Anyone have any good subscription boxes?

[BPRoberts]

Several of my friends belong to one or more subscription boxes and seem to have a good time with them. I was thinking of signing up for one, but there's a lot out there, so I thought I'd ask around. Obviously multitool/edc/outdoor stuff is fine, but books and other "nerdy" things work too. Or snacks. Who doesn't love snacks?

Anybody have any they recommend?

[Old Boy]

Haven’t pulled the trigger but have been eyeing Butcher Box. They have promos like 1 year of free chicken, sausages, etc.

I hesitate because it’s a lot of meat for my family. Even if I gave it away I would still need a larger freezer.

[BPRoberts]

Yeah, that's the issue with a lot of them. My wife and I did a veggie one (Misfit Market, "ugly" produce for cheap) for a while, and we inevitably threw out as much as we ate.

[nate j]

In some ways, I like the concept in theory, but haven’t actually signed up for any for a couple of reasons.

When it comes to things like knives, MTs, cigars, etc., I’ve developed some pretty strong tastes and opinions over the years, so I’m not sure I want anyone else choosing them for me.

Second, it seems like many of these subscription services are not great value for the money, i.e. the same or comparable goods are less expensive elsewhere.

For my birthday the other year, one of my brothers got me a like a six-month subscription to a liquor-of the-month club.  It was fun, but I only occasionally drink hard liquor, and I wasn’t consuming it at the rate they were sending it to me.  This didn’t pose a problem, since it was a short-term subscription for something that has a long shelf life, but could have created either storage or alcohol consumption issues longer term…

[pfrsantos]

In some ways, I like the concept in theory, but haven’t actually signed up for any for a couple of reasons.

When it comes to things like knives, MTs, cigars, etc., I’ve developed some pretty strong tastes and opinions over the years, so I’m not sure I want anyone else choosing them for me.

Second, it seems like many of these subscription services are not great value for the money, i.e. the same or comparable goods are less expensive elsewhere.

For my birthday the other year, one of my brothers got me a like a six-month subscription to a liquor-of the-month club.  It was fun, but I only occasionally drink hard liquor, and I wasn’t consuming it at the rate they were sending it to me.  This didn’t pose a problem, since it was a short-term subscription for something that has a long shelf life, but could have created either storage or alcohol consumption issues longer term…

I bet your brother didn't mind solving the storage/consumption problem for you...

 

 

[Etherealicer]

EDC Subscription Boxes:
I have never had an EDC subscription box, but I had several EDC-related advent calendars.
Initially there is a lot of joy in opening the package. But at least for me, I usually ended up getting frustrated as there was nothing in it that I really liked (I might be a bit picky ).

Personally, I think they are only suitable for YouTubers

Food Subscription Boxes:
Honestly, they claim that it saves time. But I ended up spending more times organizing the boxes (skipping some, replacing others etc...) than I would have if I simply  went to the store once in a while).
And you either end up with too much food (especially, if you spontaneously decide to go out or on a trip). Or not enough and you still have to go to the store. This might be less of an issue if you have a more regular schedule.
In the end I found it way too much of a hassle.

[nate j]

I bet your brother didn't mind solving the storage/consumption problem for you...

 

 

I’m sure he would have, but unfortunately he lives too far away for that that to be a viable option.

[Grant Lamontagne]

I've been looking at these, and for the most part, the shipping to Canada kind of kills them for me.  I did try one from Explore Magazine, a Canadian outdoor adventure publication:

https://forum.multitool.org/index.php/topic,90803.0.html

I've been looking at the gear boxes from them for a while but they are kind of pricey and the things you get are nowhere near the value they claim- or at least they are claiming the equivalent of similar items at full Canadian Retail, while the items could be sourced at a fraction of the price online.

So, basically you get them slightly cheaper than if you get majorly cheated on it.

Still, I like supporting Canadian enterprises, so I got it anyway.  It wasn't as bad as I was expecting, but it wasn't really anything worth writing home about.

Def

[Farmer X]

I checked out the only such box I was familiar with: BattlBox. Sure, some of the gear seems okay, but there are pitfalls. The included food items could be no-hopers if one has special dietary needs or is (like me) a picky eater. They say the "Pro Plus Box" is "for the enthusiast and big spender," but the knives in the six most recent such boxes strike me as being primarily overpriced tat. The more basic boxes might be fun for a while, but the "Pro Plus Box" would be an easy pass.

EDC Subscription Boxes:

Personally, I think they are only suitable for YouTubers

I would love to hear what Les Stroud would have to say about the BattlBox.

[stuntzombie]

The only one I've tried was Bespoke Post. Most of the boxes offered seemed to be a good value, and if they contained something you need, even better. I like that they typically only included a few items, so you weren't going to get overwhelmed by the miscellaneous crap some of the other boxes include.

[Old Boy]

I always thought that if you have a buddy who wants to go splitsies it makes it worth it. Though I imagine that would create some issues with some subscriptions like the Countycomm and others. End up debating who wants what.

[Etherealicer]

I would love to hear what Les Stroud would have to say about the BattlBox.

I would love to hear what he has to say about his own multi tool

[nate j]

I would love to hear what he has to say about his own multi tool

I would imagine he cries all the way to the bank.