The look of The Stanley Artisan is probably the very image that comes to mind when you think of a vacuum flask. The largest- capacity flask sent in for review, it has an overall size and weight to match. It feels too large for easy packing into a rucksack of under 25 litres, and it’s something I’d only carry all day if I’m taking care of the hot drinks for myself and a companion. 

Price: £85 | Weight: 810g (1 litre) | Materials: stainless steel, cork, plastic | Features: large cup, pouring stopper | Dimensions: 324x93mm (1litre tested) | Sizes: 500ml, 1L, 1.4L | uk.stanley1913.com

The Artisan supplies piping hot drinks all day long. Performance is outstanding, with 88°C contents temperature recorded after three hours, 79°C after six hours and 72°C at nine hours. Construction is solid, with embossed hoops on the body for damage protection and a hammered paint finish that adds some grip and deflects impacts from the stainless-steel wall. The twin wall stainless steel cup is large and attaches to The Artisan on an extended neck that also features an extra-long stopper.

The stopper takes one full turn to allow a splash-free flow from the marked channel into your cup. Whilst the silicone seal is easily removed, the opening into the inner bottle is narrow, so cleaning can be tricky. For that reason, I haven’t tried soup in the Artisan and have been careful to clean it immediately after use.