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Feeling Organized Thanks to Sabi FOLIO

Disclosure: I got this product as part of a review opportunity. 

UPDATE:
I shared this review with my husband and mentioned my interest in the Holster pill box. He'd seen it as well, but also pointed out there is a Carafe model with a drink cup and pill box combination that would be perfect on my nightstand. Since we had a little rewards money to use on Amazon, I ordered both. Happy me!

Here's what I bought:

Original Review:
A couple months ago, my husband sent me a link to the Sabi FOLIO Strap & Go pill box. Since I take a lot of pills (12/day minimum), I'm a bit nuts about my meds. I keep extra bottles in my purse and office and I've tried some pill cases in the past. Using my pill bottles is fine at home, but the last thing I want to do in an elevator or restaurant is whip out a prescription bottle. I'm sure no one is looking, but I feel embarrassed. At home, in the morning, opening a pill bottle can be noisy, so I sometimes leave a little cup with my 6am meds on my nightstand but fear the day my cat knocks it over and I forget to clean up the pills. Thankfully, that hasn't happened yet.

Not long after my husband pointed it out, I was given the opportunity to review the FOLIO. I'm seriously lucky.

The FOLIO comes with 14 spots for pills, intended to be for two dosages per day. I find it no problem at all to store four pills in each compartment and use it for four of my six dosages per day. At night, I still use my pill bottles, but that isn't a bother at all. I'm fairly sure I could fit the additional four pills per day since my medication is small in size, but it's just not so necessary as long as I'm home at night. Should I travel, I will put all the meds in the box and leave the bottles at home.

FOLIO is Fabulous
I'm a nut about product design. For those who don't know, I have a graduate degree in human-computer interaction at Carnegie Mellon University and spent some time looking at form and function of products in addition to interface and interaction design. My husband is an engineer so, together, we're a bit nerdy about packaging and product design. While nursing, I got excited about the design of Phillips' breast pumps, if that says anything.



The FOLIO pill box is pretty awesome. It's slick, refined, and modern. It looks like a small notebook, so you could discretely open it up and grab a pill at a restaurant. Your tablemates will notice, but other customers won't think anything of it. The elastic that holds the case shut is strong enough to keep the pills secure - I keep mine tossed in a big purse - but easy enough to slip off when you need your pills. I also find it quieter to grab my morning dosage from the FOLIO compared to opening a big pill bottle.

Better Quality
Compared to pill boxes from the local drugstore, this one is much higher quality. The FOLIO feels more durable and so far, looks fabulously brand new and works perfectly. The cheap ones from the drugstore never seem to last more than a couple months before they randomly pop open and spill pills in my purse.

On Sabi
Sabi is the company that makes the FOLIO pill case. I spent some time on their website to understand more on how the company came up with their product line and get a sense of their values. When I find a product that is so well designed and beautiful, I always want to know more about the creators. I wasn't too surprised that Sabi believes in the value of beautiful products with a purpose and making people's lives more enjoyable. It's like they have an in-house user experience evangelist. If they don't, I'd be interested in the job!

Product Details
You can find the FOLIO on the Sabi website for just $24.99, which honestly is a great deal, especially if you've added up how much you spend on replacing cheap cases over the years. Sabi offers several styles for various purposes and pill needs, so if you don't quite need so much space, there's probably a different one you'd love just as much. I'm planning to order the Holster to have with me on days I'm spending at my daughter's school or at the hospital, or if I'm not planning to bring my big purse along to the mall or dinner.



The FOLIO has a capacity of 6 capsules per day, but as I mentioned earlier, if your pills are quite small (like Zofran or Sudafed), you could probably fit more. The case weighs less than 6oz, so it's not heavy, and it measures 3.8" x 6.7" and is .9" deep. The overall look is like a very nice notebook, you know, those fancy Molskine ones? Yep, look fabulous and take your meds. It's fabulous.

I should mention this is also a BPA-free product. I know that's on a lot of people's minds lately. Honestly, I haven't a clue what BPA is, but after having my daughter, I know that finding BPA-free plastics is important.

The App
On a visit to Sabi's website, I noticed they have an Official Sabi pill app.


You might want to check it out if you're like me, and need a reminder to take your medicine. I hate setting my phone alarm all the time, so this is a nice alternative.

Connect with Sabi
I hope you're curious to know more about Sabi products, because this is a rare time I can say, if you have medication to manage, this is a company to absolutely look at. I'm in human factors heaven drooling at the such a geeky thing - pill case design.

Please check out Sabi's blog, Facebook, and Twitter account to learn even more.

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. In this case, I was about to purchase the FOLIO before learning of the review opportunity. Either way, this is a product I recommend. :)

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