Iron Flask vs Takeya

Choosing the right stainless steel water bottle for your needs is actually a much more difficult task than it may seem at a first glance. There are dozens of renowned, highly-acclaimed brands out there and each of them has hundreds of different models of hiking water bottles on offer.

However, if your search for the best drinkware brand has narrowed down to Iron Flask vs Takeya, you’re in the right place. To determine which one of these two companies designs better products, I’ll be taking a quick look at two of their most popular stainless steel bottles and comparing them in several different categories. Read on!

Iron Flask vs Takeya – Product Overview

	Iron Flask	Takeya
Weight	1.17 lb	0.83 lb
Volume	24 oz	24 oz
Price	No products found.	No products found.
Material	Stainless Steel	Stainless Steel
Image	No products found.	No products found.
Colors	25	12
	No products found.	No products found.

Iron Flask 24 oz 3-Lids Bottle

There are a couple of good reasons why is the Iron Flask’s lineup of 3-Lid bottles extremely popular with thousands of outdoor enthusiasts. The particular model I’ll be talking about in this comparison is extremely well-made and features double-walled insulation that has no trouble with keeping water and other drinks icy cold for hours.

And, as its name suggests, this model comes accompanied by three lids – it’s as versatile as a reusable water bottle can be. These are the handle lid, flip lid, and the patented straw lid, with the manufacturer claiming that all of them are completely leakproof. All of the plastic elements are made out of BPA-free plastic and the model’s exterior sports a powder-coated finish. It’s a great alternative to Hydro Flask and a great alternative to Yeti.

Takeya Originals 24 oz Bottle

A member of Takeya’s Originals lineup, this particular water bottle is available in 12 vibrant colors and, unlike its rival, comes with just one lid. However, this is a genuinely innovative spout lid that is completely leakproof and which allows effortless one-handing pouring and drinking. It’s the only part of the bottle made out of (BPA-free) plastic.

The rest of the bottle, on the other hand, is made out of food-grade stainless steel and easily withstands daily wear and tear. And, just like in the case of the Iron Flask model, the Takeya 24 oz also features double-walled vacuum insulation that can maintain the temperature of both hot and cold drinks for hours on end. I particularly liked the model’s wide mouth – cleaning it and filling it with ice is as easy as it gets.

Iron Flask vs Takeya – The Face-Off

Ease of Use

Most of the renowned drinkware brands – Iron Flask and Takeya included – are trying to make their products to be as user-friendly as possible. They’re doing this by equipping bottles with features such as carrying handles or slip-free exterior finishes.

While the Iron Flask’s model certainly wins in the versatility department due to the fact that it comes with three instead of just one lid, I have to admit that I’ve encountered a couple of lid-related issues while testing this bottle. For example, the straw lid looks and feels quite flimsy, and I wouldn’t really say that either of the three lids is genuinely leakproof, as the manufacturer claims.

The single lid that you’re getting with the Takeya bottle, on the other hand, is just phenomenal. The brand is calling it “the best lid ever” and I can confirm that they’re not just bragging – it has a hinge lock, a wide carrying handle, and it’s completely leakproof.

But there’s a catch! The powder coating found on the Takeya bottle is advertised as the one that provides the owner with a “sure grip”, but this is pretty far from the actual truth. The bottle feels quite slippery in the hands, especially when compared to its rival and its grippy powder-coat exterior finish.

Construction Quality

Unlike plastic bottles, stainless steel flasks do not leech chemicals when exposed to the sun. What is more, they last much longer and can withstand a lot more beating than the bottles made out of other materials. Therefore, it’s no wonder that more and more outdoor enthusiasts are ditching their old Nalgenes in favor of brand new, steel-made flasks.

The Iron Flask definitely lives up to its name – this is a seriously well-made product that should last you a long time (provided you take good care of it, that is). One particularly good thing here is that this model is in the sub $30 range. In other words, one doesn’t have to break a bank in order to own a seriously durable stainless steel bottle.

The same can be said for its rival. While some users report that Takeya Originals 24 oz feels like it has really thin walls (the slooshing of ice and water inside of it is a bit louder when compared to other bottles), the model fared quite well in my drop tests. Just like the Iron Flask bottle, it ended up with only a couple of scratches and one minor indentation after being dropped onto a concrete surface from a height of about 5 feet.

So, in terms of construction quality, both of these reusable water bottles are excellent. Both use premium-quality stainless steel as the main material and are as durable as bottles in this price category can be.

Insulation

Besides durability, stainless steel bottles also offer temperature regulation – most of them feature double-walled vacuum insulation that keeps hot drinks hot and cold drinks cold for hours on end.

The Iron Flask claims that their popular 3-Lid bottle, which is featured in this comparison, can maintain the temperature of cold water for about 24 hours and of hot coffee and tea for about 12 hours. And while the first claim is definitely true, the model really struggles when it comes to keeping hot beverages hot – your tea will turn lukewarm after only 6 hours, which is, in my opinion, still pretty good.

In terms of temperature regulation, the performance of Takeya Originals 24 oz bottle is almost identical to that of its rival. And, just like Iron Flask, Takeya claims that their bottle can keep water cold for 24 hours and beverages hot for 12 hours, with only the first statement being true.

In summary, folks searching for a reusable bottle that can keep hot drinks hot for a really long time will have to look elsewhere. If you only want something that’s going to keep your water icy cold for one whole day, however, both the Iron Flask and Takeya bottles will easily satisfy your needs.

Taste

The taste is an incredibly important factor. Who wants to use a bottle that gives drinks an awful metallic taste? Besides imparting this horrible metallic taste to the liquids contained in them, cheap stainless steel bottles often tend to hold onto flavors of tea, coffee, and other drinks. How do these two bottles fare in this department?

Their performance in this segment is almost identical – while the steel bodies of these bottles resist flavor retention quite well, their lids are far more susceptible. The lid of the Takeya bottle and the three lids found on the Iron Flask model are somewhat complex and can trap flavors in their cracks and gaskets.

I’ve encountered no issues of any kind when it comes to the aforementioned metallic taste, though. But still, if your want your water to taste as clean and fresh as possible, your best bet is to simply get a glass bottle (if you’re willing to sacrifice the thermoregulation feature, that is).

Ease of Cleaning

In this category, Takeya is the obvious winner – its wide mouth allows for quick and easy cleaning. What is more, this feature turns it into a much better choice for folks who often fill their water bottles with ice.

However, the three lids that come with the Iron Flask bottle are a bit easier to clean than the one you’ll get with Takeya, which consists of multiple moving parts and can be challenging to rinse.

Value

As I mentioned above, both of these stainless steel bottles are in the same price category, with the Takeya 24 oz costing just a few dollars more than its rival.

Is this higher price justified? On one hand, the Iron Flask model comes with three instead of just one lid and is available in twice as many colors. On the other, the Takeya bottle weighs less and has a very comfortable carrying handle. It all depends on which of these things matters more to you. If you are interested in budget-friendly bottles, be sure to read this Iron Flask vs Hydro Cell comparison.

Wrapping It Up…

As far as I’m concerned, this “bottle battle” doesn’t have a clear winner – both models are great in their own ways and you can’t really go wrong with either Iron Flask or Takeya.

The Iron Flask bottle is certainly a more versatile option, as it comes in more colors and has three instead of just one lid. However, these same lids are somewhat flimsy and don’t really inspire confidence when it comes to long-term use.

That is not to say that the Takeya bottle doesn’t have its own flaws. Although lighter and equipped with a comfortable carrying handle, this model has a slippery exterior and its “best lid ever” can be quite challenging to clean. Check out our Iron Flask vs Thermoflask comparison and our Simple Modern vs Iron Flask comparison as well.