Thermos Intak Vacuum Insulated Drink Bottle from Haggus and Stookles – A Review

Finding the perfect water bottle is like finding the Holy Grail. I know how crazy this sounds – I was once one of those mothers that thought all water bottles were created equal, but after many years of childcare, kindy and school experiences I have realised that there are many factors that need to be considered when choosing water bottles.

These days, students are often encouraged to bring their water bottles into the classroom, which is fantastic for keeping them hydrated throughout the day.  My only issue with this idea is that this usually means that water bottles are often stored all bunched together in a basket in a hot room. And come break time, there are a  multitude of hot, dirty, sticky hands reaching out grabbing their bottles – yuk.

So let me tell you about the Thermos Intak Vacuum Insulated Drink Bottle which was sent to me from Haggus & Stookles to review.

The new Intak range from Thermos are a bigger size than their original range – at 530mL it is a great size and much more practical for school aged children right through to adults.

You will see that the bottle has a push-button lid, and underneath is a pop-up straw. So not only is it hygienic, it is also easy for little fingers to pop open (ever seen a little preppy pulling their water bottle top open with their teeth – ouch!).

Next on my must have list is that the water bottle must be leak proof – there is nothing worse than opening up a school bag and seeing soggy school books. The Thermos bottle is leak proof when the lid is closed, and this was tested many many times by my little Lucy. Like most water bottles, when the lid is open the water will spill out, but in this case it is just a trickle and easily solved by always popping the lid back on. I actually found that Lucy was better with this bottle as she could control the flow with the straw, rather than having to tip the bottle up.

The best feature of the entire Thermos range is their double wall vacuum insulation, which can keep the contents cool for up to 12 hours! I am always a little sceptical of how well this works in our Queensland heat, but after pouring water from the fridge at 7am, it was still cool and refreshing at lunchtime. I really only noticed a change in temperature at about 2-3pm, but even then the change was minimal.

I have had many Thermos bottles over the years – they have all been the smaller sized kids ones, and they have been sent off to Childcare and Kindy. My only one concern was that when they were dropped, as they invariably are, the plastic shell casing on the bottom cracked and broke over time. This of course didn’t impact on the usage of the water bottle, but it just didn’t look pretty and sometimes resulted in sharp edges on the plastic. I was very impressed to see that Thermos seem to have addressed this issue by using a thicker and seemingly more durable plastic shell. After a few good drops onto my tiles (the lengths I go to to review for you!!), there is no sign of any wear and tear on any part of the bottle.

The insulation also means that the bottle is sweat proof – which is fantastic when keeping the bottle on your desk as there are no big wet rings left from condensation. It’s a great way to stay hydrated throughout the day by always having the bottle next to you.

The Thermos Intak Drink Bottle will last you for years – my little drink bottles are proof of that. If the mouth pieces or straws get damaged or dirty (I like to replace the straws at least once per year), they can be replaced easily and cheaply.

Ideally, the water bottle would be just that little bit bigger, but as long as you and the children can re-fill throughout the day, this is a small price to pay for a bottle that keeps water cool, is hygeinic, strong, easy to use and looks fantastic. They are available in different designs and retail for $29.99.

Haggus and Stookles have a great range and will be able to help you get organised for school with their drink bottles, lunch boxes and bags so you are sure to find something that is just right for you and your children!

I am very excited to also let you know that the team at Haggus and Stookles are offering all Mummy Smiles readers a storewide discount of 10%! Simply enter in your discount code mummysmiles in the checkout to receive the discount