Category: Office Accessories

Tumblers: Contigo vs Built NY vs ICONIQ

k.chen99 Comments

Plastic water bottles are wasteful and bad for the environment but water is a necessity for daily life. So how do we stay hydrated and eco-friendly at the same time? How bout using a tumbler? This handy little carrier can carry any liquid as even regulate the temperature for awhile. Keeps drinks colder or hotter for longer! Lets check out 3 that are all under $15!

Contigo AUTOSEAL West Loop:

Price: $14.82 (original $20.99)

Capacity: 16oz

Material: Stainless Steel

SA: 8/10

Great product for the price and has very useful features. It can keep drinks hot for 5 hours and cold for 12. It also auto locks when not in use which prevents spilling. It requires you to push a button to drink which may be annoying for some but not a deal breaker for me. Unfortunately the body is not dish washer safe.

Built NY Double Wall:

Price: $14.20

Capacity: 20oz

Material: Stainless Steel

SA: 9/10

Very useful for people who drink more liquids. It can keep drinks hot for 6 hours and cold for 24 which is a big step up compared to the Contigo. Can slide the lid from right to left to open and drink. Easier to use than the Contigo.

ICONIQ Insulated Tumbler:

Price: $14.95

Capacity: 20oz

Material: Stainless Steel

SA: 6/10

A little bulky, wider than I would typically like my bottles. Keeps drinks hot for 4 hours and cold for 12. The lid can slide up or down to open and close the sip hole. May have potential to leak if tossed in a bag. Some complaints says that it leaks and does not keep drinks cold for as long as it claims.

Reccomendations: Out of the 3 tumblers, the best is the Built NY Double wall. For the price and capacity, it is useful for anyone on the go. Less refills necessary compared to the 16oz Contigo and can keep your drinks at desired temperature for longer than its competitors. I recommend this product for everyone who wants to stay hydrated and wants to help the environment.

Coffee Makers: Black + Decker vs Mr. Coffee vs Aicok

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This post is for all my coffee lovers. Purchasing coffee from any coffee shop will add up quickly. However, making your own coffee would only cost you a fraction. In this post, I will be comparing three different brands of Coffee Makers that can all be found on Amazon. The two most well known brands of this group are Black + Decker and Mr. Coffee. The third is by Aicok which is a brand relatively unknown in this market.

BLACK+DECKER Programmable Coffeemaker – DLX1050B:

Price: $21.49

Capacity: 12 Cups

Material: Plastic

SA: 7/10

Very basic drip coffee maker. Given this price point, there are not a lot of bells and whistles that comes with this product but you can set a timer to have the coffee made automatically at a certain time. It also has an auto-shut off time of 2 hours so you will never have to worry about forgetting to turn it off. This product also has a sneak-a-cup feature that allows the user to freely pause the brewing process and pour before the entire brew is compelete.

Mr. Coffee Programmable Coffee Maker – BVMC-EVX23:

Price: $22.93

Capacity: 12 Cups

Material: Plastic

SA: 7/10

Similar to the Black + Decker coffee maker, this is also a very basic coffee maker. Although it’s features are similar, this brand is slightly more expensive than its counterpart.

Aicok Coffee Maker:

Price: $29.97

Capacity: 10 Cups

Material: Stainless Steel, Plastic, Glass

SA: 8/10

Also another very basic coffee maker which is surprising given its price. However, the materials used for this machine is higher quality than its competitors which is why the price is so much higher than the previous two that I have mentioned. One reason for this maybe due to its superior brew time. It can make a whole pot (10 cups) in about 3 minutes. This product also automatically keeps the coffee warm for a long period of time. The downside of this function is that you must manually turn it off as this coffee maker does not have an automatic shut down option.

Recommendation: I would recommend the Black + Decker coffee maker for home use since it has an automatic shut off option and automatic brew option. This is perfect for anyone who just wants a machine that can have their coffee ready by the time they wake up. However, for small to medium size offices, the Aicok coffee maker is the better option. It will allow everyone in the office to enjoy warm coffee no matter when it was brewed. In addition, it will be able to handle more brew than the other 2 because of the superior materials that was used.