StarTech 42U Adjustable 4 Post Open Server Equipment Rack Cabinet

2023-01-30T19:00:00

I've had this rack for over a year now, and it has exceeded my expectations. It is sturdy, a good size for home lab use or many commercial applications, and easy to customize for your specific application, like adjustable depth and endless cable management opportunities.

K0LTZ

Originally posted at

2022-10-05T20:00:00

First off, let me preface this with the fact that I've purchased and assembled dozens of wall mount swinging frames and cabinets, free standing racks, cabinets and 2 and 4-post open frames from several manufacturers, mounted to or on on every substrate from cinder block to brick to wood and steel framed structures, or fastened to poured concrete floors. I purchased two of these open frame racks for two different switch closets, selecting these units specifically for the shorter 36U height, and shorter adjustable depth. The packaging was good overall, but both racks had a bent piece of sheet metal at the top corner that overhangs the front of the frame, which had to be bent back so that the top corner stringer could be attached. The screws provided for assembly of the rack itself are barely magnetic (the cage nut / screw rack mount hardware is a-ok) and fall off a magnetic screwdriver making assembly time consuming and frustrating. I replaced them all with 5mm x 12mm (0.8mm pitch) hex head bolts and washers. Much easier and faster to put together with a socket on a 1/4" hex shank adapter on a small battery impact. Zip zap. Although we used them for switch closets, one needed a 2U Dell PowerEdge R530 server. We attempted to install using factory Dell Ready Rails II B6 rails. They do not fit this style of rack because it uses C-channel frame vertical posts. Search "Dell Enterprise Systems Rail Sizing and Rack Compatibility Matrix" and look at page 4 of the PDF to understand the issue. This is a EIA-310-C standard rack, and all the modern Dell Ready Rails require a EIA-310-D or later which require the inner rear rack frame to be rebated about 0.335" on each side. Being that Dell is one of the most widely used rackmount servers out there, and are famous for their 100% tool free Ready Rails, I feel that incompatibility should be mentioned on this product page. I had never encountered a rack that (assuming it was deep enough) Dell Ready Rails would not fit. We solved that problem by purchasing a set of StarTech 1U 200lb 'shelf' style rails part UNIRAILS1UB. The rack itself is good quality overall, the gauge of metal is heavy enough, and black powder coat finish is nice and was not beat up in transit, and the caster kit works well also. I would happily purchase this rack again for any situation where it's short height and depth help make the most of a small space!

JasonInOH

Originally posted at

2021-02-06T19:00:00

Recently purchased a 36U - 4 post rack because the specification noted the height is 5’ 6” - I order based on this because I have an existing opening that is almost 5’7”. I measured the rack after opening the box only to find the overall height to be 5’ 7 ½”! A full 1.5” taller than noted in the specification. This was the comment from Customer Service: “I have runt his by my technical team, and we are sorry for the confusion. In this case, the product is 5.6ft, meaning in total, its 5 ft and 7.5 inches or 1.7m tall. If the product was meant to be 5ft 6 inch, we would’ve listed this as 5.5ft.” This is a ridiculous.

Specs

Originally posted at

2019-06-25T20:00:00

Bought this a year ago and its built like a tank. All doors are removable, and the swinging doors are fantastic. The top panel has really nice brush cutouts for running cabling.

Ckupers

Originally posted at

2018-02-14T19:00:00

Over the years I have dealt with many different rack systems, thou not the largest, this by far is the most sturdiest built piece of equipment that I have ever seen. Really the only con that I could find while putting the cabinet together, was the treads of some of the bolt and screw holes were not cleaned properly after painting which makes for difficult screw inserting. This can be fixed easily enough by the end user if they insert the screw before hand, on certain parts like the side posts, to help alleviate the chances of cross threading. If your looking for something small enough to fin inside a small office, to drop a couple servers and more into this in my opinion is the perfect solution.

Rob M.

Originally posted at

2017-08-02T20:00:00

We purchased this rack for a remote office to house a Dell R630 and some other components, they fit just fine with zero fuss. The only complaints I had with this product was it arrived with two dents on the side panels from shipping and also had one screw hole on the top that was not fully drilled through.

Aaron L.

Originally posted at

2017-07-09T20:00:00

Our IT company purchased this unit and I helped install it in our closet. It took us all but 3 hours to shutdown our system, assemble the rack, re-boot the system. Great looking product and very easy to assemble. You do need 2 people though.

MichaelsMays

Originally posted at

2016-12-19T08:34:15

Easy to use and install

ACCOUNTS P.

2016-10-27T20:00:00

YOU CAN FEEL SECURE WITH YOUR ELECTRONICS EQUIPMENT STORED IN THIS CABINET! GREAT TO HAVE ALL ELECTRONICS STORED IN ONE PLACE. CABINET ALSO LOCKS FOR SECURITY. VERY HEAVY BUT EASY TO MOVE ON THE CASTERS PROVIDED THAT ALSO LOCK CABINET IN PLACE. GREAT SUGGESTION FROM MY IT GUY AT LKN COMPUTER PRO IN NC!

TERRI

Originally posted at

2015-06-30T20:00:00

I purchased this rack for some of our standalone sites and it works fantastic. It is just like those you will find from APC and the like and just as good. The whole thing is modular and it even has a cable management component in the rear, did not know it came with that and the APC racks i have ordered in the past does not come with one so its nice bonus. //It does take a little work getting the 'star' screws that hold everything in the rack together to come out as there self tapping. So moving the internal posts is a little time consuming but nothing really bad. // I will warn that you will probably need more rack screws and nuts then what comes with the rack so might want to order them along with it. I could rack about 5 items with two screws/nuts each.

ApollyonAngel

Originally posted at

2015-03-26T20:00:00

This rack is well built, and perfect for our needs. Its just the right size for SMB, keeps our equipment secure, and love the casters on the bottom

btech

Originally posted at