Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I purchased this box from Judson's about 15 years ago and at the time the only real competiton was the Open Box M pochade by the late Michael Maier. Mine was made in Carl Judson's ranch shop in Colorado where he had originally conceived the design while pursuing painting as an avocation. He was a cattle rancher by trade and wanted to paint during his non working hours but didn't want his crew of cowboys to discover his "hobby", hence a stealthy pochade box was his preferred support system rather than the more traditional French easel. Interestingly, the aforementioned Michael Maier was also a cattleman who owned the Open Box M ranch in Montana. Judson designed the Guerilla Painter pochade box to hold either stretched canvas or 1/8" - 1/4" panels in the 9 x 12" format; a convenient size for plein air painting. The hallmark of the box is robust construction with a slide out palette in an all in one design. The Open Box M is much lighter in weight (by itself) but less likely to withstand rough handling (if it's outside of it's case) and is more of a handmade item constructed with solid brass hardware somewhat reminiscent of the original Julian French easels. Both have tripod adapters that allow the pochade to fit securely onto camera (NOT video) tripods.
One of the supposed benefits of a pochade over the traditional field box or "French easel" is that they are lightweight and inconspicuous to carry/use which is true up to a point. The Gurerilla Painter 9 x 12 with 6 or 7 37ml tubes of paint, loaded brush washer, brushes/palette knives/medium and 3 or 4 panels is no lightweight companion (8 or 9 lbs.), but is reasonable in size and bulk and certainly compact compared to a French Easel. Mine has stood up amazingly well with no problems with either hardware or the wood material itself. The oiled finish has withstood many a paint/turp spill and though I've purchased add ons and spare parts for it the original is still going strong.. As a matter of fact the only broken bit I've had was a very minor replacement of one of the panel suports. Judson's carries all the replacement parts and you could build up a "first aid" kit for your box for under $20 to make sure it doesn't have to "go into the shop" if you do have a problem.
So, what's not to like? Well, 15 years is a long time and Judson's has changed quite a bit; gotten bigger and added many more products to their catalog including different size pochade boxes as well as slightly different designs, some of which I'm not particularly fond of. First of all, the boxes are now made in China rather than in his home shop in Colorado which is either a bad thing or a non issue depending upon your sensitivity to domestic production issues. I subsequently purchased a 6 x 8 "thumb box" and a much larger (and heavier) pochade in the 12 x 16" format (which is no longer made). Both of those and the accompanying panel carriers were clearly marked made in China but looked identical in construction with the exception of the outer wood finish. The 12 x 16" is pretty useless as a pochade and much heavier than a French Easel. It was a bad purchase on my part and I can easily see why Judson's discontinued it. The "thumb box" on the other hand is a delightful little cube built just like the original 9 x 12 and (obviously) carries supports in the 6 x 8 format; also a convenient and practical size for plein air paintings. Again, the only difference is wood finish. as construction and hardware appear identical to my original. The only flaw in the original design is the panel holding system which does not provide a firm grip on your painting support. This can bother some painters, but most either get used to it or jerry rig a filler to take up the excess space between between your painting panel and the panel clips. The newer designs correct this with a different panel holding system but have some serious limitations of their own. I'm going to mention one of his new products in the next paragraph that you might very well consider when shopping for the 9 x 12" original pochade box.
Judson currently offers the "French Resistance Pochade" that incorporates a different design that you might well compare with the original 9 x 12. The design is attractive, but strays from the original by offering what I consider a major flaw that you might not think about until you actually used one in the field. Instead of the highly regarded slide out palette they produced a slimmer box nominally 3" x 10" x 13" that offers a trade off in storage vs. paint mixing. Opening the "FRP" reveals a top lid that offers an innovative panel holding system consisting of a wire "tray" that holds a panel or stretched canvas and can be set into 4 positions on the inside of the lid. The panel is held in place by a telescoping rod that you can adjust up to 16 x 20" (landscape format). Given that the nominal size of the box is only 10 x 13" this is a big plus for those who want to paint in a larger format without going the French Easel route. The problem is that they oddly left out the sliding palette leaving you to mix your paints in the bottom of the pochade. Normally this wouldn't be a bad thing as other designs do this (Open Box M), but with a difference. The Open Box M's "palette" or mixing space is only about 3/8" deep and is comfortable to use just like a small hand held palette. The French Resistance Pocahde design on the other hand is about 2" deep and is constructed into a long rectangle by an unmovable wood divider that runs lengthwise separating the bottom into two parts. Given the depth and narrowness of the space it is very uncomfortable to use and clean; and is best left to storage. This means you have to carry an exterior palette which, given the box's design is certainly possible, but then there's no place to carry your just completed painting. Like I said it's a tradeoff and can be worked around but it is something to consider.
So there you have it; a long winded review of a generally excellent product line. Of the offerings mentioned I recommend the 9 x 12" original pochade (the one considered in this review) and the smaller 6 x 8" "thumb box". Both have a number of options readily available to customize the pochade to your particular needs and both are reasonably priced due to the current country of origin. Besides direct purchase from Judson's web site many of his products (not all) are carried by art supply retailers, some with very discounted prices, so shop around before you buy. AND, don't forget to consider the alternative of a 1/2 box French easel. It's very easy to get wrapped up in the compact little pochade box when a French easel offers some benefits not available to the pochade user. For starters consider the overall weight and bulk of a pochade WITH a sturdy tripod, since that's what you get with the French easel. Secondly, one of the benefits of a French easel over a pochade/tripod combination is that your palette can remain at waist level while you can move the support surface to eye level creating a more comfortable and familiar relationship. You can store your long handled oil brushes in the kit drawer, something you typically can't do with a pochade box, though Judson's sells special short handled bristles (no sables) to fit smaller pochades. The truth is no one system works best all the time and you'd be selling yourself short by limiting your equipment choices to just one or the other. A pochade is at it's best when the little box rests on your lap and you complete sketches or vignettes to expand upon later. For the painter who doesn't want to draw attention to themselves it's the perfect choice, but as soon as you add a tripod you're pushing the limits. A French easel is often more appropriate for field painting particularly when you move into the double digit canvas size, and many can fill in as a "studio" easel if you normally paint on moderate sized canvas. Personally, I use the Open Box M 10 x 12" when I want to paint with a tripod and the original Guerilla pochade when I want to dispense with the tripod. For anything larger than 11 x 14" I use a half box French easel. I keep the Thumb Box loaded with supplies in my truck for those moments when the mood strikes for a quick sketch. So, make your choice based upon how you want to paint and there's no reason why you have to settle on just one design.
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RuggedLightweight Construction. No Cracking or Splitting - strong basswood laminate (no rainforest woods). Exterior finish. No Rust - we use exterior gluestainless steel screws and aluminum hardware. Holds up to 4 Wet Panels - Completely enclosed. All Media - 1/8 inch or 1/4 inch panelsstretched canvaswatercolor blocks and pastel pads. Tie Down Strap for Oversized Panels. Adjustable Lid Bracket - positively locks in any position over a full 180?° range with only one knob. 3 Large Storage Compartments - room for brushessupplies and more than 10 tubes (37ml) of paint. Harness Leather Handle. Perfectly balanced for painting in your lap or in a car.Tripod Mount - An aluminum plate with a stainless steel insertdesigned to survive the most demanding field conditions. Will not break out.
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