Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Long Review But Must Read Before You Buy Extremely Nice Mug, here are the facts. Bought this product because thought my old mug was broke only to find out the cord was broke. Now I have an extra one, but that’s a good thing. I travel/Drive a lot so I use heated coffee mugs all the time, I have 4 or 5 of them all different models, and I use them all. I gave it 5 stars because the only Cons probably won't be Cons to most others, and the mug does everything they advertise it to do and that I expect in a heated mug. Introduction: As for this product, works great. People who are new to these types of mug just don’t realize the idiosyncrasies of these types of mugs. Doesn’t mean they don’t work or are not good, just that ALL heated coffee mugs have their quirks. And not to be rude, some people just don’t know what they are talking about. Here are the categories I’ll be addressing. Does the lid fit snug or leak and how does the slide piece on the top of the lid work, the fuse, Does it warm/heat the coffee & how long does it take, how many years can you expect to get out of a mug, the width of the bottom (how it fits in the cup holder), how many ounces do they hold. Pros & Facts: The lid on this product fits securely, no leaks, O-ring is good quality, you can actually pick the mug up (Empty) by the lid and the lid does not come off. I don’t know of any heated mug that’s spill proof if you tip it over. I have a few other mugs where the lids just sit on top. So this Lid passes the test. As for the opening slide on this lid, these can sometimes slid back shut when you go to take a drink or if the vent hole is part of the slide, can gum up with dried coffee residue and won’t be able to drink properly. Now, I haven’t owned this long enough for this slide to wear out yet, but for now works fine, and the vent hole is located separately on the lid. So this passes my test too. I have even switched the lid to another mug because it works so well. As far as warming coffee, it works great too. The 160 degrees is extremely hot so I can’t even put it on that setting if I want to drink the coffee. It can take up to 30 minutes to heat a cool cup of liquid. Most of the time I brew my coffee at home then put in small mason jars for travel, then when ready I pour into mug, plug it in and in about 30 minutes I have a piping hot cup of coffee (I pack a cooler bag for my cream). So if you drink it black you only have to stop once to fill it the first time. The reason it doesn’t work well or at all for think soups and sauces is because it works off the heat exchange principle. Just like a block heater on a motor, as the area where the heater is gets warm automatically circulates with the colder liquid. It’s just science. So if the sludge/liquid can’t mix/circulate it won’t work. This will work for all liquids, Tea, Coffee, Hot Cocoa, etc. Don’t expect it to do more than it’s designed for or else of course you’ll get frustrated. And know this, it takes all of my coffee mugs about 25-35 minutes to warm/heat up the liquid, this is just how they work. If it’s already hot, it will more than keep it warm/hot with it plugged in. All of my other mugs, when the coffee is hot I have to unplug it or I continues to heat it making it too hot to drink. Then you have to plug them back in to warm it up, this is just how they work. I like this Mug because it has settings that actually work to keep it at the temperature I like. However, I still like to unplug it from time to time as I feel this adds life to the heating element. Think of it this way, all heating elements have a lifespan of “X” number of minutes/hours. So eventually it will break. So once the coffee is hot, why keep it plugged in for any longer than necessary. By since the cig lighter plug is so easy to access while driving what’s the big deal about plugging and unplugging. Next is the size in ounces. I don’t recall how many but this is plenty, and larger than 2 of my mugs and the same as the others. So ok there, as I like a large cup of coffee so I don’t have to keep refilling (because I have to pull over alongside the road for that). Folks – YOU CAN NOT PUT THESE IN THE DISHWASHER!!!! Really people? You have to be told this. Cons: Yes it is more cumbersome to wash because this mug does not have a rubber cap where the plug connects. I keep my finger over it when washing, but the key is you should not use till at least the next morning to make sure thoroughly dry. 3 of my other mugs come with rubber caps for this purpose. This mug is a bit narrow for my cup holder, probably for most economy cars and newer small cars will fit just fine. I driver a pickup and suburban and I have to jerry rig the cup holder to fit so it doesn’t tip over. I am creative so I made it work. I find that none of the mugs I have actually fit snug in MY cup holders, so I live with it. Other Tips/Topics: As far as the fuses, while I have not had any problems with this plug thus far, I have over the years with all of my other mugs, so I simply put in a higher rated fuse. I am not saying to do this, just that I’ve never had a problem with the higher fuse and it works for me. I use a 5A 250V fuse slow/delayed trip type fuse. If you are using the factory fuse and they keep breaking, just know that this is NORMAL, as there is not a mug on the market that won’t from time to time blow a fuse, if you don’t upgrade to a higher amp/volt. It’s normal. And just remember they shut off once you turn your car off as juice to the cig lighter is off when the key is off, if you have that type of car. My truck is live all the time, so I can fill up the mug before I go into a meeting, then when I come out, it is all hot and just need to add cream before I start driving. You should always heat with the lid on so it doesn’t evaporate or spill. Conclusion: Very nice coffee mug. One of the best on the market. Heats well and Hot. Doesn’t leak, lid is comfortable, and all of my mugs last 3 to 5 years or longer just depending on level of use. Just know they won’t last forever, but so far this one is a keeper. I totally recommend this product, and I don’t usually do reviews, but as you can see I put a lot of time into this review, because I have started to rely on reviews when buying and feel it’s the right thing to do.