Drone subscription boxes

Written by Matt Ruddick The Deal with Drone Column As seen in the August 2018 issue of Model Aviation.

Specifications

Kwad Box

• Special-edition T-shirt • Three sets of 5-inch propellers • Tool • Wild card item • Stickers • Coupon • Boost item • Price: $50

Drone Drop

• Staple supplies (propellers, battery straps, stickers, etc.) • Multiple accessories (tools, etc.) • Wild card (flight controller, ESC, frames, etc.) • Price: $49.99 At some point during the past few years, you’ve likely stumbled upon a service that will send you a box of random things in the mail once every month. There’s usually a theme or a subject that the items follow, and the goal is to get more value in product than what you pay in dollars. With enough searching, you’ll find that many hobbies and interests are represented by these subscription boxes—everything from pop culture and comic books to dog toys and treats.

Each month’s Kwad Box offers three sets of propellers from various manufacturers.

Drone pilots aren’t left out of this market. For more than a year, there have been a few services that cater to FPV pilots. Services such as Drone Drop and Kwad Box have become increasingly popular as news of what their subscribers are receiving makes the rounds through the community. In fact, last year when I was made aware of the deal in the first month’s Kwad Box, I instantly signed up.

Kwad Box Boost items have included flight controllers, cameras, and video transmitters.

Although each service typically has its own breakdown of things you can expect in each box, the companies always try to change some things up to make sure you have a good variety from box to box. Kwad Box and Drone Drop, for example, guarantee three sets of propellers in each box, but each month includes a different style of propeller than the previous month. What makes this valuable to me is that it affords me the opportunity to try out parts that I might not otherwise have paid money to try. Other items that can be found in the Kwad Box include tools, stickers, coupons, and special-edition custom T-shirts. The shirts have become undeniably popular in the multirotor community and can be seen at races and on YouTube vlogs.

Custom-designed shirts are a popular staple among Kwad Box customers.

For double the subscription price, you can get what is called a “Boost Item,” which is always valued at more than the premium price you paid for it. Past boost items have included popular flight controllers, whole sets of ESCs, full carbon-fiber frames, and more. In many cases, not only does the boost item clear the cost of the boost premium price, it will often be valued higher than the cost of the entire box, so it’s quite the deal. During the past year, subscribers have even been able to build a full working quadcopter using only items received in the Kwad Box.

Each Kwad Box contains a tool that every drone pilot can use, such as a hex driver, nut driver, or needle-nose pliers.

Drone Drop works in much the same way, although it does not offer a boost-style premium option. Instead, each box includes a premium item with its standard fare at the same cost of the Kwad Box boost subscription. Things such as FPV cameras, sets of ESCs, and video transmitters have been included in the past, so there’s often a lot to look forward to. Each month, the box also arrives with an assortment of propellers, tools, stickers, and other useful bits for the average pilot. The main thing that Drone Drop lacks, of which you will find in Kwad Box, is a custom-designed T-shirt. If that isn’t something you’re terribly interested in, it could make the buying decision a little easier.

Throughout the course of the first year, users have been able to build an entire quadcopter with parts received in the Kwad Box.

Of course, it’s cheaper and easier to just spend your money on the exact items you need for your aircraft. I have had boxes shipped to me with items that I’ve never used and had no desire to try. With that being stated, I’ve also had the opposite be true, and that’s the fun of it! Each month is a surprise. That’s what I enjoy the most about these subscription services. You can check out Kwad Box and Drone Drop at the websites listed in “Sources.” -Matt Ruddick [email protected]

Sources:

Kwad Box www.kwadbox.com Drone Drop [email protected] www.droneboxdrop.com