Customer Reviews

Thermos Stainless King SK1005MB4 16-Ounce Leak-Proof Travel Mug, Midnight Blue

5 star:		(586)
4 star:		(77)
3 star:		(26)
2 star:		(16)
1 star:		(18)

 

 

I've been using travel mugs for years now and I've had some pretty good ones, but I've never had one that met all my criteria for a well designed travel mug until now. What makes this travel mug so great (and those that have been using travel mugs for a while will understand what I'm talking about) is:


- Keeps things HOT: This is travel mug 101, but not everyone does it well. This Thermos mug keeps my coffee hot for hours! Works exceeding well.

- Leak-Proof: This is another big one for me and this mug is indeed leak-proof. I filled it up and turned it upside down, shook it, rolled it, you name it, nothing leaked out.

- Cleaning: First, it's dishwasher safe; this is more uncommon than you would think. Second, you can take the lid apart to get at all the parts for cleaning so you don't get build-up in hard to reach corners of the lid over time, very nice! [NOTE: Paperwork that came with product said it was dishwasher safe, but on Thermos's web site (and Amazon product description) they specifically say NOT to put their "stainless steel vacuumware" products in the dishwasher and that they are NOT dishwasher safe. Not sure which is correct]

- Lid Design & Stainless Steel Lip: The stainless steel lip for sipping is more comfortable than plastic or rubber. Also, the design of the lid helps in preventing scalding hot liquid from getting to your mouth too fast.

- Doesn't have rubber smell: A rubbery smelling lid is a problem that is often overlooked and something I really don't like. This Thermos mug uses plastic, stainless steel and a rubber gasket in the lid. It doesn't have any smell when you drink from it, which is perfect!

- Build quality: It's built like a tank, in fact some may find it too heavy, but it's clearly well made.

- Shape and Size: It's a 16 oz mug, but what's nice is it will fit in a "standard cup" sized cup holder. I own a 2001 VW Passat and they are not known for their cup holders, but no problem with this mug. This, again, is often overlooked; just a great design.


The only thing I can't comment on about this travel mug is its durability over time, since I've only had it for a couple of weeks, but other than that it's the only travel mug I've ever owned that met or exceeded everything on my list of what I think "the perfect travel mug" should be.


This travel mug may not be for everyone. I love the midnight blue color and heft of this mug, but my wife prefers the shape, weight, and look of the stainless steel "Contigo" travel mug, which is also a very nice travel mug. The issues I had with the Contigo travel mug were: 1) doesn't fit in my car's cup holder, (2) no escape from hot liquid, much easier to burn your mouth, and (3) harder to clean.


This Thermos Stainless King travel mug gets my vote for the best and is well worth the $; can't recommend it enough!

I typically pour my coffee around 7:20am and by 8:45 it is ice cold and I never finish it. I have been through countless mugs, but none keep it warm, much less hot, for more than 45 minutes. I have been wanting a mug to keep my coffee hot for most of the morning, but my wife just said I drink it too slow. But along comes this king. WOW! This mug keeps my coffee hot, and I mean piping hot. I have made it to 11:45 with some coffee remaining and it was still very hot. I guess it would stay hot for an hour or two longer, but I never make it that long before I finish it. And the outside of the mug is cool / cold to the touch...you would never know it was hot inside.

Additionally, I wasn't really looking for a spill proof mug, but I have found it to be quite handy. I simply add creamer and sweetener, put on the lid and shake it up...100% leakproof. I even carry it in my bag. I coerced my wife to try it and she could not believe it. Needless to say, she bought one and we have thrown out the rest of our "wanna-be" coffee travel mugs. Totally worth the $$$.

Pros: Easily cleaned, keeps liquid hot for a lengthy period of time, durable, truly leak-proof (so far), extra capacity is great for those of us who want a lot of coffee or tea.

Cons: While the extra capacity is great, it necessarily means that the container might be uncomfortable to hold for those with small hands. It also lacks a handle--having one would reduce the potential of dropping it (which I did--read on).

A note of caution: Amazon did a very poor job packing this item, and it rolled freely around in the shipping box. As a result, the finish was damaged in transit. However, Amazon gave me an additional 20% off the price of the mug, which was an acceptable trade-off (especially considering that I dropped the mug during the first week of use and dented it!).

Speaking of the dent, the mug is extremely durable--it fell from about 6 feet or so, and was dented in such a way that the mug no longer sat flush on a flat surface. I used a hammer to flatten out the bottom, and while the mug now has some significant cosmetic damage, it still works PERFECTLY!

All things considered, this is the best travel mug I've ever owned. Previously, I used this one:

Thermos Nissan 14-Ounce Leak-Proof Insulated Travel Mug

I did not like it because the rubberized handle got nastily sticky over time. This mug is much better.

EDIT/FOLLOW-UP: I have used the mugs for a few weeks now, and have two minor complaints: 1) It is not always leak-proof--usually, but not always. Disassembling, cleaning, and reassembling the lid seems to do the trick. 2) My second complaint is more of an issue for me: the silicone parts of the lid retain the odors of coffee and tea--washing the parts repeatedly and soaking them in detergent overnight does not get rid of the smell. This is annoying when drinking afternoon tea and having the strong smell of coffee interfere with the taste of the tea. However, as most leak-proof mugs probably use silicone to prevent spillage, I'll either have to get a mug that is not leak-proof, or just deal with it. As a result of these issues, I dropped a star--still good, but not perfect.

EDIT #2: Never put this mug in a back pack or briefcase. You'll be sorry. It is not leak proof. I now give it 3 stars.

What are you looking for in a travel mug? That's the main question you should ask yourself when purchasing this item.

Mine were the following:
- Easy to clean (or if not easy, at least I can take it apart to clean it)
- Keeps coffee warm for more than 3 hours
- Spill/leak proof
- Decent price
- Solid colors

If so, you're all set!

I was skeptical purchasing this item, as I didn't drink coffee everyday. On the days that I did do it, having one of those cheap free ones just didn't cut it since I never finished my coffee before it turned into an iced coffee (but without the ice!) AND it was easy to spill which was aggravating to say the least.
After looking at another product - "Con' with a 'tigo" , I realized that while that product was cheaper (two for a Jackson at a local COST-COmpany warehouse!!), cleaning was going to be an issue with some nooks and crannies... The lid can be taken apart into FIVE pieces for better cleaning.

I have tried putting freshly brewed coffee into this and it DOES keep it HOT for 5+ hours. On the 9th/10th hour, it was decent lukewarm temp. but that's a bit extreme for most people. (I didn't completely follow the instructions where it says to "preheat" the thermos for "maximum efficiency"; you may get better results if you do that!)

The thermos fits THREE regular cups of coffee in it, and no more! Sugar and creamer will push it over the edge and you may spill some on yourself!


*WARNING* IF YOU DO BUY THIS, DO !!! NOT NOT NOT !!! use any utensils to mix your coffee inside that may scratch the finish! I used a metal spoon, and now I have a few scratches on the bottom inside of the thermos. Will be using a wooden spoon next time!

Finally, the picture is a bit misleading IMO. It looks like the outside is made of some sort of rubber, but it's actually just the color and shine that affects the picture. I believe its just a regular blue stainless steel, but definitely NOT plastic or rubber.

[edit] 6/25/10: Looks like it isn't 100% spill/leak proof as once thought. If the thermos is completely flipped over (meaning the lid is the bottom and the bottom is the top), it WILL leak. It's definitely not bad, but I consider leak proof to be leak proof, you know? Anyways, my thoughts (after using it for so long) are still the same. Really really good. Not great, but good. Highly recommend.

(See picture gallery for photos)
I gave "two stars" because I have no idea how to average 5 stars for functionality, and 1 star for a fatal flaw that may not even apply to everyone. I have purchased two of these mugs from Amazon and owned them for two years. I must warn you about an issue that happened with both my mugs after about 6 months of use.

First, make no mistake - the functionality of the mug is superb. No springs to break down. The cap can be disassembled for a good cleaning. And hot? Wow. It keeps hot coffee HOT for hours and hours. I have left my mug in my car in 40 degree weather only to find the coffee still drinkably warm 6 hours later. On a warm day, my coffee is still hot when I get back to my car at the end of work 9 hours later!

Ah, but therein lies the rub -- leaving it in a hot car.

I do not know if it is the heat that builds up in the car, but with both mugs that I had purchased, within 6 months, the coating started to peel. Once the coating starts to peel, that's it, it's all over and your world becomes one of annoying paint flecks everywhere. Within a short time, you will have flakes of paint coming off in your hands or even worse, in your mouth.

I thought maybe this was a fluke with the first mug, which is why I bought the second one. But it happened with the second one as well. Why? I suspect it's because where I live in the Southwest, the interior of the car in summer gets to well over 120 degrees. I don't really know, but I know that it has happened with both mugs.

The only two options for me: scrape off all the remaining paint, or get a different product. As much as I love the function of this mug, after trying two of them, this one fatal flaw has forced me to take the second option.

R. Stanton wrote one of the most accurate and most helpful reviews that I came across when shopping for a travel mug. read what he says as it's right on.

This thing is excellent. I put coffee in to it from out of the carafe at about 6:30 every morning and it stays hotter over 5 hours than my oxo did over the 40 minute drive to work. It's still pleasantly warm for at least 6 hours!

It's not the prettiest thing I've ever seen but it is perfect in terms of functionality.

I highly recommend it!

I used to be a big proponent of Trudeau's Drive-Time mug because it was leak-proof, kept my coffee hot for a couple of hours, and I liked the physical design. I used them for many years and "sold" a large number of them through recommendations to acquaintances who commented on mine. But their quality deteriorated significantly over the years, and their customer service became unresponsive. I needed something else, and I spent a good while researching.

I finally settled on this Thermos Stainless King - much because of R. Stanton's thorough review here.

I have now been using my Thermos Stainless King for 8 months. I am in no way disappointed. In fact, I'm still thrilled.

I get easily 7 hours of "drinkably hot" coffee from my cup. I do not like cold coffee at all, though I suspect I'm not as picky about "hot" as a few reviewers. Plus, the length of time will obviously be affected by the temperature around the cup. But allow me to offer this anecdote so you understand what I mean:

Shorty after I purchased this cup I filled my coffee cup from home at 5:30am. I did a little work and then left for an appointment at 7:00. I drove an hour and arrived at my appointment at 8:00. By this time my cup was about 1/2 full. It wasn't appropriate for me to take my cup into my appointment, so I left it in the car. The weather was 41°F, so I was concerned (and curious) about how cold my coffee would be afterward. My meeting ended and I returned to my car at 11:00. Took a sip...it was still hot enough that I couldn't have drank more than a sip at a time! I am continually amazed at the heat retention.

Another brief example: I've never added *boiling* water to the mug, but I do add hot water from the faucet and let it sit a while. One day I tried an experiment. I like to grind my morning coffee and get the coffee pot ready the night before (I use it's built-in timer). One night I decided to try filling the cup with hot faucet water (about 130°F) the night before, too, to see how warm it would be in the morning. I went to bed and got up 7 hours later. Poured the water out and it was still quite hot - hot enough that I would still drink it if it were coffee. But here's the clincher - I HAD FORGOTTEN TO CLOSE THE LID!

As for convenience, opening and closing the lid couldn't be easier. I do it with one finger while driving without looking. You just flip the lever to the right or left - doesn't matter - and it opens or closes. That's it.

As for cleaning, I don't like the idea of washing this in a dishwasher. The lid really is a snap to disassemble and reassemble, but I'm not good about giving it a thorough wash very often (normally just a good rinse poured out through the lid). No matter what you do, though, because it is "stainless" steel inside you will eventually get a stain as well as a stale coffee flavor. This is inevitable unless Thermos chooses to use a glass lining inside the cup - but then it would be too fragile for a travel mug. When the inside is no longer a shiny silver color, what do you do? I bought a box of Walmart-generic denture cleaning tablets. I filled the cup all the way to the top rim with water, dropped one tablet in, clicked the lid to its "open" position, and screwed the lid back on (so the cleaning foam would also go into the lid's mechanisms). 30 minutes later I dumped it out and yuck! The cleaner had removed crud I didn't know existed from the cup and the inside looked like it just came from the factory! That is THE way to clean a stainless steel cup like this.

The single thing I miss from the Trudeau cup is a handle. This is the only thing I would like to be different. Adding a hooked handle would make this cup perfect. There is an indented ring around the cup that looks like it was created for a handle, but Thermos chose not to go that path. Because I purchased it knowing it didn't have a handle, though, I couldn't reduce the number of stars for that. Besides, not everyone wants a handle. If Thermos is listening, I'd love to see you develop and patent a removable hooked handle - one that fits around that indentation (perhaps latches in place) but which people could add or remove based on their preferences. Having it removable would also allow people to make it either right-handed or left-handed.

Finally, a thermal coffee mug that keeps my coffee warm all morning. I love my morning coffee - no, I REALLY love it, even though it is decaf these days. I love the ritual of making it, including warming my cup, pouring the hot water over the fresh ground beans for a single , and large, serving. It's the only cup I usually have each day so I like it to last. I've had a host of mugs over the years, all of them not quite right, and none of them able to keep my beverage from becoming a luke-warm, unappealing liquid. So, number one, my coffee stays hot until I finish it. I also appreciate the non-spill lid, and the shape that provides a good grip where I would like to hold my cup. The top opens and closes easily. The unit is easy to keep clean. I haven't tried it for a cold beverage but bet it will be just as terrific. And I love the midnight blue color. Thank you Thermos!

It works well, it looks good, what else can I say? I got this for my coffee-fanatic boyfriend, who insisted that he needed a stainless steel coffee mug because the plastic ones retain a stink that ruins his fresh brews. After reading reviews for several other stainless mugs, I was beginning to wonder if there truly was a solution for this stinky mug problem, since many other models eventually get stinky or skunked by trapping coffee in their lids... until I found this! Just make sure you leave it on "open" when you wash it, otherwise the water will stay inside the lid and not dry out throroughly. This is a fantastic product, and my boyfriend raves about how hot his coffee stays throughout the morning.

For the first 3 or 4 months I owned this mug, I thought it was the greatest mug ever...It kept coffee steaming hot for 4-5 hours, it was built like a tank, didn't leak, etc. But after a few months, the vinyl coating on this mug is starting to chip away at the top (near the lid). The vinyl is separting in a couple spots, and will only get worse. It has been primarily washed by hand, but also in the dishwasher on a couple of occasions (I don't think the chipping was caused by the dishwasher, but I could be wrong).

Another annoying issue is the hassle in trying to clean the lid- in order to clean the lid by hand, you need to take it apart. There's basically 5 pieces to this lid (including 2 silicone rings that get pretty nasty). When I purchased this mug, the reviews noted how simple it was to clean the lid- I would disagree.

Overall, it's not a bad mug- I just assumed it would have been a little more durable- considering how much I paid for it...But apparently I'm the only one who's had the vinyl chip off...Lucky me.