Southwire Southwire MSB1G One Gang Device Box with Depth Adjustable; Heavy Duty 42lb; Gray

I have used these boxes for years. They are built solidly and intelligently. They are easy to install in new construction or retrofit. They hold NM cables securely, unlike the majority of plastic boxes at the hardware stores. (It is a little difficult to adjust or pull the cables back out if you make a mistake). Some of the slots for installing cables are labelled for #12, and others are labelled for #14. It really helps (is pretty much necessary) to split the plastic tabs apart with a flat blade screwdriver before inserting the cables. I have preferred metal boxes with screw-in cable connectors in the past, but it is almost impossible to buy metal boxes without razor sharp burrs anymore, so I am strongly considering switching over to using these boxes in almost all my jobs. The Amazon price is comparable to the cost of metal boxes, and even if the plastic costs a little more, it is well worth not cutting my fingers, and not having to worry about slicing open the insulation of wires during installation. (I have seen it happen too often). Honestly, I am mystified how any of the metal boxes I have seen lately can get a UL listing. It must be true, as someone who had worked for UL once told me, that getting an approval is mostly just a matter of paying enough.

Works as it should. Not cheap or flimsy

These Southwire boxes are extremely nice. They are useful when you pull an original box to do a repair, add outlets, switches, etc. The side screw setup makes these so much nicer than other old work boxes with the flip up tabs. You can really get a solid install with these. I always keep a couple of the singles and the doubles in my van.

I recently purchased a small shop to work on cars in. The shop is about 45 minutes from my house, so I wanted to add in a little apartment in the event I decided to work late. The existing shop had boxes that I have been using inside the living area, but I needed stronger boxes for the shop. That is where these come in. Pros: - Durability: These things are quality boxes. The difference between these and the blue, nail in kind is like night and day. These will hold up very well in a shop environment. - Ease of Use in Tight Spaces: Unlike the nail in type where you need sapce to hammer in the nails, these can fit in existing walls very easily. Just cut the drywall (or whatever material you have for your wall) slightly smaller than the box so it holds it in place, then screw it into the stud. - Marked location for wires: The wire pass throughs are marked for 12 or 14 guage wire, with an offset for each. Not something necessary, but it was a nice touch. Cons: - I found it difficult to get the box to stay in place while I screwed it in. The screws want to pull the box back. When trying to use these on open walls, you'll need to really hold it in place. It would be nice to have a set of teeth on the side against the stud to hold it in place. - Pass-throughs: These are the kind that you can press a wire in and have it lock in place. This is nice to keep it in while you are wiring, but I'm not a fan of these. They are hard to use and even harder to push excess length back in. They were also very hard to snap off if you wanted to remove them - Price: If these are not on sale or marked down, the $9 price is a pricier than going with the hammer on style. I got mine at around$2.50 ea, which was good pricing. This is also true if you are not needing anything too strong. - Useage: These are made for wood studs. If you need something that attaches to other material or do not have access to the stud, these are not for you. For my shop project, these work great! I know these are strong enough to withstand the constant use and potential hits that you find in a shop environment without breaking. I'd probably use these for walls that I'd have to cut sheetrock as well. This is a good buy in my opinion.

This worked perfect for my application. I was installing wiring for an over the range microwave where one didn't exist before. I wanted a clean outlet installation where the outlet was in the back of my cabinet above the range, but needed the box to extend out from the drywall behind it by 1/2" to fit through the cutout behind my cabinet so the outlet would be flush with it. I had a stud to be able to screw into, but the 'new work' boxes from big box stores don't work that way, and to install a new work one to do what I want would've required me to rip out drywall to be able to nail it in. This box worked perfectly because it screws in from screws inside the box and worked perfectly for what I needed! This would also be a great replacement for any old 'new work' box you need to replace if they're next to a stud.

It’s a good electrical box. Don’t hesitate to buy but you can get them cheaper in the big box stores.

I bought some of these like a year ago because judging drywall thickness and managing to cut drywall perfect for box is like 50/50. These give the freedom of putting drywall up then cutting a hole, setting a good depth and pulling wiring through. I've bought well over a dozen now and only compliant I have, a star bit screw would be much better. These will strip quickly if you mess up the alignment. But still a improvement over nail in.

Love this thing. period.

An easy attachment, electrical box that I could not find at any of the local stores. It works as it should. I would recommend this product.

This was my first time installing any type of electrical box. I first wondered on how the cable fits in as the back as it is all sealed. After a while I figured there must be a few knock out plates and there was or at least I assumed they were. The side angle screws are handy for installing but not easy to get full force with a screw driver due to the angle. However this box served my purpose.

I needed to add a box in a 98-year-old lathe & plaster wall, and this was exactly the right solution. Cut the plaster and lathe with a multi-crafter tool (avoids breaking the plaster bond with the lathes compared to using a drywall or sabre saw), pre-trimmed the outer insulation from the end of 14-2 NMD-90, threaded it through the kind of strange clamp, positioned the box, screwed it in and bingo - not even any paint touch-up needed. It's nice that you can use the box itself to trace the exact opening on the wall. A lot of those metal rework boxes have bits that stick out further than the box sides, but this is all smooth with rounded corners. Keep the inside thickness of your wall in mind - this box is deep and narrow - 3 1/2 deep on the outside so fine for drywall on one or two sides of a 2x4 wall, but maybe not if you have lathe & plaster with a lot of plaster pushed through the gaps in the lathe. On the plus side there's lots of room for wiring (18.5 cu in). But... The part I skipped over is the cruddy drywall screws that come with the box. The absolute cheapest, worst screws they could've included, and @#$ Phillips head, of course, so lots of cam-out unless you really lean on the driver, which will probably push your alignment out. Others have commented on working the screws in and out of the box a bit cause they're stiff. Yeah... So I replaced those crud screws with #6 Roberston (square drive) 1 1/2 inch screws with a bit less aggressive thread, and dabbed a touch of silicone plumbers grease on each. Went through the PVC and into the wood easily and no issues with alignment. I used another three of them for a different project in a porch ceiling, and in this case was able to drill a 7/8 hole in the side (not the stud side, obviously!) near the bottom for a 1/2 inch ENT connector. A bit weird, but still lots of room inside for the outlet and wiring. I'm sure you could also drill in the bottom, but not the ends. Drilling PVC needs slow speed and patience or you'll either melt the plastic or slip and break something (maybe your fingers). So minus 1 star for those screws but otherwise a well thought out and well made product, and I've bought some more to have on hand at the current good price.

This is the electric box I highly recommend. Easy to install once figuring out were the stud is. Cut the drywall to the size of the box, insert and screw the angle screws ( provided), way easy.

These are nice boxes for going directly into a stud. I used them for re-wiring outlets in a house. They have a total of 4 wire outlets, two for 12/2 and 2 for 14/2. It's a bit difficult to get the wires into the box at first, but they'll come through and are clamped well after they're in. Since it's an American box, it comes with 2 Philips head screws, which of course are prone to strip out and that makes for a bad time. I pulled the Philips screws and used Robertson/square head screws instead.