Which vacuum flask stays hot the longest?

Review of 1 pint (0.5L) vacuum flasks

We put boiling water in vacuum flasks from a wide range of manufacturers, left them for several hours and then measured the temperature. The winner was Zojirushi SV-GG50-XA followed a close second by Thermos Ultimate Insulation.

Results

Temperature of the water from boiling after 8 hours:
Zojirushi SV-GG50-XA 172 F 78 C
Thermos Ultimate Insulation 171 F 77.5 C
LaPlaya High Performance 168 F 75.5 C
Alfi isoTherm Eco 167 F 75 C
Aladdin Fundamentals 167 F 75 C
Primus C&H Vacuum Bottle 166 F 74.5 C
Stanley Classic 163 F 73 C
Emsa Senator 161 F 71.5 C

Smaller flasks normally get cold more rapidly because they have more surface area to volume, so the flasks we tested were all 1 pint (0.5L) capacity. We warmed the flasks with boiling water, emptied them, filled them with boiling water, and left them in a room at 59 F (15 C) for 8 hours. All of these flasks are stainless steel.

Zojirushi

This is an elegant, compact flask with a non-stick lining. Unfortunately, like all the flasks we tested except the Primus C&H flask, it is not dishwasher safe. Manufactured in Thailand for the Japanese company Zojirushi.

Zojirushi SV-GG50-XA 1 pint (0.5L) opened with stopper and cup.

Zojirushi SV-GG50-XA 1 pint (0.5L) opened with stopper and cup.

Zojirushi SV-GG50-XA.

Zojirushi SV-GG50-XA.

Zojirushi SV-GG50-XA packaged.

Zojirushi SV-GG50-XA packaged.

Thermos Ultimate Insulation

The Thermos is made in Malaysia for Pacific Market International and comes with a 5 year warranty.

Thermos Ultimate Insulation 1 pint (0.5L) opened with stopper and cup.

Thermos Ultimate Insulation 1 pint (0.5L) opened with stopper and cup.

Thermos Ultimate Insulation.

Thermos Ultimate Insulation.

Thermos Ultimate Insulation packaged.

Thermos Ultimate Insulation packaged.

LaPlaya High Performance

LaPlaya High Performance 1 pint (0.5L) opened with stopper and cup.

LaPlaya High Performance 1 pint (0.5L) opened with stopper and cup.

LaPlaya High Performance.

LaPlaya High Performance.

LaPlaya High Performance packaged.

LaPlaya High Performance packaged.

Alfi isoTherm Eco

Made in China. 2 year garantee.

Alfi isoTherm Eco 1 pint (0.5L) opened with stopper and cup.

Alfi isoTherm Eco 1 pint (0.5L) opened with stopper and cup.

Alfi isoTherm Eco.

Alfi isoTherm Eco.

Alfi isoTherm Eco packaged.

Alfi isoTherm Eco packaged.

Aladdin Fundamentals

Made for Pacific Market International.

Aladdin Fundamentals 1 pint (0.5L) opened with stopper and cup.

Aladdin Fundamentals 1 pint (0.5L) opened with stopper and cup.

Aladdin Fundamentals.

Aladdin Fundamentals.

Aladdin Fundamentals packaged.

Aladdin Fundamentals packaged.

Primus C&H Vacuum Bottle

This was the only dishwasher-proof flask in the test. It is made in China. There are two stoppers - one to pour the contents without unscrewing the stopper and the other for better insulation. We tested it with the better insulation stopper.

Primus C&H

Primus C&H 1 pint (0.5L) opened with 2 stoppers and cup.

Primus C&H

Primus C&H.

Primus C&H

Primus C&H packaged.

Stanley Classic

This flask has a large cup and a 25 year guarantee. Made in China.

Stanley Classic

Stanley Classic 1 pint (0.5L) opened with stopper and cup.

Stanley Classic

Stanley Classic.

Stanley Classic

Stanley Classic packaged.

Emsa Senator

We had high hopes for this sturdy and good looking flask, but sadly it did not retain the heat well. Made in Germany and comes with a 5 year garantee.

Emsa Senator

Emsa Senator 1 pint (0.5L) opened with stopper and cup.

Emsa Senator

Emsa Senator.

Emsa Senator

Emsa Senator packaged.