By: Brianna Stewart
America loves a functional water bottle that they can keep with them all day. A functional water bottle would have the following qualifications: no leaks, easy to maintain, portable, reusable, lightweight, and durable. The two most well-known water bottle companies, Hydro Flask and Stanley, have a vast amount of supporters for both brands. I evaluated both water bottles to see which would have the upper hand in different situations. In order to make the comparisons equal, I will specifically be hashing out the 40oz Hydro Flask All Around Tumbler and the 40oz Stanley Quencher.
The 40oz Hydro Flask All Around Tumbler comes in 2 sizes, 32oz and 40oz, and 14 different colors. Its ergonomic handle allows for better grip with some users saying it’s good for smaller hands. Combined with a suction seal lid equipped with a straw it offers a different sealing method compared to other brands. It keeps different temperature liquids hot or cold between 12 - 24 hours and holds solid ice for 12 hours. It offers a leak-free design (will spill from straw if held upside down), no flavor transfer, rubber straw, and a limited lifetime warranty. Overall for $39.95 without tax it is fairly priced and oftentimes certain colors are discounted during different periods.
The Stanley Quencher 2.0 comes in 5 sizes, 14oz, 20oz, 30oz, 40oz, and 60oz, and has 29 colors to choose from (with limited availability). It is equipped with an ergonomic handle that fits perfectly in most hands and has a screw-on lid with 3 lid positions to choose from. It is able to have its most famous straw opening, the wide mouth chugging position, and a full cover position that covers the whole top. People have noted that when tipped over or dropped it does leak through the lid but it could be because it's full of liquid. It is able to keep your hot liquids hot for 7 hours, cold liquids cold for 11 hours, and hold ice for 11 hours. Equipped with a lifetime warranty, hard plastic straw, and more dynamic colors and designs. Priced at $45.00 without tax it makes up for functionality with its intricate designs.
Each bottle has its own unique design that gives it an upper hand against their competitors. Hydro Flask and Stanley have a bit of a rivalry that was exposed on social media recently. Recently people have been testing a small portion of the bottom of the Stanley’s for lead and the test results come back positive. There is a lead pellet at the bottom that seals the product's vacuum insulation and is then covered by a stainless steel circular barrier. On rare occasions will this barrier come off and the lead pellet be exposed to customers. There is no lead on the surface of the Stanley Cup that comes in contact with the customer's liquid beverage.
Hydro Flask made a statement around the time Stanley Cups were exposed saying “no lead since 2013”. People see this as Hydro Flask taking a swing at Stanley for not making their product lead free. Some people simply dropped Stanley Cups because of the rare occasion that they could be exposed to lead. Lead exposure could lead to high blood pressure, reproductive health issues, brain and kidney issues. Symptoms of lead poisoning include developmental delay, stomach cramps, constipation, weight loss, trouble sleeping, seizures, etc. This alone gives individuals enough reason to be wary of any products that contain lead and try to avoid them as much as possible.
Is lead being a part of the Stanley Quencher stealing process an instant no for you? Would you still buy the product or would you switch to a different brand? Do you think the 40oz Hydro Flask All Around Tumbler is better than the 40oz Stanley Quencher?