Drinking it In: The differences in Travel drinkware
Tumblers are a staple in every household. Different styles, functionalities and purposes for each assigned vessel. One of the hardest things to tell from a picture is how the actual piece will stand up for your end user with daily use. Just because something is inexpensive doesn’t automatically make it a bad choice and just because it is expensive doesn’t make it the best. Like anything, consider your audience and your budget when making a choice. Let’s start from the top down.
Closure? – Each factory has their own verbiage for lids. If a tumbler is marked as “hot and cold” it generally means that it comes with an optional straw or a hole for a straw and a drink through or closure. This gives the end user the option to choose what they want to do with it. A drink through lid means there is no closure, just an opening. A thumb slide closure is popular with plastics and has a tab on the side that you move in order to create a closure. A regular slide closure is just that, regular. Neither of these create a great seal. The best kind of opening you can get is a push button closure where you push a button to open and close.
Lid Seal? – The next key point is how does the lid seal. There are two categories, a push on lid or a screw on lid which are fairly self explanatory. In general look out for the key “rubber sealing’. That means there is a piece of rubber around the edge that helps keep the lid on tightly and prevent spillage. However, it also means the lid probably will not be marked dishwasher safe because the rubber will degrade over time. Screw on lids can also create a good closure but are more popular with acrylic and rarely have any extra seal.
Insulation? – There are a few common terms in this area as well. Let’s start with a single wall which is exactly that. No insulation, no anything, and will provide the least amount of temperature retention. Usually this is better for a water bottle. The next level is a Double Walled tumbler. This has two layers of plastic or plastic and stainless steel and air in-between. It uses the air to create the insulation. Double wall foam insulated has foam that has been pushed in-between those two layers to create an extra layer of insulation. Double wall vacuum insulation has a vacuum process that sucks the air out between the layers. This helps reduce the transfer of energy from the hot or cold item. The leading insulation is copper insulation. This type of insulation causes the maximum amount of temperature control and will keep your beverage hot or cold for hours.
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Exterior? - This is where trends really influence the decision making process. Exterior materials can very greatly and change with the trends and technology. For example, silicone is a newer material that can be found on the outside of many items that really wasn’t used even a few years ago. Right now, the hot look is a more matte material, less shine.
Design? - To really elevate your beverage game spend time focused on the design work. Drinkware is so common place now that in order to ensure your item is kept it not only has to function but also be ascetically pleasing. Many times that limits the size or focal point of the actual logo. Integrating a logo into a graphic will ensure that the item gets tons of use!