What Tuga Lab is.

Tuga Lab is a co-creation program run by Tortuga Tools. Members get early access to experimental products — new colors, new shapes, sample inventory — at member pricing, in exchange for letting us know how those products performed in actual use.

The Lab exists so we can develop better tools with the people who use them, instead of deciding things in a vacuum. About a third of what currently ships in our main catalog started in the Lab.

What members get.

As a Tuga Lab member, you get:

• Early access to experimental colors, shapes, and sample inventory before they're listed publicly (if they ever are).
• Member pricing on Lab pieces — as much as 80% off the equivalent main-catalog retail price.
• Drop notifications by email when something new lands in the Lab, before anyone else hears about it.
• Influence on the catalog — your feedback genuinely shapes what we make next, and whether a Lab piece eventually becomes a permanent product.

Membership itself is free. There's no subscription fee, no quarterly commitment, no minimum spend.

What members agree to.

In exchange for member pricing and early access, members agree to give honest feedback after each Lab purchase. Specifically:

• Use the piece for at least two weeks before giving feedback. We want feedback that reflects how the tool performs in actual use, not first impressions.
• Complete the feedback form within 60 days of receiving the piece. The form usually takes about five minutes.
• Be honest. If something doesn't work, tell us. Polite feedback that's actually critical is more valuable to us than enthusiastic feedback that isn't.

We're not asking for testimonials, social media posts, or photography. Just real feedback from real use.

If you don't give feedback.

We get it — life happens, things slip. Here's what we do if a member misses feedback:

• We send two reminder emails after the feedback window opens — one at 30 days, one at 50 days.
• If feedback is missed once, nothing changes. We assume you got busy.
• If feedback is consistently missed across multiple Lab purchases (typically three or more), we'll pause your access to future Lab drops. We'll send an email letting you know before we do.

About Lab products.

Lab products are real, functional Tortuga tools — they go through the same materials and assembly process as our main catalog. They're not seconds, they're not factory rejects, and they're not lower quality.

What makes them "Lab" is that they're experimental in some way:

• New color formulations we're testing for durability and saturation.
• New shapes or sizes we're testing for fit and feel.
• Material variations like alternate handle profiles or tip configurations.
• Sample inventory from production runs that didn't go into the main catalog — small batches that would otherwise sit on a shelf.

Because these are experimental, occasional visual variation between units is normal. A color might fire slightly differently across batches; a handle profile might get revised between pieces. We try to flag this on the product page, but treat every Lab piece as a "first run."

Lab inventory is small — typically 25–50 units per piece. Once a piece sells out, that exact product may never return in that form.

Returns and refunds.

Lab products are covered by the same return policy as everything else in our catalog: 30 days, unused, in original packaging. The fact that something is a Lab product doesn't reduce your return rights.

That said, we'd love it if you'd let us know why you're returning a Lab piece — even a sentence helps. That feedback is part of why the program exists.

See our full return policy for the details on shipping, refund timing, and damaged-in-transit pieces.

How we use your feedback.

Member feedback goes into our product development process. We use it to:

• Decide whether a Lab piece becomes a main-catalog product. Lukewarm feedback usually means the piece doesn't graduate.
• Refine designs over time. If early testers told us a handle was too thick, later pieces have a thinner handle.
• Identify which colors and shapes resonate. What members reach for repeatedly is a strong signal.
• Inform what we make next. Your feedback shapes what we test next.

We may share aggregate, anonymized feedback publicly — e.g., "Lab testers rated handle thickness 4.2 out of 5." We don't share individual feedback or identifying information without your explicit permission.

Leaving the program.

You can leave Tuga Lab at any time, for any reason or no reason. Two ways to do it:

• Click the "unsubscribe" or "leave the Lab" link at the bottom of any Lab email.
• Email us at hello@tortugatools.com and ask to be removed.

We'll remove your membership tag and you won't receive future drop notifications. Any Lab pieces you've already bought are yours, and you can keep using them. We may save your feedback (anonymized) since it's already part of our product development, but if you want it removed entirely, just say so when you leave.

Privacy.

Tuga Lab uses your email address, name, and feedback responses. We don't share this information with third parties, and we don't sell it. Our full handling of personal data is covered in our privacy policy.

Feedback responses are stored in Airtable (a third-party data tool) and connected to your customer record in Shopify. Both are services we use to run the business; both have their own privacy policies, which are linked from our main privacy policy.

Changes to these terms.

We may update these terms as the program evolves. If we make a substantive change — anything that meaningfully affects what members get or agree to — we'll email current members at least 14 days before it takes effect.

Minor changes (clarifying language, fixing typos, updating contact info) we may make without notice. The "version" and "last updated" stamps at the top of this page always reflect the current document.

Getting in touch.

For anything Lab-related — questions about the program, your membership, your feedback, or these terms — email us at hello@tortugatools.com. We'll read every message and reply within 1–2 business days.

For non-Lab questions (orders, products, returns, wholesale, press), use the addresses listed on our contact page.