BREO BOX is a men's and women's lifestyle subscription box that costs $159 per quarter and has a focus on the latest tech, home goods, and health & fitness items. This box was voted by our readers as one of the best women's subscription boxes of 2021.
ACTIVE DEAL: Save $15 off your first box!
CODE: MSA
Ships to: The continental U.S. for free ($30 to HI, AK, and U.S. territories), Canada for $35 ($90 for remote territories), and worldwide at varying rates.
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.)
Opening The Box
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BREO BOX items are all packed neatly in a big box made of matte cardboard, and protected by a drawstring duster bag. The boxes are high-quality, with a magnetic closure and a ribbon pull-tab, and are awesome for storage.
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BREO also always includes a detailed information booklet that lists each item in the box, points out some key features, and even gives instructions for how to use it. Sometimes the gadgets in this box are a little confounding at first, so the care they take to make sure you know how to use what you're sent goes a long way.
Here's What's Inside
Upright Go 2 Posture Trainer — Retail Value $79.95 (currently on sale for $59.95)
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I have been completely won over by this little gadget. It's a small device that you stick to your upper back (or you can get a special necklace for it) and it helps train you to maintain an upright posture using vibration. First of all, the unboxing experience of this device is Apple-level sleek. But more importantly, the product itself is really nice and works well.
Here it is stuck between my shoulder blades. Since I stuck it on my own back, it isn't as picturesquely centered as the model on the box shows. They provide alcohol swabs to swipe over your skin before sticking it on, but I skipped that step. They also include extra stickies for when each loses its stick. It's a gentle stick, not like a band-aid, it both stays on well and comes off easily. I found that I could feel it on my back well enough to serve as a reminder to sit upright even without the vibration but the device itself is light so it's not uncomfortable to wear.
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In order to get it up and running, you have to download an app to pair it with. I initially groaned at having to download another app and go through the sign-up process, but it was pretty quick. I scanned the QR code in the instructions and was on my way quickly. It first asks for some basic demographic info, gives you a couple of slides of rundown, and then gets you started. Each time you pair your device to the app it has you set your upright posture (which takes all of 10 seconds) so it's calibrated for your session ahead. I haven't worn it for more than a few consecutive days at a time, and each time for maybe 30-40 minutes total before taking it off. I think I would use it more often if I worked at a full-time desk job where I could store the Upright Go and grab it every time I sat down. But even with a more fragmented schedule, I can see myself using it in stints long-term!
Swanwick Anti-Blue LED Night Light — Retail Value $24.95
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Being a parent of young things means being awake at any given hour of the night, so I've become a real night light person. We have them all throughout the upstairs of our house. I was happy to add another! This one comes from Swanwick, the same company that makes the blue light glasses from last quarter. (Sadly, my husband's enthusiasm over them faded and now I couldn't even tell you where they are.) It's an anti-blue night light meant to create a glow that won't disrupt your body's circadian rhythm.
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Admittedly it's a bit ugly. On one hand that doesn't really matter since during the day night lights aren't something that you really notice; on the other, it would've been so easy to make it nice-looking. There is no on/off switch, it simply has a sensor so it powers on when the room is darkened. The switch you see is to adjust the brightness. The first photo above shows how it looks during the day, and the second shows it at its brightest at night (plugged into a different outlet because the baby kept grabbing at it where it originally was).
In the case of this night light, I liked receiving something that will be useful for me, but that I don't have to remember to use. I plugged it in and now it's in and I can benefit without having to do anything. Yay!
Option 1: Sohp Touchless Soap Dispenser — Retail Value $49
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Subscribers will receive either this soap dispenser or the handheld steamer shown next. A touchless soap dispenser feels good and right for this era. It's rechargeable by USB and is said to be able to be used up to 10,000 before having to be recharged. That's cool! But I really don't need one in my house. My family shares spoons, straws, naps together...you get the idea. We're cool to all touch the same soap dispenser. Perhaps if I had a lot of visitors or a guest bathroom this would feel more fitting? Then again, I would wipe it down after each guess either way, and it's just a little—what's the word?—corporate-looking, maybe? The bottom part that screws off to hold soap is just regular old plastic, like ketchup bottle plastic, which seems kind of odd for a $50 soap dispenser.
One last thing working against it: when I pulled it out of its box I found that it had arrived splattered with mud. Well, alrighty then. I just wasn't even interested in giving it a try after this journey. Is there anyone out there who loves this product and is pumped about it? Change my mind!
Bonus: Trip Wipes Wash Your Hands Soap Refill
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Initially, I felt that including this big soap refill bottle was a redeeming move by BREO BOX. Really a positive experience to not have to go hunting for a compatible soap to use with this dispenser. But then, when I went hunting for a link to this soap, I found that the Trip Wipes website sells the soap and dispenser together as a set for $10 less than the one in BREO's shop. What! That said, it isn't listed as its own item in the info booklet, so perhaps the idea here is that they were sent together.
Option 2: Smartek Portable Steamer — Retail Value $22.95
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Subscribers will receive either this handheld steamer or the Sohp dispenser shown above. It's pretty straightforward and works how it should. It's reasonably light. I like that it has a clip-on brush to use for removing lint. I think it'll be awesome for traveling, especially to weddings!
TwelveSouth Airfly Duo Bluetooth Headphone Splitter — Retail Value $49.99 (found on Amazon for $40.49)
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How fun! Ye olde days of headphone splitters are such fond ones for me, and in the early days of dating my husband, we had such magical times sharing music that way. Now that we're living in a mostly Bluetooth world we haven't been able to do that, but this receiver is the Bluetooth equivalent. The battery life is said to last 20+ hours and a 10m/33ft reach. Even outside the nostalgia of it, this is awesome and useful. Lately, our three-year-old daughter has really enjoyed putting headphones on and listening to music around the house, and it's nice to listen in sometimes. Or have a silent disco of sorts!
Okay, but after all this praise, my harsh reality is that the iPhone 12 doesn't have a headphone jack, so we can't use this with my phone. Of course, there are other devices it would work with, but not the main one. Which is no fault of the Airfly Duo, just a bummer.
THAT! Inventions Duo Pot — Retail Value $49.95
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This coffee pot was initially meant to be included in the Fall 2021 box, but the manufacturer had shipping issues, so here it is now. It's beautiful. It feels very "slow living," something you might keep on your counter and incorporate into a morning ritual. It's heavy and the matte finish is attractive, and the device is simple but clever. It feels worth the wait.
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Here you can see it set up for pour-over coffee-making in the first image, then for tea steeping in the second. I haven't given it a try yet because I rarely have a moment of my day that doesn't involve small, grabby hands nearby, but apparently, you don't even need to add a coffee filter for the pour-over experience. I imagine you'd want to make sure you have the right grind for that to be a success. It says it has a 2.5-cup capacity, which seems like a nice amount either for one person or two, depending on your habits. In its tea setting, it's very roomy and compatible with either loose-leaf or bags. The lid serves as a coaster for the metal filter when not in use. The whole thing is really well designed!
Value – Was This Box Worth It?
The Cost: $159 per quarter + free shipping to the contiguous US.
ACTIVE DEAL: Save $15 off your first box!
CODE: MSA
Value Breakdown: There were 5 items listed in the Winter 2021 information booklet, but it's actually 6 if you consider the soap refill its own item. At $159 for this quarterly box, you're paying about $26.50 per item for 6 items. If your box looks like mine (with the Sohp dispenser instead of the handheld steamer), the contents add up to $253.84 total, or $224.34 when using sale or Amazon prices when available. For me, while I may not be willing to pay $26 for some of the individual items in this box, the overall value of items inside this and every BREO BOX is absolutely there.
Key Takeaways
I had some wins from this quarter's BREO BOX! My top pick was the posture trainer—gotta love something you didn't know existed, but now use and enjoy! The nightlight is a useful addition to my house. And the coffee/teapot is really beautiful and something I'll look forward to using when I can steal quiet morning moments to myself. As of right now the Bluetooth headphone splitter was something I was excited to find but haven't yet found super useful (especially since I'm not doing any flying these days), and the soap dispenser was a flop for me.
Keep track of your subscriptions by adding this box to your subscription list or wishlist!
Other Things You Should Know
When is this box available? This box is seasonal, shipping out four times a year.
Can I still get this box if I sign up today? Yes, the Winter 2021 box is still available as of publication.
What do you think of the Winter BREO BOX? Which item are you most excited to receive?
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