With all the buzz surrounding Yeti tumblers in the retail market, customers have been asking us about branded Yeti tumblers for months now. Since Yeti still doesn’t offer in-house customization, top suppliers have finally enabled us to offer designer-inspired drinkware that can be branded with your company logo. Of course, there’s a BIG difference in the price tag on a Yeti tumbler vs. our corporate brands, so we decided to put the Yeti to the test against three similar tumblers that boast the same stainless steel finish and vacuum technology. We performed our own field test to see just how long each one could hold ice in a controlled setting, and the results just may surprise you!

The Contenders:

*Note that in the photos from our field test, we’ll refer to the products by the numbers below. #1: Yeti Rambler (30 oz) $39.99 *Note that the Yeti only holds 30 oz without the lid. It actually holds less when you have the lid on it.) #2: The Kong (26 oz) $15.99 It holds 30 oz without the lid, and includes a straw and a gift box. #3: The Himalayan (20 oz) As low as $9.99 This is a smaller version very similar to the 20 oz Yeti Rambler, but at a fraction of the $30 price tag for the Yeti version! After our product test was completed, they released a 30 oz and 10 oz version as well. #4: The Kirra Vacuum Water Bottle (25 oz) As low as $14.49 This one is a different body style from the Yeti, but it features a truly spill-proof, screw-on lid. It also comes in a matte black finish.

The Conditions for Our Test:

I conducted this field test in my air-conditioned home office, where the temperature hovered right around 72 degrees the whole time. I stored all four tumblers on my desk which sits in front of a bright, sunny window so there was some exposure to sunshine during the day. I used a handy digital thermometer to measure the temperature inside the tumblers.   9:30 a.m. Friday Morning: I filled each of the tumblers to the top with ice, then realized I’d have to take a little bit of ice out to accommodate the lids. I went ahead and took the starting temperature inside each tumbler. The Kong, Yeti and Himalayan all hovered at a little over 16 degrees, but the Kirra dropped all the way down to 15.3 degrees. 1:30 p.m. Friday Afternoon At the four hour mark, I saw very little ice melt in ANY of the tumblers. Temperatures for the Kong, Yeti and Himalayan all fell around 30 degrees, but the Kirra remained at 27 degrees.     6:30 p.m. Friday Evening A bit more ice had melted but all four tumblers were still going strong after 9 hours. Temperatures came in at almost exactly the same for all of them. 10:30 p.m. Friday Night Even after 13 hours, all four tumblers remained about ¾ full of ice.  The Yeti and Kong seemed to perform exactly the same, and the Kirra had the least amount of ice melt proportionate to where it started. Little to no temperature change. I went to bed eager to see how they fared overnight. 7:30 a.m. Saturday Morning Clocking in at 22 hours, all of the tumblers retained at least ½ of their ice overnight! (This is where I started to get impressed.) Temperature wise, the Himalayan came in just a few tenths of a degree warmer than the other tumblers and had the most melted ice, while the Kirra continued to hold the lead for the best ice retention. The Yeti and Kong remained neck and neck. 5:30 p.m. Saturday Evening After being out and about all day Saturday, I couldn’t wait to get home and see how our tumblers fared at a whopping 32 hours into the test. At this point, I stopped taking the temperature because it seemed like a moot point. If it’s frozen, it’s frozen! The Himalayan had a few slivers of ice left, and the Yeti pulled slightly ahead of the Kong in terms of ice retention, but not by much. The ice was still so frozen in the Kirra that I literally had to take an ice pick and chisel it down to get it out for measuring! 10:30 p.m. Saturday Night At the 37 hour checkpoint, the ice in the Himalayan had completely melted. (But seriously, for a tumbler that can hold ice for over 32 hours for as little as $10? I’m not complaining.) The Yeti had more ice than the Kong, but the Kirra took a major lead at this point. 7:30 a.m. Sunday Morning After a whopping 46 hours, ice had almost completely melted in the Kong and there was a little bit left in the Yeti. The Kirra clearly had the most.   7:30 a.m. Monday Morning It’s really hard for me to believe that 70 hours later, there is still this much ice left in the Kirra. There were a few tiny pieces of ice left in the Yeti, and the Kong was completely melted. The ice in the Kirra eventually melted around 2 p.m.  

Conclusions:

Clearly the Kirra outshined the Yeti in terms of ice retention, so if maximum performance is your primary concern, then the Kirra is your best bet! I do think that the screw-on, spill-proof lid  made a difference in our field test. We can safely say that ALL four tumblers delivered exactly as promised, retaining ice for at LEAST 24 hours or longer. The bottom line? If the hefty price tag for Yeti isn’t working for your budget, you can choose any of our designer-inspired alternatives with ABSOLUTE CONFIDENCE, and add your logo to sweeten the deal! Interested in ordering one of the items we tested? Contact us today!