Reddit mentions of SAA Standard Deluxe Palette Box

Not the person you're replying too, but about 3 months ago I moved over to a bought wet palette from DIY ones so got some insight on that.

I started with wet palettes on ones chucked together with some sponge and a bit of parchment paper in one of those generic tuppers you tend to get take aways from. That worked okay but the seal wasn't perfect so it wouldn't stay that wet overnight (worked fine for during the painting session, but keeping mixes for the next day wasn't really an option) and the taller sides were really annoying to have to reach down into the box to get the paint.

The next step up for me was the round tub some Tangfastics came in. It had lower sides and a bigger area, but the shape was annoying and it suffered from the same imperfect seal as the tupper. It's just something that comes with those plastic tubs that aren't meant to be perfectly water tight.

The next move up was the plastic box that GW tufts come in. That worked really well, for a box that's not advertised as being water tight it really is. Worked amazingly, but suffered from a tiny surface area to work on so needed near constant changing of the paper. Fine if you're working on a lot of models at once in an assembly line style so just need the one colour to stay wet for ages whilst you apply it to all the models then you can move on to the next colour or if you're working with a limited colour palette, but any big projects were difficult to work with. That being said, the small size is great for using as a travel palette and if I'm travelling but want to paint or going down for a painting session at the local hobby store I'll bring one of those.

I eventually caved in and bought a palette, this one here Frisk Standard Deluxe Palette Box, Nylon/A, One Size for about £15, and that's what I'm currently using. The massive size (bigger than any DIY one I've used or seen anyone using) is great for working either with lots of colours at once or just having the paper last a few days over a project or two. It also seals perfectly airtight, with a rubber ring type thing around the lip of the lid to get a perfect seal, so the paint is always just right the next day, possibly even a few days if I leave it and don't paint for a couple of days. The walls are also fairly low, not as low as the Citadel tuft box but that thing is tiny, which makes it comfortable to work with. The lid doesn't fit underneath it quite properly so you can't rest it on the lid whilst working, but I just pop the lid down the side of my desk whilst I work. The lid is also a really smooth plastic with no logos or ridges in it so when I'm working with metallics or inks I'll pop the lid on the palette and use that as my dry palette, which is more convenient than having to keep a dimple palette nearby because it's got a big graphic on the lid like the Masterson's one does. I'll probably never move back to a DIY wet palette besides for the Citadel tuft box when I travel (honestly those things are so small it's so convenient for travel). It doesn't come with any sponge or paper mind, the only downside to it I guess but given you're likely to chuck out the paper and eventually have to ditch the sponge anyway due to it getting nasty that's no bother, I just use some folded over paper towel and some parchment paper, replacing the paper towel probably every other day (another thing I particularly like about this wet palette is the width is almost exactly the same as a sheet of paper towel and pretty much the same length as one and a half sheets so three sheets folded over fits perfectly in it so no need to cut any paper towels down to size) .

Realistically the function is the same between DIY and bought, during your painting session the paint will stay wet for longer and give you more working time. The difference comes in how well it seals, size/working area, ergonomics, and the convenience and I con 100% say that a bought one is way more convenient, a lot more comfortable to work with, has way more working area, and seals much much better. I'd say if you have a tighter budget or don't paint loads then there are more priority things to spend on to improve your painting experience, like paints or good brushes, but if you're happy to drop £15 on a palette, paint a lot (so ergonomics in important), or paint slow/like to take your time/like to take breaks (so a good seal is important) then it's well worth upgrading to a bought one.