Millenium BlackBox Cajon

I got this guy at the same time as a cheap banjo, all based on reviews, and really saw both sides of trying to do stuff on the cheap. The banjo looks, feels and sounds like a much more expensive instrument. The cajon looks, feels and sounds like the cheapest cajon I could find. Sadly I think it's going to be used more as a stool than anything. I'm going to have a go at making it a bit better myself, new snare etc, maybe repaint it...

Problems in the order in which I saw them...

The look - probably from the photos this is part of the attraction of this cajon. Those three stripes through, they look like they were made with bad masking tape painted over with a roller and taken off too soon. The edges are terrible. And the paint over the whole instrument has drip marks.

The sound - the snare is awful. It's a guitar string stretched around a nail and pressed loosely into the back of the face of the cajon.
I know this is one way to do the snare, possibly the oldest and most traditional, but it's done very badly. You can always just hear the note of the string, as though it was ringing out open on a guitar. I've experimented taping it down in various spots, which has helped a bit, but not enough. Then if you want to use your foot for pitch control on the face of the cajon, the relative position of the string changes and it rings out louder than ever. I'm looking into how I can fix it, thinking probably of removing it and screwing in half a drum snare.

I'd not even recommend this for a beginner or a child. I think the risk of putting that person off the instrument is too great. For context, this is the first negative review I have ever left of a product I've bought new ... I'm not holding it to unrealistic standards, I promise.

For a cheap Cajon, this realy doesn't disapoint. I wanted a cajon for soms acoustic practice with the band and i'm surprised at how loud this actualy is. The bass sound is nice and full and the snare hit will cut through.

Build quality wise it's not bad. The lines on the front aren't flush with the black wood, that took me by surprise a bit, and the edges are a bit sharp there, but the rest of the Cajon is built well, the edges are smooth and i didn't see any blemishes in the finish.

It's also surprisingly sturdy. I'm a bit of a heavy guy and was afraid that this "cheap thing" would not handle my weight that well, but everything has worked out just fine, it takes the weight when sitting on it like a champ.

Only disclaimer that i was a bit surprised about, was the message that the feet could leave permanent marks on the surface you play on and that it's recommended to place the cajon on a rug or something.

All in all, very happy, great product, and would buy again if disaster strikes one day.