Product Review - USA Love List: Stuff We Love, Made in the USA

USA Love List loves shopping with?UnCommon Goods.?Although they are not specifically a Made in USA catalog, they do feature hundreds of American-made items, both handmade and domestically manufactured, and every item is clearly labeled by country of origin. For this reason, we are glad to participate in a partnership between USA Love List and Uncommon Goods to share and review some of their unique and lovely?gifts made in the USA.?

My kids are really enjoying getting in on the Made in USA action, especially when they get to help review products. ?When this black, oddly shaped container arrived and I told my eight year old it was his new lunch box, he looked at me quizzically but immediately perked up when he saw the two sheets of stickers. He grabbed the lid and set about giving his Goodbyn a personality while I pondered packing it.

Having lived in Japan for a while, we were all familiar with bento boxes, the intricately packed lunchboxes assembled by loving mothers or sold in train stations, but this box was quite a bit larger. ?Immediately I liked that it contained a drink container. ?I have long used a thermos with my kids because I don't like the expense and the waste of juice boxes plus my kids generally prefer milk or water. The other segments seemed big to me though and I wondered if the food would get tossed around inside. ?It wasn't long, however, that I realized I could drop in a whole clementine or the yogurt cups the kids love. Sandwiches, veggies, and pretzels fill the gaps. ?The Goodbyn's size means it doesn't need to be packed and planned as carefully as a bento box. ?At the same time, the variety of small compartments challenges me and reminds me to find a little something to fill each one resulting in a colorful, and balanced meal. I also appreciate that it eliminates the need for using a bunch of plastic baggies. There is one in the picture, but it is holding a slice of homemade banana bread that had been individually packaged and stored in the freezer well before the Goodbyn's arrival. ?Goodbyn has recently started making a smaller Bynto box, though I'm glad we have the larger one. I also wish it was insulated, but it is spacious enough to hold a soft ice pack. Goodbyns are made in the midwest of FDA-approved, dishwasher-safe plastic that is BPA and phthalate-free.

The real reviewer, my son, is still using the Goodbyn and is a very satisfied customer. The LL Bean soft lunchbag that matches his backpack sits unused and his quirky sticker-personalized Goodbyn slides into his bag each day. "I like it because it is unique," he says. "Kids are always coming up to me in the lunchroom and saying, 'hey, cool lunchbox'. I really like all the stickers. Some of them are really weird and we talk about them a lot during lunch. The only thing I don't like is that it is a little hard to close. Once, it came open and everything fell out, but now I am careful to close it all the way... Can I get more of them in more colors?"

Disclosure: USA Love List received this product unconditionally for review purposes. Our opinions are always our own, and we aim to write fair and balanced reviews to promote only the very best of American-made products. If you purchase something using the link above, it won't cost you more, but we'll receive a small commission. That income helps us keep USA Love List going. Thanks for your support.

Source: http://www.usalovelist.com/2012/02/product-review-goodbyn-lunchbox-from.html

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