Customer Reviews

Coleman Stainless Steel Flask

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I've been using one of these for the past 3 ski seasons - lives in the chest pocket of my coat. The captive cap is well knurled and unscrews easily with big gloves on. The plastic....'leash?' - on the cap has proven to be more durable than I'd expected. Only after much use have I noticed a little bit of seepage from around the cap, but only when it's very full.

I was really looking for a way to carry water as I have severe dry mouth. It is a lot heavier than I expected, but appears very well constructed.

Pro: Good quality seams and filler cap. Lightweight but sturdy metal.
Con: bottom is slightly convex, so that the flask will not stand securely, but rather wobbles a bit.
Made in China (no surprise).

I'll just cut to the chase. Here're the facts:

1. The base wasn't perpendicular with the body. It was joined at an angle sloping up towards the front of the flask. It wouldn't stand upright whether full or empty. This made it challenging to fill and also to store.

2. The hinge on the top also wasn't attached perpendicular to the opening. It was at a slight angle. So, the cap didn't make good contact with the threads on the opening. It took multiple tries of forcing the cap to the right angle so that it would actually screw on. Despite trying my best, the cap very quickly cross threaded and would no longer make a good seal.

3. The welds were poor all around. There were pits and spots all over. No leaking that I could tell from them at least, but it looked bad.

4. To top it all off, after encountering the first three items, I decided to take a flashlight to the opening and see how the inside looked. It was covered with some type of corrosion...and we're expected to put a mixture of water and alcohol that we're going to drink into this thing?! Any chemicals in that sludge that are soluble in either water or alcohol would be dissolved into our drink. Keep in mind that, since this flask is manufactured in a foreign country and there was obviously no quality control going on, chemicals and processes not up to par for food grade storage materials could be used. For all I know it could have been a lovely mixture of star anise and ginger powder meant to enhance the flavor of our drinks, but the odds were against that option and I didn't want to take a gamble on it.

I was so disappointed with the quality of this item that I ended up throwing it away. It would have cost me as much as I paid for it initially to return ship it. I bought another flask that, while unfortunately smaller, is of much higher quality. Couldn't be happier with my second purchase. Please save yourself the money, time, disappointment, and possible health risks...avoid this one at all costs.