Still Air Box Mycology (Sturdy) Mushroom Grow Box Alt to Laminar Flow Hood Fume Hood for Lab Mycology Supplies by USA Mycologists (Outdated Version)

I use this for plant tissue culture at home, it's a little nicer and easier to see through than a still air box made form a tote. Overall, I think it serves it's purpose well enough and is easy to setup. It has some small issues which are probably difficult to remedy with the design... it's light so it moves really easily unless you have it well weighted and you can feel air move in and out when you move your arms simply because it moves the plastic sheeting that covers the whole thing. I guess any SAB would have air go in and out as you move simply because of displacement; however, this one probably does it a little more. The 3-layered arm holes are a nice touch, I spray some alcohol in between them when I put my arms in and out, which I hope helps prevent any microbial contamination while I work. I'm pretty new to all of this, so I don't have a lot of experience to go on. I think I'll eventually move to a cheap flow hood from etsy or create my own., but this will do for now.

Love this SAB! Made it into a fully automated mini Martha. Use it for everything from agar and transfers to cultivation ad harvesting. Really cuts down on contamination. Quick to set up, take down and clean. Highly recommend!

Simple and effective! I saw in the past reviews complaints about the cover not easily fitted over the frame. However, during their off time, I reached out to the seller about the availability of this SAB and they informed me they made revisions to their design and I can attest that the cover slips on with ease now! This SAB is the perfect compromise in-between a plastic bin and a laminar flow hood. It adds a really good layer of protection against the outside air, and it really feels like you are in a clean room per se. I have much more peace of mind when I'm working inside of it as opposed to my old plastic bin SAB I made a while back. I don't have to worry about the ac being on, windows being open. Back then, I was even holding my breath while working inside the SAB. Now I kind of do whatever I need to do without thinking about it too much and I haven't had any contamination since! I've already done a couple successful grows with this SAB so I'd say it's already earning its keep! Also, it being collapsible is the biggest selling point. It's like the size of a camping chair. So great!

Overall I’m fairly content with this purchase that I made a few weeks ago but very disappointed in several of the features and would consider this product way over priced for being low tech plastic rods and a plastic cover. The first thing you’ll notice is how huge this thing is! I had to buy a separate table to be able to place this item on. Even when I stick my arms all the way in, I don’t come close to being able to reach the back of the box so I’m a bit unsure of the purpose for making this box this big. The instructions say to assemble the frame first and slide the cover over the frame, but a huge design flaw is how snug the cover is. The zipper doesn’t zip all the way down to the corner end and even with making sure all the rods are tightly connected, you have to stretch the cover to the point of almost ripping it in order to slide it over the frame. I don’t see the purpose of making the cover that snug with zero give when the “self-sealing” armports are huge holes on the side of the box. For the price point that I paid for this item, I would expect the arm ports to actually seal when your arms aren’t in it, perhaps have gloved sleeves instead of just ports. You pretty much have to have your arms in the box to prevent air from circulating inside of it, otherwise you have two holes that let air in. It kind of defeats the purpose of having such a tight fit around the frame when the arm ports don’t seal all the way in my opinion. In theory, this should be a 5 minute assembly since it’s just plastic rods and a sleeve. The first time I put this thing together though it took me roughly 20 minutes and I was sweaty by the end of it since I was doing this alone. I would say that after a couple times I’m now able to assemble this quicker in about 5 minutes now that I’ve learned to assemble one side of the frame first, slide the cover, and assemble the rest inside the box. Another issue with this product is visibility. Since this product comes bundled up, there are several creases that don’t smoothen out and make it really difficult to see through the plastic. You pretty much have to hold your face and the item your holding right up to the cover to see something clearly. It’s clear enough to see large objects well but very murky if you’re trying to read something through it. Overall, I’ve been successful in what I use this for so can’t complain too much but I wouldn’t expect to be having this many issues for this price point. Edit - ever since I initially wrote this review, the seller had reached out to me to apologize for the design flaws and pledged to make improvements. The seller went out of their way to send me a replacement cover, and sent me a new improved design. I took an extended break from my mycology hobby and it wasn’t until recently that I gave the new cover a try. The current design is a much better fit around the frame. It’s been a year since I put this together last and was able to put this together much faster than with the old design which I had reviewed! The cover has more give around the corners to allow assembly of the frame without ripping the plastic. The visibility through the plastic is much better and the placement of the arm holes is improved. It’s easy to see the seller really cares about this product and their customer service was above and beyond what I had expected. My only regret is not having updated this review much sooner. I previously rated this a 3 but I’ve upgraded my rating to a 4.

I purchased the Bella Bora Still Air Box expecting a reliable solution for sterile work, but in practice it does not function as advertised. The arm holes are extremely tight, which creates a piston-like effect — I can feel air rushing in and out and even see the sides of the box “breathe” as I move my arms. The box is very lightweight and flimsy, and it shifts around during use, which further stirs up air and defeats the purpose of maintaining a still, contamination-free environment. The plastic panels are wrinkled and distort visibility, making it difficult to work with small tools or observe details. The thin, flexible structure bends at the top when the outer zipper is fully closed. Additionally, the sealed arm holes make it impossible to safely flame-sterilize or pass heated instruments inside, which is essential for aseptic technique. Overall, despite the company’s claims that the “piston effect” does not occur, my real-world experience proves that air is moving inside the box. The combination of tight arm holes, light and flexible construction, and awkward tool access makes this product unsuitable for true sterile work. I cannot recommend it.

I made sure all the tubes were inserted all the way. I can zip up one end no problem. The other end I can not zip up. The cover is about 1 1/2” to 2” short. I can get it part way zipped up but the frame is bowing. I am afraid of damaging the SAB trying to get the end zipped up. I am left with either returning it or modifying the SAB so the cover will fit. Might I suggest a version 3 of this SAB so you can gain easy access to the inside without fighting with the cover to get it zipped up if you can even get it zipped up. Great concept poor execution. One star.