We don't always chase our personal best (PB), we shouldn't always have "chain right - ciao" in our heads. Specialized has launched a series of thermos flasks, bottles and cups for relaxed tours with nice breaks. So you can take a break from biking in a cosy clearing, at a rustic hut or anywhere else where it's worth taking a sip of a perfectly tempered drink. And where we usually suck on bottles that often taste a little musty or like plastic, with the Purist thermal containers you can devote yourself to the pure contents.
At Specialized, the name "Purist" has long stood for bike bottles that don't smell of chemicals and are easy to clean. The new thermos flasks, on the other hand, are made of stainless steel (the manufacturer says "knife steel") and the inner surfaces are said to be coated with a glass-like surface made of silicon dioxide. First impressions during use confirm this: the Purist jugs are easy to clean (coffee with soya milk) and they only slightly take on the flavour of the lid.
But above all, the three different containers are very pleasant to the touch because they have a slightly rough texture. In addition, the three different lids, like the thermos flasks themselves, make a very high-quality and durable impression. And they simply look very stylish. The swivelling lid of the Maker mug is particularly convincing because it is tight and pleasant to the lips. The Founder thermos flask, on the other hand, always drips when you pour it out.
Note: The banderole around the containers reads: whether for coffee or beer. However, the instructions for use state that filling with carbonated drinks is not recommended. We have therefore only tested the seal with water and coffee.
Specialised Purist: 3 sizes - 3 lids - all compatible
Specialised has three different sizes on offer. A thermos mug with a volume of 295 ml, a thermos flask with 530 ml and a thermos jug with 945 ml. The lid is included in the price.
- Maker: 295 ml- 202 g* - 38 Euro (incl. lid)
- Mover: 530 ml - 351 g - 50 Euro
- Founder: 945 ml - 396 g - 55 euros
*Weight without lid
Each jug comes with a lid from the factory - well, that's clear - but you can also buy other lid variants regardless of the volume. This is practical if, for example, you want to fit the large thermos flask with the drinking spout lid (called Union) in summer or perhaps quench your thirst for coffee from the half-litre version (Mover) and prefer to use the lid of the mug. However, 20 to 25 euros for a single lid is quite a lot. These three lids are available from Purist:
- Scope: 360-degree outlet, leak-proof - 65 g - 23 euros (lid only)
- Union: With mouthpiece, stopper snaps into place, carrying handle, leak-proof - 80 g - 25 Euro
- Element: Highest insulation, carrying handle, leak-proof - 70 g - 20 Euro
The Specialized Purist thermo jars in the test
The following details can be determined after the first few uses:
- Glass-like inner layer
- Vacuum between separate walls as insulation
- Stainless knife steel
- Leak-proof
- Non-slip, slightly roughened metal outer material
- High quality, durable
As beautiful as the exterior is, a thermos flask must first and foremost fulfil its purpose and protect its contents from cooling or heating. Specialised claims that drinks stay hot for up to 12 hours and cold for up to 24 hours in the Purist thermos jugs, depending on the type of closure. We tested the insulating performance of the Purist Maker, Purist Mover and Purist Founder with a simple experiment.
Keeping warm performance of the Purist thermo jugs
For this test, we poured boiling water into the Purist containers at the same time. As they had been standing in a slightly cool place, the water temperature at the start was 68° C for all of them. We then took measurements after four and nine hours, which corresponds to realistic use on a tour. The measurements were taken at room temperature (20° C).
Maker
Start: 68.1° C // after 4 h: 54.6 °C // after 9 h: 39,5 °C
Mover
Start: 68.2° C // after 4 h: 54.3 °C // after 9 h: 41,5 °C
Founder
Start: 68.0° C // after 4 h: 67.0 °C // after 9 h: 59,7 °C
The test shows that the largest thermos jug also has the highest insulation. It was also sealed with the lid which, according to the manufacturer, has the best insulation performance. Just under 60 degrees is still ok for coffee or tea after nine hours, for example. Just under 40 degrees is lukewarm, which is better than an ice-cold drink in winter temperatures. Speaking of outside: the temperature loss in all three containers is likely to be even greater at very low outside temperatures.
Conclusion on the Specialized Purist thermo containers in the test
The large Purist Founder thermos flask with a capacity of just under one litre keeps you warm best, but also weighs around 1.5 kilos in total (466 g bottle with lid + 945 g water). For a nice break on the tour, half a litre is usually enough, which still had a tolerable 54 degrees in the Purist Mover after four hours. It is our tip when it comes to the combination of price, handling and weight.
Availability & colours of the Purist thermo jars
Specialized states the following for the Purist thermos jugs in its online shop: "Exclusive product: Only available from Specialized.com in limited quantities." We have no information on how limited the availability is. Currently (20.2.2024) all variants are still available.
In terms of colour, Specialized goes a little spiritual. The basic colours of the Purist bottles are inspired by the elemental power and clarity of nature: metal, ash, black, bone (here in the test of the Maker thermos mug). Other equally limited colours: Rest (green), Drift (blue) and Rush (wine red). Cheers!
Marc Strucken
Editor
