Customer Reviews

Contigo 2-pack Vacuum Insulated AUTOSEAL Elite Travel Mugs ~ Deep Red and Grey

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Last season I purchased several dual packs of the stainless steel Contigo Travel Mugs for gifts as well as for myself. Everyone wanted to throw out all of their other travel mugs and replace them with this stainless steel Contigo mug, so I have been watching the warehouse where I purchased these last year. This year they are selling a different one, Contigo Vaccum Insulated AUTOSEAL Elite Travel mugs. I purchased several packs, openned one and am returning all of them. They have plastic inside that makes your coffee have an off flavor, they are too tall to fit in my kitchen cabs, and they will not fit into my car's cupholder. Last year's product was great!! If it ain't broke, don't fix it!"

The Elite Travel Mug, like most of Contigo's drinking mugs, does a very good job at keeping cold drinks cold, and a good job of keeping hot drinks hot. They utilize double wall construction, and are very sturdy, leak-proof (so far), and utilize a button to open a valve that allows the liquid to flow.

I have only been using Contigo autoseal mugs for a short time, but I really like them. Besides the Elite Travel Mug, I also have the Contigo West Loop mug, and the Contigo Elle insulated mug. The Elle mug is made of plastic rather than metal, so this review will basically be a comparison of the Elite and the West Loop mugs, which are both primarily constructed of stainless steel.

Plastic is used in both mugs, but it doesn't seem to affect the taste of drinks. I mostly use the mug for cold drinks, and it does an excellent job of keeping liquids cold, easily lasting 5 hours or more at normal room temperature. Contigo says that their leak-proof mugs are not intended for use with carbonated drinks, but there are really no major issues with drinking soda from them. The seal locks in the gases, which causes pressure to build up, but all you need to do is push the button to release any gas before you drink. Also, boiling hot liquids are not supposed to be poured into these mugs.

The 16 ounce Elite, is marketed as a travel mug, and has rubber at the neck for easy gripping, and also at the base for a nice snug fit a vehicle cup holder. The lid is made of plastic, and screws into a plastic base at the top to the mug. It takes less than half a turn to tighten the lid, and a rubber seal inside the mug prevents leaks. The push-to-drink button is quite large, and easy to locate while driving.

The West Loop mug also holds 16 ounces, but unlike the Elite mug the bottom is constructed entirely of metal, with no rubber grip at the bottom. The all metal construction of the West Loop does a better job of preventing the transfer of heat, as ice melts faster in the Elite mug. The design of the lids is different, as the West Loop has a smaller pushbutton. The top of the lid of the West Loop is slightly angled, while the Elite is more flat.

I am not a coffee drinker, but some that are have reported that coffee gunk will build up inside the West Loop lid, and that it is very difficult to clean. The seal is on the inside lip of the lid, and is also kind of hard to clean as well. For the Elite, the seal is inside the mug and can be easily cleaned. The lid appears to have some parts that are not readily accessible, but may still be easier to clean than the West Loop lid.

For cold drinks, you probably can't go wrong with either mug. I use the West Loop at home, and the Elite travels with me on the drive to work. The West Loop looks a little more slick, while the Elite has a more practical appearance.

The Elite previously was sold on QVC, and seems to be retailing now only as a two pack. It's available in several color combinations (blue/green, red/grey, and raspberry/aqua). I got mine at Costco for $20, and recommend you try there first, as Costco also has coupons where you can get certain items even cheaper. The West Loop currently ranges from $14 to $20, depending on the color. My five star rating is based on the product quality and the price I paid, which is quite a bit lower than Amazon's.

Be very careful which version of the travel mug you purchase, the newer version is terrible! I purchased these mugs as a two-pack at a local warehouse club last year. They are my favorite travel mugs ever. They keep my coffee hot, fit into my car cup holders, and never spill, drip, or leak. Unfortunately, I dropped one from a considerable distance onto the pavement and it broke. I was very excited when the same warehouse offered a two-pack again recently. I purchased them again. To my dismay, after several tries and several stained blouses, I returned them. I couldn't drink out of them without coffee eventually ending up on my face or clothing! The older version has stainless steel only cup (I would give it 5 stars). The newer version has the stainless steel base but has a plastic colored ring around the bottom of the cup base (I would give it 1 star).

Bought this exact same set from Costco, in Fall, 2010. We had the old Contigo ones with the pull-loop to open and close, and loved those, but Costco replaced those with these new ones. The biggest issue is that when you take a drink, then release the seal, then a small amount of coffee actually splashes into your face. Must be because the seal is so strong, but it's VERY ANNOYING! We're now looking for the old-style ones again. It does keep the coffee hot, but who wants to get splashed every time you take a drink? Seriously, Contigo, why mess with a good thing!

Out of dozens of travel mugs that I have ever used, this is the first one that I have found that really does NOT drip or leak when upset!!! I'm ordering more!

These were a replacement to another set of Contigo Liqui-Seal mugs I had used for years. I have had these since February and so far I haven't had any trouble with them. These are excellent travel mugs, some of the best I've used and I have used a lot of them.

You get 2 (a red and grey) in the package for about $40, which in my opinion is a great value considering the product you are getting.

The containers are made of vacuum-sealed dual-walled stainless steel inside and out with a hard plastic top and base with nonslip rubber inserts. The cap is made of hard plastic and has a ring of textured nonslip rubber at the base where it screws into the plastic top of the vacuum container. The soft rubber at the base keeps it from slipping off a wet countertop or table and gives it extra stability to keep it from tipping (not really a problem though). The soft rubber at the top makes the mug easy to hold on to.

To drink from the mug you push button at the back of the lid. Let go of it and it totally seals the mug, even the vent-hole. The button is big (which is good), easy to push (also good) and spring-loaded so it closes tightly (very good).

There are a lot of seals inside the lid that really work because I have never had it leak on me (other than overfilling it, which the directions said would make it leak out of the threads...fill it to the very bottom of the threaded part!). In my real-world testing I've dropped it off a counter top, had it slip out of my hands, and threw it across the room with no leaks whatsoever. It's super-sturdy, no dents either.

It kept my coffee hot for (no joke) 3+ hours and my cold drinks (on a hot day) cool for 4 hours. They don't "sweat" in humid weather when filled with cold beverages either. They work as advertised. These are top-rack dishwasher safe, but I couldn't get the vacuum canister to fit on the top rack of my washer.

Pros.
Work as advertised
Spill and leak-proof
Durable stainless inner and outer liner
Vacuum sealed
Keeps hot and cold drinks hot and cool for hours
Nonslip soft-rubber inserts reduce slipping and tipping
Large autoseal button easy to use
Dishwasher safe (top rack only)

Cons.
Screw threads for the cap inside the canister are flimsy and will break if cross- threaaded
Lid is easy to cross thread
Vacuum canister won't fit the top rack of my washer
Interior almost impossible to clean. I couldn't get the coffee smell out of it!

Other than that, buy these. The competition might say they are leak/spill proof, but these really are!

I had purchased Contigo mugs before but this newer style is great. The mugs keep my coffee really hot and keep me from spilling it on my long drive to work. I carry it around during the day and get lots of compliments on it. I would suggest any coffee lover to purchase one.

Below 0 tested!
I used this mug skeptically when it was -10 outside and I had to walk 20 min across campus. My coffee stayed hot and I was very happy! It's hard to find a good mug and this one seals shut and I can throw it in my bag and trust that it won't leak all over my computer and gadgets! I highly recommend this mug! (I've never been this enthusiastic about a stupid mug). :)

In general, these mugs beat the other travel mugs I've used. They are extremely effective at trapping heat, are completely leakproof under normal operating conditions, and they also take a laser mark beautifully (I had Laser It All put my company logo on one for me.) The button-based drinking/sealing system works very well, and eliminates the need to flip something on the lid back and forth or to unscrew a cap, features that are common in other designs. It also eliminates the need for a breather hole, which I've found to be a frequent source of leaks.

That being said, they have a few minor flaws, which is why I gave them four stars instead of five. First, it's easy to put the lid on in a slightly crooked/cross-threaded fashion, which defeats the seal (I had coffee spill down my jacket and onto my pants on one occasion when I put the mug under my arm without checking it.) Drinking from them takes some getting used to, as you have to suck up any extra liquid that comes out after you release the button (There's no rim to trap it on the top of the cup.) The gray mug got a coffee stain on the plastic where my lips go after a few days of use; it's been impossible to remove so far. They also trap heat so well that my coffee is too hot to drink for the first 15-20 minutes, and I can't blow on it to cool it off (I've taken to slipping in a cube of ice before sealing it up in the morning.)

One other thing worth noting: The inner workings of the lid (where the sealing mechanism is housed) are inaccessible, meaning you can't clean them thoroughly, as far as I can tell. So far, this hasn't been a problem for me, but your standards may be higher than mine.

These mugs are sleek, & the press tab sip function thing is really nice--my favorite part. But for me it comes down to keeping my drinks warm, & these don't do the job. You get maybe two hours of moderate warmth in these guys... so halfway through the morning you're sipping lukewarm coffee at best. Would't recommend it.