OXO Good Grips LiquiSeal Travel Mug, Stainless Steel
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of OXO Good Grips LiquiSeal Travel Mug, Stainless Steel
Customer Review: Fatally flawed mug cannot be cleaned and starts stinking
Summary: 2 Stars
I purchased this mug locally after too little research. The product suffers from serious design flaws. Despite hand-cleaning thoroughly after each use, the lid smells awful from old coffee and soured milk. There is liquid trapped inside the lid now, sucked into some internal chamber when I poured hot and then cold water over it in an attempt to kill the stench-causing bacterial colonies. The lid cannot be disassembled and can never be properly cleaned because of inaccessible internal surfaces. If that weren't enough, the click mechanism is showing signs that it's nearing the end of its useful life. All this after only a few months of use.
Another flaw is the permanent silicone sealing ring that forms a large lip inside the base between the polycarbonate middle section and the stainless bottom. This lip holds liquid even when turned or shaken upside down and is difficult to clean. Even after vigorously scrubbed with a plastic bristle brush, brown gunk comes off onto a drying cloth directed between the stainless part and the seal.
I think the "LiquiSeal" product line featuring this particular lid and base design is fatally flawed. This is sad because until it started stinking, it was exactly what I wanted: a well-constructed mug to keep liquids warm and truly sealed, pleasant to hold and drink from. That's why the mug merits two stars instead of one.
I've contacted Oxo to see if they have plans to fix these flaws, but the momentum of a large company is a tough nut to crack. A promising alternative that looks fully cleanable is the Thermos Nissan 14-Ounce Leak-Proof Insulated Travel Mug. My friend and unwitting guinea pig likes the one I bought him so far. I'll ask again in a few months.
Customer Review: How to dissassemble and clean the lid
Summary: 5 Stars
As reported in many reviews, the interior area of the lid will become very dirty after a couple of months of use. The lid can be easily taken apart for cleaning. The round sealing disk on the underside of the lid is attached to the push button by a small screw. If this screw stays locked, you can just unscrew the sealing disk while holding the lid. If this does not work, you will have to do the following:
The push button in the top lid is a hard plastic part that has a thin layer of rubber glued on top of it. You can not remove this rubber without destroying it. Cut a very small round hole (1/8" diameter) through the rubber in the exact center of the push button. There is actually a 1/8" hole in the plastic part beneath the rubber, which is very thin. If you have an X-acto knife, you can poke through the rubber and find the hole and use it as a guide when you cut through the rubber. You will have to dig out the rubber with a small sharp tool and tweezers. Once you have removed the rubber, you will see a very small phillips screw head in the bottom of the hole. Unscrew this screw while holding the round sealing disk located on the underside of the lid and the push button will separate from it.
There are several small parts (a black plastic piece, a spring, a black plastic washer and a white sealing washer) under the push button. If you leave the button depressed, these parts should all stay in place. You can also remove these parts, noting the order and direction, so you can put them back in after cleaning. Now you can access and thoroughly clean the inside of the lid and the round sealing disk. Reassemble the lid. The next time you clean the lid, it will be much easier.
This is a very nice cup, so to me it's worth the effort of cleaning it every few months.
Customer Review: Very good Cup. Really is leakproof
Summary: 5 Stars
First of all the cup works great and I fill it up and drink for about 2 hours and it is still very hot. I carry it in my ski jacket pocket and let it flop around in it without ONE drop being spilled. it works as intended and really this is what most people what to know about, not how very few people can't figure out how to clean a really simple cup.
Now on to my rant about the people that almost made me pass up a really great cup.
I bought this item even though I was afraid of the reviews that complained about the top getting gross. While I have only had this cup a short while I see what the problem could be with this cup and any problem can be handled by SIMPLY rising out the cup ASAP after using. Some of these people make it seem like the top is a super complicated mechanism when it really isn't!!
After using, empty remaining contents, click open top, rinse cup, rinse top while open, fill cup and put top on and shake out any leftover drink. Wash with soap at home. I have always done this with all my coffee cups and none of them are nasty before using the next time.
It is not that hard NOR rocket science.
I have to admit I take some people's reviews too seriously sometimes and have to wonder how some of these people get around in life.
Please don't think I am a neat freak, I am most certainly not. I just have the common sense to understand that leaving any flavored drink in a cup or dried in a top will leave you with a nasty mess to deal with later.
It is the same mentality of someone leaving milk to sour in a plastic cup, then lightly rising it and complaining the CUP is at fault for absorbing the rotten milk smell instead of the goof that left in there in the first place.
Customer Review: Outstanding travel mug never leaks a drop
Summary: 5 Stars
I've had this mug for almost a year, and I use it a few times a week. This mug holds a LARGE coffee, I don't know exactly how many ounces but it seems to hold more than most. The top of the mug can be screwed on when the mug is filled fairly close to the rim, so overfilling is easily avoided. The mug never leaks. It can be inverted, shaken and carried upside-down without leaking a drop. The click button on the top of the mug acts like a ball-point pen click mechanism, opening and closing the mug on successive clicks. When the push button is in the closed position, the mug is air-tight and will not leak. I don't wash the mug in the dishwasher, which I suspect is detrimental to the seals. The primary silicone rubber o-ring seal, plainly visible on the bottom of the mug's screw-top, has no visible signs of wear after a year. The o-ring still has a flexible rubbery feel and shows no sign of becoming brittle. The mug's heat retention is very impressive, keeping coffee hot for hours. I haven't used it with cold beverages. The mug's screw-top houses the sealing mechanism through which liquid flows when the seal is in the open position. The inside of the mug top cannot really be thoroughly cleaned; I normally just flush hot water through the mug top to clean it. A red ring is plainly visible when the click button is in the open position. This mug is very convenient because it does not have to be carried upright once it's filled. As long as the click button is in the closed position, even after you start drinking from it, the mug will not leak on its side or inverted. The mug uses a high-quality stainless steel as there are absolutely no pits or stains in it after about a year's use.Customer Review: Stay away if you use creamer.
Summary: 2 Stars
Let me say first that I have at least dozen OXO products and most are excellent. The 12" tongs, salad spinner and angled measuring cup are among my favorite items. This is one of the few I can't recommend to the general consumer. I broke my Thermos mug and had to buy one quickly before leaving on a long road trip, so I picked mine up at a local store. I didn't get to read any of these reviews prior and i've had it for 5 months now. Here are my main issues;
1. The LiquiSeal works great with one caveat, you need to let the remaining liquid drain back in for about 15 seconds before pressing the button to seal. Otherwise, you'll get dribble.
2. It's impossible to clean as numerous reviews have mentioned. If you use sugar or any sort of creamer, I recommend you find another travel mug. There will always be some left dried to the drains unless you immediately rinse it with scalding hot water. Not convenient for a TRAVEL MUG! If you do no religiously clean this mug, you will get some nasty build up inside the lid.
So here's what i've had to resort to every time I wash this mug. Rinse under scalding water to dissolve some of the residue. Soak the lid in a bowl of hot water to loosen anything that wasn't dissolved. Hold the button down as far as it will go to keep it open. Take two or three Q-tips and swab the insides of the lid mechanism. Soak and repeat until there is no more odor. This is unacceptable for a daily use travel mug.
So to reiterate. Black coffee, tea (no cream or sugar) and hot water drinkers should buy this. Anyone else will probably get sick of trying to clean the lid and buy another mug.