Finding the Best Tumbler: Our Tips & Research!

What are the best insulated tumblers that keep drinks hot or cold for hours?

Good news: there are LOTS of insulated tumblers with straws out there that perform just as well as a famous brand, in our opinion. We set off on a mission to find the best tumblers, with the help of our parent readership (1 million strong).

First, we gathered the favorites from our readers. Then we poured over third-party tests to see which cups actually kept smoothies or slushies cold after working out—or hot coffee piping hot, despite your 2 hour commute (we feel for you). 

And yes, we actually tried out a few of these insulated travel mugs ourselves. Along the way, we picked up a couple of tips and a few words of advice:

• All of the tumblers in this article are made of steel with double-wall vacuum insulation—that’s what keeps cold drinks cold. However, the performance of these tumblers can vary drastically—from name brands that have five hours of cold smoothie to lesser brands that keep drinks iced for just last an hour. 

• Be prepared: these cups are HEAVY! Thanks to all that steel construction, most cups we looked at for our article weighed in at just under 2 lbs. That’s empty! Add 30 or 40 ounces of liquid, and we are talking one heavy cup. Now, most of these tumblers are designed for a vehicle cup holder . . . not something you are toting around with you for long distances. That said, many folks are surprised by how heavy they can be.

• Straw? Handle? We prefer cups with both. That said, one of the top winners in our tests was a Yeti tumbler that lacked both (it has a slider lid). So we include it here as well as an alternative for those folks who don’t need either feature. In our tests, we found a straw is necessary for smoothies or slushies—so only go for the Yeti if you want it for hot beverages.

• How easy is it to clean? This was a critical feature that eliminated some contenders. We preferred dishwasher-safe tumblers that had no hard to clean (or re-assemble) small parts.

A final word of advice: For many of our readers, how much they liked a tumbler came down to how it feels in their hand. Some folks prefer a textured surface or handle, while others like a certain width of cup. We realize this is personal preference, so the winners in our tumbler tests tended to make the most folks happy.

Here are the tumblers we think are best.

About the Authors

Denise & Alan Fields are consumer advocates and best-selling authors. The Fields have authored 12 books with three million copies in print, including the best-selling guide to baby gear, Baby Bargains.

The Fields have been featured and quoted in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Los Angeles Times.

As consumer products experts, the Fields have been guests on the NBC Today Show, Good Morning America and ABC’s 20/20.

How We Pick Products To Recommend

We often turn to our readers (3 million strong!) to find products to recommend. We ask our parent readers for their favorites and consider their real-world experiences in our recommendations.

When we test a product, we always purchase it with our own monies. We do not take free samples, as we believe that compromises our independence.

We also fact check manufacturer information with our own measurements. If a maker claims a product weighs X pounds, we will weigh it to make sure. If the battery life is supposed to be six hours, we will see how it stands up in the real world.

In some cases, we will do interviews with experts in the field to get additional feedback on products.

To get hands-on time with products, we regularly meet one-on-one with gear companies and even tour manufacturing facilities. (When we do this, we pay our own travel expenses).

Why Trust Us

We’ve been rating and reviewing products for the home and families since 1994. We do extensive research, evaluating products with an eye toward quality, ease of use and affordability.

We make our living from affiliate commissions, but we always recommend what we think are the best bets for our readers (not the ones that are the most expensive). We are always looking for products that offer the best bang for the buck.

Our independence is a key reason why we have been doing this so long. As we mentioned above, when we purchase a product for hands-on testing, we do so with our own money.

Here’s another key point: we don’t take money from the brands we review. No free samples, no sponsors, no “partnerships.” Our work is 100% reader-supported!