“Review Time” is a segment that I am starting this week. In this segment, I will be look at popular websites and vendors where one can purchase Bento related items. During some segments, I will also be looking at specific items that will make your bento loving life easier so if there is something specific that you have been wanting to know about before you purchase, please contact me at umamibento (at) gmail (dot) com so that I can look into reviewing it.
I am also hoping that I can get some great vendors to help me back this segment so if you are a vendor or seller wanting to get your name/product out there… please contact me at the email address listed above. On a special note: I will be giving away ALL of the items that are given to me to review away to my readers in a monthly contest.
My first review is of the online store Ichiban Kan:
Ichiban Kan has two locations in CA, and have recently added an onlinestore. While it is wonderful that they have two locations, some of us are not so lucky to live close to Japanese markets so we must settle with online stores to feed our Bento addiction. Ichiban Kan is basically your Japanese dollar store. Pro: they have wonderful products for cheap. Con: some of the products are not the best made stuff in the world.
* Please note that this is my first ever purchase with this store so my review is solely based on the products purchased below. I also have no affiliationwith this store in any way. *
(On a side note: Another reason, I have started this segment is so that my readers can get a feel for certain products so that they are not making impulse purchases. As a college student (and wife) on a tight budget I cannot just buy every product that I think would work perfectly because in the end, I might have wasted my money or time. I believe that knowledge is power, thus when it comes to online shopping, the more information you have about a product or vendor, the better.)
What I bought:
1) set of 2 egg molds: bunny and bear
2) set of 2 rice molds: star and heart
3) 2 sets of cutters: star set and bunny/bird set
4) a 2 tier bento box
Not Pictured: a nice little card holder that they included with the order. 
My Review
I have decided to grade my reviews on a traditional school grading system: A-F. (Yes, I have school on the brain ^-^.) I will grade on overall pricing/value, shipping cost, packaging appearance, shipping time frame, the products purchased, and customer service (if applicable). If you have anything else you would like to added as a judging category, please contact me or leave a comment.
Ichiban Kan:
* Pricing/value: A. Honestly, it is hard not to give them an A. I mean who can beat a bento box for a $1.75. They have a great selection for any bento lover who is either just starting out or is on a budget. Since I am in both categories, I loved that they have a wide selection plus they have great prices so I can buy more items to fill up my collection.
* Shipping cost: B+. Generally speaking, I was happy with their shipping cost. It was kinda high, but I feel like it balances out the low cost of the products.
* Packaging appearance: A. I was very pleased with their packaging. Everything came is a decent sized box and was comfortably placed in there with plenty of paper to make sure nothing moved around too much.
* Shipping time frame: B. Overall, I was happy with their shipping time frame. I placed the order on a Wed. morning, the order was shipped on Friday by UPS, and the order arrived on the following Friday- making this a 10 day time frame from CA to TN. Not too bad. I wish that it had arrived sooner, but I have no control over the mailing system ^-^.
* The products: B+. I was very happy with all the items that I purchased. I know that I have plenty of wonderful times ahead with the rice and egg molds. They are all made of good quality plastic and I am thrilled with how solid the clasp is on the egg mold. I am also very please with the cutters sets. My only word of caution is that I recommend not to use them on hard items like carrots. Personally, I found that they do work on them, but it was a bit of work.
The only item that I was not 100% happy with is the bento box. Pros: cute, good sized, has a place for utensils. Cons: the bottom tier’s lid does not stay on firmly like the top tiers andthe bottom tier does not seem to want to stay very connected to the top tier. Please note that I did bind the tiers together with a “bento” band and when testing with water, some liquid did escape.
* Overall, I have to give Ichiban Kan an A-. I am very happy with this store for many reasons, and can fault them for very few things. I think anyone can find something here that will help them in their quest for Bento happiness.
Contest:
Since I want to start this segment off right. I will be giving away 3 cutters (bunny, bird, star) and a bear egg mold from my recent order at Ichiban Kan. Please visit the Contest Page for more information.
