September 2012 Loot Crate Review!

Hey everyone (geeks and geekettes)!

So this is my very first review that I’m posting to my new blog, yayyy! I have written reviews for various products before and posted on other websites such as Amazon, Sephora, Drugstore.com, etc. But I wanted my first official blog review to be on something really special. So you better feel special, Loot Crate!

No, but seriously, I am so happy that I decided at the very last minute (3 hours before they were cutting off September crate orders) to purchase a 3 month box subscription for my boyfriend. Ok, let’s be honest, for me too.

What is a “Loot Crate”? Loot Crate is a subscription box service especially for “geeks” or “gamers”. A subscription box is something that you receive once a month, for however many months you subscribed for. It usually contains samples, trial sized items, or even full sized items, depending on the particular service. A popular example is the Birchbox, which is a beauty box for females where they get 4-5 deluxe samples of makeup or skincare products for $10 a month. Loot Crate claims that they will send you 6-8 NEW items a month for $13.37 plus $6 shipping cost. What a weird number, $13.37. Why don’t they just say $20 with shipping? Aha. It’s because 1337 actually stands for “leet” which is “an alternative alphabet for the English language that is primarily used on the internet.” (Thanks Wikipedia!) Touché, Loot Crate staff, touché. So in terms of subscription boxes, it’s not the cheapest one out there, BUT it is the only one out there that is geared just for their particular type of audience (geeks, essentially). Loot Crate actually JUST started about a couple months ago. In fact, the September box is only the second one they’ve sent out so far.

Omg already, get to the good stuff… what was in it?! Yeah, let’s get to the fun part, shall we? 

So when you open it, the first thing you see is a card explaining what the “theme” of the box for the month. This month, it was “8-Bit” emphasizing that this was the era when video games all started. They also point out that everything in this month’s box that is edible can be doubled as a collectible that can be displayed in your “gaming shrine” or desk.

Of course, Henry totally skips the card and heads straight for the goods.

Here’s what was in it and an estimated price that I found online for each item (without shipping):

-          An “8-bit” inspired pair of sunglasses - $0.99

-          Mario Power Up - $2.65

-          Zelda Shield Mints w/ Collectible Case (Nintendo & Boston America) - $3.99

-          Mario Bendable Mustache (Archie Mcphee) - $2.95

-          Nuclear Energy Powder in Radium – Raspberry Lemonade (Harcos Labs) - $0.99

-          Green mushroom button from Mario Bros – $0.65

-          Exclusive Mr. T Art-Piece - ???

-          One 20-sided die - $0.50

-          Loot Crate sticker - ???

I got a good 30 second long laugh when the boyfriend tried on the moo-stash, added an additional 10 seconds when he then put on the sunglasses, and broke out in hilarious laughter when he held up the Zelda mints to pose for a picture.

He wasn’t over the top amazed about the box like I wanted him to be, but he did appreciate the surprise. I think if he had gotten last month’s box (Assemble), he would have been a lot happier with it. It was a very cute box and loved the idea behind the 8-bit theme, but the items were a little disappointing. I thought the August box I had read about had a lot more value to it. The total of this box came to roughly $12.72, so a dollar less than what I actually paid for it (not including shipping). Overall, after asking Henry if he liked it, he said “It was interesting.” He said the only practical thing he could really use were the sunglasses, but I would take his words with a grain of salt. He only likes buying things he can really use --> mechanical engineer, go figure. He did say that the box was worth it (I didn’t tell him how much it actually came out to, but told him how much I paid for it), so that’s a good sign. And when I told him that I could actually use the mints and asked him if I could have them, he replied “No. *Eyebrow lift*”

So maybe he enjoyed it much more than he’s letting on.

Even though I was a little disappointed with the items this month (or more that I felt like it should have been a $10 box including shipping), I am still looking forward to seeing what they will be rolling out for October. I’m sure it will have to have something zombie-related in it, seeing as it’s Halloween soon! I'm secretly praying it contains a zombie survival kit or mild pepper spray for those touchy feely characters at the local haunted house. 

If you’re a gamer geek, and would enjoy getting presents with random things every month, I would still recommend Loot Crate! It was a fun first subscription box experience, and I’m hoping for more to come. I should be getting My Glam Bag (now Ipsy) and BarkBox for October also, so keep a lookout for those reviews!

If you liked my review, and are seriously thinking about purchasing a subscription to Loot Crate…

Please use my link! ;) http://mbsy.co/lootcrate/34778

It would be a tremendous compliment if you did! I don’t get paid to do ANY reviews by ANYONE, nor do I receive any free products to do them. I do this strictly because I get so much out of reading reviews by others, and I wanted to play a bigger role in the reviewing community. And I definitely believe in keeping it honest.

Thank you so much for reading!

TheRxNina