Battle of the stainless-steel tumblers: Can Orca chill with Yeti and Ozark Trail?

Since Yeti mania hit retail stores in late 2015, stainless-steel tumblers have become the drink ware of choice for North Texans looking to keep cool during the hot summer months, and it’s not hard to see why.

Unlike traditional drink vessels, double-walled tumblers keep beverages cold for hours after they’ve first been poured. Also, they don’t leave a pool of condensation on your desk or in your cup holder.

After putting Walmart’s budget-friendly Ozark Trail tumbler up against the popular Yeti last summer, I decided to revisit the topic of stainless-steel tumblers and add a new competitor to the mix. In this week’s Fab or Flub? review, I’ll be taking a look at the Orca Chaser Cafe ($29,99, Bed Bath and Beyond) to see which stainless-steel tumbler really works the best.

First impression

Like the Orca Chaser, the Chaser Cafe is made from 18/8 stainless steel and is double-walled and vacuum-sealed. Unlike the Chaser which holds 27 ounces of liquid, the Chaser Cafe is smaller, at 20 ounces, and also has a polymer handle grip that makes it easier to hold.

The tumbler’s lid, which features a convenient flip top to prevent your beverage from spilling out, is made from BPA-free Tritan copolyester. Per the Orca website, the Chaser Cafe is designed in Nashville and made in China.

While the Chaser Cafe was designed primarily with coffee drinkers in mind, the tumbler also can be used for cold beverages.

To test the tumbler, I put it up against the 20-ounce versions of the Yeti and Ozark Trail tumblers. I filled each with 1 cup of crushed ice, then placed them on my patio so that they could be subjected to the North Texas heat.

At the time, the temperature on my iPhone read 93 degrees. Every two hours I would check the tumblers to see how much ice was left in each, pouring out any liquid that had collected into cups marked with each brand’s name.

After 12 hours, I measured the amount of liquid in each cup to see which tumbler’s ice melted the fastest.

Fab or flub?

Flab. In the battle of stainless-steel tumblers, Orca’s Chaser Cafe proved it has what it takes to help cold and hot beverages go the distance.

Unfortunately, that distance was not as far as its competitors.

After 12 hours of sitting outside on the porch in 90 degree weather, the Orca still had plenty of ice, as did the Yeti and Ozark Trail. However, measuring the amount of liquid in each tumbler revealed that the ice in the Orca was melting faster than it was in the others.

The liquid in the Orca measured  1/2 cup at 12 hours, while the liquid in the Yeti came in right at 1/3 cup and the Ozark Trail slightly under 1/3 cup.

As I wrote in my review last summer, the Ozark Trail and the Yeti were practically identical in performance, with the Ozark Trail the best buy at less than $10.

While the Orca’s performance is slightly behind that of the Ozark Trial and Yeti, I found that the tumbler still did an excellent job at keeping beverages hot and cold for prolonged periods. Regardless of which brand you prefer, it’s safe to say that you’re guaranteed to end up with a good product.

This story was originally published June 30, 2017 at 2:26 PM with the headline "Battle of the stainless-steel tumblers: Can Orca chill with Yeti and Ozark Trail?."