February 2016: Nerd Block VS. Loot Crate
What is this, a present on my doorstep every month? Wait a minute, TWO presents every month? In this new monthly column I, Cherry, will compare the classic Nerd Block and the classic Loot Crate.
I have been receiving Loot Crate for about a year and a half and Nerd Block for about 6 months. Just before my year of Loot Crate came to an end for 2015, I thought I would switch over to Nerd Block and see which company I liked better. I didn’t realize that Loot Crate was a renewing subscription and now I am receiving both, so I figure why not compare the two?!
Each month Loot Crate has a specific theme it sticks to and puts in items based on this theme. Nerd Block seems to just throw in whatever is relevant or what they have on hand at the time. Nerd Block has always included a t-shirt based on the size you select when you sign up. Loot Crate has recently promised to include a t-shirt every month for 2016.
This month’s Loot Crate theme is ‘Dead’. We can assume this will include Dead Pool items and possibly AMC’s The Walking Dead items. Loot Crate’s box always turns in to something relevant to the theme, Nerd Block’s box is just a box with their logo; nothing special about it. So without further ado, let’s open up these bad boys and check out what is inside!
First I will open the Nerd Block, only because this month it arrived first. 
As you can see there are a lot of random things in here. No theme what-so-ever, but this isn’t always a bad thing. I have found that with Loot Crate’s monthly theme a couple of times I have found almost nothing that I enjoy. The miscellaneous feel of Nerd Block sometimes works out in their favor.
The first think that catches my eye in this box is the Dead Pool ‘stuffie’. He is cute but not the best quality. Here is a closer look without the packaging:
The second thing that jumps out at me is the Super Mario mushroom. At first I didn’t know what it was… So I read the packaging, haha. It is actually a wine stopper! Very cool, I will definitely use this.
The batman symbol really jumps out at you, it’s a glow-in-the-dark coffee mug. It’s a really nice mug. Is it safe to put glow-in-the-dark things in the dishwasher? According to the label it is not. I’m too lazy to wash dishes. What is this amateur hour? It’s 2016, everything should be able to go in the dishwasher! Still, it’s a nice mug. Maybe I could keep some pencils in it or something.
Okay on to the things that are not so easily seen when first opening the box. First up we have… an oven mitt? No seriously, an oven mitt. Just one though. You have to pick which hand you care about more when removing your tasty vittles from the oven and horribly burn and disfigure the other hand… or I suppose you could use another mitt that doesn’t match. Where’s the danger in that though?
Last but not least, we have the Dead Pool t-shirt. It’s a pretty nice t-shirt. The sizing is right, which is a plus. I have received a few t-shirts from Nerd Block in the past that have been weird sizes – usually too small. I suppose it depends on the manufacturer, luckily this one fits!
February’s Nerd Block was okay, not the greatest. All in all I would rate it a 6/10. Now, on to the Loot Crate! As you can see their box is pretty neat. The artwork is always based on the theme of the month.
Okay, since I took this photo at a different angle it is a little hard to see what is in the crate. I wanted to showcase the box a bit better in this picture. I should mention that each Loot Crate also comes with a little booklet. The booklet usually has a little game or quiz based upon the theme of the box and also a description of each thing in the box.
In the picture above you can see the Dead Pool figure’s box. I opened up the packaging for a better look (see below). The figure is really neat if you are a Dead Pool fan. I myself have not had a chance to check out the movie yet, but I hope to soon. It seems most of my friends have already gone to see it and I am left struggling to find a partner in crime. 
Each month the Loot Crate comes with a pin showcasing the theme of the month. Last year these pins were just plain old round buttons with a little design, the month, and the theme written on them. This year they have upgraded the pins and now you can even unlock interactive content with them. To do this you go to the Loot Crate website and enter your pins code to get some bonus loot. I haven’t had a chance to do this for this pin yet, but here is what the pin looks like:
Next in the box we have a tiny Daryl figure from AMC’s The Walking Dead. You can get one of three different figures – Daryl, Rick or a walker. You have to put it together yourself, but it is pretty straightforward. I couldn’t seem to get him to hold the cross-bow very well. Every time it would line up with his hands his arm would pop off! As you can see it is extremely detailed right down to the pockets on his pants and the stubble on his face.
Okay this next Loot Crate exclusive item is a little surprising. I wasn’t expecting to see this inside of my Loot Crate. It’s soap on a rope! This isn’t your standard soap on a rope though, it’s The Walking Dead themed. In the fifth episode of season 2 Daryl makes a necklace out of ears he has taken from walkers. Now you can have your very own necklace of ears to rub on your body and get you clean! This necklace is a little morbid, but it is also pretty cool due to the detail of the ears. However, I don’t think I will be using this soap any time soon.
The last item in the crate is a t-shirt. The Loot Crate t-shirt is also a Dead Pool one! I have to admit I do like this t-shirt better than the Nerd Block t-shirt. It is a different type of fabric, is softer, and it fits great! I noticed that this t-shirt also references tacos on it. I was curious what the deal is with Dead Pool and tacos so I asked a friend of mine if it was referenced a lot in the movie. Apparently Chimichangas is referenced a lot in the movie, but not tacos specifically. Upon further investigation it seems that tacos and other Mexican food is referenced a lot in the Dead Pool comics!
I really liked the majority of the things in the Loot Crate and I give it a 8/10 for sticking to the theme and quality of products.
This month’s winner of Nerd Block VS. Loot Crate is…
LOOT CRATE! Watch for my column next month where we will open and compare March’s crates!
Cherry has been a member of AYBOnline for nearly 8 years as the head of administration. This is her first article. Her opinions are her own and do not reflect upon AYBOnline as a whole.
