Review of Sioux City Wood & Leather Watch

           
Product Name: Sioux City Wood & Leather Watches
Company Name: Sioux City Watch
Company URL: http://siouxcitywatch.myshopify.com/
Kickstarter Campaign URL: http://www.kickstarter.com/watches-made-from-all-natural-bamboo-and-oil-stain
Kicktraq Profile: http://www.kicktraq.com/projects/1647389569/watches-made-from-all-natural-bamboo-and-oil-stain/

KICKSTARTER RESULT:
After a 39-day Kickstarter Campaign that ended on July 9th, Sioux City Wood & Leather Watches was successfully funded after receiving $30,760 from 325 backers, $18,760 more than their original goal.

REVIEW:
Score: 9 out of 10. I love, love, love this watch. I have owned wood watches and I have owned leather watches, but this is the first time I have owned a wood AND leather watch. The concept is beautiful and the design flawless. I wear my 52 mm Bull Sioux City Watch a few times a week and receive compliments on the watch often. Every once and a while a person is amazed by the wood and leather concept, which is exactly how I felt when I first stumbled across the Sioux City Watch Kickstarter page.

I have now had this watch in my possession for a little over two months month and there is very little wear and tear, mainly on the leather which is totally fine because I think leather products look better with some aging. You can tell by the feel of the leather band and bamboo wood body along with the design on the watch face that they took their time in designing the watch. The clock mechanisms are accurate and I only had to change the time once but that was due to the time-change.

Overall, I am very happy with this watch. I am a big proponent of guy's wearing watches and I am very happy I added this watch to my collection. I have backed other watch products on Kickstarter and have been very disappointed with the product I received in the mail, such as the Big Face Woody by NFNT, but the Sioux City Watch did not disappoint one bit.

I actually met some of the Sioux City Watch team at the 2013 Surf Expo in Orlando, FL. Everybody at their booth was extremely friendly and you could easily sense their passion behind their product. Even though it was a bit of a surprise to see Sioux City watches at Surf Expo, I was not the least bit surprised to see they have been successful so far because they offer a very high-quality watch that is unlike anything else out there on the market right now.

Crabby Wallet Review

Product Name: Crabby Wallet
                 
Product Value Proposition: A minimalist wallet that holds everything you need and nothing more.
Company Name: Crabby Gear
Company URL: http://www.crabbygear.com/
Kickstarter Campaign URL: http://www.kickstarter.com/the-crabby-wallet
Kicktraq Profile: http://www.kicktraq.com/projects/1369622196/the-crabby-wallet-a-wallet-that-is-not-for-everyon/

KICKSTARTER RESULT:
The Crabby Wallet funded successfully with a final amount that was $298,000 more than their original goal of $10,000. Yes, you read that right, Crabby's team received over $308,000 from 15,129 backers over a 36-day Kickstarter campaign.

PROS:
- the design features a minimalist's wallet in every sense of the definition
- the strap keeps the cards and cash in place while also being able to hold an iPhone. this was a big selling point for me
- loop on the side of the wallet allows for a keyring to be attached
- cool crab logo stitched into the wallet


CONS:
- basically everything
- not built to last
- falls apart quickly
- not sure what cards they were using in photos but it does not hold up to 10 cards
- the price. this wallet is not worth $16.95. hell, I wouldn't even pay $5 for it



FINAL RATING:
- UPDATED - 2 out of 10. I originally gave the Crabby Wallet a 9 out of 10 but I was greatly mistaken. I posted the original review the day I received the wallet in the mail and that was a huge mistake on my part. The only thing that brought down the rating originally was the extreme delay in receiving the product but now looking back the delayed delivery is the least of my concerns. The Crabby Wallet is simply not built to last. The Kickstarter Campaign showed images of the Crabby Wallet holding up to 10-cards but my wallet lasted less than 4 weeks after only carrying 2-3 cards, some cash, and occasionally my iPhone in the strap.

The presentation on Kickstarter was awesome and the video was spectacular but the wallet I received in the mail was much different than the wallet I thought I would receive when backing the project on Kickstarter. I actually pledged for two Crabby Wallets, one was supposed to be for me and one for a friends. But my first wallet deteriorated so quickly that I refuse to give the second wallet to a friends knowing that it will simply fall apart in a matter of weeks. It appears that the Crabby Wallet team was not ready for the immense support they received on Kickstarter and produced a subpar product. I understand that the delivery of the wallets was delayed due to this immense support but to make the backers wait a couple months longer than expected and then send them a subpar product is inexcusable.

The only reason I gave the Crabby Wallet a 2 out of 10 instead of a 1 is because of the concept. The idea is excellent but the execution is far from satisfactory. Despite the poor rating, I do believe it is fair to call the Crabby Wallet a "minimalist" wallet because you will in fact use it for a minimal amount of time. If you are looking for a high quality wallet, look elsewhere.

NFNT Big Face Woody Watch Review

       

Product Name: Big Face Woody Watch
Company Name: NFNT
Company URL: http://www.nfnt.co/
Kickstarter Campaign Link: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/nfnt/the-big-face-woody
Cost: I backed NFNT for $90 and received their 52-millimeter Big Face Woody Watch made from real bamboo that has a projected retail price of $150.

KICKSTARTER CAMPAIGN RESULT:
NFNT set out an initial fundraising goal of $11,000 but received $90,000 over that mark for a total of $101,607 from 1,185 Kickstarter backers over their 30-day campaign.

PROS:
- looks awesome
- light, very light: the watch weighs a mere 50 grams
- made of bamboo: an earth-friendly, renewable resource
- large watch face makes it easy to read: I went with the larger watch size featuring a 52-millimeter watch face. As a male, I love these larger watches as it makes it easier to read the time/date (yes, I know I sound old)


CONS:
- light, too light: the watch feels very cheap
- the watch broke on me, twice: the original watch I received had a loose time-setting knob, when I would retract the knob out to set the time/date the entire rod would pull out. I contacted NFNT regarding the issue and they sent me a replacement watch, two weeks later. This second watch worked great but the wood behind the face of the watch holding the band to the watch body broke on me when I was getting up from my towel at the beach.
- overpriced: if NFNT is trying to offer watches with similar price points to Nixon or Freestyle, they definitely need to step their quality up. Having a high price point gives customers the impression they are purchasing a high quality item, thats a common marketing technique. NFNT offers high price point watches but lacks the high quality items that are needed to justify the prices they are charing.
- not water-proof or water-resistant by any means. water got inside my watch body when i simply washed my hands. there are lots of photos around the web showing The Big Face Woody being worn by surfers or being elegantly pictured in the sand; I say this is false advertising because NFNT's watches should not be worn anywhere near water, especially the world's biggest body of water.


Final Rating: 3 out of 10 - The watch looks great but is of poor quality. I receive lots of compliments on the look of the watch but as soon as those people feel the watch itself they almost always mention how light and weak the watch feels. If the watch had a cheaper retail value, I would give it a higher rating but there's no way I would spend more than $50 on this watch again in the future. Great concept, poor execution. If you're looking for a badass wood watch that features both a sleek style and sturdy design, look elsewhere.