I'm a Bento Noob; I need help.

[CatAnne]

I hope this is in the right place, I wasn't sure if it should go here or in Tips/ Please don't be upset if it should go some where else.

Best type of bento box for an adult?

Since I've never actually had a Bento box before I have a few questions. I've only used Tupperware, or pretty containers. No authentic bento boxes. I wanted to buy one, and I would just like a few questions answered.

The bento boxes like this:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/47504771@N04/4479134640/
What happens if you don't use a band, it wont stay shut right?
Well how well do those bands work?

The bento boxes like this:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/47504771@N04/4478484109/
Do they need a band at all?
How well to the clasps on the sides work?>

How about a bento box like this?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/thislittlebento/3192010243/
Does it need a band?

And this picture?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/allie1903/2333889559/
The Pooh/Cat do they need bands?
Small My Melody without clasps? band?
Large Melody with clasps? band?

Do the bands come in different sizes?
Or is it pretty much one size will fit all?
I see a lot of silicone cupcake cups, are they the better than the plastic?
What's the benefit of a bag i it all fits nicely in a box? It's not like the bag does anything for temperature. That might be a stupid question...

I'm looking for adult sized bentos. 600ml, even thought I should be eating more :/
I don't like Hello Kitty. I like San-X(Rilakkuro), and Sanrio is ok, but Hello Kitty is everywhere, and I get annoyed with over populated/everywhere stuff. I do have some Hello Kitty things, but I would like to keep that to a minimum. I like some Disney, but I like to keep that to a minimum too. I don't want to look juvenile, I already get people thinking I'm a sophomore in high school. I don't want boring either.

<3

Looking for examples of all these made me hungry!! Also inspiring.

[MommaSith]

The band is just elastic, and it's mostly one-size-fits-all in my experience. I have one band that is not stretchy, and has a clip for you to adjust it, but it's the only one I've seen like it so far.

I don't have any of that brand of box (second picture), the clips hold very well... until they break... at least on the boxes I've had. (And that includes the ones from the Disney store, which seemed sturdier to start with... I think they lasted a BIT longer than the ones I got from Ichiban Kan, at least... but they still broke off.)

I have the ChocoCat box, and I LOVE it. Those clips seem very sturdy, they hold well and so far are still in once piece! I've had mine for at least 2 years, but I don't use it all that often.

The nice thing about the silicone cups is that they are flexible, but not TOO wimpy. They are also freezer/fridge/oven/microwave safe, so you can cook eggs and other things right in the cup, let them cool, and stick 'em straight in your bento box. (You can do all kinds of things like that... mini shepherd's pie, meatloaf cups, etc etc.)

In my opinion, the bag is easier to carry. (It has either a handle, or drawstrings that pull up, so you can hold it easier, or slip it over your wrist or some such.) SOME of the bento bags are insulated, I have a few of these, so they can help with temperature, depending on the bag.

Hope that helps a bit!