Ratings & Reviews for Southwire Smart box 1 -Gang Polycarbonate Old work Round Electrical Box

Very convenient and quick

This is nice in theory and actually worked pretty good. The plastic teeth cut nicely through most of the drywall but left some tearout on the rear, hence 4 stars. For the extra price, it was convenient to not have to cut my own hole or buy an expensive hole saw.

it is designed for residential use w 7/16" Sheetrock. A 3.5" hole saw was needed for thicker commercial sheetrock (5/8" thick)

Easy installation

Easy installation, worked exactly as expected.

Works just like it should

Easy installation

Works great.

It would be nice if they listed the size of the nut driver that you need for your drill. All of mine were too small. Once I got it in, it worked great. I ended up drilling it in by hand with a racheting socket set. I didn't feel like making an extra trip to the store.

Great Concept, Poor Execution!

Great concept, but poor execution! Self-cutting design with integral locking mechanism looked like an elegant answer to a common wiring issue. However, the teeth quickly wore down to nubs after barely penetrating the paint on my sheetrock. Also, the pointed hole starting nib is much longer than the distance between sheetrock surfaces on standard 2x4 framing and likely to penetrate the opposing wall surface. Finally, the hexagonal drive receiver inside the box appears ready to accept a drill-driv...

Southwire does it again!

Love everything Southwire makes and this product is no different. It makes for a really installation with those teeth but doesn’t tear things up. The plastic is durable, not brittle at all like some products.

worked once, second time not so much

I used this box to add a ceiling fixture in a bedroom. Worked great, it saved me from buying a hole cutter. Bought a second to use in another room, but the teeth wore down before I got 1/8 inch into the sheet rock. I had to finish the hole with a saw.

fast and easy! worth the few extra dollars,

Great idea -- needs improvement

Southwire has come up with a great innovation for installing a round box in existing drywall -- a box with teeth. The idea is to use the box to drill through the drywall since it has detachable cutting teeth. Once the hole is drilled, discard the teeth and wings on the box flip out to grip the drywall. That part works excellent. However, even following the instructions to angle the box during cutting, if you go slow, the teeth "melt" or wear away before cutting all the way through. So a fiv...

It will not cut through a lightly textured ceiling

The teeth burnt off before I went through the drywal. I had to cut it with a hand saw anyway.

Hold-Screws Not Included

The device hold screws weren't included. Spend $10 on this thing, and they won't even through in the screws. The smoke detector came with screws but they didn't fit. BTW, it takes 4mm x 10mm screws.

Marks but doesn't cut.

Did not last long enough to go through drywall. The marked area wasn't big enough for the outlet after I cut it with another saw.

This is a fantastic product and saved $$ by not having to purchase a hole saw. Worked perfectly in cutting through the sheet rock and solidly secured it to the wall.

made install easy!

Installed two in about 5 minutes. super easy. use a drill on low speed, driver was too powerful. Will definitely use again.

Smart design

Very good design for old work.