FRS Healthy Energy has recently launched a new ad campaign. As you can see, they’re offering a coupon code FRS10POFF, which gets you 10% off your order from the FRS store.

But that’s for the general public. If you are a reader of CoachLevi.com, you get 15% off! Since I’m such a big fan of the drink they decided to create a custom coupon code for me that I can share!

Just use coupon code COACHLEVI in your shopping cart and you will get 15% off your order.

Don’t wait too long though – the code is only valid till March 31, 2009.

Go here to start shopping: www.FRS.com

(Read my review of the FRS.com online store for more details on their store.)

Retailer Name: FRS
Website: www.FRS.com and www.HealthyEnergy.com

Continue reading for my thoughts and opinions on the FRS online store, which sells FRS energy drinks and merchandise…

Product Selection and Availability

This is simple – the FRS store consists of FRS products (liquid concentrate, cans, powder, chews) in every flavor. They offer the products on an individual basis as well as in a few sampler packs and gift packs. To top things off, you can buy FRS baseball caps and aluminum water bottles.

Availability is usually not an issue, but sometimes the more popular flavors (such as low cal peach mango and pomegranate blueberry) do sell out temporarily.

Pricing

These drinks aren’t cheap! Prices range from about $1.25 to $2.50 per serving.

However, I don’t think it’s any cheaper if you buy them at a local store like GNC. You could save money on shipping, but I don’t think you’ll find FRS at a discount anywhere.

Discounts & Coupon Codes

This does not happen as often as some retailers, but FRS does send out coupon codes to existing customers.

I have been treated well as a regular customer. Any time a new product comes out, I get an email about it with a “25% off your first purchase” coupon that applies to the new product. Also, there were two super sales this year – a 50% off sale for their 5-year anniversary as well as a 50% off holiday deal.

There are also some 10% off and free shipping coupons that come out on occasion. Just be on the lookout.

The only problem I’ve noticed here ties in to availability. Whenever FRS offers a discount or coupon code, the more popular flavors tend to be sold out already.

The FRS Free Trial Offer

The other discount option is the free trial, but it’s so popular I figured it deserved it’s own section…

[Note: If you go to www.FRS.com, you go to the store, and if you head to www.HealthyEnergy.com, you get the free trial offer.]

If paying full price doesn’t sound fun, FRS offers a free 14-day trial (for a $5 shipping and handling fee.) The catch is that you have to enter your credit card details to pay for the shipping charge and agree to their terms, which allow them to auto-enroll you in their autoship program if you don’t call and cancel.

Here’s a small excerpt from their terms: “By signing up for the free trial offer, if you don’t cancel before the end of your trial period which is 14 days after receiving your free trial, you also agree to receive and authorize us to charge you $64.95 (plus tax if applicable) each month for a 30 day supply of FRS.”

I had no interest in the free trial since it was composed of the low calorie products. (I don’t eat or drink anything with sucralose, so that would have been a waste.)

But I have seen comments that indicate many people are getting angry over the terms. I’m kind of surprised how few people knew what they were getting into when signing-up for the free trial, but maybe no one has ever done a free trial before.

I grew up with all the “get 7 free cassettes from Columbia House today… when you agree to buy 20 more at an outrageous price over the next 12 months” kind of offers. (I think they still exist, but with CDs and DVDs now.)

Some consider it a shady business practice, but it is legal. So let that be a lesson – you should always read the fine print!

Ease of Use (Website and Shopping Cart)

The FRS website is easy to use once you find the store. The layout is pretty simple since there is only a small selection of products, so there shouldn’t be any issues finding what you want.

To order, find the item, enter the desired quantity, and click Add to Cart. Then click on View Cart and you can see the items. Then you can easily update the quantity, remove the item, or switch to an autoship of the item. Finally, clicking Check out takes you to the next steps of entering shipping and billing information, then you’re set to place the order.

Shipping & Handling

The shipping isn’t cheap, but that’s what happens when you’re buying liquids through the mail. Especially with the cans, the weight adds up.

I have paid about $6 for a small order (a bag of chews,) and $16 for heavier orders that included a couple bottles of concentrate and some cans.

I’ve had some serious variation on shipping time though. Most orders took over a week (more like 10-14 days) to get here to the East cost. But the worst was my last order in October – the order shipped out mid-November, and got here in December! The shipping time wasn’t too too bad, but it took over two weeks to “process” the order.

The redeeming factor is that you can setup an “autoship” where you get a shipment of a specific item on a monthly basis. When you do that, the shipping is free, and it probably arrives consistently.

Customer Service

Luckily I’ve never had to deal with anyone in customer service since my orders always arrived. Unfortunately, I haven’t read many stories of good experiences with their customer service. It sounds like they outsource to a call center in India, like Dell does (and if you’ve ever called Dell customer support, you know the potential problems.)

Let’s just say I don’t get a good vibe about their customer service.

My final verdict is…

I like the drink and I have had no trouble ordering from the online store. The coupons for existing customers are great and keep me going back.

Just watch out for the free trial. If you do the free trial only to find out you don’t like the drink, you’ll have to call and cancel within 14 days.

(I do highly recommend the all natural FRS drinks, though, so you could still try the product either through the online store or from an offline retailer such as GNC.)

Official website: www.FRS.com and www.HealthyEnergy.com

Are you looking for where you can buy FRS energy drinks? These days you can buy FRS online or in a few select retail locations.

The most popular route is the free trial offer where you can get a 14-day free trial of FRS energy drinks just for paying a small shipping charge. You can get that online at www.healthyenergy.com.

My choice is to buy direct from the FRS store at www.FRS.com.

But I can understand if you don’t want to order online. You may prefer to just go to your local store and pay in cash.

If that is how you prefer to buy, then take a look in the following retail stores:

• Albertsons
• Am/Pm
• Smart & Final
• Target Superstores
• GNC
• Save Mart
• Food Max

Those retailers should stock some FRS products. So there you go, that’s where you can buy FRS healthy energy drinks.

P.S. Here are my FRS reviews if you need to know more:

• FRS Liquid Concentrate
• FRS Powder
• FRS Cans
• FRS Health Chews

Looking for a new kick to spice up your morning routine? You might want to try the new Peach Mango liquid concentrate from FRS.

If you remember, I really loved the Orange liquid concentrate (in my liquid concentrate review) and I thought the Peach Mango flavor (formerly available only in FRS cans) was pretty good, too.

So, while I’m not a fan of sucralose (or any other artificial sweetener,) if you are, the latest Peach Mango low calorie liquid concentrate could be your thing.

If it wasn’t for the sucralose, I would have ordered some already. It’s pretty tempting, because FRS issued a coupon for 25% off your first purchase of Peach Mango concentrate. Yep, 25% off.

I’m really really hoping for an all natural wild berry concentrate, so I’m holding out for that. I’d be happy with any of their flavors in the “all natural” liquid concentrate formula, though.

Oh, about that coupon. How do I get these coupons?

It’s because I’m a current FRS customer. If you are a current FRS customer, they’ll email you coupons for the new flavors as soon as they launch.

The best way to get started is to get your free trial and then you’ll be a customer and can get these discounts. (Free stuff to start with and then discounts on future purchases, sounds good to me.)

Now that I’ve had some time to put FRS through the paces, I can compare it to ACT, which I’ve used for a couple years already.

(For a longer introduction, see my FRS Overview and my ACT Long-term Test, which contain all the details about each of these energy drinks for healthy eaters.)

Now, on to the direct comparison…

FRS vs ACT – Price

FRS costs about $2.50 per can if you get a little 4-pack, but if you were to order a case of 24 cans, it would be about $2 per can (including shipping.) ACT costs $1.92 per can (including shipping) if you order two cases from their website, so the bulk prices are fairly similar.

FRS powders cost about $1.50 per packet, while ACT packets cost closer to $1.25. If you get ACT powder in a canister, it’s about $1 per serving.

Overall the price is similar, but FRS can be found in smaller quantities (or even a free trial) while ACT has to be purchased in bulk to get the good prices.

FRS vs ACT – Taste and Texture

I actually like both of these drinks, but each one is totally different.

FRS is like a fruit juice, especially the cans and liquid concentrate. The powder is a little bit closer to a typical energy drink, but overall, FRS is like drinking orange juice.

ACT, on the other hand, tastes like a typical energy drink. In the cans it has a light texture and some carbonation, and a quirky berry flavor. It’s kind of like a cherry soda versus FRS being more like a cherry juice.

FRS vs ACT – Flavors

FRS offers about four different flavors, some of which come in “all natural” and “low cal” versions. These flavors include Orange, Lemon Lime, Peach Mango, and Wild Berry. And each one is good!

ACT was limited to one flavor (berry) for a while, but recently came out with a new flavor (tropical.) The cans are still limited to the berry flavor, though, so if you’re looking for flavor options, FRS has you covered.

FRS vs ACT – Ease of Use

Both FRS and ACT have cans, and both are easy to drink. Both have powders, too, although the FRS powder is much easier to mix than ACT. The ACT powder takes a lot longer to prepare because you have to mix it in warm water and let it sit for a while.

Not to mention how FRS comes in the “health chews” which are super easy to eat. I’d say FRS is the clear winner in the “ease of use” battle.

FRS vs ACT – Testimonials

If you browse their websites, both contain a lot of testimonials, even from pro athletes. But ACT has lesser-known pro athletes and a relatively unknown cyclist, while FRS has a very well-known Tour de France champion in their corner.

Here’s what FRS says about that deal:

“Lance’s relationship with FRS is more than an endorsement deal, it’s a partnership. After carefully reviewing the science behind the product and meeting our management team, Lance Armstrong has joined our Board of Directors and chosen FRS to be the exclusive beverage he represents worldwide. FRS aligns with his lifestyle choices and what he believes in. Power your life with FRS.”

FRS vs ACT – Carbs and Calories

FRS comes in all natural and low carb varieties, so you can limit your calories if you choose, but the low carb variety contains sucralose, which is an artificial sweetener and something I try to avoid. In cans, the all natural has about 130 calories, while the low cal has about 25 calories.

ACT only has one formula, but it is still low in calories (25 per can) without the need for artificial sweeteners. That way you can drink it without worrying about calories or the possible negative side effects of artificial sweeteners.

FRS vs ACT – Healthy Ingredients

FRS contains a blend of the antioxidant quercetin and green tea extract which contains lots of catechins, along with numerous vitamins and minerals (including important B vitamins.) Researchers have found that EGCG (the primary catechin in green tea) is 100 times more potent than vitamin C against free radical damage. So that is awesome, but FRS still contains ~ 200% DV of vitamin C for good measure!

ACT contains some vitamins and minerals, too. A serving has a whopping 450mg potassium and just 20mg sodium, along with 100% DV of Vitamins C, B16, and B12.

But ACT contains a lot of ‘energy’ ingredients: Guarana, Green Tea, Panax Ginseng, Stevia extract, L-arginine, Taurine, L-Carnitine, and Tyrosine.

So it seems they are both fairly healthy, although FRS has a lot more antioxidants,vitamins, and minerals, while FRS has some interesting ingredients and energy supplements that aren’t found in FRS.

FRS vs ACT – The Energy Boost!

Hands down, FRS offers the best energy boost of any healthy energy drink of sports supplement I’ve used. A glass of FRS in the morning provides an uplifting feeling that lasts all day. It’s not a blast of energy, but it seems to last forever.

ACT provides a little bit of an energy boost, but it’s not as powerful. However, it is still better than getting a big rush and crashing in 30 minutes.

Pulling an all-nighter or taking a long road trip? Then go with FRS.

Need a slight pick-me-up in late afternoon or evening? Use ACT. (I can use ACT later in the day without it affecting my sleep.)

The big reason I still use ACT, though, is that it seems to have better recovery benefits. Used after a hard workout, I manage to feel good the next day!

FRS vs ACT – The Results

Let’s see… both are expensive and come in a variety of forms, and are relatively healthy. I will keep using both on occasion: FRS each morning and maybe during a workout, then ACT afterwards for recovery. (However, it’s harder for me to get through a day without FRS.)

FRS is easier to get (and offers a free trial,) so it’s much easier to get some FRS.

FRS has an all-day energy boost, slightly better than ACT. I like the fizziness of the ACT though. Also, I can take ACT in the evening after a workout to aid recovery, and I’ll feel better, but I can still get to sleep. With FRS, I make sure only to take it early in the day because I don’t think I could get to sleep afterwards.

So…

Need an all-day energy boost? FRS.

Want a decent tasting energy drink that is also healthy? ACT.

Have to choice just one? Honestly I’d have to go with FRS. That could change in a few years or even a few months, but for now, FRS is my go-to drink.

Learn more about FRS: www.healthyenergy.com

Learn more about ACT: www.DrinkACT.com