[Important Note: Although we still recommend this pochade box, it seems the owner of the business has had some personal issues and the website and products are no longer available. We hope things change and that they begin to produce the box again soon. Updated February 2025]
Open Box M pochade box is a wooden pochade box that is robust and relatively lightweight with a palette and canvas support.
Company name: Open Box M
Website: www.openboxm.com
Pochade box name: Open Box M
Type: Palette/Panel Holder
Price range: $200-$300
Weight: 3lb, 1.4kg
Palette size: 14″x11″, 35cm x 28cm
Construction: Wood
Description
Construction
The Palette/Panel Holder is made of solid Black Walnut (the outside edges of the device) and Baltic Birch plywood (the palette mixing area and panel holding surface). The wood is glued and nailed together by hand and then sanded and treated in Danish Oil (natural color) prior to final assembly.
How to set it up
Accessories
Comparison
To compare this Open Box M with other pochade boxes, see my Guide to Pochade Boxes.
Reviews of Open Box M pochade box
A good basic lightweight pochade box
This was one of the first pochade boxes I bought and I am still using it 20 years later as my backup box. I like it because it is lightweight and simple. It has been never broken or suffered any damage even though it has fallen over or been knocked over dozens of times. This… Read more “A good basic lightweight pochade box”
Light, easy and fast to set up.
I’ve had my 11X14 Open Box-M since they first came out and out of all the setups I have this is the one I use the most. Light, easy and fast to set up. I can be painting in a coupe of minutes. It has plenty of palette space. I’ve add a glass palette to… Read more “Light, easy and fast to set up.”
Order Not Received
I placed an order with Open Box M on February 22 of this year for an 11 x 14 easel. The website said to expect shipment within three weeks of my order. After the expected delivery time passed I wrote to the company. My e-mail wasn’t responded to or acknowledged. I wrote two more times,… Read more “Order Not Received”
Own 3 sizes
I’ve had 3 sizes of OBM boxes for almost 20 years, and they are fairly reliable, fairly easy to set up, and give you enough painting space. These days I use the 11×14 box exclusively and have considered selling the 8×10 and 12 x 16. I like the fact that the boxes are deep enough… Read more “Own 3 sizes”
Do Not Buy Open Box M equipment!
You will likely never receive it. If you are like me, you’ve seen many successful artists, happily using their Open Box M setup, and saying it’s their favorite rig for plein air painting… I decided this year would be The Year for me to get serious about plein air painting, and get a real rig… Read more “Do Not Buy Open Box M equipment!”
WARNING – DO NOT BUY
Like many other reviewers, I placed an order for a palette/panel holder and paid in full and have not received the product. I have received NO RESPONSE from numerous calls, emails, and texts asking for an order update. I have also sent numerous texts and emails requesting a cancellation of my order and a refund.… Read more “WARNING – DO NOT BUY”
Terrible!!
The absolute WORST customer service!!! Ordered The Open Box M this in January and paid for it – was told it would be sent “the next day” – after many texts and emails that were ignored I find myself sitting here in April with no order received. Finally gave up and have had to file… Read more “Terrible!!”
Important Note from Virtual Art
Important Note from Virtual Art Academy: Although we still recommend this pochade box, it seems the owner of the business has had some personal issues and the website and products are no longer available. We hope things change and that they begin to produce the box again soon. Updated February, 2025
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I do not recommend buying an Open Box M easel/panel holder. If you search all the artist forums, you will find many reports just like mine… I ordered a 11×14, in March 2022. It is now August 2022, and I have not received it, and the owner Douglas Beers, is no longer responding to my email or texts or phone calls. He gave some vague reply one time about having trouble getting parts…BUT, he also told me it was DONE, and he even set up a “shipping label” and sent an email that it was ready to ship….that was an entire month ago!!! He also says he is far from the post office…uhhh, he lives a few minutes outside of Cody Wy. Not a problem when you are rich and own a nice spread like he does. I don’t understand what the problem is, but if I had read a review like this one, I would not have wasted my money. So I encourage artists to AVOID Open Box M. The owner is not responsive and is completely out of integrity. I wanted one of his boxes since I see lots of successful artists liking and using them and recommending them. But, they must have caught him on a good year, probably years ago. I have found a lot of stories like mine. Don’t waste your time.
Just wanted to say that my brass brush holder isn’t the little dinky one that’s offered by OBM, it’s more of a tray that they also have, and it’s perfect. I wish some of the other systems would adopt the same concept of a brush try instead of something with holes for brushes. If you’re not a tidy person, those don’t work very well and really slow you down while painting.
Please let me know when I can order a box. I’ve been waiting to order and now that I can afford to buy one … they r not available…. so sad ..hopefully … before the spring they will be available once again. I’ll be sooo appreciative to receive one. Thank you & hope all is good!
Hi Kathy, I don’t sell the Open M pochade boxes, I just do independent reviews of pochade boxes to help my students when they are choosing plein air equipment
Kathy, if you are interested in a well-used box, I have the biggest one and the smallest I would consider selling. Thanks.