utensils and a drink container. To be brutally honey, I don’t love the look of the bag they offer, but their boxes are sized to fit into many many other lunch carrying boxes. Here is a look at their bag to make your own decision about i
• The only other con I have as far as the Lunchbots system, is that watery food can transfer between sections. There is a really simple fix to this, and that is to use little silicone cups under anything that is wet (watermelon, pineapple). As I mentioned before,  I also use the rounds for wet food.

Planetbox

Products from Amazon.com

Pricing

The complete Planetbox Rover Set comes in at a hefty $79.99, which is up $20 from when I initially wrote this post. There are two other Planetbox options that run a bit cheaper, so don’t let the price stop you from checking these out. Planetbox has fixed their dipper lid issue, and has really updated their bags in a nice way since this post was originally written as well. I love the look of the sets and the fact that you can get a bag that matches your magnets. If you really want to get match-y you can also snag a water bottle that also matches.

Add Ons:

Cold Kit: The cold kit is an essential part of this system in my opinion. The icepack slips right into a mesh flap on the lid of the carrying case and lays against the whole top of the Planetbox. It is designed perfectly for the box, and I would highly recommend it!

Utensils: These aren’t quite as essential but they are an add on that we used and my son liked taking his own utensils. This utensil set also comes with a cold kit so you could purchase one or the other and still get a cold kit.

Pros:

• The lunch box itself is super durable stainless steel. Planetbox offers 3 different boxes so depending on how much your child eats, you can find something to fit your needs.
• The design is super cute and versatile. When I bought my sons set I grabbed a couple extra magnet sets and he really loved that. It is different and fun.
• Planetbox offers the whole set together, which is basically a one stop shop.
• The Rocket water bottle is designed to go with the system.
• Planet box now offers little pods that go directly with the box to send even more food and prevent leakage from wet items.
• Easy to clean, dishwasher safe.

Cons:

• The Rover is quite large. I can’t speak for the rest of the systems because I don’t have them, however my son was kind of embarrassed about the size of the rover. The lid does not detach, rather it flips back and in turn takes up double the space. If your child is sitting across from someone else, their lid might be in someone else’s space.
• The whole box is quite heavy.
• I do have an outdated bag, but I kind of hated the bag to be honest. The pockets on the front didn’t really hold anything in good, and we lost several water bottles.
• The dippers appear to have been fixed but my initial set was defective making it impossible to use. For the price that was disappointing.
• No option to send any hot foods.
• Feeling like I have to “fill” every compartment on the rover, which can be irritating to the parent packing.

Which System Is the Right For Me?

I can’t tell you which system will work better for me, however it really depends upon what you want to do with the lunchbox. If you ask yourself these questions, you can probably decide which option will meet your needs better:

1. Am I going to pack hot lunches? (Go with LunchBots)
2. Will my child be comfortable with a lunchbox that is slightly bigger then some others?
3. How many pieces am I looking for?
4. Do I really want to pay shipping for something I’m already spending an arm and a leg for?
5. How much will I be packing lunches?
6. Will I be making freezer lunches?
7. Which carrying bag is more appealing to me?

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