Good Ideas Rain Wizard 50 Gallon Plastic Rain Barrel Water Collector with Brass Spigot, Oak

I set this up, was very easy and seemed to work well! I was so excited to have this in my garden... two weeks later and a leak has sprung in the side of the barrel.

*****Amazon buried the hazardous warning on this product - this product contains LEAD which can cause CANCER - I was so excited to get my rain barrel to water my organic vegetable garden. Opened the box to find a big sticker on the top of the water inlet screen that states that the Product may expose you to LEAD and can cause cancer. Not what I wanted to use on my garden, so I requested a refund. Ordered a different one. A week later I am told the seller agreed to give me a refund, but I have to pay $42.00 to have it shipped back to them. No way to contact Amazon. Very disappointed. So I decided to keep it as that was too much to pay to have it shipped back. So I opened the box and the spigot was missing. Looked all over for how to open it. Only a small hole at the top which was covered with a screen, which was covered in a very sticky sticker. Took the 6 screws off to find the spigot inside the barrel along with a whole bunch of plastic shavings. It was not easy getting them all out. Sharp edges too! Then to try to remove the sticker from the water inlet screen which never completely came off. Very disappointed in the product and with Amazon.

I read some reviews about this RW50 model not actually being 50 gallons but since it was on sale I went for it, being a good deal even for a 30 gal. The unit I got is indeed 50 gal. It measures 21" diameter at the top and a bit over 30" high. This equates to about 45 gallons but the unit does barrel out a bit at the center so I'm sure another 5 gallons is taken up there.I couldn't believe how fast this thing filled up in just a light rain. I do have about 800sq ft of roof draining into it but it still surprised me.Pros:-Very sturdy, will not bow when full-drainage hardware is brass and nice feelingCons:-Hole for below the screen is much smaller than the actual screen. I could be cut to make it larger but with how fast it fills up I don't think I'll bother with that.- Drainage pressure is low even when the unit is full but this is to be expected. If you need higher pressure, definitely purchase a pump. If you manage to set this unit on top of a bunch of blocks so it's a lot higher than your downhill hose then you may get a bit better pressure. Mine sits even with the hose and just sort of drains out.This barrel works really well to give extra water to areas that need it even during light rain. I'm glad I got it.

UPDATE: I've had it for a year and a half now in the horrible, unforgiving heat of the sun. Still no leaks or buckling. I recently added a small pond pump in it and ran tubing up through my rain chain. Now I have more bang for my buck.... A fountain! I LOVE IT even more now and I don't have to wait for the rain to listen to running water. The pump also means no mosquito larvae. ORIGINAL REVIEW: I love this barrel. We have gotten several heavy rains since. It fills quickly, but doesn't bother me any. Get yourself some black plastic or glass paint bottles from the craft section and paint the rings and the cracks on the barrel. Takes a few minutes and makes a HUGE difference in appearance (picture attached). I have had no issues with leaking or bowing. I took the screan off because I have no leaves to worry about and enlarged the opening. Very easy to cut with a hacksaw. The barrel looks much better in person than in the picture. It has faux wood grain and is kind of two toned, so the grain stands out. After reading reviews, I saw that the spigot is too low for a hose, so I when attaching it, I stopped when the spigot was turned sideways. Good to go! I love the addition of a copper rain chain. Sounds beautiful!

I've had this rain barrel for a little over a year and a half, along with the Rain Wizard Stand. It was great for the beginning of its life, considering it's simply a plastic jug to hold water, but it has developed a huge split along the back bottom edge and will no longer hold water. Considering the price of this plastic jug, I'm more than disappointed. It's not well made and was a complete waste of money.

I first bought these in a Woot sale and they lasted a few years before they started to crack and leak (between being allowed to freeze with water inside sometimes as well as falling from an elevated position, so I don't blame them too much). I got the same barrels again direct from Amazon and the experience has been mostly the same.I will say that the quality of the hose valve provided went down in the newer barrels. The valves are hard to turn, the handle bumps into the barrel, and they have a narrow pipe inside that restricts flow. I broke one off and then realized that it's just a 3/4 thread in there and a simple nipple and EZ shutoff valve work much better and can install much deeper into the fitting on the barrel so it holds tight. I wish it would have originally sold like this.The flow won't be enough to use a garden hose with it, even if installed 4 feet off the ground as I've done. Instead what I do is empty it into a big garbage can, and use a sump pump with a hose. Free water! Some dirt does get in so be aware that it will clog sprinklers and sprayers.The plastic is much nicer to look at, and won't rust out or lose paint, so I will just keep replacing with the same barrels whenever I need to.