Why I hate steelbooks

A few reasons why I hate steelbooks

I know that the guys from the US love steelbooks. Well, I often trade blu-rays with guys from North America, since it’s a win-win situation: They get German exclusives from me and I get great imports from the US . And most of the times my friends ask: “Hey, Sebastian, can you buy title X as a steelbook for me?” Reason is that almost EVERY blu-ray is released in steelbook packaging in Germany. Yet almost no steelbooks are available in the US. Why? Well, there is only one manufacturer making them officially. That would be the Danish company Scavano. And which country is close to Denmark and a big market for media? Bingo! Germany!

While I understand that many people like steelbooks I simply hate them. Collectors might scream in amazement now, but let me explain why:

1. They are easily damaged

I own only very few steelbooks – in a collection of almost 500 Blu-rays only about 10 are steelbooks. And for good reason: During the last few years I had to move plenty of times. Of course my movie collection moved with me. Almost nothing was damaged – except for the steelbooks. Yes, almost every one of them now either has scratches or slight dents. Especially the paintwork seems pretty fragile to me. That is why I avoid steelbooks today: They get damaged too easily. A simple amaray is much more durable.

2. They are a hassle to ship

As already mentioned I love to trade blu-rays with US citizens. But I have to be especially careful when packing and shipping steelbooks – which are the most requested. Because they get so easily damaged you have to pack them very carefully. Otherwise they get dented before they even reach the shelves of the happy collector.

3. They are more expensive

I get it: Except for me most collectors love steelbooks. That is why the studios release so many! But you have to pay premium to get them. Often steelbooks are about 10 US-Dollars more expensive than the regular amarays. Also the steel editions sometimes sell out really fast and then are only available for ridiculous prices on the second hand market.

4. Sometimes steelbooks replace the regular amaray edition completely

In Germany steelbooks are so common that some movies are ONLY available in a steelbook edition. In my opinion that is a mistake. It is a nice option for collectors but it should always be an additional option with a regular amaray as the standard. For example Finding Nemo comes out in Germany as a steelbook only at first. The regular amaray will be released two months later.

Well, there you have it…I am not very fond of steelbooks. None of my reasons are of aesthetic nature. Steelbooks look cool, I agree! But they have plenty of disadvantages and that is why I completely stopped buying them for myself.