Best of My Comparison
-Important to Me- I was shopping for a leakproof 20 oz travel mug to use for coffee. I’ve had a Contigo West Loop for about five years but its trigger button doesn’t open far anymore and it will need to be replaced soon. I wanted to see if there’s a better option for me, so I compared the Zojirushi SM-SHE60BZ, Camelbak Forge Flow, and Hydro Flask Stainless Steel Wide Mouth Bottle. The features I like most in my Contigo are the trigger opening lid, the rubber around the lid for grip, and the overall size. However, the inside stains easily, the lid is nearly impossible to clean thoroughly without the using the dishwasher, and the trigger lock button also serves are an air hole so leaks if you don’t lock it. I'll use this mug to take coffee to work then for water throughout the day. I’ll fill the mug with coffee, throw it in my backpack and lay that on the car seat for the commute to the office, and keep the mug on my desk. I’ll also use this for water other times to take with me while I’m driving. I need this to be leakproof, keep coffee reasonably hot for a couple hours (I don’t like piping hot coffee, and I don’t have complaints about the Contigo), and be able to fit this in the fridge door recess for filling from the ice maker. I also don’t want the mug to make a lot of noise when I set it down on a table or my desk. I use adhesive felt on the bottom of my Contigo for this, but a built-in feature is nice to have. -Mug Size- The Zojirushi is the tallest and slimmest of all, so it will fit in the most cup holders, backpack sleeves, etc. The Hydro Flask, Camelbak, and Contigo are all roughly the same height with the lids on, the Contigo just about 1/8” shorter than the others. Lids off, the Hydro Flask stays about the same height with the Contigo then the Camelbak coming in shortest. The diameters are about the same across these three. Someone with small hands may prefer the Zojirushi over the others. All mugs fit in the recess for my LG water and ice maker but the Zojirushi just barely. I measured the opening because a larger opening is easier to use. I want to be able to fill the mug with ice from the fridge door, and pouring coffee from the pot is easier with a larger opening. The largest is the Camelbak, followed by the Contigo, then the Hydro Flask, and smallest is the Zojirushi. The Zojirushi definitely needed some attention to fill without spilling from my standard coffee pot. The Camelbak is the winner here. -Heat Retention- I filled each mug with 20 oz of water at 183.1 degrees F and let them sit for two hours. After an hour I did a touch test on the mugs, very imprecise, but I felt the sides of the mugs as well as the top and side of their lids. The Contigo mug was a bit warm on the outside. None of the other mugs felt noticeably warm but the Zojirushi did feel cooler than the rest; that could be due to the non-powder coated smooth finish though. The Contigo’s lid was very warm on the top and sides, warmest of all. The Camelbak lid’s top and sides were nearly as warm as the Contigo’s. The Hydro Flask lid was less warm than those, and Zojirushi lid was barely warmer than the air temperature. I’d imagine this will correlate to the amount of sweat that develops on iced drinks. All reviews indicated that the Zojirushi would retain heat best, almost to a fault. This proved to be true with a final temperature of 172.8. Next was the Hydro Flask at 160.7, then the Camelbak at 152.8, and the Contigo at 151.5. -Other Useful (and bad) Features- The Zojirushi has their proprietary Slick Steel interior finish intended to resist stains and corrosion. It feels smoother than the others so I won’t be surprised if it resists coffee stains better than the rest. The light colored plastic mouth piece and silicone stopper, though, will show stains more than black plastic of the others. The locking lid will prevent unexpected leaks if the button is pressed accidentally. The exterior finish is smooth and close to the Contigo. It also looks more modern compared to the others. It’s definitely the highest quality mug of this group. The Camelbak has a powder coated finish that is tactile and easy to grip, and a non-slip silicone base that makes it nearly silent to set down on a table. It has a trigger button for easy drinking but it does not lock closed so accidental spills are possible, for example if it’s rolling around in a backpack. The fixed handle on the lid could be useful depending on the person but would be an unnecessary feature if you won’t use it. It isn’t really detrimental, though, and does help stabilize the mug when drinking. The Hydro Flask’s powder coated finish is also tactile and easy to hold on to. There’s less chance of it slipping out of your hand and just feels nice, slightly better than the Camelbak. Its Flex Sip lid is a quarter-turn open and closed, so it will be difficult to accidentally open but less convenient than a button open. The Flex Strap on the lid could be useful carrying the mug but also rotates out of the way if you don’t want it. There’s a silicone boot accessory available that will reduce noise when setting the mug down on a table. -My Choice- I ultimately chose the Hydro Flask. It has the best balance of features I’m looking for. I’ve used it for a week now and I’m happy. The Flex Strap makes it easy to carry and the powder coated surface is easy to hold. I bought the silicone boot which fits well and makes it quiet to set on a table. The boot isn't perfect though: it makes setting it in a car's cupholder difficult and it picks up dirt. Read more
