I wanted another bento (lunch box) to use more for healthy snacks, so I thought getting this apple would be a good choice because of the price as well as the size. When I got it, it was actually a lot bigger than I thought it would be xD The only reason why I had second thoughts about getting the red one was because it reminded me of the anime Death Note... otherwise I know I got this one 'cause I love green apples! Anyway.... Opening the apple wasn't a problem. The very top compartment seems to be a smidge easy as I was testing how well it stays together (say on the off chance I dropped it I'd like to know if it would pop open or if it might come apart in my bag or purse- that sounds kinda terrible...), but you do have to try a bit to get it open without twisting it. For safety precautions, I use a furoshiki (it's pretty much a scarf) to tie it closed so it looks appealing carrying it as a mini-bag and I don't have to worry about it coming apart even if I did drop it a few times.. not to mention the furoshiki is washable and reusable so it's a great thing to use if you're worried about this product coming open and you're wanting to take it out and about... The bottom was somewhat hard to close, until I looked closely and realized there are two small rectangle closers and then one larger one- so you do have to make sure it's aligned to the right sized holes before trying to close it otherwise it won't work. The sauce part, I was excessively worried about because it seemed like it had potential to leak, then it could seep out and leak everywhere else... and I really didn't want that... When you open the sauce top and try to close it without putting the rest of it together, after a bit, it popped back off without any effort on my part. So I put water in it, closed the sauce top and closed the whole bottom apple part. I tipped it, shook it around, held it upside down, anything I could imagine to make sure whether or not it would leak. I even left it on it's side for a few minutes lol..... Anyway, after a few more minutes of doing this, I finally opened it. No leaks! None whatsoever and I was absolutely sure it was going to because of the way the top likes to try and come off for the sauce! As far as food goes, I managed to put a whole small sized apple and a banana in it with no problems. I had originally put caramel sauce in the bottom- no worries on it leaking, but I just wasn't a fan of the taste of that particular brand xD I've also used the top for carrots.. pretty much anything healthy as- like I said I'd like to use it as a snack bento and with it being an apple I just can't help but try to put healthy foods in it... I also figured if you don't want to use the bottom compartment for 'sauce only' then you can also venture out to use it for other smaller things- say if you wanted protein and you put a mix of nuts or seeds in it.. heck, even dried raisins or cranberries should be a good fit for it.... I haven't used this apple in the washer as mine is broken, and I'd rather not for any of my bentos anyway because the different temperatures would stretch and askew your box- which I imagine would eventually make it to where it doesn't fit as well or close securely as it did when you first got it... it washes fantastically in the sink, though! If you're worried about it having that 'old lunch smell' after you've had it closed for a while, all you have to do is leave all the pieces open to dry and you'll be set! Look wise, I absolutely love it! It's such a cute apple and since I've been wanting to eat more healthily, it also makes me want to put healthy foods in it... I've gotten plenty of compliments from my friends and the people I work with. Both humorous and how much they loved the way the apple looked.. One of them went as far as asking if I leave it in my kitchen to display it and my mom had actually left it with a bunch of small, real green apples- to which my sister didn't really notice until I had to point it out to her it wasn't JUST an excessively large apple, but a fake none to boot, lol.... So overall, I'm happy with this product. It was cheap and for what I want to use it for, it's very affective. As well as appealing to the eye and a great conversation piece if you're eating with your friends or co-workers. The only reason why I actually give it a 4 star is.. well, as I've said in the review it's just not 100% fantastic. Really, had the sauce top been able to close and stay closed on it's own, it would've been 5 out of 5 in my book.... but seeing as it's not the case and if you had sauce in it and bumped into it, I can see you or someone else spilling it everywhere.. and that's a definite deterrent. But overall, I would have to recommend it to... anybody wanting a unique and useful lunch box! ^.^ Edit 2/28/13: I had actually forgotten that the apple was over $10. For some reason I was thinking it was under $10 when I was writing the review, but oh well... I just wanted to include that I don't quite agree with the price, it is a smidge more than I would've liked it to be.... BUT!!!... if you've ever wanted to shop for bentos or cute lunch boxes, you'll notice the starting price is just a bit under $20 and they DEFINITELY go on up. Average is $25-$35 so, honestly, if you're wanting a small lunch box the price really isn't that bad in comparison to other lunch boxes.. So for me, even though its a bit more than I'd like, it also doesn't have any effect on how I feel about the 4 star rating I gave.
