This rain barrel was extremely disappointing. I bought it in June but did not fill until this week until I received my diverter. Upon filling about 1/4 it started to leak around the plastic plug fitting that the tap is screwed into. This fitting is plastic welded to the barrel so there is no way to tighten so this $178.00 barrel is useless.

So far so good. My old rain barrel cracked from ice last winter after ten years or so of duty. This Rain barrel was easy to install and has worked pretty well the past few rain storms. The screen filters out the leaves and gutter debris well. It is a whole lot more attractive than the ugly one we had before. For our barrel I just connect a hose piece and direct the water out to a lawn area at the edge of our patio. I like it, but the big test comes this winter. I hope to keep it from freezing a full barrel full of water.

Does The Job But Not Stellar

When I opened the box, the barrel had the appearance of being poorly glued together from two halves, and the sides not mating well. See pic. But in fact this barrel is one piece construction (I believe) because there are NO seams on the inside.

The barrels were dirty and scuffed up on the outside. Was supposed to receive all three on the same day but the third came on a later day. There was a lot of plastic debris in each barrel. I took a picture of it but have no way of including it here in this review. I've only had them for about a month so too soon to tell how they will hold up in the long run.

Make sure you buy (or build) a stand

Since this barrel has only one spigot, down low, it is important to place it on a stand; I built a sturdy one.

Peeling Paint - Not Worth Upcharge

You can get the same barrel without distressing or straps painted for $90 less. I thought about painting it myself but ultimately decided to splurge. Well, the paint flaked off in my hands as I took it out of the box and was peeling wherever it touched the box. They should have sanded the plastic before painting so it would adhere. There is also no distressing of the wood grain as shown in the photo. So $90 upcharge for someone to cut corners, and I have to touch it up myself. Rip off.

+1 more

Product is 4.75 stars.

Only reason I've given it 4 stars is because of the overflow spout. I'm trying to find a way to connect a hose to direct the water from the overflow and no luck so far. I bought this online so was not able to look at that before I purchased. I wanted something that looked good so I'm very happy overall. And get the base. It makes leveling and water extraction so much better.

Spigot threads sub-standard

The rain barrel looks really nice; however, the plastic threaded insert for the metal spigot is glued on and not very strong. The insert popped off when tightening the spigot. I re-glued it with marine strength adhesive and am letting it cure for a couple of days before trying again. I recommend that the insert should be metal and affixed better.

Great rain barrel - Great price!

I had previously bought this rain barrel and really liked it, so I just bought two more, and will probably get a couple more in the near future. You can't beat the price! I like that they have a flat back so I can put them along my fence line to water the flowers and shrubs. Everyone should have rain barrels - it's free water (without the chemicals of tap water). Just screw on the spigot and it's good to go.

Elite CS aka Kristy the Great

It’s not everyday I get to deal with great Customer Service as Kristy Vavpetic.

Rain barrel does exactly what I wanted. I used landscape blocks to raise it versus the RTS stand. The only issue was the metal screen. During heavy rain, it would lift off the barrel. I used a brick to hold the screen in place. I should add that RTS originally shipped a different barrel even though the box showed my part. An email to RTS, and they quickly sent the correct replacement. Good deal!

Poorly made!

It leaks to the point of 50 gallons in a day or two. I put Teflon tape on the threads but its leaking from the plastic insert where the threads are in the barrel.

50 Gallon Flat Back Rain Barrel In Oak

The 50 gallon flat back brass spigot rain barrel, oak color, is awesome. It is a well made quality product. This item actually exceeded my expectations. The product arrived quickly and was packaged well with no damage. My husband stated it was easy for him to install without any difficulty. I like this product so much that I am planning on buying another and it looks so nice in our yard.

Completely dissatisfied

Received my RTS 50 gal flat back this a.m (Saturday 4/15/23). Opened box and immediately knew something was wrong! Removed barrel from box to find package containing parts/instructions already opened with parts scattered inside barrel. Ahh, ok. Then, I found the spigot hole to be completely destroyed with no chance of even considering threading spigot in. Hole was void of material needed to thread spigot in. Was completely destroyed!! Quality control??? Will be calling on Monday since rts is closed on Saturday’s.

good basic barrel

i just wanted an affordable basic barrel with a spigot located as low as possible and a mesh opening, and this one fit the bill. plus i definitely appreciate the flat back as it allowed for placement up against a fence and wall. there doesn't seem to be much of a seal between the spigot and barrel, but so far there's been no leakage (rain filled it for the first time just a couple of nights ago), and it was compatible with an ordinary garden hose. the barrel plastic is thick and heavy-duty and seems like it should hold up outside (at least here in so cal). it's not beautiful, and indeed was already scuffed and dirty when it arrived, but it works as expected, it's fine! don't forget to check with your water company about water barrel rebates too. ps the matching stand isn't necessary or attractive but i ended up getting one because it was the easiest quickest way to elevate the barrel for better spigot access/use.

Great product

I must confess that I was a little skeptical to buy this product because of some mixed reviews that I read online, but the price was really good, so I decided to give this a try. The barrel looked beautiful, but of course I wanted to test this with some rain. After some mild rains the barrel seemed to work fine. With some mild rains the barrel was half full, the only negative side that I noticed was that the faucet stream was relatively weak. I spend a lot of time to fill the watering can, maybe a deal breaker for some, but that was acceptable. The real test was to use the product under some heavy rain. Once we had some heavy rain I saw the true value of this item. Even when the barrel was full, it didn't tilt and also the barrel itself has an overflow system at the top that allows an escape in case the barrel is full. I connected a 10 ft faucet to the hose though and that allowed the water to flow freely. I also bought the stand for the barrel, but I think (am sure) that you can create your own stand with rocks or wood if necessary. This is definitely a wonderful item. The only things that I may improve are the top filter, which seems a bit weak/cheap and the faucet stream. Other than than nothing else. Also, as a side note, the item arrived earlier than anticipated.

Needs better threading

For the price, a plastic barrel, plastic prethreaded hole, and brass faucet, I expected the installation of the faucet to not be so difficult. I ordered two barrels. I read the warnings of some previous buyers and thought I was careful enough but still one of my two barrels the faucet did not screw in correctly. Since it is a brass faucet, the plastic threads on the barrel were either already off or became off as I started to thread the faucet. Either way, no matter how many times I tried to correct it, the faucet would not thread into the hole straight. I gave up and just screwed it in and it is crooked..and leaks. It is a slight leak but leaks. For this reason, I only gave this a 3 star. If both had given me this problem I would have made it a single or no star (if possible). The barrels look nice but we don't want leaks. What good is a leaky rain barrel?!

Great rain barrel! Its worked out exactly like I hoped it would. Good quality barrel and I did not have any issues with the spigot during installation or any signs of leaking once the barrel was filled with water. I was worried about that being an issue after reading several reviews before the purchase was made. It rained hard literally the night after I set it up and it was completely full the next morning. It works and looks great in my backyard and is gonna save me a bunch of $ in the long run watering my plants as much as I do. I highly recommend you also buy the stand as well at the same. It's a game changer when you are trying to fill up a bucket or any watering cans. Thanks again Wayfair!

I have an issue with the overflow not having grooves to hook up a hose. Other than that the barrel works perfectly.

I have two of these. My first one was a little more expensive as it also had a hole for the brass spigot in the center of the barrel. This works great to fill up watering cans.

I'd read where the brass spigot was difficult to install...

I'd read where the brass spigot was difficult to install or leaked afterwards. I followed the instructions which directed to place the barrel on its back when installing the spigot. I also went a step further and wrapped the spigot threads with teflon tape. Also, because the receiver threads are plastic, the instructions indicate to not over tighten. I was careful, as instructed, and a few days later, I found I could tighten the spigot another full turn without over tightening. We've had a few very hard rains, and it seems to be working. I drilled out one of the side connectors and am collecting overflow water in a separate bucket. I may get another barrel and connect the two using the side connectors and a washer hose. This will an additional 50 gallons from overflow of the first barrel. Lastly, the instructions state not to put more than a 3 ft garden hose on the spigot. I followed that instruction too, and am getting adequate flow into my watering cans.