The Inaugural Check-Out Line: The Cap Rack by Perfect Curve

This is the first edition of The Check-Out Line, where I review products that are designed to make your life easier. I give you my opinion and my opinion only. You decide for yourself. To launch The Check-Out Line, I thought I'd go with one of the first products I received for review, the Cap Rack...

PURPOSE: To store and organize baseball caps.

SUGGESTED RETAIL:
The 9-cap rack $5.00
The 18-cap rack $10

PROS: It takes up almost no space at all, even when it's fully loaded with caps. You can get one that holds nine caps or one that holds 18. I've seen them online that hold 24 & 36 caps, but the company only sent me these two sizes to try out. The 9-cap version is a flat strap-like unit which attaches at the top AND bottom of your door using simple over/under door brackets. No screws required, it just holds by tension. Very easy to install in just seconds. You can see the close-up  photo of the bottom door bracket to the left. Once it's on the door, each hat simply slips over top of a stiff leather piece which is attached to the strap. Below right is a photo of the 9-cap unit fully loaded.

You can see that each hat is easily accessibly beneath the others, and the logos are all visible, so there's no piling and un-piling to get to the specific hat you want. Each hat simply sits on its own leather "hook" if you will.

The 18-cap version hangs on the door as well but it's not as long and rather than being a flat strap, it's actually a round cord with rounded "frames" for each hat to sit on. Below left is a picture of a single hat frame:

If you opt for the plastic frame version of the Cap Rack, there's plenty of ventilation beneath each cap for those of you who work and play hard, and the curve of the plastic fits perfectly into the curve of the hat. The little clip you see there on top keeps the hat in place. But wait, there's more!

You can actually stack THREE hats on each of these plastic frame/clips. Here's a shot of three of my hats on a single clip. Only stack 'em if you have to, and be sure to keep the ones you wear most on top of the stack.

Here's a shot (below) of the 18-cap rack loaded with five singles and the bottom clip holding three and hanging from the outside of my closet door. You can also hang this one right on your closet bar too if you want to, from the ceiling or you can mount it on the wall as well, so it's flexible.

CONS: None that I can find so far. As far as ease of use and speed, the flat strap, 9-cap rack was my preference, because there's nothing to lift or "situate". You just hang the hat on the little leather piece. The other rack, with the adjustable plastic frame/clips is a smidge slower to use because you have to fit the hat fabric in between the big curve and the little clip using both hands.
However, even though it's a bit slower, the trade-off is that it has the shape-saving frame to keep your hats in shape when they're not on your head. Plus, you can adjust the frame/clips up and down the cord to position them wherever you want and you can hang it multiple places rather than just on the door. If you're thinking of buying, consider the differences and get the one that meets your specific needs.

VALUE:  Even at its highest price point I could find online,  ($24.99) I think these are a really good value for the money. They make hat storage easy and they consolidate all your hats into a small area, while still keeping them easy to identify, store and retrieve.

OVERALL SCORE:



WHERE TO BUY IT: You can find The Cap Rack at Lids, Home Depot, Bed Bath and Beyond, and  several other retailers but the best prices you'll find are on the Perfect Curve web site, where the 9-cap rack goes for just $5 and the 18-cap rack is only $10!  That's what I call major value.

Comments

[Mary Helen]

I have one of these in the plastic version, hanging from a closet rod. The flexibility of hanging locations was a big plus for me, allowing 24 hats to inhabit otherwise wasted space in the corner of a poorly designed closet. At $20 for 12 plastic clips on a string I thought I had overpaid for the product, but now after using it I do appreciate the value and feel it was money well spent. And certainly less expensive than demolition of the closet!

[Monica Ricci]

Mary Helen, thanks for your comment and I'm so glad you like the product! It's a great way to store a whole bunch of hats without using much space at all.
~Monica