I Tested Over 40 Tumblers to Find the 8 Cups That Are Actually Worth Your Money (2024)

The CamelBak Thrive Mug was out best tested tumbler for its great insulation and durability. After 24 hours, I found that the water still remained cold and when dropped from our drop tester it didn't dent or spill all over me or my colleague. It features a comfortable, easy-to-grip handle and a lid with a small spout and closure. The base has a non-slip material that consumer testers have told me is great when they're trying to be extra quiet around sleeping family members. The lid easily screws on and off the tumbler, which is much easier than other pull-off lids I've tested.

The lid leaked a tiny bit when the tumbler was pushed over in our leak test. It was easy to clean up, but something to keep in mind if having a leak-proof tumbler is important to you.

We also tested the Camelbak Thrive Tumbler, which is a smaller, more affordable option, without a handle. This model tested just as well as the the Thrive Mug.

Simple Modern's tumblers have tested well in our Lab tests and conveniently are also affordable. This model from Simple Modern comes with two different lids — a leak-proof lid (as confirmed in Lab testing) and another lid with a straw — so it's perfect for people like me who sometimes wants to use it for iced coffee and sometimes for hot coffee. I just suggest holding on to it well because the bottom did dent quite a bit, with some paint chipping when dropped in our Lab tests.

This tumbler is also compatible with a co*cktail shaker lid that is sold separately, but adds even more versatility to this model. While we only tested the 20-ounce option for this story, it also comes in three other sizes: 16-, 24- and 28-ounces in a variety of fun colorways and patterns to choose from.

BrüMate's leak-proof tumbler ensures that you won't drop a single drop of your coffee even if you throw it into your backpack on a long commute. It features a lid with a lock that gives you (and especially people like me!) peace of mind on your commute. I thought it was comfortable to sip out of and the handle offers a comfortable grip. The bottom of the tumbler is tapered to ensure that it will fit inside your car's cupholder.

In our Lab tests, this tumbler got perfect scores in the drop and leak tests. The lid took me a bit of practice to remove from the tumbler since the pieces have to be properly aligned, but I figured it out after a couple of tries thanks to the packaging stickers BrüMate provides.

This insulated tumbler from Owala comes in a variety of fun colorways and offers two ways to drink from it: with the included straw or sip mode through the lid. Out of all the tumblers I've tried, I really like drinking water out of this at my desk because it holds a lot of water and is comfortable to use and hold. I also like using it for my iced coffee. It peformed relatively well in temperature retention over a 24-hour time period, but kept its ice over the course of an entire workday.

Owala's Insulated Travel Tumbler performed well in other Lab tests as well. The straw didn't leak when the tumbler was hit on its side, unlike other tumblers with straws that leaked all over the place. Keep in mind that if you do turn the tumbler upside down it will leak. And there was only a slight dent on the tumbler after drop testing.

I tested nine different wine tumblers to determine the best wine tumbler for this story and the Contigo River North Wine Tumbler tested best overall. It's lightweight (6.1-ounces) and easy to grasp in your hand. It received high scores in drop testing, it didn't dent nor did the lid come off after all three drops and leaked only a tiny bit during leak testing.

Instead of water, each wine tumbler was tested with chilled wine in our Lab. This tumbler has a small spout and is easy to sip from; if you prefer to sip from it without the lid, you can do that as well. Like other wine tumblers we tested, the insulation of this tumbler wasn't as good as larger tumblers, so sip your wine quickly (but that isn't the worse problem you could have).

The HydroJug Traveler is a large, 40-ounce tumbler that features a straw that folds down when you're not drinking from it, which proved to be leak-proof in our tests. (It's actually one of the only 40-ounce tumblers I tested that's leak-proof.) It didn't leak in our drop test, where we drop the tumbler from a height of three feet, but it did dent. I love that with such a large capacity, I don't need to refill this tumbler often to meet my daily hydration goals.

"I prefer that the lid is see-through, so you can easily see what's inside the cup without unscrewing the top," said one tester who also appreciated the HydroJug's rubber base, which makes it less prone to falling over on certain surfaces.

The Stanley IceFlow Stainless Steel Tumbler comes in four different sizes from 20-ounces to a whopping 96-ounces and over 30 different colorways. In our Lab tests it didn't leak at all, receiving a high score, but it did dent a bit from drop testing. While my colleagues and I really like the Stanley Quencher H2.0 FlowState Tumbler, a.k.a. the Stanley cup, which has tested well in our Labs, we think this is a great option for those who love to travel thanks to its leak-proof straw, tapered bottom and comfortable handle.

"I love that it has a higher capacity than most water bottles, but still fits in the same cup holders thanks to its shape, perfect for road trips, air travel and hiking," said one tester. They went on to say that the handle is useful and easy to hold and how convenient it is that the straw easily flips up and down; "it’s all the appeal of the iconic Stanley cup made easy for travelers."

RELATED: Stanley vs. Yeti: Which Tumbler Is Better?

The Yeti Rambler Tumbler is an easy-to-hold and durable tumbler (no dents in drop testing) that comes in various sizes and colorways to match your style and beverage preference.

On the brand's website you can even customize your tumbler by engraving your own uploaded design, monogram or more onto the back or front of your tumbler. (I engraved one for my mom for Mother's Day!) We've tested various capacities of this tumbler, but we're especially fond of the 20-ounce version which is great for transporting your morning coffee, a smoothie or even just for keeping water at your desk.

The Yeti MagSlider lid makes it easy to open and close the drinking spout and to remove the closure for easy cleaning. Better yet? All pieces are dishwasher-safe. Keep in mind that if you accidentally drop this tumbler, the MagSlider may fall off (it did in a drop test) and spill your beverage, so be careful when transporting.

While these tumblers might not be for everyone, we think they're also solid options for certain needs and preferences:

•Looking for a ceramic-lined option? W&P Porter Insulated Tumbler features a comfortable non-slip silicone sleeve that prevented the tumbler from denting during drop testing, but it didn't have the best temperature retention.

•A compact ceramic-lined option? Fellow Carter Cold Travel Mug comes in a variety of neutral colorways and has rather good insulation, but it's a little small compared to most of the ones I tested.

•A small tumbler with a fold down straw? Pelican Hydration Pelican Traveler is a small 22-ounce option with a fold down straw and a leak-proof seal that was a little hard to clean.

•An option with a stainless steel straw? Corkcicle Cold Cup Insulated Tumbler was rather durable in testing and comes in a variety of fun colorways. A couple of consumer testers thought the straw was hard to drink out of.

•Interested in a hot and cold option? Hydro Flask All Around Tumbler can hold either hot or cold beverages and is compatible with a straw lid or a closeable lid, which is nice, but I found during testing that it came off a little too easily.

In the Good Housekeeping Institute Kitchen Appliances and Innovation Lab, we evaluate each piece of drinkware for leakage, temperature retention, durability and more.

We've tested thousands of pieces of drinkware over the last couple of decades. In our latest round, I tested over 40 tumblers, including 17 Stanley cup dupes side-by-side to evaluate performance and ease of use.

To determine each model's durability, we use our drop-tester machine (pictured) to drop each cup at a height of three feet — twice with the cup standing upright and once with it on its side.

To assess temperature retention, every tumbler is filled to maximum capacity with water. We then remove a specific amount of water from each tumbler, replacing it with a calculated amount of ice.

The internal water temperature of each tumbler is documented eight times over 30 hours to determine which dupes retain temperature best.

To test leakage, we fill each tumbler with the same amount of water and food dye. We knock over each tumbler and let it sit on its side for 30 seconds, then we check to see if any water seeps through its straw or lid.

To evaluate ease of use, we consider how each tumbler opens and closes. Using either a dishwasher or dish soap and a brush, we test how easy it is to clean each model.

In addition to Lab tests, we send tumblers to consumer testers to get their opinions on how they fare in real life. When it came to tumblers, we had over 60 consumer testers provide valuable testing insight.

✔️ Hot versus cold: While some tumblers can hold hot and cold beverages, some are specifically designed for one temperature of beverage over the other. Models with straws tend to only be for cold beverages, while tumblers with small spouts are ideal for slowly sipping hot coffee or tea.