Comparative Test Between 360º, CamelBak, NTK, and Stanley Thermal Cups

Recently, here at the Gear Tips Lab, we carried out a comparative test between a glass cup and a stainless steel vacuum-insulated thermal cup from the brand 360° (a brand owned by Sea to Summit) to demonstrate the difference in performance regarding thermal insulation and temperature increase of the liquid (in this case, beer) over time. The result was obvious: the performance of the thermal cup is far superior. But the test served as the beginning of our project at the Gear Tips Lab to prove the efficiency of different gear.

Now, it’s time to begin testing various stainless steel, double-walled, vacuum-insulated thermal cups available in the Brazilian market, comparing them in two aspects:

• Cold Liquids: Temperature Increase vs Time
• Hot Liquids: Temperature Drop vs Time

We will not go into details about the attributes and features of each cup, as this will be covered in specific videos on our YouTube channel.

As explained in previous articles, one of the great challenges when comparing gear is maintaining consistent conditions throughout the test and performing simultaneous tests whenever possible.

Additionally, defining certain parameters and conditions is essential, so the tests can be replicated later, enabling result validation or testing of other thermal cups.

The test was conducted using all four thermal cups simultaneously to avoid any variation in the above conditions, as all cups were in the same room, with the same ambient temperature, and with the same liquid. Instead of beer used in the previous test, we decided to use filtered water, since the tests included both cold and hot liquids.

The Gear Tips Lab setup for evaluating thermal cups from 360º, CamelBak, Stanley, and NTK using water

We also used the following Gear Tips Lab equipment:

Thermal cup test with cold liquids

The first test was done using cold water. We started the test simultaneously with water at a temperature of 2 ºC. Below is a brief summary of the test:

Initial Water Temperature: 2 ºC
Final Water Temperature: 20 ºC
Measured Temperatures: 5 ºC, 10 ºC, 15 ºC, and 20 ºC
Experiment Start Time: 01h 40min 38sec
Experiment End Time: 21h 36min 00sec
Total Experiment Time: 19h 55min 22sec

In the chart below (Time vs. Temperature Increase), it’s clear that the best thermal efficiency is from the CamelBak thermal cup.

To help interpret the chart, below are the times it took for the water in each cup to reach the defined temperature levels (5 ºC, 10 ºC, 15 ºC, and 20 ºC):

In the chart below (Temperature Increase vs. Time), we can see another interpretation of the data, where it’s clear once again that the cups from 360º and Stanley have very similar thermal efficiency for cold liquids, as their curves are nearly overlapping.

Thermal cup ranking for cold liquids:

1st Place: CamelBak
2nd Place: Stanley (virtually tied with 360º)
3rd Place: 360º (virtually tied with Stanley)
4th Place: NTK

Stanley and NTK thermal cups during Gear Tips Lab testing

Thermal cup test with hot liquids

The second test used hot water. After allowing the thermal cups to return to room temperature, we began the new test simultaneously with water at 92.6 ºC. Below is a brief summary of the test:

Initial Water Temperature: 92.6 ºC
Final Water Temperature: 40 ºC
Measured Temperatures: 80 ºC, 60 ºC, and 40 ºC
Experiment Start Time: 01h 39min 16sec
Experiment End Time: 13h 37min 16sec
Total Experiment Time: 11h 58min 00sec

In the chart below (Time vs Temperature Drop), we can clearly see that the best thermal efficiency, once again, comes from the CamelBak thermal cup.

IMPORTANT: We identified a time error of 01h 39min 16sec in the temperature drop data for all cups across all temperature ranges. The correct data is reflected in the table below and does not affect the curves in the two presented graphs. In this post, the data is corrected, but in the video on our channel, the temperature drop times still include this extra time.

To help interpret the chart, below are the times it took for the water in each cup to reach the defined temperature levels (80 ºC, 60 ºC, and 40 ºC):

In the chart below (Temperature Drop vs. Time), we see another view of the data, which once again confirms CamelBak as the clear winner.

Thermal cup ranking for hot liquids

1st Place: CamelBak
2nd Place: 360º
3rd Place: NTK
4th Place: Stanley

360º and CamelBak thermal cups in the Gear Tips Lab comparative test

Final ranking of the thermal cups

The table below shows the placement of each thermal cup for Cold and Hot Liquids. To determine the final ranking, we averaged the placements of all four cups for both temperatures, resulting in the final classification:

Thermal cup prices

The list below shows the current prices (April/2021) of the thermal cups tested in this experiment. It’s worth noting that prices vary from store to store, and the prices shown are the suggested retail prices by the brands:

• NTK: R$ 129.90
• 360º: R$ 186.90
• Stanley: R$ 239.90
• CamelBak: R$ 249.90

Full video with the tests from this thermal cup comparison

This post is also available in: Português (Portuguese (Brazil)) Español (Spanish)