Croydex Twis 'N Lock Storage Basket

Looking for bathroom storage, but not being very keen to drill into the new tiles on my bathroom, I decided to invest £9.99 on a Twist n Lock chrome wire basket from Homebase.

Twist n Lock have a huge selection of baskets in a variety of sizes and shapes. The combination basket seemed right for me, as it includes a large deep basket which is big enough to store shampoo bottles without allowing them to tip over. It also has a shallow shelf which looks as if it just the right size to act as a soap dish. Two small hooks underneath the basket can be used either to hang flannels, or something like bags of cotton wool. The whole unit will hold up to 2kg in weight.

The advertising on the package told me that it has strong, suction-fix system locks that lock smoothly to any flat shiny surfaces. The extra-strong suction would be as good as screws or glue.

~~Assembly~~
Unpacking my new basket, I found that the instructions for assembling the unit were very clear. The suction cups and washers had to be screwed onto the decorative chrome caps, after those caps had been hooked over the top wire of the basket. Once this had been done, pushing the suction cap hard to the wall, whilst twisting the decorative chrome cap in a clockwise direction, created a strong seal.

The surface had to be clean and dry, and the suction pad had to be moistened before sticking. It is important to ensure that the suction cap is not placed over any grouted areas between tiles.

To remove the basket, it is simple to unscrew the decorative caps and peel the suckers away from the wall.

The instructions recommend that the suckers are detached and cleaned every 4-6 weeks to maintain suction strength.

~~Did it work?~~

Once it was on the wall, the unit seemed very strong and secure. It also looked very attractive, as well as holding all of the bottles and bits that were usually scattered around the bathroom.

After about 10 weeks of use, I was woken up by a terrible clattering. The suckers had lost their grip and thrown the whole basket with contents onto the floor. I had not cleaned the suckers after 4 -6 weeks, as recommended, but I did not expect this to happen! Cleaning and replacing the unit, it seemed as strong as ever and has remained firmly attached for a further 3 months without incident.

~~Opinion~~
I like the look of these baskets and the variety of shapes that Twist n Lock offer. I have some more basic and smaller baskets that are held onto the wall with suckers and, although these simpler versions have no decorative caps or clockwise twisting instructions, they have remained on my wall for a year without falling off. These simple baskets are a fraction of the Twist N Lock prices and are very efficient - however they do not hold as many bottles as my larger Twist n Lock basket, and the exposed rubber suckers are a disadvantage.

Overall I think that the extra money for Twist n Lock is worth paying. The design is better than any other brand that I have seen, and I am prepared to pay more for the decorative cap system that disguises the fact that there are suckers underneath. To the naked eye, they look like caps that cover screw fixings and are very smart.

I think that the way the basket fell off the wall was a one-off occurrence and I feel hopeful that this will not happen again.