STANLEY cup travel mugs have taken social media by storm and led to a flurry of dupes hitting the market.
I tested several versions from high street retailers to see how they stacked up against the original.
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Stanley tumblers were first launched in 2016 and were very much marketed to the more outdoorsy-minded among us.
But since exploding onto the social media scene, the brand has become a household name and everyone wants to get their hands on one.
It is the Stanley Quencher H2.0 Flowstate Tumbler that went viral, but be warned if you want to join in the fun, it’s going to cost you.
The Stanley tumbler costs £44.99, meaning it is quite an investment.
So it is no wonder that other retailers have been quick to jump on the bandwagon and bring out cheaper versions.
I put some of the Stanley Cup dupes to the test to see how they stacked up against the original.
Stanley Flowstate Quencher H2.0 Tumbler – £44.99
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Before testing out the other dupes I put the original Stanley to the test to see what all the fuss was about.
When it arrived my initial thoughts were that there was no way I would carry this around with me, it’s just too cumbersome.
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However, as I got to testing the cup I quickly realised that it is much more than just a social media fashion accessory.
The Stanley tumbler costs £44.99, holds 1.2L and comes in a variety of colours.
It is made from 90% recycled stainless steel and claims to keep drinks hot for seven hours, cold for eleven and iced for 48 hours.
To test one of the bolder claims, I filled mine up with water and ice at 8pm and when I woke up the following day it was still ice cold.
I carried it into work with me and while I did feel a little ridiculous standing at the train station, still having ice-cold water when I got to the office made it more bearable.
By the time it took me to drink a tumbler full, it was 2pm and the water was still ice cold.
There is no doubt in my mind that if I had left it for the full 48 hours it would have still been the case.
I am not usually someone who follows social media trends, and generally think most things are over-hyped, but not in this case.
The Stanley Quencher is a quality product and it looks and feels like one too, I am completely sold.
It is also worth noting that it comes with a lifetime warranty so if anything does go wrong, Stanley will repair or replace it for you.
The Stanley Quencher is also 100% dishwasher safe.
- Score: 10/10
The Range – £7.99
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The Nitro 1.2L Tumbler from The Range comes in a variety of colours.
If you are ordering from the website it is not guaranteed which style you will receive, so that is worth bearing in mind before purchasing.
Like most of the cups I tested, it has a twin-walled vacuum and is made of stainless steel.
It also has a three-way swivel opening so you can either drink through the straw opening or the traditional gap and also fully cover up both to prevent leakage.
In my opinion for the price, this is one of the best dupes out there.
It kept my drink not just cool but really cold for more than a few hours.
It feels sturdy and strong and has a “no-fuss” feel to it.
If you like the look and size of a Stanley and also want something functional you won’t go wrong with this one from The Range.
- Score: 8/10
Primark – £8
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The Primark travel tumbler is much smaller than the others I tested as it holds just 590ml of liquid.
It comes with a stainless steel straw and is available in blue, grey and pink.
This is more like a standard travel mug than something I would go to if I wanted a “dupe” of the original Stanley.
It kept my drink cold enough, however, I did find the straw a little bit more tricky to drink out of than the others.
This straw sits right at the bottom of the cup and there is no grip to hold it up a little higher to make it easier to get the liquid to flow.
Therefore when I did want to drink out of it I ended up holding the straw in position rather than just being able to sip.
However, this is the ideal option if you want something smaller and lighter to carry around with you.
- Score: 7/10
Sole Cup – £30
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The Sole Cup is available on Amazon and is the closest to being an actual “dupe” of the original Stanley for £15 less.
It has the heavy look and feel of the original and also has the option (as with them all) to either use a straw or drink straight from the cup.
Looks-wise this was also my favourite, I had the cream one and it has a lovely matte finish and felt very stylish.
I made a large cafetiere of coffee and put it in my SoleCup for the workday.
It gave me three cups of coffee that I drank throughout the morning and was the perfect temperature.
The SoleCup also kept my water cold. While nothing beats the Stanley for being “ice-cold” this cup kept my drink pleasantly chilled.
A great stylish option if you have the money to spend a bit more but don’t quite want to splash out on a Stanley.
- Score: 9/10
USA Pro – £13
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The USA Pro travel cup is available from Sports Direct priced at £13 each or £20 for two.
Sadly when my cup arrived the straw had cracked and was unusable so I had to replace it with a straw from another cup.
It was easy to see why this could be a problem as the straw is made from a harder plastic than the other plastic straws and I suspect is more prone to wear and tear and cracking.
However, that said the cup had a nice weight and feel to it.
The USA Pro cup is said to keep hot drinks hot and cold drinks cool for 24 hours and has a 1200ml capacity.
I found that this cup did not perform as well as the others when it came to keeping my drink cold over a longer period.
If I were to pick out the positives it is a good price and holds a lot of liquid, so if you just want the look of the Stanley and to get some hydration on the go it is a reasonable option.
- Score: 5/10
Home Bargains – £4.99
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The Hydrate 40oz tumbler from Home Bargains is exceptionally good value and I was amazed at how well it kept my drink chilled.
When I tested the tumblers I mainly focused on the length of time my drink would stay cold as opposed to hot beverages.
Personally, I am never going to drink a coffee that is the size of one of these cups, but keeping water chilled for longer might encourage me to drink more.
This tumbler is very similar to the Nitro cup from The Range only it is £3 cheaper.
I found that by filling this up on an evening and leaving it until the morning my water was still very chilled.
If you want to get on board with the Stanley craze but don’t want to spend too much money, then this is a great option.
- Rating: 8/10
TK Maxx – £16.99
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I loved the Hydra tumbler from TK Maxx and for the quality is it an absolute bargain.
If you like a bit of sparkle in your life then this one is for you as it has a nice gold shimmery finish.
The handle of the tumbler is nice to hold and it makes the item feel well balanced.
The larger cups do get heavy when they are filled with liquid and I thought the handle on this cup balanced it out well.
It has a metal straw but it is covered in rubber at the end where you drink from, so feels much more pleasant than drinking directly from metal.
As with the other tumblers you can either drink as you would from a normal coffee travel mug or close it off and use the straw.
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This tumbler, while it did not keep my drink as ice cold as the Stanley did overnight, it still kept it very cold compared to some of the others tested.
- Score: 8.5/10
This post first appeared on thesun.co.uk
