Shadow Frame vs. Deep Shadow Frame vs. Alder Box: Which Insect Display Should You Choose?
For most collectors, a Deep Shadow Frame is the best starting point - it's the only option here that lets you choose between pinning a specimen into foam or gluing it onto paper backing. If you want the best long-term protection for a valuable specimen, the Premium Alder Box is the only genuinely airtight option and worth the extra cost. If you just want something small and cheap to get a specimen on a wall or shelf, the Shadow Frame or Transparent Frame covers that at a fraction of the price.
Quick answer: which one do I need?
Want airtight, pest-proof protection for a specimen you care about long-term? Get the Premium Alder Box. Want to choose between pinning or gluing, in a deeper frame that suits larger specimens? Get the Deep Shadow Frame. Want a simple, affordable wall or shelf frame and don't need airtight sealing? Get the Shadow Frame. Want the cheapest possible small display, or several small specimens shown separately? Get the Transparent Frame. Want something decorative rather than archival, more like a curiosity-cabinet piece? Get the Glass Display Dome.
Shadow Frame
The Shadow Frame is a composite wood frame with a plexiglass front and a paper passe-partout, sold empty (no insect included) so you mount your own specimen. It comes in Small (9.5 x 14.5cm), Medium (12.5 x 17.5cm), and Large (20 x 30cm), each with a shallow 12mm depth, in black, white, light wood, or dark wood finishes. It can be leaned on a shelf or hung on a wall. This is the budget, general-purpose option - it's not described as airtight, so it suits decorative display more than long-term archival storage of a specimen you're worried about pests reaching.
Deep Shadow Frame
The Deep Shadow Frame is a single, larger size - 25 x 25cm with a 4.5cm depth, noticeably deeper than the Shadow Frame - made of composite wood with a clear plexiglass lid, in black or white. What sets it apart is the interior choice: plastazote foam if you want to pin a specimen (removable, reversible), or hard paper backing if you'd rather glue it down permanently. Also sold empty, ready for your own specimen.
Premium Alder Box
The Premium Alder Box is the option built for long-term protection, not just display. It's handmade from alder wood with a glass lid (not plexiglass), a plastazote foam interior, and - unlike the Shadow Frame or Deep Shadow Frame - it's built airtight, which is what actually keeps pests like museum beetles out over years of display, not just months. It comes in five sizes from 15x20cm up to 40x50cm, all 6cm deep. It costs more than the other frames here, and that's the trade-off: real long-term protection for a specimen you don't want to lose, versus a simpler display frame for one you're less precious about.
Transparent Frame
The Transparent Frame is a lightweight plastic frame with a PE film foil front, sold with its own stand, in five sizes from a small 5.5 x 5.5cm up to 16 x 16cm. It's the cheapest option by a clear margin and the best fit for small specimens or displaying several at once side by side - it's not built for long-term archival protection the way the Alder Box is, but for a small decorative piece or a first display, it does the job well.
Glass Display Dome
The Glass Display Dome isn't a frame at all - it's a glass jar with a cork lid and base, sold in three heights (10cm, 12cm, or 18cm, all 8cm in diameter). It suits a different aesthetic than the frames above: a curiosity-cabinet, apothecary-jar look rather than a traditional wall-hung display, and works well for a single specimen or a small dried plant as a standalone decor piece.
FAQ
Is a Riker mount the same as a shadow box?
They're closely related. A "Riker mount" traditionally refers to a specific style of shallow display case - a thin, telescoping cardboard box with a glued-in acrylic top and a foam-board bottom for pinning. In practice, collectors often use "Riker mount" and "shadow box" interchangeably for any glass or acrylic-fronted insect display case. EntomoBoxes doesn't sell a case in that classic cardboard-telescoping construction specifically, but the Shadow Frame and Deep Shadow Frame serve the same purpose with sturdier wood-and-plexiglass construction.
Which of these is actually airtight?
Only the Premium Alder Box is described as airtight. The Shadow Frame, Deep Shadow Frame, and Transparent Frame are display cases, not sealed enclosures - fine for decorative display, but they won't protect a specimen from pests the way a sealed case will over years.
Can I pin a specimen into all of these, or do some need gluing?
The Deep Shadow Frame is the only one sold with a choice: plastazote foam for pinning, or hard paper backing for gluing. The Premium Alder Box comes with plastazote foam, so it's pin-ready. The Shadow Frame and Transparent Frame are simpler frames without that foam/paper choice specified - check the specific listing before assuming either method works.
What's the difference between the Shadow Frame and the Deep Shadow Frame?
Mainly depth and size. The Shadow Frame is shallower (12mm) and comes in three smaller sizes; the Deep Shadow Frame is a single larger size (25 x 25cm) at more than three times the depth (4.5cm), which matters for thicker specimens like large beetles or bulky moths that a shallow frame can't close over properly.
Do any of these come with an insect already inside?
No - the Shadow Frame, Deep Shadow Frame, and Transparent Frame are all sold empty, ready for you to mount your own specimen. If you'd rather buy a piece that's already finished, EntomoBoxes also sells specimens pre-framed and ready to hang.