As your resident smoking gear expert with over a decade reviewing glassware, I finally caved to the Daily High Club hype and tested their subscription service first-hand. Are they revolutionizing online headshops or just Instagram hype? Let‘s unpack what this rising startup offers across 3000+ words of unfiltered analysis.
About Daily High Club and My Review Approach
Founded just two years ago in 2021, California-based Daily High Club offers monthly subscription boxes of smoking accessories, delivering a surprise package of counterculture gear to member‘s doors. Think Birchbox or Stitchfix, but for stoners.
With nearly a million Instagram followers and features in Forbes and High Times, Daily High Club (DHC) seemingly popped up overnight. As your trusted smoking accessory adviser, friends kept asking if their boxes lived up to the hype. I decided to investigate for us all…
My goal: Provide an unbiased, comprehensive review of Daily High Club subscriptions and merchandise based on detailed testing and evaluation over three months.
I‘ll assess overall value, quality, and customer service according to my 10+ years of expertise testing pipes, bongs, and vapes across 3,500+ devices. Think less hypebeast influencer and more Consumer Reports but for weed gear. 😎
Grab your preferred strain…this will be a long yet enlightening ride.
Unboxing the Daily High Club Experience
Let‘s start by eying that central DHC offering – monthly subscription boxes. Unlike quickly hocked Instagram ads, I put their subscriptions and best-selling products to the test across months of use.
Evaluating the Core Daily High Club Subscription
Daily High Club‘s most popular box, the El Primo, promises $100+ value of counterculture supplies monthly. I tried the pre-paid six month subscription at $27 per shipment. What arrived?
[Insert pic of El Primo box contents]My first El Primo box wasn’t quite the 100-hit of hype I envisioned. While the glass pipe and rolling papers worked fine, questionable battery life and repeat vape carts underwhelmed. Box #2 brought better variety with a bong and herb grinder but the cheap acrylic build left me returning to my trusted glass.
Sure DHC offers surprising variety but value and quality get sacrificed. Once the initial novelty of unboxing mystery stash supplies faded by Box #3, I really started scrutinizing what my $27 monthly got…
[Insert pic of Box #2 and #3 lower-quality items]Beyond reusing vape cart flavors, accessories like silicon containers and hemp wicks offer such disposably functionality compared to my meticulously curated kit. And don’t get me started on this #stonercrinkle faux dyed glass nonsense…
Now facing three hoards of impulse accessory purchases, my underlying suspicion around Daily High Club was confirmed:
This membership best serves bud-curious newcomers on a budget, not seasoned glass snobs or medical patients.
Alternative Subscription Options
Beyond the flagship "El Primo" container of randomness, Daily High Club offers niche subscription alternatives:
Heady Eddie – $30/month box catering to scientific glass; arrived broken 😑
Papers Please – $1/month for basic rolling supplies = no brainer
VIBES – $25 self-care pairing for lady stoners but demonstration vibes [Pic] proved pretty weak.
These genre-specific boxes fill particular consumer needs on paper (no pun intended). But value and quality consistency challenges seen in the core box remained, especially for niche cases like dab rigs requiring special handling.
I still believe sub-branding shows smart business thinking. But DHC must convince core fans of flagship integrity first before dabbling in offshoots.
Assessing Merchandise & Accessories Quality
Beyond subscriptions, Daily High Club also stocks its own merchandise available individually. I copped several hot sellers to test quality across price tiers:
Eric Khan Rose Beaker Bong – $50
[Pic holding pretty bong]With Instagram hype driving trends over function lately, this glass collaboration with tattoo artist Eric Khan clearly targets aesthetic stans. And with only 300 released, the #FOMO appeal indeed works…I coughed up $50 fast! 💸
But after the first hit, the thin glyph circumference and diminutive glass thickness became concerning. I tip this thing over reaching for a lighter. And the shape makes cleaning a CHORE.
So yes, the vibrant red and purple ombre glass dazzles guests initially. But for daily drivers, this bong rates a hard pass.
Verdict? All show, no go. Seek better quality glass for anything beyond occasional use.
The Classic Dab Rig Kit – $100
[Pic of full dab rig set]As Daily High Club‘s premium kit, this bundled ensemble touts all the essentials new concentrate fiends need. And I‘ll admit – the matching citrus color accents emit chill SoCal vibes perfect for ceasing a long day.
Yet upon closer inspection, quality limitations arose: sure the glass proves thick, but they cut corners with cheap metal tools over medical-grade titanium. And why replace a glass nail with porous quartz?
For a mid-market $100 retail cost, The Classic Kit leaves much to be desired. Yet entry-level concentrate nibblers under price constraints would fare fine starting here before upgrading individual tools.
Verdict? Satisfactory starter kit for rookies; advanced dabbers should pass.
Mushroom Pipe – $15
When evaluating affordable, portable pipes, overall functionality and discreet storage trump intricate craftsmanship. And for just $15, this tiny fungi one-hitter succeeds on both fronts.
The discrete size fits perfectly for hiking or concerts in need of quick medication. Glass thickness feels durable enough for tossing in bags and rubbing against keys accidentally.
Do I wish the carved ridges were smoothed for easier cleaning? Sure. Would an included rubber stopper or case elevate protection? Absolutely. But for using the go, this today pipe gets the job done.
Verdict? Recommended portable beater pipe – get a few!
Beyond sheer product selection, cannabis startups must nail exceptional service catering to this distinct customer segment. So how does Daily High Club address stoner practicalities across policies, support, and ethics?
Reviewing Customer Service & Response
With dealers historically serving customer needs for education and community connections alongside supply access, early D2C cannabis startups must fill expectations on education and advice.
And that relationship building remains critical for subscription models keeping users actively engaged month to month.
To assess service levels, I posed various product questions across email, social media messages, and contact forms to judge response rates and quality.
In general, Daily High Club‘s customer service response proved…average.
Email response time: 48 business hours
Tone: Courteous but canned pre-written language
Issue resolution: Varied based on agent. Clear process for subscription pauses but hoops for specialty item returns.
Competitors like PuffCo and Higher Standards noticeably invest more into service education catered specifically to weed gear. And with DHC pushing cheap glass and novelty toys onto new users, guidance should take higher priority to prevent issues stemming from misuse.
Company Policy & Credibility Overview
Selling cannabinoid products online introduces distinct challenges around age verification, medical claims, and shipping complexities that smoke shops with storefronts avoid. So I scrutinized several backend policies:
| Policy | DHC Approach | Industry Comparison |
|---|---|---|
| Legal standing | Founded 2021 in CA, unclear other jurisdiction registration | Leading brands showcase licenses & compliance across state lines |
| Age verification | Checkbox only on signup, standard for smoke shops | Advanced retailers mandate upload ID during purchases |
| Medical marketing | Avoid blatant medical claims but lifestyle language toes the line for FDA | Established brands align language to consumer product standards |
| Shipping/returns | Discreet boxes secure; swap items, refund excluded sale items | Return acceptance across catalog signals growing company |
| Privacy+Security | Basic 256-bit SSL checkout encryption | Multi-signature employee access and regular auditing builds additional trust with users |
While Daily High Club checks the basic legal boxes to operate, their lax medical marketing and limited security protocols undermine credibility to compete with top retailers long term.
Determining the Daily High Club Target Demo
So after substantial testing and analysis, what core consumer aligns best to Daily High Club‘s offerings? From both product limitations and strategic gaps around service and operations, ideal users boil down to:
Newbies – Budget focused first time buyers who value variety and discovery
Recreational Users – Lifestyle sessions with friends, not daily medical use
Aesthetes – Prioritize flashy looks buying into hype pieces
More experienced glass collectors needing nuanced functionality miss the mark. Without higher quality rigs or smokeware catering to heavy usage, the novelty soon fades. And with lacking subject matter expertise compared to SmokeCartel guides and Puffco‘s device wikis, medical patients deserve caution as safer options exist.
If outgrowing chilling on beanies talking big game, Daily High Club won‘t mature with you. Great to dip your toe in stoner culture but don‘t dive in head first trusting their Gear as lifelong companions.
If cost and approachable variety take priority, Daily High Club offers new cannabis users solid value – I give them 3.7 stars out of 5.
But for discerning enthusiasts or medical patients, significant gaps around product quality, customer service, and company credibility damage trust in the brand‘s staying power.
Personally, I prefer gravitating towards staple companies like Marley Natural built to last decades in cannabis culture – not chasing trends hopping onto the next hype subscription "revolutionizing stoner living" according to VICE. I mean, c‘mon. 🙄
So there you have it! My comprehensive hands-on assessment of upstart Daily High Club across their entire product range. Hope this intel helps you make the most informed choice for your needs. Stay lifted out there! 💨
Cheers,
Natasha
Cannabis Gear Connoisseur
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