I just installed this 60 gallon barrel last week and came home today to a full barrel of water from just one day of light showers.
I was more than thrilled.
This rain barrel is entirely recycled which is fantastic. That means no re-melting of plastics, etc. It comes with pre-drilled holes for hose connections and spigot. The spigot that comes with the barrel is plastic. I replaced mine with a sturdier brass spigot. The other great thing about this barrel is how it ships. They just slap a UPC sticker on the barrel itself and off it goes. No packaging. No waste.
Some people might not be able to justify spending $120 on a barrel that's recycled with a few pre-drilled holes and a few cheap hose ends. A DIY project of the same caliber may run you $30 or less. In some ways, I'd rather spend the money and have it go toward a company who are making the effort to collect and re-use existing materials and resources than supporting the demand for generating more plastic in the world. And if you're too busy to hunt down a recycled barrel and have already missed one rainy season--this might be your quickest solution to start saving water now.
