All of us want a little more bang for our buck. So, like many other energy drink aficionados out there, this brought me straight to Google to find the best energy drink offer I could.
I have to admit, I’ve always wanted to try GFuel. So, naturally, along with searching for some information about GFuel Australia such as what GFuel ingredients comprise, I was also on the lookout for a few GFuel discount codes.
Let’s face it – energy drinks don’t exactly come cheap these days and a G Fuel coupon certainly wouldn’t go astray.
However, it wasn’t long before I discovered that even with GFuel discount codes or a G Fuel coupon, REIZE (from Australia) is still much cheaper.
Getting Down to Business: Purchasing GFuel with GFuel Discount Codes
Buying a three-pack of GFuel sachets online costs $5.99 USD.
Luckily for me, with the G Fuel coupon “eXcellence” that I found online, this knocked ten per cent off the price. This favourably brought my order total down to $5.40 USD.
An educated guess indicated to me that my bank would probably then add an international surcharge to the total, because, annoyingly, that’s what banks do.
Plus, given that the US dollar is currently stronger than the Australian dollar, that meant my $5.40 USD total would actually be around $7 AUD. And this is what I was expecting to be charged.
On a great note, the peeps at GFuel didn’t seem to add any shipping fees. A reasonable gesture seeing as it probably just comes in a little envelope. Or at least that’s what I was thinking.
As an aside, let’s compare that to a 12-pack of REIZE. For members, a dozen sachets cost $9.99 AUD. It almost instantly seems better value – at first glance anyway. But I like to dig a little deeper before making a call too quickly.
And that’s exactly what I was going to do.
The Check-out: An Unexpected Cost
Ok, I’m not going to lie about this one, guys. I proceeded to the checkout and my immediate reaction was a big, fat, “What the actual F@$K?!” You see, contrary to what I had thought, a shipping fee was, in fact, added to my total.
A ridiculous $7.33 USD shipping fee.
$7.33 USD. Just for shipping?
That’s more than the GFuel itself cost. And that was with a G Fuel coupon! As a result, this brought the total up to $12.73 USD. All for a measly three-pack of GFuel. Sadly, there were no further GFuel discount codes or another G Fuel coupon of some sort to help me out either.
But wait, there’s more! When I checked my bank statement a few days later, I saw that I was charged, in total, a whopping $17.35 AUD. This amount also included a 50-cent international transaction fee. For three sachets of GFuel?!
So, let’s compare, shall we?
For a three-pack of GFuel (even with GFuel discount codes), it costs $17.35 AUD. Alternatively, for a 12-pack of REIZE, it costs $9.99 AUD.
Simplifying this, the GFuel works out to be $5.78 AUD per drink, while the REIZE comes in at just 83 cents per drink.
This makes GFuel 6.96 times more expensive than REIZE. Or, another way of looking at it – you can have 6.96 times as much REIZE for the same amount of money.
And that’s with a G Fuel coupon.
Which begs the question – what is the point of searching for and using GFuel discount codes? Especially if I can get better value from a product that doesn’t need to be shipped from overseas anyway.
Comparison of Medium Quantities: GFuel vs REIZE
Let’s do the maths on some bigger volumes to get a better idea of price differences.
A 20-pack of GFuel costs $30.73 USD, including delivery to Australia. And that’s of course after we apply a ten per cent off G Fuel coupon code.
At current exchange rates, as of September 2016, this would make the amount to be charged, including the international transaction fee, approximately $41.88 AUD for a 20-pack of GFuel.
Breaking this figure down, this equates to $2.09 AUD per GFuel drink delivered to Australia. That’s not too bad when bought in medium quantities, I suppose.
However, comparing this to medium quantities of REIZE paints a relatively different picture. A 30-pack of REIZE, which of course includes free delivery in Australia, only sets you back $25 AUD. That’s just 83 cents per drink, including delivery.
So, GFuel works out to be 2.52 times the price of REIZE. Concerning.
How about the larger volumes?
Stepping things up a notch, we should probably compare the larger volumes of each to work out the maximum value.
For GFuel buyers, this means purchasing a tub, which comprises approximately 40 servings costing $43.43 USD, including delivery. Again, this is the total amount when using one of the ten per cent GFuel discount codes.
At the current September 2016 exchange rate, the amount that one would be charged as an Australian customer would be around $59.19 AUD. That’s $1.47 per drink.
In comparison, customers of REIZE are given the option to purchase either a 30-pack or a 60-pack of REIZE for $25 AUD or $45 AUD, respectively. This makes the ‘per drink’ cost of REIZE around $0.83 AUD or less. And that price includes delivery.
So, it turns out that even when purchasing in larger volumes, REIZE is still significantly cheaper. In fact, even when using a GFuel discount code, GFuel still averages out to be 1.78-1.96 times more expensive than REIZE for similar quantities, including the cost of delivery to your home in Australia.
Delivery Time Frame for Australian Customers
Of course, comparing what a product has to offer isn’t simply a matter of dollars. To get a real sense of value, I also thought it would be a good idea to see how things went with delivery.
I wanted to know how efficiently GFuel operates with sending out customer orders. After all, time is money, and time wasted is worse than money wasted – well, in my opinion anyway.
But, I digress. Back to my GFuel order feat. G Fuel coupon… I placed my order on Tuesday 6th September. I figured it would take about a week to arrive. To my surprise (and utter disappointment), it was only an entire week later on Tuesday 13th September that I finally received an email informing me that my order had just left the warehouse.
After a whole week of waiting and it was finally ready to begin its journey to me.
Naturally, I couldn’t help but wonder – what on Earth were they doing for an entire week?
Why didn’t they send my order out to me sooner? And where the hell was the tracking information?! On Monday 26th September, a long 20 days after I placed my order, my GFuel parcel finally arrived. I couldn’t help but feel a bit of relief that I reside in Sydney. I’m pretty sure if you lived in central or western Australian areas, it may take even longer to reach you from the USA.
Fuel for thought:
Now compare that with an order of REIZE, which usually ships out to you in less than 24 hours. Or even in the worst cases, say, for example, if you order on a Friday night, it is sent out to you first thing on Monday. It almost seems ridiculous to have to wait 20 days for a three-pack of GFuel energy drink sachets.
The Proof is in the Pudding – or the Packaging!
I have to admit, I pay a high level of attention to detail when it comes to things I’m enthusiastic about. And this brings me to my next observation in my experience with GFuel energy drinks compared to that of REIZE.
The packaging that my GFuel order arrived in was a bit stock standard. The all too common, processed-cheese-yellow envelope that I generally receive when I purchase from random eBay vendors.
And hey, I certainly wasn’t expecting anything fancy. But in no way did this ordinary package excite me or evoke my curiosity as to the energy drink contents awaiting me inside.
Nor did it entice me to want to rip open my GFuel parcel and slurp down a refreshing beverage. I guess I thought the packaging may have been somewhat customised to represent GFuel or GFuel Australia in some way. I couldn’t help but wonder if this was because of those GFuel discount codes that I used!
Watch the video below to learn more about GFuel!
Caution: Flimsy Wrappers!
I’m not sure about you guys, but I’m permanently time-poor, so I like things to be convenient. And easy. And hassle-free. I also don’t like having to think about what I’m doing.
But this wasn’t exactly the case when it came to the GFuel sachets. The culprit? Flimsy wrappers.
Indeed, upon unsealing the parcel, I immediately noticed the almost frail appearance of the sachet covers. And with that also came the extra care required to open up the GFuel drinks.
Ugh.
Unlike REIZE sachets, which part ever so easily with a quick tear revealing powder sitting at the bottom of the sachet when opening a packet of GFuel, I had to exercise some caution and care. This was so that I didn’t accidentally tear a larger-than-expected hole in the packet.
This largely came down to the wrapping itself of each GFuel sachet, which feels a lot less sturdy than a REIZE sachet. The GFuel wrapper was certainly a lot flimsier with much more air inside the package too.
This a reminder to be careful opening it. And perhaps not to be in a rush when doing so. (Ain’t nobody got time for that!) But let’s face it – after paying so much for a few GFuel sachets, with or without GFuel discount codes, you wouldn’t want to lose your hard-earned powder to the carpet. Am I right?!
The BIG Question Answered: Did GFuel Live up to its Hype?
Review time! So, I ordered a mixed three-pack and decided to try the “Blue Ice” flavour first. I was pretty keen on this because I heard it was delicious.
Interestingly, as soon as I opened the sachet, there was what appeared to be smoke coming out of the sachet. It was almost as if there was some kind of chemical reaction with the air. It was pretty cool to see, but I’m actually not sure if that was supposed to happen.
As you can see, it turns out that the powder of this flavour is very blue. It is almost luminous. In fact, at the risk of sounding like a morbid, Disney-loving, energy-drink-obsessed consumer, I couldn’t help but wonder if I was pouring cremated smurfs into my glass. Yes, that’s how blue it is.
Once water is added, the reaction is actually quite subdued. There isn’t much fizzing to speak of at all. Boring! (Who doesn’t love a bit of theatre when having their energy drinks?!)
Additionally, I was expecting the clarity of the drink to improve after a period of 20 to 30 seconds. However, I was surprised to see that the appearance of the drink didn’t seem to change from the moment I first added water. It only finally did so when there was only a very small amount left in the bottom of the glass.
How did it taste?
I have to say, it tasted really nice. In my opinion, the flavour was almost reminiscent of blue Powerade, which is a much-loved beverage of mine.
That said, after my second mouthful, I noticed a bit of an interesting aftertaste, along with a peculiar, powdery taste on my tongue. It was almost as if it was making me thirstier. Strange.
Nonetheless, the flavour was great – no denying it!
The Last Mouthful
Quite unexpectedly, I did notice that when I got down to the last remaining mouthfuls, the consistency of the drink somewhat changed.
At this point, there were various blue spots visible, floating around on their own.
There were also blue stains all over the inside of the glass. It was similar to the way you might get milk residue on the inside of a glass after drinking a glass of milk. The last mouthful, in particular, did not look very enticing at all. Especially with the final bit of liquid becoming relatively thick and congealed. (Eww.)
The gooey remains finally made their way sluggishly from the bottom of the glass to my reluctant mouth. But I stuck it out to get the full effect. Admittedly, those last few mouthfuls were really not pleasant at all, made even worse by the final mouthful being extremely bitter.
By the end of the drink, it tasted completely different compared to the appetising flavour I was hit with at the beginning.
What a bizarre journey! It started off on such a delicious and promising note. And yet ended with an underwhelming whimper of bitterness, along with a strange, blue-coloured residue stuck to the bottom of the glass. And all over my tongue too.
The After-effects of GFuel
I decided to try the GFuel “Blue Ice” concoction at about 6:30 pm, right before a gym session.
I noticed for the first half an hour after having the drink that I had a slight case of the shakes. Along with this, my fine motor skills seemed to be degraded.
I actually opened a door that I open all the time, but it banged the wall, loudly thudding behind me. I evidently opened it with a lot more force than I usually have.
Interestingly, I tried to pack some gym gear into my bag, but things were falling all over the floor. (Ok, so I’m pretty clumsy. But I’m not usually that bad.) Strange behaviour all of a sudden.
So, you probably want to know – did I throw weights around like a wild weightlifter once I got to the gym? You bet I did. And could I think straight and focus on the podcast* I was listening to? Not a chance.
(*NB: Yes, I’m a bit of a nerd, and even though it’s a little embarrassing to admit, I do like listening to podcasts when I’m at the gym. No laughing, please.
Racing Thoughts
It turns out that my thoughts were racing so quickly that I actually didn’t even realise I was listening to a podcast until about 80 minutes into my workout. Crazy.
Up until that point, I would hear a few words and then tune out for the next few minutes while my mind raced and raced. And it was only really after this 80-minute period that all of a sudden, upon looking outside and noticing a building’s bright lights, I finally had a sensation of being back in the moment.
Only at that point was I aware of my surroundings once more. Surely enough, it was at that point also that a wave of realisation washed over me, revealing that almost an hour into my podcast I could not remember a single thing that was talked about. For a nerd like me, that was a little worrying.
NB: Given the effects I experienced, admittedly, I wouldn’t try to study or set out to learn something upon drinking a glass of GFuel. (At least not in the first 80 minutes of consumption anyway.) With such a buzz, I seriously doubt anyone would be able to retain anything, even if they tried.
Post-80-Minute Buzz: ENERGY “SWEET SPOT”
Following the 80-minute mark, I found myself in an energy “sweet spot”, where I felt very aware, alert, and still had plenty of vigour to work out.
My thoughts had finally slowed down to a pace where I could actually retain information. And I at last felt like I could remember what I was hearing for longer than four seconds.
The energy “sweet spot” seemed to last for approximately half an hour – all until I suddenly noticed that I was really thirsty and had a very dry mouth.
Perhaps if I had had a glass of water on hand to quench my thirst I would have been fine. But I didn’t. And quite frankly, it was all I could think about until I managed to find something to drink!
LET’S NOT SUGAR-COAT IT: The “SWEET SPOT” Slump
Much like REIZE energy drink, one of the great things about GFuel is that it’s sugar-free. And with no sugar, that means no sugar crash.
That said, while I really want to tell you that there was no crash, at about the 180-minute mark, I did feel a bit of a slump. Nothing major. But it was certainly noticeable.
Perhaps it was just me returning to my baseline level of energy and alertness having peaked at such a high level, two hours earlier. Or perhaps I was a bit lower than before I had the drink. Whatever the case, the decrease in energy levels and vigour was definitely felt.
Caffeine Comparison
On that, I do believe there is far too much caffeine per serving in GFuel. 150mg is around double what you would find in most 250ml cans of energy drinks in Australia. And I consider myself to have a relatively high tolerance to caffeine.
Usually, after I have an energy drink or a coffee, I feel more focused and alert, and certainly able to function at a higher level. However, I found that GFuel endowed way too much energy in a short space of time. So much so that I almost felt sporadic and had trouble keeping my thoughts together.
I certainly wouldn’t recommend this feeling if you were trying to play any kind of strategy game where you want to think deeply, or for any kind of study. That being said, it might do the trick for games where you don’t have to think as much. For example, those where you simply “point and shoot” without much regard for your fine motor skills.
Check my recommendations for the best energy drinks for studying here.
One more thing on the subject of the high caffeine content. I don’t particularly think GFuel is the sort of thing that is appropriate to have every evening or every afternoon.
Having 150mg of caffeine in the evening will likely result in difficulty sleeping, even if you try to do so. In comparison, if you were to have a smaller amount of caffeine, you could get a short-term boost in concentration and alertness. And still, be able to wind down and get a good night’s sleep after a few hours.
Is GFuel a good drink after all?
In my opinion, yes, GFuel sure is a good drink to have. It has a delicious taste and certainly delivers on its promise to provide you with plenty of energy. But, that’s the problem (for me anyway).
It gives you too much energy and you end up completely overshooting where you would like to be for the best performance and focus.
I would recommend GFuel to anyone who wants to function at peak performance in 90 minutes time for gaming for a period of 30-60 minutes. But who wants to have to plan ahead so far to reach a point where they are thinking straight and have plenty of energy?
As for when I wouldn’t recommend GFuel? Well, put it this way – if you’re thinking that it will help you to study for the next hour, improve your fine motor skills, or provide clarity of thought, then perhaps it’s best to choose an alternative energy drink. (REIZE does the trick with its sugar-free and lower caffeine contents.) And that goes for those of you intending to get to bed at a reasonable time too!
All Factors Considered
So, after considering all factors, where do I stand now?
Well, let’s do a recap:
If you’re an Australian customer, GFuel costs at least 1.78 times more than REIZE does. And even then, that’s if you buy a lot of it. (We suggest searching for those GFuel discount codes or a G Fuel coupon to help your pocket!)
That said, if you buy smaller quantities, it is up to 6.96 times more expensive than REIZE. And that’s including the ten per cent off that you get with a GFuel discount code.
As for delivery time, I have to admit, I was pretty frustrated that my order wasn’t sent out to me for an entire week following my purchase. Especially considering the significant shipping fees added to the total cost.
I’m not sure whether this delay in dispatch is always the case with GFuel orders. However, waiting 20 days certainly seemed like a long time.
In comparison, REIZE regularly sends off orders on the same day or the very next day. And if you happen to order late on a Friday, you can have confidence in knowing that your order will be on its way to your place by Monday.
The effects?
Well, both GFuel and REIZE deliver on their promise of increased energy. However, in my opinion, GFuel perhaps over-delivers – and, unfortunately, not in a good way. I much prefer the sensation and increased state of being that I feel when I have a REIZE compared to the jumbled thoughts I experienced after having a glass of GFuel.
Additionally, I find the decrease in energy after having a REIZE energy drink is far less noticeable in comparison to the decrease in energy levels after drinking GFuel. This is probably because I peaked so high after having the GFuel. The boost I get from drinking REIZE, however, is sufficient enough to elevate me into an optimum zone.
Taste: A Tough One
As for taste, both GFuel and REIZE have a unique, delicious flavour. So to be fair, it wouldn’t be possible to compare the two given they are so different.
That said, one thing that certainly hasn’t left me is that awful taste that those last mouthfuls of GFuel at the bottom of my glass left behind. I definitely don’t want to be dealing with that again!
The Final Verdict (I prefer REIZE!)
So, all things considered, I have to say that I unequivocally stand by REIZE as my energy drink of choice. And that’s because it has more to offer. Indeed, it’s hard to compare tastes, both of which score similarly.
However, in terms of value for money, delivery times, and the type of energy boost gained (sans-crash), REIZE seems to be a lot more promising than GFuel. And regrettably, it seems a G Fuel coupon or GFuel discount code doesn’t seem to make much of a difference.
Of course, everyone’s needs are different, as are their tastes. So your experience with GFuel may vastly differ.
But hopefully, this review helps you to decide which energy drink is more likely to be suitable for you.
Nonetheless, as an Australian who likes being able to think normally after having my energy drinks, not feel a slump and have a bit more cash in my wallet, I’m pretty sure I’ll be sticking to REIZE!