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New Hobby Box Subscription Box Review + Coupon – June 2016

Anna Rodriguez
ByAnna RodriguezJul 3, 2016 | 5 comments

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New Hobby Box
4.4 overall rating
13 Ratings | 8 Reviews

New Hobby Box is a subscription that sends you everything you need to take up a new hobby every month! I love learning how to do new things, so I was really excited to try this!

My Subscription Addiction paid for this box. (Check out our review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)

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The Subscription Box: New Hobby Box

The Cost: $30 + $7.26 shipping = $37.26 per month with discounts for longer commitments

COUPON: Save 10% off your first box with ADDICTION (6-month subscriptions only).

The Products: Everything you need to try out a new hobby every month

Ships to: US

Good to Know: You can skip any month you're not interested in!

Check out all our New Hobby Box reviews and the Lifestyle Subscription Box Directory!

Keep Track of Your Subscriptions: Add this box to your subscription list or wishlist!

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These are the supplies I was sent this month. My new hobby for June was organic soap making! How fun!

New Hobby Box does not send printed instructions, so the tutorials are all online. You can print them out, but so far I have found the videos they post even more helpful.

My work on my new hobby this month was abruptly halted when I got to the online tutorial. New Hobby Box usually sends all the supplies required to take up a new hobby, but this month they were unable to send one item due to shipping restrictions: lye. So the instructions basically include the step of going out and buying some lye. Lye is a pretty hazardous substance that can cause burns and even explosions if mishandled. I was uncomfortable bringing it into my house with two little kids, three insane pets, and a general round-the-clock atmosphere of chaos, so I couldn't complete the project this month.

Verdict: I am a big fan of New Hobby Box, but this month was a really bad call, in my opinion. It wasn't a really amazing hobby selection to begin with (again, my opinion), but even if they had chosen soap making as the hobby, there are many ways to do it without requiring subscribers to purchase lye. I have made about a million different kinds of soap in the past using various pre-made soap bases, and it can be really fun and interesting. I also expect to receive all the supplies for each month's hobbies, as promised. If I have to go out and buy something, it heavily detracts from the value for me. I have had such a great experience with New Hobby Box so far that I don't want to cancel, so we will just have to wait and see how next month's hobby plays out.

Spoiler Alert: July's hobby is how to pick locks! It sounds kind of salacious, but it will probably be one of those skills I'm glad I have!

What do you think of New Hobby Box? Were you bothered by the lye also?

Starting at $29.99
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New hobby Box is a subscription box for men and women, 18 years and older, that sends you a new hobby every month. The hobbies are meant to expose you to new things and teach you lesser known skills.
Anna Rodriguez
Anna Rodriguez
Anna has been a fan of subscription boxes since joining Birchbox in 2013, but didn't become a true addict until discovering subscriptions she could share with her children. Her favorites include Kiwi Crate and Fab Kids.

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5 comments

Dynal

I kind of understand where they are going with this. The point is to do something that you have never done before. When ever someone makes soap the usually do the melt and pour method. They wanted you to experience the hobby of soap making from the start and real soap making evolves lye. It would have been nice if they could have included the lye but you can just go down to your local hardware store and buy some Rooto and be ready to go. There are a lot of hobbies that are dangerous but they are still worth trying out. I do agree that requiring subscribers to go out and purchase something else was a total fail. Maybe a coupon to pick it up for free would have been appropriate.

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Amber P

I think this is one of the worst (if not THE worst) subs that MSA is actively reviewing right now. I know it’s about curation and blah, blah, blah, but value wise it’s horrible and now they’re not even including everything you need FOR the hobby, because it’s so dangerous!!! There are so many other ways to make soap, why wouldn’t they have gone a different route? It also annoys me that they never provide BASIC written instructions for the hobbies. I know they provide videos, and I do think that’s awesome, but some people would like something written also (and not everyone has a printer).

Now, with all that said, I am curious about the lockpicking box, haha

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Jann

I have made soap using lye for over a decade. It requires a lot of protection – goggles, ventilation, breathing mask and chemical proof gloves for mixing. During the soap making process you need to wear the goggles, gloves and a long sleeved shirt in case of splashes. It is beyond asinine to send a kit like this out to someone as a random hobby box!!!

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EC

I agree, the choice to use/make lye based soap is an epic fail. And to select a project that requires subscribers to spend more time and money sourcing supplies is pretty absurd. With the next theme being lock picking can DIY dynamite be far behind? ?

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Steffy

LoL @ dynamite! Agree also on that choice….They could have easily gone with a simple glycerin melt&pour soap that requires no lye and fewer safety precautions. I prefer the Handmade Beauty Box for this reason, from Brambleberry; all-inclusive DIY boxes that have everything you need each month, and you can skip months.

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