[quote name='EBS_freak' post='555959' date='Jul 30 2009, 10:45 AM']Different experiences I guess.
My Gator case was rubbish... and incidently warped in the middle. I guess it depends how much you use it, what is transported in it and how... and in what heat.
This is my experience... that's not to say it matches other people's experience.
As my rule, racks are best if they are light (unless you have a roadcrew), take a strong ABS over a flightcase unless you really, really need the strength of a flightcase... (and then only the shockmount cases gain any real advantage over an ABS case). Keep as little as possible in them. Don't fit them with drawers and stuff for carrying stuff - the weight of the steel drawer takes it toll at the end of the night when lifting it...
Avoid putting in things just to fill gaps. Yeah, power distribution units look cool and have nice lights... but if it's only powering an amp (and maybe a tuner) - it's a bit pointless... and again, heavy.
I use SKB because, as other people have stated, they are sturdy, the handles are up to the job (unlike other cases - what are those stupid rubber handles about on some of the competition?) and feel robust enough to do the job - some cases look like they would crack and fall apart at the first opportunity.
As for the cooling issue, it depends upon the gear you have in there. For example, my EBS head takes in air from the front and ejects it from the back fans. The last thing I want to do is have an unecessary gap above it - the hot air rising from the rear, when meeting the cold air space above the amp can be drawn through that gap and back into the amp. The result? An increasing cycle of warmer air getting pumped in through the front of the amp.
I don't know why Rich seemed to jump on a poster back there - he was just talking from experience like I am. Like I said, what works for one may not work for another for various reasons - but its good to see other people's experiences so you can make an [i]informed[/i] decision on future purchases.
Would I buy a Gator rack? No.[/quote]Thanks, that was really imformative...