Review: Fnova 35oz Insulated Vacuum Flask

Product Link: Fnova 35oz Insulated Vacuum Flask
Vendor: Fnova
Price: $21.99

So when people think of buying a vacuum insulated flask, one of the more well-known brands that we've heard of is Hydro Flask.  But the cost of the hydro flask is about double the price of this Fnova 35oz flask.  So is the Fnova a good substitute against the Hydro?

Pros:

• Cheap cost
• Multi top options

Cons: 

• Difficult to clean due to narrow mouth opening
• Weak carabineer

Package Includes:

• Fnova 35Oz Insulated Vacuum Flask
• Sports Cap
• Bamboo Cap
• Carabineer cap

The Fnova flask arrived in a big brown box.  Only the top of the box has the item name printed on it.  Since they sell the flask in two sizes (21oz and 35oz), it's interesting they didn't write that info on the box.  When you flip the top of the box open, you'll notice the inside front side cover had a quick Thank You and request for review on it.  Although, Fnova never said if you are suppose to post a review or just simply email them if you have problems / improvement suggestions.

Usually when water bottles gets larger than 30oz, it starts becoming wider instead of taller.  So I was a bit surprised that Fnova chose a tall rather than a fat design.  I'm liking it though because it allows me to hold it a bit more easily with my hands and will insure it fits in most cup holders in the car.  The flask has a narrow mouth opening which is pretty normal for these style of bottle.  But, I wished they had follow in Hydro Flask's footsteps and used a wide mouth opening.  This makes it much easier to clean (you're not limited to the type of cleaning brushes you can use) and also allows you to fit bigger pieces of ice.  Now the Fnova has a bit of a heft to it without the ice/water placed inside it.  I guess this is the result of the material they used to make it a double wall vacuum insulated flask.

The biggest plus of Fnova Flask is the three top options they included.  This beats out the Hydro flask since Hydro charges around $10 if you want to purchase different tops.  But even though this was a plus, I had my doubts.  I had done my research prior to the arrival of this flask and noticed that there were negative complaints about damaged tops on arrival or a very bad straw lid.  I've also seen a video review where the metal band on the bamboo cap fell off.  Well I'm happy to report that I did not see any of these issues.  I think Fnova had paid attention to all the negative complaints from previous users and took the initiative to resolve these issues.  The sports cap no longer needs a straw (I hate them because cleaning the straws is difficult).  The metal band on the bamboo cap was pretty sturdy.  I tugged on it and couldn't separate the band from the cap.  Now the only thing I have to complain about is the carabineer cap.  Having a carabineer with it is great! (I wished they made all the tops be compatible with a carabineer)  BUT why did Fnova provide such a weak and flimsy carabineer.  I strongly doubt that it'll hold up to the weight of the flask filled with ice & water.  I'm not even going to humor testing it!  I straight out switched to a stronger carabineer.

But aside from having a nice form factor and including all the tops, does this flask work as advertised?  And I'll say it does.  After the usual cleaning before initial use of any bottles, I filled mine with ice and water and carried it with me to work.  I left the house around 7:30AM and throughout the day I took occasional drinks from the bottle.  By the time I left work around 5:30PM, the water was still cold.  I did notice there were still some ice in there but it was partially melted. 

So I do like this Fnova Hydro flask a lot.  I'm permanently leaving it at work with a goal of finishing at least an entire bottle of water every day.  Trying to carry it with me from my commute to and from would just be too heavy for me.  I'm also using the sports cap rather than all the other options.  It just makes more sense since twisting open/close the other two tops would be a waste of time versus flipping the top off the sports cap.  Aside from my negative points, I think its important that Fnova packages the tops separately for sale.  Just in case us users do break them by accident.

Product Link: Fnova 35oz Insulated Vacuum Flask
Vendor: Fnova
Price: $21.99

Disclosure: I received this Fnova 35oz Vacuum Insulated Flask for testing purposes.  I'm not obligated to write positive reviews so my opinions are based on actual usage of the product.