It retains heat very well. It’s nice and fits most hands. My two takeaways are that it currently doesn’t come in a smaller 16-ounce size, which is odd, since its Hydro Flask cousin comes in a nice 12-ounce size. Looks like Oxo is still figuring out color. The color indicator on the website is almost a light blue, while the mug in the picture has a rather deep navy, but the one I got for testing was darker and more muted. The “magenta” is almost a cheerful orange in the photo, but it looks more like “Campbell’s Tomato” in real life.
I also ran a temperature test in my 70-degree Fahrenheit kitchen, filling each cup with water and closing the lid, then returning four hours later to measure the temperature. I have to keep in mind that the pots are of different sizes, as a larger volume of water will be able to keep warm for longer, but there are some surprises. The 14-time Yeti, with its wide mouth and slim lid, sits alone at the bottom at 125 degrees; warm but not hot. A large midsection was occupied by the 16-ounce Contigo, which is unimpressive for the size at 140 degrees; Hydrogen tank at 144 (not bad for a 12-ounce cup); and then three at the sweet spot, 17-ounce Takeya, and 16- and 20-ounce Oxos, at 153 degrees, 154, and 157 degrees, respectively. Zojirushis easily took the top honors for heat retention, with 173 degrees for the little guy and 180 degrees for the big guy.
Oddly enough, this is where it gets a bit thorny. Do you want something hot? My mouth is not amused at all when sipping 180 degree hot water. Most people will need to open a container of liquid at that temperature and let it cool for a while before drinking. Also, anything below 140 degrees is at dangerous area where bacteria can grow.
With that in mind, after 6.5 hours, I retested and concluded that only the Zojirus was (well) above 140 at 156 and 165 degrees, although the 20-ounce Oxo isn’t much below the 137 mark. If you need your drink to stay hot in the cup for a very long time, Zojirushis is the safest bet for you.
A pleasant surprise that shook everything up happened towards the end of the test, when I half filled the large Oxo with water, turned it upside down, and placed it in a plastic tub. I fully expected to see the bottom of the tub slowly fill with water, but no! I surrounded it with Contigo, Hydro Flask, two Zojirushis and Takeya, all filled with water, inverted and stuffed in their own tubs overnight. Elisabeth found the Tupperware party on my counter in the morning. She was curious to know more about what I would wake up to after she went to bed, and I am delighted to report that not a single drop had leaked between the six of them overnight.
“It’s impressive,” she said. “Engineers apply themselves to the world’s pressing problems!”
Then I brought the Oxo and the Hydro Flask, both 3/4 full of water, up to my little terrace, and one in each hand danced wildly until my arms hurt from trying to get them to explode. leak with a tight-fitting lid. Position. Impressively, they did not.
While “no leaks” is not a surprising outcome for Zojirushi and Takeya, the surprising stability of “less secure” competition is sure to enter their markets. In fact, it just revolved around my adventure commuter classification system.
The new Oxo might not be the best cup for everyone, but it does a lot of things well – especially how it works in the dishwasher – overall, it’s clearly a travel mug. best available.
