As someone who loves testing subscription boxes and finding the perfect gift for the bearded, flannel-wearing men in my life, I was intrigued when I first heard of Man Crates. Their crates packed with jerky, booze, tools, and other “manly” treats seem like an easy way to score points as a gift giver.
But do these novelties actually deliver on quality and value? Are the recipes and accessories ones dudes will actually use? And is the packaging just cheap cardboard or sturdy enough for storage?
As a seasoned subscriber to various monthly clubs and connoisseur of unique gifts for him, I decided to order a spread of Man Crates boxes and scrutinize every detail to see if they live up to the hype.
Here’s my first-hand experience after testing their crates as well as extensive research on what other reviewers think.
Quick Overview: What is Man Crates?
Founded in 2011 by Jonathan Beekman, Man Crates offers crates and boxes packed with goods suited to the modern gentleman. Their tagline “crates for men” says it all.
Ranging from $60 to well over $200, these specialty packages ship free in the contiguous US and come adorned in masculine branding like worn baseball mitts or rugged pine trees.
Recipients pry open their gifts using a crowbar (included, of course). Inside awaits an assortment of edible treats, barware, gear, weapons, workshop items, and more – all catered around a central theme.
Some of Man Crates most popular ideas include:
- The Whiskey Appreciation Crate – Personalized decanter, rocks glasses, whiskey stones, bitters, snack pairings
- The Carnivore Crate – Gourmet beef jerky, meat sticks, smoked sausage
- The Grill Master Crate – Smoker box, digital thermometer, spices, sauces
- Project Crates – Leatherworking, cocktail mixing, knife making
- Retro Game Crates – Gaming console, multi-game cartridge loaded
In 2022, Man Crates did over $100 million in revenue. And to date they have sold more than 5 million crates.
Next, let’s break down my hands-on experience ordering some of their best-selling boxes.
Critical Review of My Top Man Crates Orders
I ordered five of Man Crates most popular ideas to put their quality, packaging, and value to the test. Here‘s how they stacked up:
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| Crate Ordered | Price | Best Features | What Could Improve |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Whiskey Appreciation Crate | $159.99 | – High quality glasses, stones, decanter | – More info on drink pairings |
| The Carnivore Crate | $79.99 | – Generous jerky portions | – Lacked much variety |
| The Retro Gaming Crate | $99.99 | – Fun surprise console | – Joysticks felt cheap |
| The Wingman Crate | $149.99 | – Clever conversational cards | – Flask didn‘t impress |
| The Fantasy Football Champion | $119.99 | – Great personalized trophy | – Medal ribbon ripped easily |
To elaborate on a few…
The Whiskey Appreciation Crate
This crate focuses on accessories and drink pairings for the home bartender. I appreciated the nice weight and style of the personalized decanter and rocks glasses. The variety of gourmet snack mixes paired especially nicely with bourbon and rye.
My only knock is that the included cocktail booklet felt pretty generic without guidance on specifically pairing with the snack mix flavors. But overall, for $160 you get an awesome starter kit elevating your whiskey sipping.
The Carnivore Crate
Any diehard jerky fan will appreciate this meat-centric crate. Within one large shipping box, multiple bags containing over a pound of gourmet jerky awaited. The Exodus Exodus brand provided a pleasant heat, while Country Archer delivered on teriyaki and black pepper flavors.
At around $80, the cost equaled what you‘d pay for just two bags of specialty jerky in stores. So Considering the total meat payload, it‘s solid value. Just know the focus stays exclusively beef and you‘ll want to supplement with other protein snacks.
Beyond jerky, they could improve by including more meat variety like salami, prosciutto, or smoked sausage. But for pure jerky joy, it hits the hungry man sweet spot thanks to generous portions.
The Retro Gaming Crate
My recipient was over the moon when he saw the Super Nintendo console peeking out as he pried off the crate lid. The crate comes loaded with a real gaming system from past eras like Nintendo, Sega, Playstation. Half the fun is not knowing which one you‘ll receive.
While the pre-loaded multi-game cartridge suffered lags, the surprise factor and chance to relive childhood video games makes this crate magic. For under $100, it outgifts any standard video game bundle.
Just be warned the crate itself lacks the durability for storing the console long term. Plan to transfer your gear to a permanent entertainment cabinet to prevent damage.
How Do Man Crates Compare to Competition?
Two brands that rival Man Crates in curating monthly subscriptions and gifts for men worth noting:
Bespoke Post
Also launching in 2011, Bespoke Post offers themed boxes for men focused on hunting, barware, cooking, and outdoor adventures. Boxes start at $45 for quarterly deliveries.
Compared to Man Crates, Bespoke Post offers lower prices and monthly box options better for subscriptions. But their gear and drink boxes lack the same clever presentation and rugged vibe. For gifting dude gear, I believe Man Crates customization and branding excels.
Carnivore Club
Catering to meat obsessed diners, Carnivore Club delivers monthly boxes stacked with quality jerky, sausages, and cured meats often from small batch producers. Boxes start at $39.
For the ultimate meat tooth, Carnivore Club satisfies with more diversity of proteins. But for gifting, their boxes look pretty basic. Man Crates specialty flavors and focus beyond just meat makes their jerky and food themed crates more enticing gifts.
Nitty Gritty Details: How Man Crates Perform
Beyond the crates and their contents, how does Man Crates perform when it comes to shopping experience, pricing, and customer service?
Quality Packaging
I love the reclaimed wooden crates adorned with masculine graphics Man Crates arrives in. The distressing and natural wood grain provide a nice rustic texture suits a beard oil kind of dude.
All crates in my orders arrived fully intact with products carefully protected. However, once opened, the crates themselves often show splits in the wood limiting storage use unless you heavily reinforce the fasteners.
Website Shopping Experience
Finding manly surprises guys will actually appreciate proves no easy task. So I appreciate Man Crates making the process of sorting gifts within their niche so intuitive.
Their website conveniently lets you shop by price point or interest like foodie, fashion, or tech. Useful descriptions and photos provide transparency into each crate so I felt confident choosing options suited to personalities.
During checkout, delivery date scheduling prevents any timing surprises. And if crates feature customization, prompts clearly walk you through special details like engraving.
Could the website expand on comparing subscription vs one-time orders? Yes. But overall, smooth user experience.
Fair, Justified Pricing
Sticker shock hit at first. But when I factored in all items included, Man Crates typically charges reasonably if not a deal for specialty goods.
The Exotic Meats Crate cramming in high quality jerky ran me $100. Buying this amount of gourmet jerky separately? Easily $150+ from a retailer like Manely Goods.
And while the concealed gaming console seems like a splurge at $100, that equals the regular price of just a basic Nintendo Switch. So big value considering the crate itself and entertainment factor.
Perhaps less all-in-one value comes from accessory focused crates like cocktail shakers or beard care. But the convenience of curation into themes still charms.
Responsive Customer Service
Out of five crates ordered, an item arrived damaged in one. I submitted a simple customer service form on their website explaining the defect. Within 24 hours a representative emailed me to apologize and confirm they shipped a replacement item free of charge.
Seeing how other reviewers also praise Man Crates solving issues quickly, they win my trust for solid service recovery.
Idea for Enhancing Man Crates
After extensive first-hand testing and research, I believe Man Crates generally overdelivers. But a couple opportunities exist to improve:
More Customization
While you can add a personalized engraving or special gift message to most crates, some consumers wished for more flexibility to fine tune crate contents.
Allowing folks to swap out just 1-2 items per pre-made crate or adjust product quantities caters better to personal tastes. Man Crates could charge small customization fees while still keeping curation convenient.
Subscription Offerings
Currently Man Crates focuses on one-off gift purchases more than subscriptions. Given many food and drink crates naturally lend themselves to monthly deliveries, consider offering more auto-renewing options.
For example, a monthly Salami of the Month or Quarterly Hot Sauce Club. This provides recurring revenue and makes it easier for folks like me gift subscriptions versus multiple one-off orders.
The Verdict: Are Man Crates Boxes Worth Buying?
After intense evaluation across five different Man Crates packages, I confidently deem their crates worthy for dude gifting.
Sure $60, $100 or $200 feels steep when shopping for just one person. But in reality, you often spend this on a nicer dinner out or concert tickets ultimately offering less unique life experiences.
And DIY-ing crafty gifts never compares to the child-like glee of prying open a wooden chest packed with rare jerky or concealed gaming console.
ForRecipients will savor every manly morsel and accessory while recalling your thoughtfulness for years.
So if looking to gift someone swelling with testosterone, I fully endorse indulging in Man Crates tailor-made box of goodies. Just be sure to order well in advance of delivery goal date.
Questions on selecting the perfect crate? Reach out anytime friend! Here to help match box themes to personalities for gifting success.
