Stanley Quencher, My Emotional Support Water Bottle?

By Max Ziervogel

*Please note, all reviews done by Max Ziervogel are personal opinion and not factual brand messaging.

If anything, 2024 has been the year for Stanley debates on socials. And now a water bottle that was once just something I really wanted, has become my best-friend and emotional support, no jokes.

 The Stanley Quencher, and the Stanley brand itself, took off and became the biggest trend and probably now - one of the most duped products I have ever seen in my thirty-years, with a dupe of the Quencher available from almost every store you walk in, from Builders Warehouse, Makro, Typo to your local Checkers. This makes for an interesting marketing case study. TikTok was flooded by them (ok, my algorithm flooded mine) with people hiding them, fighting over them, creating trends with them and moaning about them and their ‘flaws’, and today the word ‘Stanley’ has become more than a brand and we now align anything like a Stanley, even the R199,99 knock-off from Makro.

I’ve had my Stanley for four months, so what do I think about it now?

I won’t lie, it was obviously a trend that I took interest in and the desire to have one was impulsive, and I didn’t care the cost… I wanted one and I was going to have one, so spending a month’s car instalment on essentially a water bottle was not even a question. However, thanks to everyone else who had the same idea resulted in zero stock in the country, and even the R4,000.00 last one left on Takealot was sold before I could find my CVV number to order it. I even settled for a dupe, but that didn’t last very long.

Thanks Liz from the brand for sending me mine, I think you changed my life more than you will ever know.

 Was it worth the hype?

My Stanley has become a fundamental part of my life, and when I say this sentence, I mean it does not leave my side. From being at home to going to dinner, this thing is with me and when I cannot take it with me, my anxiety is ten times worse, promise.

I had to go to Cape Town for work and I had to leave it behind and I was an emotional wreck for the 4 days, think Kim K crying about earrings, but crying about water and who-knows-what on a TVC set at 6am… *cringes at the memory*

I don’t care what anyone says, I don’t care if I need to run to the bathroom every 12 minutes, or if I look like a tonsil with my sidekick, the Stanley’s coming with or I’m not going.

My water consumption daily has always been good, and I’ve always drank a lot of water, but this is not hydration, this is a lifestyle and one I am thriving in. Water tastes better from it, and I am not joking when I say you can taste the difference… It’s refreshing, it’s soft and it just gives you that dopamine hit that a Xanax never did. I know, you’re probably thinking I need to be checked in to an institution, and I’ll go if it can come with, but it has really changed my life. My entire aesthetic has adapted to my Stanley, and every device; cover; sleeve; bag I own is now black, because the vibe just works.

Let’s Talk Dupe, and not a Louis Vuitton Never Full for a change…

 I own a dupe of the Stanley, desperate times to be relevant and join a trend got the best of me. The actual product itself is great, it does what a tumbler needs to do, like keep your water cold for the whole day. However, the experience and the small things is where it falls short. It didn’t go everywhere with me, either. Why? Because it was just water in a trending package. It’s the small things that Stanley just does right. Here’s where the “car reviewer” in me coming out…

The quality of the Stanley is incredible, it feels solid, it doesn’t rattle (IYKYK), and the small details are where you can’t compete. The straw fits perfectly in the allocated space, no movement and no rattles. The lid is perfectly designed to close in a way that I can’t explain, and the overall enjoyment from it is unmatched.

Stanley vs. Dupe: Did they leak?

They both leak, the Stanley less so because of the precision in terms of designs, but it does leak if you hold it upside down or if it gets knocked over by your blind pug, but the Stanley less so. But honestly, who in their right mind chooses a water bottle by holding it upside down to see how much leakage it has? I’m sorry, but it’s not a deal breaker that it leaks. However, the first thing anyone asks me to do is put it upside down. Ok Susan, put your Fortuner upside down and tell me it won’t leak.

Emotional Support and Beyond.

The water bottle that made an impact to my life, and the world itself, and not from it’s quality or based off the fact that the brand has been around since 1913, but because of a TikTok, is fascinating.

To close off, all I can say is well done to Stanley for a product that made my life better and continue to ponder on what colour I want next… beige, or blue.