Is the Stanley Cup Worth It? My 2024 Review

Let’s get right to it… for me personally, the 40 oz tumbler is too big and heavy to carry around all day. I much prefer the 30 oz unless I’m sitting at a desk for hours. But the big question: Why are Stanley cups so expensive? Answer: Because they can be. They went viral and now everyone thinks they need one! But if you are questioning whether or not a Stanley is worth it, keep reading. I’m also offering alternatives I suggest you check out.

I was influenced to buy the Stanley cup (aka Stanley Adventure Quencher) because of so many influencers posting about it. I kept wondering, “Is this cup really worth $40? What makes the Stanley cup so special?” so I’m here to answer those questions for you! 2 years later, I can’t believe how many people now have this $40 cup. Elementary school students, high schoolers, college kids, moms… it’s literally everywhere I go!

How did the Stanley tumbler become so popular?

The background story behind the tumbler is pretty interesting… Stanley introduced the Quencher in 2016 to its regular audience of men and campers. But it didn’t sell well, so Stanley pulled back on production of the 40 ounce tumbler. A mom (and fellow blogger) in Utah thought the cup was perfect and started marketing it to her audience, sending the tumblers in gift boxes to influencers. And the rest is history. The year prior to the cup taking off with influencers and everyday women, 2020, the company did about $70 million in revenue. In 2023 Stanley 1913 did $750 million in revenue, according to the Wall Street Journal. All they had to do? Start marketing the cup to women who wanted a large tumbler that fit in a car’s cup holder, had a straw, and was dishwasher safe!

Here’s my 40 oz Stanley next to my everyday coffee cup

So… is the Stanley cup worth buying?

Here’s what I like about the 40 ounce tumbler:

• The amount of water it holds. 40 ounces is a lot of water, and I definitely drink more water during the day when I have my Stanley. When I don’t fill it up at the start of the day, I tend to go from coffee to Diet Pepsi and kind of forget to drink water, if that makes sense? (Another thing that has helped me drink more water is our new water filter that we keep on the kitchen counter.)
• The handle is … handy. It’s very easy to carry around, and it’s kind of silly that so many similar-sized tumblers don’t have a handle or a big-enough handle.
• It fits in every cup holder I’ve tried it in. In both of our cars, in all of the various cup holders, the Stanley Quencher fits everywhere. We have quite a few kids’ water bottles that don’t seem to fit anywhere, including in the kids’ car seat cup holders, which can be so annoying. So this is a major advantage. The only place it really doesn’t fit is in the water bottle holders on the Peloton!
• Stanley cups are dishwasher safe! Another big advantage, especially for someone who just doesn’t have time or energy at the end of the day to wash anything else in the sink.
• It’s helping me use fewer disposable plastic water bottles. Better for the environment, for sure, and better for my wallet too.
• My kids like to drink out of it. Anytime I can convince my kids to drink more liquids during the day (and they really only drink water, so I’m talking about water here), it’s a big plus. Especially on a really hot summer day, kids can get dehydrated quickly.
• You can customize it! You can add a monogram or phrase to your Stanley. I love this idea for a gift.

Other key features of the cup:

• You can change the way you drink from it, using a straw or the wide-mouth opening (and the straw openings now have more protection around them so it’s not as easy to spill as it was in the 1.0 version of the cup lid – 2.0 meaning anything made in Summer 2023 or later)
• Made of BPA free 18/8 stainless steel
• Insulated for hot or cold beverages. I’ve only used it for cold water so I can’t comment on keeping things hot.

You can get some REALLY cute accessories for Stanleys now too! Here’s a list of the best Stanley accessories out there (all under $20)

And here’s what I don’t like about the 40 ounce Stanley tumbler:

• It’s heavy. 40 ounces is a lot of liquid, and combined with a heavy container it’s heavy to carry around. But because most days I’m driving around in the car or sitting at a desk, it totally works for me to just have it in that one place. It’s within reach, but I don’t bring it into stores when I’m running errands like I might with a plastic water bottle.
• It’s not leak-proof. The straw hole is larger than the straw, so if you drop the top-heavy cup it will leak. (Note: On the newer models the straw hole has silicone grips in it so that it’s a much better fit.) If you’re clumsy like me, you’ll be spilling water all day long with the 40 ounce tumbler.
• The straws are very long. This is only an issue if you don’t wash the whole cup together at one time. If you forget to wash the straw, you need to have specific Stanley straws on hand (or at least ones that are long enough for this cup). The straws don’t fit in my dishwasher (they’re too tall) so I have to wash them by hand.
• I don’t know if anyone else has noticed this, but drinking out of a straw 24/7 is giving me more fine lines around my lips! (Maybe it’s just in my head?) To combat this, I still use my Stanleys but drink out of the spout part (instead of the straw). I saw a crazy contraption that is a straw (that combats those lip fine lines) but you don’t drink out of it like a normal straw, but it just looks so silly to me.

Stanley Tumbler Alternatives: Try one of these instead

If you want to try one of the other cups people love, check out these (ranging in price from $25-$42) and don’t forget to read my side by side review of the Stanley Quencher vs. Simple Modern tumbler!

I don’t like the 40 oz Stanley cup. The 30 oz is better!

Let’s discuss the Stanley cup 40 oz vs. 30 oz

The 40 oz cup is the one that originally went viral and then went out of stock for months on end. BUT. I bought a 30 oz Stanley for science, and I like it SO much better. Here’s why:

• It’s not as heavy as the 40 oz tumbler, so it’s easier to carry in and out of stores with you if you want to do that.
• It’s also not as huge, so I don’t feel ridiculous walking around with it. The 40 oz tumbler stays in my car or on my desk. The 30 ounce is much easier to carry around.
• Unfortunately, the new release colors still sell out quickly.
• It’s on Amazon in sizes 14 oz (great for kids! But no handle), 20 oz (no handle), 30 oz (with handle), and 40 oz (with handle).

Personally, I like the 30 oz a lot better than the 40 oz. It is slightly lighter and smaller so it’s much more portable. I don’t feel silly carrying around the 30 ounce, where I do feel like the 40 ounce is just a little too big.

I have 2 that I rotate between for my daily water cup. Everyone ALWAYS asks me the color of these so I linked them here to make it easier! The darker blue is this one and the lighter blue is this one. Don’t forget to grab a set of extra Stanley straws you can use in your cups. I feel like I’m always cleaning the straws, even though I have more than a few of them in the drawer.

Can the Stanley cup go in the dishwasher?

In short, yes. I put mine in the dishwasher. But because running it through the dishwasher (in my experience) can loosen the external barrier and expose that lead pellet, it’s not worth it. (Again, in my experience. It made the lead pellet get exposed faster than the ones I didn’t put in the dishwasher. I used a lead test I found on Amazon.) Instead, wash it in the sink with warm soapy water and a special cleaning brush for cups.

What size straw do I need for Stanley cups?

If you’re looking to buy reusable straws for your Stanleys, you’ll want an 11″ for the 30 oz and a 12″ for the 40 oz. Here are two good options for silicone straws and plastic straws:

BEFORE YOU GO… You might want to check out these posts:

STANLEY VS. SIMPLE MODERN
Quince Clothing Review: Is It Legit?
Tula Eye Balm Review (An Honest Review + Which Is Best) 2023
Few Moda Review: Is It Legit?

This was originally posted September 2022 and was last updated June 3, 2024.