If you regularly use insulated cups for your beverages, you’ve probably heard the praises of YETI cups sung far and wide. If you’ve rushed headlong to a store to buy one, you’ve also noticed how much lucre you shall relinquish to possess one. Now comes the puzzle: How do you know if these thermal containers for your coffee or cola are worth the price? Well, considering their popularity and the number of fakes muddying the market, it’s a good bet you won’t be disappointed if you spring for one.
The Difference
Although many of the individual components of the cups resemble those of their competitors, YETI simply goes the extra mile or two in the construction. The end result can outperform similar models hands down. Here’s why:
Stainless Steel Core
Okay, so a lot of travel cups use stainless steel; ho, hum. Even if they deploy the superb 18 percent chromium/8 percent nickel food grade steel, most use a thin sheet to keep it lightweight (and cheap). Light is fine if you’re an infant. But thicker, heavier steel allows you to be a big, clumsy kid and not destroy your cup.
Vacuum Insulation
Pulling a vacuum inside the hollow, double-walled flask is like sucking outer space in your travel mug. Heat and cold don’t conduct through the vacuum. The shiny steel turns radiation away reflectively. Once the cup is sealed with a lid, the only heat exchange happens through the lid. That’s why your beverages you want to save for later remain so hot or cold. Without breaking the seal, very little heat passes through the lid. But not all lids are created equal for this purpose. YETI also took consideration for the quality of their lids and seals to the outer limits.
Beware the Fake YETI Cups, or FETIs
Sadly, people have shelled out for a YETI only to discover they fell prey to a counterfeiter. These fake YETIs or Fetis, as their commonly known, prove the value of the real McCoy. If real YETIs failed to perform to their outstanding reputation, fakers wouldn’t need to go to such extremes to fool you. They could just put their wares out there under their own label and do just fine competing on the up and up.
Only Buy from Trusted Dealers
Fetis can be tough to distinguish from the real deal. The knock-off artists have copied the look and literature very well. However, some slight differences — once you know of them and before the fakers make corrections — set the them apart. Now, you can go on YouTube and find videos delineating the differences, or you can save time and just go to a trusted dealer for your YETI cups.
The bottom line is, yes YETIs are well worth the price, since the eternal law of getting what you pay for still rules the marketplace. Pay the extra and buy the best from the good guys you can trust.