Hydro Flask is one of the fastest growing brands, with over 1 million sales in its first two years of business, according to the Hydro Flask company. They sell seven types of insulated containers including water bottles, coffee flasks, food thermoses, and coolers. Their products number over 100, with 16 colors, eight sizes, and 10 lid options for their containers. While the Hydro Flask brand may fit all of your needs, from school, to hiking, to parties, it is a lot of money to fork over when there are more economical options on the market.

Hydro Flask is widely known for their insulated water bottles, but they may not be as unique as they are made out to be. The company claims to “deliver what no one else can – unexpected refreshment each and every time.” But many leading brands claim to have products that serve the same function as a Hydro Flask, and this just may be true.

Brands such as Takeya or ThermoFlask make similar water bottles to Hydro Flask. Takeya even claims that they are “better than the rest,” a bold claim that encourages serious competition. The three brands claim to be able to keep items in the containers cold for 24 hours. Hydro Flask also claims to keep things hot for six hours, while other brands, such as Takeya, claim to keep items hot for up to 12, so Hydro Flask isn’t even advertised as the best. So now the question lies in the reason behind the hype for a potentially inferior brand.

To test whether Hydro Flasks are actually as good as they seem to be, I filled up one 40oz Hydro Flask and one 40oz ThermoFlask with 40 ice cubes each, and closed the lids. Twenty-four hours later I checked to see how much ice melted. The results showed that the ThermoFlask actually kept ice cold longer. The ice in the Hydro Flask had completely melted, with 1½ cups of water, while the ThermoFlask had ¼ cup of water. This shows that Hydro Flasks aren’t actually as good as they are made out to be, but they still make more money than they should.

Maybe it is just the idea of having the widely known Hydro Flask symbol on their water bottles. Or, simply just owning products with a big reputation persuades buyers to purchase these over other brands. Hydro Flask water bottle prices range from $29.95 (12oz) to $59.95 (64oz). 40oz ThermoFlasks are sold in packs of two for around $40. Hydro Flasks are outrageously priced and obviously don’t seem to be worth the money, which leaves us questioning why people still blow their money on these water bottles, rather than cheaper, better quality brands. Although brand name items have an inevitable pull, save your money and buy something that actually works better.