Most of us at some point have experienced that horrible feeling when you grab your flask out of your carryall on a cold day and you’re looking forward to a nice hot drink only to hear that horrible broken glass rattle of another dead flask. Stainless steel all but solved that problem and I’ve had some that have lasted me years but nothing lasts forever and with most it’s a problem with the stopper that finishes them off. The push button stoppers seem like a good idea but cleaning them can be problematic and I have had some rather unpleasant black bits in my coffee as a result.
So when my previous flask gave up the ghost I searched the internet for a nice robust flask that wasn’t going to cost a fortune and the general consensus seemed to be that Stanley flasks were hard to beat. I purchased one but really wasn’t very impressed at all, I did all the usual things like pre-heating the flask before filling it with coffee but on it’s first outing my tasty hot beverage was stone cold when I poured it out! Thinking I must have not screwed the stopper tight enough or something I gave it the benefit of the doubt.
But the next trip was the same and the one after with my hot drinks being not hot! I concluded it must be dodgy flask and took it back to the shop and exchanged it for another. This one was slightly better and would keep my drinks hot for a couple of hours but still not long enough to warm my hands at the end of the match, in fact I’d have to drink all of the contents in the first couple of hours or it wasn’t worth having!!! After a few years of this and others telling me their flasks keep drinks hot all day, enough was enough and it was time for a change.
Looking online, Thermos flasks also had a good reputation so I ordered one, a Thermos Stainless King 0.47L flask in Gun Metal Grey for £19.95 with free postage. The description stated that it would keep drinks hot for 18 hours and cold for 24 hours and has a 50 year guarantee.
New kid on the block
It arrived in a couple of days (and was very shiny!) and it’s first outing was on a river match where the proof of the pudding would be in the eating (or drinking in this case!) as the most essential part of this review would be if the flask actually keeps my coffee hot! In the morning I boiled the kettle and filled the flask with hot water to pre-heat it before filling it with coffee. Once at the river I set my kit up and then had a coffee while waiting for the start time and my drink was nice and hot.
So far, so good
Midway through the match, I had my second coffee and it was still hot enough but by no means piping hot. I had my third and final cup of coffee once the match ended and it was warm, perfectly drinkable, but if I’m honest I was slightly disappointed. Yes it performed better than my Stanley before I consigned it to the scrapheap but it didn’t give me the steaming hot cup of coffee I’d hoped for after a days fishing.
Of course, a single days fishing is by no means an exhaustive review and I intend to update this post over the winter to see how it performs, will it stand the test of time or will my search for a hot beverage container continue?
Are you preheating your milk? I have a Temu thermos, cost less than two quid (seriously) and it keeps my black coffee warm from the night before to 5pm.
Multiple thermos that others report good results makes me wonder if it’s your methodology, or perhaps you expect 90 degree water 8 hours after you poured it?
Anyhoo, nice to see written reviews and I wish you well in your search. Need a higher capacity and considering the King. Your review helped.