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Forget Stanley, Frank Green’s stylish water bottles are the real hydration champion

The inherently cool brand ensures you look good while staying hydrated

Sarah Jones
Thursday 25 April 2024 17:49
Whether you like to sip, slurp or chug, there are plenty of options to choose from
Whether you like to sip, slurp or chug, there are plenty of options to choose from (The Independent/iStock)
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Have you drunk enough water today? If the answer is “no”, then it might be time to invest in a reusable water bottle. A trusty hydration sidekick that will remove the need to get up from your desk 12 times a day and keep your cold drinks ice cold and your hot drinks hot, they’ll certainly help to quench your thirst once and for all.

While they’re nothing new, the frenzy surrounding insulated water bottles has skyrocketed in recent years, with limited-edition launches prompting overnight queues and repeated sell-outs. But, in the search for the ultimate hydration champion, it seems there are two main camps when it comes to deciding which vessel to drink your water from: Stanley or Frank Green.

The thirst for Stanley quencher cups took off in early 2022 when the product went viral on TikTok thanks to the #WaterTok trend. People who took hydration very seriously praised the cup for not only being huge (they hold anything from just under a litre to over two) but also keeping your drinks cool for more than 24 hours, having a straw for easy drinking, a handle, and coming in a wide range of colours. But, while they’re considered to be a hot new status symbol among Gen Z and Gen Alpha, there are plenty of people unwilling to buy into the Stanley club – not just because they’re grossly overdone but because they also spill.

Enter: Frank Green. The inherently cool, sleek and stylish reusable water bottle brand that ensures you look good while getting hydrated, and whose products actually work. A brand that started in 2014 with a mission to stamp out single-use plastic, Frank Green creates premium reusable cups and bottles in varying sizes that each come with interchangeable straw or button lids. Its products are customisable, too, meaning you can choose from a variety of colours, finishes and patterns, and even add your own name or initials to make the bottle unique to you.

How we tested Frank Green’s reusable water bottles and cups

We tested the bottles and cups at home as well as out and about (Sarah Jones)

We’ve always got a reusable water bottle with us, whether that’s for long walks, the morning commute or a busy day running around after our toddler. To put Frank Green’s offerings to the test, we took them with us out and about, making sure to keep an eye on whether they leaked and if they managed to keep our water cold or our hot drinks hot.

We also considered the design and how enjoyable they were to drink from. Whether you like to sip, slurp or chug, there are plenty of options to choose from so, to help you find the right Frank Green vessel for you, we put a few different styles to the test including the brand’s reusable water bottle, cup and iced coffee cup.

Frank Green ceramic reusable bottle

Frank Green Reusable Water Bottles review indybest.jpg
  • Best: Frank Green cup overall
  • Hot or cold: Both
  • Materials: Stainless steel bottle, ceramic lined
  • Customisable: Yes
  • Why we love it
    • Stylish
    • Durable
    • Non-spill

A really, really good-looking bottle, Frank Green’s ceramic flask comes in a range of sizes, including 595ml, 1,000ml and a whopping 2,000ml. We loved the range of colours it comes in, including neon orange, mint gelato, chrome rainbow and the khaki green we tested. You can even mix and match colours, so the lid is a different shade from the bottle itself.

Although the bottle is made of stainless steel, the inside is lined with ceramic, to avoid any metallic taste transferring to the water. It’s fantastic at keeping hot and cold drinks at the right temperature, too, thanks to the triple-wall vacuum insulation.

You can choose from three different types of lid – a one-handed push button lid, one with a gold stainless steel straw and a flip straw lid made with a soft silicone mouthpiece. We tried the latter and loved how comfortable it made sipping from the bottle. The lid was also super-easy to flip up and down using just one hand. Plus, it passed the spill test with flying colours, as not a single drop of water escaped, even when shaken or tipped over.

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Frank Green ceramic reusable cup

FG Cup.jpg
  • Best: For hot drinks
  • Hot or cold: Both
  • Materials: Stainless steel bottle, ceramic lined
  • Customisable: Yes
  • Why we love it
    • Available in different sizes
    • Clever lid design

While this cup can be used for hot or cold drinks, we prefer to use it for tea or coffee, mostly because of the cleverly designed patented lid, which features a push button that releases a drinking hole. It’s a real pleasure to drink from and means you can carry it around with you without the risk of spilling.

Super-stylish, it has the same clean and minimalist design as the bottle and found that it perfectly retains the temperature of your beverage of choice. It comes in four different sizes, meaning there’s an option to suit any type of drinker – we tried the 295ml cup, which we found was just the right size, as it was large enough to keep us refreshed during a long commute but small enough to fit in our everyday bag.

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Frank Green iced coffee cup with straw

FG Iced Coffee.jpg
  • Best: For cold drinks
  • Hot or cold: Cold
  • Materials: Stainless steel
  • Customisable: No
  • Why we love it
    • Great for ice cold drinks
    • Comes with a reusable straw

A new addition to Frank Green’s line-up for 2024, the iced coffee cup is an upgraded version of the brand’s popular three-in-one cup. Ideal for scorching summer days, when a chilled drink is a must, it features double-wall insulation that helps keep ice whole for up to 12 hours (ours managed a solid nine hours) and comes with a splash-proof lid and reusable stainless steel straw.

While it’s not ideal for pre-filling and packing into your bag for the morning commute, it’s great for keeping on your desk during the day or lazy days spent sunning yourself in the garden. Plus, we love that the cup can be used as an insulated holder for bottled or canned drinks. The iced coffee cup comes in a choice of five colours and can also be personalised with a monogram.

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The verdict: Frank Green reusable bottles and cups

Whether you’re a contrarian who refuses to buy into trends like the Stanley cup or are simply on the hunt for a reusable vessel that’s actually spill-proof, no one does it better than Frank Green. For those looking for a bottle that can be filled and safely chucked into your bag ahead of the morning commute or an all-day hike, we highly recommend the ceramic reusable bottle. It doesn’t leak, keeps your water at freezing temperatures and comes in a vast range of colours. We really liked the ceramic reusable cup too, especially for hot drinks on the go, while the iced coffee cup with straw gets a big tick if you’re looking to keep cool and stay hydrated at home.

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