Remember your dad's big ass Stanley thermos that he got when he was much younger (before you were born) and he'd still take it to work every day in winter, as well as on road trips. It looked like crap, but always kept the coffee steaming hot even after 10-12 hours. Had that gnarly hammered green finish.
Well, I was in the market for one like that because buying coffee is expensive and a waste of money, but I like it at work. So I just went to the store and bought one. Not much had changed from the looks of things when I bought it. Cost me around $30, which I thought fair, especially since it said "Built for Life" real big on the label and I remember they would replace your thermos if it failed.
Well, first day of use the thing failed in epic fashion. I opened it after 3 hours (I make coffee, go to gym then eat breakfast before drinking coffee) and it wasn't even steaming. Warm, but not hot. WTF? Flipped it over and yeah, you guessed it "Made in China" stamped right on the bottom. These things have been made in Nashville since I can remember, and I never heard about them leaving. Apparently since 2002, theyve been made overseas.
I looked around online at reviews, and they're mostly terrible since that time, of course. I emailed the company, they said take it back to the store so I did and got a refund, not an exchange. On the stanley website there are all these reviews like, "Ive had mine since 1927 and it still kicks ass"... well yeah, they used to.
So I took the money I got back and I went on Ebay and found some from when they were still made in the US and bought one (1997 model). I got one cheap on account of it missing a handle, but the ones in decent shape are beginning to climb in price, many listed for $50ish right now, and in the future as decent ones become more rare, they'll cost more. Id recommend buying now.
Ive started these types of threads before, but it's just sad, not to mention a pain in the ass. When will I learn? Dont buy cheap chinese crap painted to look like something quality.
Well, I was in the market for one like that because buying coffee is expensive and a waste of money, but I like it at work. So I just went to the store and bought one. Not much had changed from the looks of things when I bought it. Cost me around $30, which I thought fair, especially since it said "Built for Life" real big on the label and I remember they would replace your thermos if it failed.
Well, first day of use the thing failed in epic fashion. I opened it after 3 hours (I make coffee, go to gym then eat breakfast before drinking coffee) and it wasn't even steaming. Warm, but not hot. WTF? Flipped it over and yeah, you guessed it "Made in China" stamped right on the bottom. These things have been made in Nashville since I can remember, and I never heard about them leaving. Apparently since 2002, theyve been made overseas.
I looked around online at reviews, and they're mostly terrible since that time, of course. I emailed the company, they said take it back to the store so I did and got a refund, not an exchange. On the stanley website there are all these reviews like, "Ive had mine since 1927 and it still kicks ass"... well yeah, they used to.
So I took the money I got back and I went on Ebay and found some from when they were still made in the US and bought one (1997 model). I got one cheap on account of it missing a handle, but the ones in decent shape are beginning to climb in price, many listed for $50ish right now, and in the future as decent ones become more rare, they'll cost more. Id recommend buying now.
Ive started these types of threads before, but it's just sad, not to mention a pain in the ass. When will I learn? Dont buy cheap chinese crap painted to look like something quality.
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