AS a lover of all types of gadgets, I couldn’t think of anything more exciting to write than a Gadget Discovery Club review, and get a quarterly subscription box containing must-have tech straight to my door.
Once upon a time, you’d likely only order a subscription box of meals and recipe cards, but this has now changed. The boom in subscription services means you can get almost anything delivered to your house every month, including the latest tech gadgets.
When buying an expensive piece of tech, it must do everything I want it to. I often won’t purchase something unless I’ve spent hours trawling through reviews and information to ensure it’s perfect. But what if you knew nothing about the next gadget you were about to pay for?
While this might sound strange, the element of surprise and anticipation of what you might receive in the post are driving demand for Gadget Discovery Club.
Having only tried out food and beauty subscriptions in the past, I wasn’t sure what this tech delivery box had in store. Would it be full of gimmicky items that I wasn’t ever going to use, or could this be the future, helping me discover new and innovative products?
Overall rating: 4/5
Gadget Discovery Club is a quarterly subscription box that promises to deliver up to four innovative tech products that total over £100 retail value.
The gadgets you receive are a complete surprise but usually fall into one of three categories: home, health and entertainment. This means you could receive anything from a fitness tracker to a mini speaker to a smart lock.
The signup process for the box is simple and all you have to do is select whether the product is a gift or for you and your location (the subscription is available in the UK, USA and Canada). There’s also a question on how you would describe yourself, and you can pick from “I’m not that tech savvy”, “I’m a frequent gadget user”, and “I’m a gadget geek”. The response to this question doesn’t affect the type of items you receive.
The next step is to sit tight and wait with anticipation for this mystery box of state-of-the-art gadgets to arrive on your doorstep. My first box arrived just a few days after the order, so luckily there’s not long to wait.
The gadgets arrived in a cardboard shoe-sized black box, and in my parcel, I received two items: a smoovii personal blender and a nativeHQ 500ml portable humidifier. The blender retails at £54.99, and the humidifier costs £49.99, making my box worth £104.98.
I used the blender that morning to make a smoothie, and I was impressed with how powerful such a small gadget was – it crushed ice and frozen fruit with no problem. The glass jar does make it a bit heavier than plastic blenders, but it’s still easily portable, and you can get 20 uses out of one full charge.
The best part about this nifty gadget is how easily it washes: with the self-cleaning function, add washing up liquid and water before switching it on for 20 seconds.
I was intrigued to try the portable humidifier as it wasn’t a gadget I had used much in the past and wasn’t sure I needed one. I liked the aesthetic cream exterior and placed it on my desk.
The tank was easy to fill, and there’s the option of a continuous or sporadic spray mode. The gadget worked well and would be great for people who want a humidifier. However, as I didn’t need one, I sort of wish I had received a different gadget.
Gadget Discovery Club costs £79 quarterly, meaning you’ll receive four boxes equally spaced out across the year. Each box has a guaranteed value of over £100.
There’s also the option to pay an annual fee of £285, equivalent to £71.50 per box. If you choose to pay annually, Gadget Discovery Club guarantees that one of the boxes will have up to four gadgets with a value of over £200. You’ll also receive other exclusive perks such as money-off vouchers throughout the year.
For both options, post and packaging are included in the price, and you will receive information in advance on the due dates of the boxes. If you choose not to receive a box one quarter, you can easily cancel, skip or pause online.
There is something both mad and exciting in paying for a box full of gadgets you have no say over. Whilst it is good value for money, the subscription best suits people wanting to try out the latest gadgets but don’t care too much about what they get. If you’re looking for something specific, you may be disappointed if you receive something else or get a product you won’t use.
Across the subscription, you’ll receive a range of gadgets that fall under all three categories. It would be a good idea for the website to have more questions to allow users to specify their interests.
Overall, the Gadget Discovery Club is worth it and makes a great gift for tech lovers or those who enjoy the anticipation and surprise of unboxing something new every three months.
