BattlBox Subscription Box Review + Coupon – August 2017

BattlBox is a subscription service delivering survival and tactical gear every month. Each month has a theme based on a different experience with a focus on preparedness and survival.

This box was sent to us at no cost for review. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.) 

This review is for the Pro Plus box ($149.99 a month). 

The Subscription Box: BattlBox

The Cost: $24.99 plus shipping for Basic, $49.99 plus shipping for Advanced, $99.99 plus shipping for Pro, and $149.99 plus shipping for Pro Plus. 

The Products: A variety of tactical, survival and EDC gear

Ships to: U.S.

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Each month’s box is themed as a Mission and includes a detailed list of products and their values in all the different level options. This month’s theme is N.B.C. or Nuclear Biological Chemical and features products that are curated to give you a bit more preparedness in the event of a nuclear, biological, or chemical attack.

I’m going to start this review by saying I never thought I’d need anything in this box after opening it and reading the info card. As I’ve been checking out the items and preparing my review, there has been an increased talk of nuclear events on the worldwide stage. Personally, I hope I never need to use anything in this box, but I am glad to have it around should something terrible happen.

This month I also got a logo sticker from Black Rifle Coffee Co, which was featured in last month’s Battlbox.

Here are the items included in the Basic level ($24.99 cost / $44.55 value):

ioSAT Potassium Iodide Tablets - Value $8.09 (Listed value $7)

The first item in this month’s box is this strip of Potassium Iodide tablets. I had no idea what these were until I read the attached literature. Apparently, during a radioactive emergency such as a nuclear attack or meltdown event, radioactive iodine can be released into the air, breathed in, and will attack the thyroid. If you take these tabs during the emergency, the iodide from the tablets will fill up your thyroid, blocking the radioactive iodine from entering and causing damage. There are enough tablets here for one person to take for 14 days. The recommended dosage is once every 24 hours, and ioSAT says most of the danger from radioactive iodine should not last more than 10 days. The pack I received is good through 2025, and hopefully, I’ll never need them.

RadiacWash Towelettes (3) - Value $2.85

Next up this month is a few towelettes moistened with RadiacWash. RadiacWash bonds with certain metal isotopes in addition to being a standard cleanser, and can be used to clean nearly any material of radioactive contaminants. They recommend rinsing with soap and water after using these towelettes. There are only 3 included in the box, so you may have to resupply if you plan on using these for much more than cleaning your hands. Hopefully, I’ll never need them.

Nuclear War Survival Skills by Cresson H. Kearny - Value $14.22 on Amazon (Listed value $14.25. Retail price $16.99)

This book is a very dense but very thorough guide to surviving a major nuclear war. Originally published in 1979 and updated in 1987 and again in 2001, this book is definitely from another era. There is a lot of information here, from what to do immediately following an attack to how to survive in the wild after an attack. There are specs for shelters and packing guides. Some of the info feels a bit dated, but a lot of it is useful even today. A great deal of the book could also prepare one for any general emergency - it doesn’t feel limited to just a nuclear attack. I definitely learned a few things just from perusing this book. Hopefully, I’ll never need to read up on them again.

RADTriage Fit Card - Value $18.49 (Listed value $19.99)

Next in this month’s box is this handy dosimeter card that you can tuck away in your wallet with ease. The card will change color based on the amount of radiation it detects. If you’re in an area that has been affected, the card will tell you how many RADs you are likely to have been exposed to. While you can’t reset it, it will darken if you happen to wander into heavier dose areas. It’s good for up to two years, and hopefully, I’ll never have to look at it again.

Radioactive Waste Bags (2) - Value $0.90 (Listed value FREE)

BattlBox threw in a couple of Radioactive Waste Bags. My guess is that these are for visually sorting radioactive waste vs. non-radioactive when sending waste to a landfill or other storage area. Hopefully, I’ll never need to use them.

In addition to the items included in the Basic box, here are the items included at the Advanced level: ($49.99 cost / $101.46 value)

Polish MC-1 Gas Mask Kit - Value $24.95 (Listed value $14.95)

Alright, now, this is an interesting move by BattlBox. This gas mask is pretty crazy. But, it’s Polish army surplus, and I’m guessing it’s dated to roughly the late 60s or 70s. I’m not positive about the filters, but they also seem pretty old. It comes in a nice pouch/bag that can be shoulder slung or worn around the waist, and included at the bottom of the pouch is a small wipe to prevent fogging. It smelled pretty awful when I opened it up. When I wore the mask, it wasn’t particularly comfortable but I mean.. It’s probably more comfortable than dying from inhaling radioactive material. BattlBox makes zero claims that it’s an effective piece and even said that they can’t verify it’s authenticity or date of manufacture. They even go so far as to say you should do your own research and get your own up-to-date mask and filters. So in my mind, this is a fun item to be used in a very limited capacity and never when there might actually be a need to use it. Hopefully, I’ll never need to.

Seychelle Radiological Water Filter Straw - Value $31.96 (Listed value $34.95)

Next up at the Advanced level is this radiological water filter straw from Seychelle. It will remove 99.99% of contaminants from drinking water, including up to 99.99% of all nuclear contaminants including Radium 226, Uranium, Cesium 137, Strontium, Plutonium, Radioactive Iodine B1 and Radon 222. I don’t know what any of those are, but I am pretty sure I don’t want to drink any of them. It also removes up to 90% of fluoride. All that said, according to the info card it is not intended to be used in standing water, lakes, rivers or streams like other survival straws. I couldn’t find info about that elsewhere though. I like that it comes with a little pouch and the instructions were easy to follow. Seychelle also includes a discount card for their wide array of filtration products. Hopefully, I’ll never need to use this straw.

In addition to the items included in the Basic and Advanced boxes, here are the items included at the Pro level: ($99.99 cost / $158.40 value)

FT Labs Smart Geiger Radiation Detector with Keychain - Value $32.10 without keyring (Listed value $34.95)

At the pro level this month, we start out with this handy radiation detector device that sounds like it could be pretty cool. This seemed like a very useful item that you could carry at all times easily, and whip out at a moment’s notice to test radiation. There is an app and the reader plugs into your phone to send data to the app. Unfortunately, based on other reviews around the web, it appears to be a very slow reader due to its size, and when you do get a reading it is not very accurate. I can’t say I tested this because I don’t have any known radioactive materials to test it on, but professionals in the field claim that it doesn’t accurately detect anything. It’s a shame because this really does seem like a unique item. Maybe in the future FT Labs can develop a faster, more accurate item. Hopefully, in more ways than one, I’ll never need to use it.

Nanohacks Colloidal Silver 12 Oz. Bottle - Value $21.99 (Listed value $25.00)

Ok, this is a truly bizarre inclusion this month. Colloidal silver has long been marketed as some sort of miracle water that will help a myraid of ailments, from food poisoning to HIV/AIDS. None of these claims have ever been verified by any scientific body. Topical silver application has been proven to help burns and other skin ailments, but ingesting silver has not proven to help anything, and has some serious side effects. Ingesting too much can turn your skin blue/gray - permanently. It’s called Argyria. The provided literature is written by someone calling themselves Dr. Silence DoGood - one of Benjamin Franklin’s pen names. All that said - I’m not testing this one out. I hope I’m wrong and that this is a miracle cure that is truly helping people out. I encourage other subscribers to read up on the subject and make an informed decision before trying it out yourself!

In addition to the items included in the Basic, Advanced and Pro boxes, here are the items included at the ProPlus level: ($149.99 cost / $308.39 value)

NŪK Knife by Liong Mah - Value $149.99 (Listed value $150.00)

Finally this month, we have this beautiful nuclear-themed folder, the NŪK, designed by Liong Mah. The NŪK comes with a small led light that allows you to charge the glow in the dark accents inside and outside the body of the knife. The pivot is designed to look like the radioactive hazard symbol, which is a nice touch. The blade feels heavy but not too heavy in my hand - it could make for a great EDC knife.  The belt clip is very sturdy. The blade measures about 3.75” and the handle 4.75”, so it fits in my hand really well. This is yet another beautiful knife of the month from Battlbox!

Verdict: This month’s BattlBox was really interesting, but if you couldn’t tell, I’m really hoping to never have to use most of it! I think this is a pretty well-curated box for the theme and gives subscribers a lot to think about as far as what they might need or want to start building towards their own NBC bag. The NBC box tops out at $308.39 (listed as $303.94) in value - over double the asking price! I know I won’t be using nearly any of this box unless something awful happens, but I’m pretty happy with the NŪK alone so the rest is just icing on the cake.

What do you think about this month’s BattlBox?