Algreen ALG81212 50Gal Rain Barrel Sandalwood with 4 ft. Garden Hose

I have had my eye on these and the larger ones for well over a year but each time they were sold out before I could put in an order. Spur of the moment saw these and ordered 2 immediately. I opted for the "smaller" 50 gallon rain barrel which is still the same size as most on the market albeit MUCH more attractive.

Delivery was very quick - 2 days. Both arrived wrapped in a plastic bag with the contents stuffed inside. I suspect mine were originally boxed since there was a card-board shipping label taped to the top of each but it's hard to say - the local deliver seems to be pretty tough on products lately and one arrived with the side pushed in a bit. I'm going to try and fill it up to see if it pops back out as well as test the seams to make sure there are no other problems that don't readily meet the eye.

The hose is a very inexpensive quality - you will likely want to replace it and I've already ordered better quality remnants available elsewhere on Amazon itself. Also, the valve is located at the very bottom of the container - you should get maximum drainage unlike other models where the discharge spout is higher up the side (or even at the top in some models...which makes no sense to me whatsoever).

These truly do look like clay or adobe especially at a distance. Are lightweight when empty and the total effect is very pleasing. A terrific alternative to those with HOA restrictions or just searching for a visually pleasing product. The price is very competitive to most others on the market although certainly a lot higher priced than finding your own used soap bucket or such. Locally even those go for $40 and up...if you can manage to find them at all. My one MAJOR irritation - and it has nothing to do with the item itself - is these were clearly from Amazon return department. I ordered new and it just annoys me to get returns instead of new items when I pay full price. I really feel this should be disclosed PRIOR to purchase and/or discounts provided if you are ordering a returned product. However, the product is lovely, shipping was fast (still not sure about that box) and the price was competitive with other options (although irritating to get refurbished rather than new).

Quick Update - The "dent" from shipping popped right out without effort when filling. These look even better when set-up. Were very easy to steady - we set each one on a large concrete stepping stone which provided just enough stability for them to remain level without getting weighed down into the soil/grass. These are VERY heavy when filled (estimated to weight over 400 lounds just from weight of 50 gals of water) and the drain valve is so low you will want to keep it out of the grass. Overall very pleased! By far the most attractive rain barrel I've encoutered to date...

I ordered two of these barrels a few weeks ago (they sold out quickly last year, so I jumped when I saw them listed), and we just installed them a few nights ago.

They arrived very quickly, as most purchases thru Amazon do. Last year, I ordered two of the larger 65 gal. versions (the Algreen 81001), and they were WONDERFUL: beautiful, well made and functioned perfectly. I knew I wanted two more for our two other downspouts for this year. The price for the larger-sized ones had gone up (by $50 a barrel!) so that's why I opted for this smaller 50 gal. version. I will admit that they're nice looking, but the larger ones are sturdier. AND, the larger ones came with everything needed for installation. These smaller ones did not include an overflow hose, and it took my husband 3 trips to the local Lowe's to find a hose large enough in diameter to do the job. He commented to me a few times how he thought the larger ones were so much better made as he was doing the installation.

Lastly, this smaller barrel does not have the brass spigot the larger one has. I can tell you that the spigot operates much better than the hose. Unless you can mount the barrel up high enough, your flow is really, really slow. And we didn't take that chance, because these puppies are HEAVY when they're full. The green hoses on both models are super-cheap--they degrade quickly, and will need to be replaced. Mine was stored indoors from last fall until 2 weeks ago, and the hose had cracked anyway.

With all that said, I love how this thing looks. It's more like sculpture than a rain barrel. But I just couldn't justify spending $120 extra dollars for the 30 extra gallons I would have gotten, had I bought two big ones again. I'm glad I have them, but I was ecstatic with the 65 gallon version. With this one, I'm thinking my bargain hunting may have bitten me a little.

We now own three of these rain barrels, they are attractive and easy to set up, no additional hoses required, great price and no shipping charge! The top does not lift off and the opening for planting on the top is a little small, but we planted some ivy and it looks great. Highly recommend!

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