Ever since the Stanley Adventure Quencher Tumbler went viral, we've been asking ourselves one question: what makes it worth the steep $45 price?
KCL tracks all the latest drops in our Stanley tumbler restock guide, and we're constantly stunned by how popular it is. Of course, we love the clean design and all the cool colors to choose from. But there are plenty of cheaper alternatives to Stanley that look almost the same.
Yet shoppers are still scrambling to get their hands on a Stanley — and sometimes paying more than $45 to buy them from third-party sellers. And that's before you add Stanley tumbler accessories (like $14 snack rings and $9 gold charms) to the mix.
We wanted to know exactly what makes the Stanley special, so we tested its quality against five other tumblers to see how well it held up. Specifically, we wanted to see if the Stanley was really as leakproof as it claimed, and whether it truly kept drinks cold longer than other tumblers.
After putting all six tumblers through a Leak Test and an Ice Test in a controlled setting, we ranked each tumbler from best to worst based on their performance.
Our tests clearly showed which tumbler deserves the hype — and the results may shock you.
The Six Tumblers We Tested
We purchased six of the most popular tumblers on the market right now, including the famous Stanley Quencher Tumbler. All the tumblers we tested are stainless steel and hold 40 ounces of liquid (except for the Yeti Tumbler, which holds 42 ounces).
These are the six tumblers included in our tests:
Stanley The Quencher Tumbler, 40 oz — $45 on Stanley1913.com
Brumate Era Tumbler, 40 oz — $45 on Amazon.com
Owala Tumbler, 40 oz — $37.99 on Amazon.com
Yeti Tumbler, 42 oz — $45 on Amazon.com
Simple Modern Trek Tumbler, 40 oz — $29.99 on Target.com
Ozark Trail Stainless Steel Tumbler, 40 oz — $19.97 on Walmart.com
Test 1: The Leak Test
An important part of any tumbler is how well it prevents leaks, and many of these tumblers claim to be "leakproof". So we first wanted to see if each tumbler truly had zero leakage by performing our own "Leak Test."
Methodology
We filled each tumbler with the same amount of water, made sure the caps were fastened tightly, then held them upside down over a countertop with the straw in place. The amount of water that spilled out of the tumbler and onto the countertop determined how "leakproof" each tumbler really was.
Test 2: The Ice Test
Each tumbler claims to keep liquids cold for a lengthy period of time, so we put all six tumblers through an "Ice Test" to see which ones really lived up to the hype.
Methodology
First, we filled each tumbler with exactly 12 ounces of ice, weighed out evenly on a scale. Then, we added the contents of one 16.9-ounce bottle of refrigerated water to each tumbler.
All tumblers were sealed with the straw in place and left to sit in a room at 72 degrees Fahrenheit. We checked the water temperature in each tumbler every hour using a digital thermometer, and ended each test when the water temperature hit 50 degrees Fahrenheit.
The tumbler that took the longest time for its water temperature to hit 50 degrees was ultimately the winner of the Ice Test (meaning, it kept the ice colder for longer than all the others).
To control the results, we also tested a 40-ounce plastic Big Gulp cup from 7-Eleven, using the same amount of ice and water (but in a cup with no insulation).
The Results: How the Stanley Tumbler Stacks Up
We combined the results from both the Leak Test and the Ice Test to rank each tumbler on a scale from 1 - 6 (one being the best overall performer, and six being the worst). Surprisingly, the Stanley tumbler did not make into our top three picks, based on how it performed.
Here's how each tumbler ranked, according to our test results:
1. Simple Modern 40-Ounce Trek Tumbler
Leak Test: 3rd Place (out of 6) - Very little water leaked
Ice Test: 1st Place (out of 6) - Kept ice cold for 61 hours
The Simple Modern Trek Tumbler (reg. $29.99 at Target and Amazon) costs less than most others we compared — and surprisingly, it came out the strongest overall according to our tests.
During our Leak Test, the Simple Modern tumbler held in water better than the Stanley, Yeti, and Ozark Trail tumbler when turned upside down, spilling less water onto the countertop than the others.
But the Ice Test results were what really impressed us. The Simple Modern tumbler kept ice cold longer than all the other tumblers we tested. It took a whopping 61 hours for the water temperature inside to hit 50 degrees Fahrenheit, 12 hours longer than the next best performer.
You can buy the Simple Modern tumbler at Target or Amazon, but you'll save an extra 5% at Target when you pay with your RedCard.
2. Owala 40-Ounce Tumbler
Leak Test: 2nd Place (out of 6) - Almost no water leaked
Ice Test: 2nd Place (out of 6) - Kept ice cold for 49 hours
The Owala Tumbler (reg. $37.99 at Target and Amazon) didn't fall far behind the Simple Modern Tumbler. It performed the second best under both our tests.
The Leak Test showed the Owala held in leaks better than the Simple Modern, Stanley, Yeti, and Ozark Trail tumblers, with very little water spilling out onto the countertop.
During the Ice Test, it took 49 hours for the Owala's water temperature to reach 50 degrees Fahrenheit. This was the second-longest time we recorded, so the Owala Tumbler kept ice cold longer than four out of six tumblers we tested.
3. Brumate Era 40-Ounce Tumbler
Leak Test: 1st Place (out of 6) - No water leaked
Ice Test: 6th Place (out of 6) - Kept ice cold for 40 hours
The Brumate Era Tumbler (reg. $44.99 on Amazon) came in third place for us overall. Even though it performed the best under our Leak Test, it had the lowest performance under our Ice Test.
The Brumate didn't leak any water when flipped upside down for our Leak Test, so it totally lived up to its "leakproof" claim.
However, the Brumate tumbler came in last place during our Ice Test. Its water temperature reached 50 degrees Fahrenheit in 40 hours, faster than any other tumbler we tested. So, the Brumate didn't keep the ice cold as well as all the other tumblers did.
4. Stanley The Quencher H2.0 Flowstate 40-Ounce Tumbler
Leak Test: 5th Place (out of 6) - Heavy leaks occurred
Ice Test: 3rd Place (out of 6) - Kept ice cold for 46 hours
With all the hype around the Stanley Tumbler (reg. $45 on Stanley1913.com), we were surprised it didn't perform as well as other tumblers we tested.
During our Leak Test, the Stanley spilled more water onto the countertop than most other tumblers when turned upside down. The only tumbler that performed worse under our Leak Test was the Ozark Trail tumbler.
The Stanley came in third place during our Ice Test, keeping the ice cold longer than the Brumate, Yeti, and Ozark Trail and took 46 hours for the water inside to reach 50 degrees Fahrenheit.
This lines up with Stanley's claim to fame (keeps ice cold for two days), but other tumblers we tested stayed cold for even longer.
5. Yeti 42-Ounce Tumbler
Leak Test: 4th Place (out of 6) - Moderate leaks occurred
Ice Test: 5th Place (out of 6) - Kept ice cold for 41 hours
Our test results put the Yeti Tumbler (reg. $45 on Amazon) in second-to-last place.
During our Leak Test, the Yeti proved to be more prone to leaks than the Brumate, Owala, and Simple Modern tumblers when flipped upside down (yet still held up better than the Stanley).
Our Ice Test showed that the Yeti kept ice cold for 41 hours, which was the second-shortest time recorded for this test (behind the Ozark Trail).
So, three out of the six tumblers we tested proved to be more leakproof than the Yeti, and four out of the six tumblers kept ice cold longer than the Yeti. Overall, we weren't impressed by the Yeti's performance.
6. Ozark Trail 40-Ounce Tumbler
Leak Test: 6th Place (out of 6) - Extreme leaks occurred
Ice Test: 4th Place (out of 6) - Kept ice cold for 45 hours
The Ozark Trail Tumbler (reg. $19.97 at Walmart) came in last place, according to our test results. Though this tumbler is more than half the price compared to others we tested, it didn't hold up as well under both our tests.
The Ozark Trail proved to be the most prone to leaks during our Leak Test, spilling a large amount of water out onto the countertop when flipped upside down.
It took the Ozark 45 hours for the water inside to reach 50 degrees Fahrenheit during our Ice Test. So while it kept ice cold longer than the Yeti and Brumate tumblers, it didn't beat the Stanley, Owala, or Simple Modern tumblers.
Final Thoughts
If you're in the market for a new stainless steel tumbler but don't want to pay $45 for a Stanley, both the Simple Modern Tumbler ($29.99) and the Owala Tumbler ($37.99) are cheaper, high-quality alternatives.
We really did expect the Stanley Tumbler to win first place for both our Leak Test and Ice Test. That would make sense with all the hype, right? But the Simple Modern tumbler proved us very wrong and had the Stanley beat by a landslide.
The Simple Modern tumbler kept ice cold longer than any other tumbler we tested (61 hours), and our results showed it was the third-most leakproof tumbler overall.
Plus, with a $29.99 regular price, the tumbler from Simple Modern costs less than the Stanley, Brumate, Owala, and the Yeti tumbler.
Tell us what you think