Individuals like to speak concerning the on-line bubbles we’re all siloed into, however if you happen to’re on social media, you’ve got nearly definitely witnessed the reusable water bottle craze that has taken the web by storm in current months. Stanley gave the impression to be the clear winner, as the corporate’s colourful pastel bottles have been seen because the apex of a wholesome and hydrated life-style, full with TikTok dances and a whole lot of house evaluations. However the fickle tides of destiny could also be receding, pulling Stanley again into the combo of market competitors.

The newest competitor to mark its territory is HydroJug (to not be confused with the opposite reusable bottle model, Hydro Flask). HydroJug has been flying below the radar for a while now. It did not even register on our record of the 15 hottest water bottles, which got here out in August 2023. However if you happen to flick through TikTok even for a second, you will discover dozens of movies displaying Stanley followers ditching their outdated Stanley cups in favor of a HydroJug.

It is essential to drink sufficient water day-after-day, and a reusable water bottle is an effective way to make that occur. However it’s good to know what you are shopping for earlier than you place the order. We’ll give attention to the 2 hottest merchandise from each firms, the Stanley Quencher and the same trying HydroJug Traveler, however each manufacturers have an intensive catalog of merchandise to select from, so be at liberty to dig deeper if these tumblers aren’t precisely what you are in search of.

Though Stanley has been capable of capitalize on the renewed curiosity in correct hydration, the corporate is way from an in a single day grift trying to money in on social media developments. Stanley was based over 100 years in the past in 1913, when William Stanley Jr. invented the very first Stanley product: an all-steel vacuum bottle. His design used vacuum insulation to maintain the contents of the cup scorching or chilly, whereas remaining sturdy via its use of metal. An awesome many fashionable reusable water bottles nonetheless use this precise design at this time, and the favored Stanley Quencher is one in all them. 

In fact, the design of Stanley merchandise has modified fairly a bit through the years. Initially marketed towards blue collar staff in want of a sturdy strategy to keep hydrated on the job, the brand new Stanley Quencher is available in a kaleidoscope of cute and colourful pastels, all of that are going gangbusters with self-described “Stanley cup girlies” who’re a part of the it woman Stanley tumbler pattern. It is good to see an organization with broad attraction, however the enhance in income that has come out of its newly found market viewers is truthfully jaw dropping. 

In 2019, Stanley posted a income of round $70 million. Though the official information hasn’t been launched but, the anticipated numbers for 2023, in line with Statista, are near an eye-popping $750 million – that is an over 1,000% enhance in income in simply 4 years. Though Stanley shouldn’t be alone, it is protected to say that the corporate found an untapped market via the Quencher and eternally modified the business due to it.

HydroJug is a newer contender within the business, having solely arrived on the scene in 2016. The corporate was based by the brothers Hayden and Jake Wadsworth in Ogden, Utah, and yearly the model appears to get extra fashionable. Though the corporate has doubtless confronted stiff competitors and difficult obstacles alongside the way in which, 2024 is a make-or-break yr for this firm, because the model is actually stepping out onto the nationwide (if not international) stage for the primary time. Like most profitable firms on this market, HydroJug focuses on producing high-quality drinkware merchandise utilizing protected and wholesome supplies. 

We’ll get extra into how the supplies differ from Stanley right here in only a second, but it surely’s value contemplating simply how a lot the market has shifted towards premium items. A deep dive into this phenomenon would require a separate article, however the shift arguably began in 2014 when YETI started making its uniquely sturdy (and costly) drinkware and coolers. In some ways, the success of YETI paved the way in which for Stanley’s transition to the Quencher and for HydroJug’s ascension simply behind it. However sufficient concerning the firms themselves, let’s take a look at the merchandise.

First off, the Stanley Quencher is available in 5 totally different sizes starting from 14 ounces to 64 ounces. The HydroJug Traveler, in the meantime, is bought in three sizes: 20, 32, and 40 ounces. Each merchandise use BPA-free chrome steel and vacuum insulation to create a container that may hold your ice frozen and your espresso scorching for hours at a time. The HydroJug does differentiate itself through the use of a triple-layer insulation versus Stanley’s double-wall insulation, which theoretically would enhance its temperature retention. 

We are saying theoretically, as a result of we could not discover good information on simply how lengthy the HydroJug retains issues scorching or chilly. A Stanley cup will hold chilly drinks chilly for 11 hours and scorching drinks scorching for seven hours with its double insulation. HydroJug claims it may well hold contents scorching or chilly for twenty-four hours. However buyer suggestions for HydroJug has been combined on temperature retention, so take it with a grain of salt. 

One of many first issues HydroJug homeowners will discover is the rubber base on the backside of their Traveler cup, which eliminates the annoying metallic clang that you simply get while you set a Stanley cup down. The HydroJug is not precisely silent, but it surely’s considerably extra muted by comparability. Each the Stanley and HydroJug tumblers use a powder coat end to realize that glossy, clean look that everybody loves. Some on-line chatter would counsel that the HydroJug’s coating is much less prone to chip than that of a Stanley, but it surely’s most likely too quickly to say for sure.

With regards to reusable water bottles, the lid is arguably a very powerful a part of the design. At face worth, HydroJug’s lid seems to have a substantial benefit over the Stanley lid as a result of it’s just about spill-proof, as long as it is closed up tight. One of many principal complaints clients have about Stanley cups is that they leak their contents the second they turns sideways. That is not the case for HydroJugs. You possibly can maintain a HydroJug the other way up and shake it and completely nothing will come out, which is an enormous promoting level for anybody with youngsters. There’s a draw back to this, however we’ll get again to that in a second.

Stanley cups use a lid that has a rotating cap on it that covers the drink spout. Its progressive design permits for 3 totally different modes. You possibly can shut it, you may uncover it to drink straight from the spout, or you need to use the straw gap to put a straw inside and drink that method. So, whereas it does leak if tipped over, it’s a versatile lid that a number of individuals love. HydroJug has a round straw constructed into its lid, which you’ll simply pop open or closed – simply be sure that the straw is totally closed to maintain it spill-proof. An extended, removable straw matches into the underside of the lid, so you may sip away even when the cup will get low.

To date, HydroJug has been trying fairly good compared to Stanley. However it is essential to wash reusable water bottles often. Each Stanley and HydroJug tumblers are dishwasher protected, which is handy, however there’s nonetheless an issue. You see, HydroJug’s collapsible straw lid is totally spill-proof and straightforward to make use of, but it surely would not come aside. That makes it pretty tough to wash, and many purchasers have reported mould development across the edges of the straw which can be out of attain of family cleansing gear.

The HydroJug web site recommends often soaking the lid in a combination of dish cleaning soap, vinegar, and water to maintain mould from forming, however the firm would not specify precisely how typically clients ought to take this step. Continuously having to soak your water bottle on prime of normal cleansing is not precisely handy, and ingesting water that is filtering via energetic mould is not profitable over new clients, both. 

If HydroJug would not discover a higher resolution shortly (akin to a lid with a removable straw), the corporate might discover its quarter-hour of fame coming to an abrupt finish as soon as the model is related to this problem. Stanley’s lid does have leaking points like we addressed. However all the items are removable, which makes for a way more handy and thorough cleansing course of, as long as you correctly dry them. Cleansing Stanley cups is not excellent, although, as some clients complain concerning the coloration coating chipping off even when they’re washed by hand.

For those who’ve been following the Stanley fad in any respect, you are doubtless conscious that the primary main hiccup within the model’s picture was when the corporate admitted that its tumblers contained lead in early 2024. Earlier than you name your physician about lead poisoning, remember the fact that solely a small quantity of lead is used within the base of the product, and it is tucked away from all inside or exterior surfaces. In different phrases, until you break the bottle aside, the lead won’t ever contact your arms or the cup’s liquid contents.

However there is a cause society takes lead poisoning as severely because it does. Lead poisoning will be deadly at a excessive sufficient dose, and even low doses could cause untimely start or miscarriage in pregnant ladies, developmental problems in kids, and cognitive decline in adults, amongst different disagreeable signs. Lead can accumulate in your physique over a protracted time frame, so even a small quantity is an inexpensive trigger for concern.

Stanley has maintained that its merchandise are utterly protected regardless of the presence of lead within the base, however the information has many people trying to find water bottles that comprise no lead in any way. HydroJug, sadly, can’t be named amongst them. To be clear, the corporate hasn’t publicly said whether or not HydroJug merchandise comprise lead or not. However at a time when the presence of lead is at the moment crippling the highest model’s picture, one would assume that HydroJug could be dying for a chance to distance itself from such accusations — and this has but to occur.