FireboxLabels: gadgets, gizmos, toysReviewer: Andrew Date: 11/12/2005 Rating: 4/5 Website: www.firebox.com Firebox is one of those survivors of the dot-com bubble burst. In my opinion, it deserved to survive too. Firebox concentrated, I think, on keeping the quality of its gadgets, gizmos and funky toys high. Whereas competitors have come and gone because their own gadgets were increasingly rubbish - despite (or perhaps because of) having a chain of stores to fill. That's the Edinburgh connection too. There just really isn't a good place to buy gadgets or toys for corporate boys. Your best bet might be John Lewis in the awful St James Centre but their selection is very, very limited, barely in the "gadget" category and best suited for stocking fillers (ah yes, I'm Firebox shopping for Christmas). The truth of the matter is that if you want to shop for gadgets in Edinburgh you really have to do it online. Firebox can be a bit cluttered as it's a fixed width site in the days of increasingly large monitors and high resolution screens. The strength of the Firebox design is that it is very easy to find what you want. The black and orange bar at the top of the screen is often overlooked but I find it very handy. I just have to pick a rough category and scroll down the page. This is the best way to find what you want. The "What's new" and "Chart" navigation options on the left and right perhaps offer up the selection of gadgets, toys and gizmos that Firebox want you to find. I've found that at most times of the year Firebox has a good selection of gadgets too. It's just now, a few weeks before Christmas, when the danger of the "Out of Stock" label becomes a real one. Even during Christmas, however, Firebox has always been able to deliver in good time. Normally they have a next day delivery option which they tend to make good on. The one aspect of Firebox that I can't comment on is there customer care. I've never had reason to call or email to ask for help. They've managed to get it right for me on every occasion. If you'll allow circumstantial evidence then no one I've spoken to has a bad word to say about Firebox. Gadget Head-to-Head
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| Topic | Firebox | Gadget Stuff | Winner |
| Range of Gadgets | Very Good | Good | Firebox |
| Price of Gadgets | Fair | Fair | Tie |
| Ease of Use | Very Easy | Easy | Firebox |
| Latest Gadgets | Gets them first | Quick | Firebox |
| Service | Good | Fair | Firebox |