Product Reviews #1: The Foogo Thermos

My first blog product review!

I realized a short time ago that I enjoy writing reviews, and I’ve been on Amazon writing furiously lately (my profile complete with a really early, pretentious horrendous book review. Ah, to be young and clueless again). With a five year old and a two year old it can be difficult to accomplish much that requires attention, concentration, and the working of more than one brain cell at a time. Luckily, in my infinite wisdom, I took two years of typing in High School. Ms. Strupczewski (who gave me bonus point for spelling her name correctly) has made possible lighting fast, typing speeds thanks to the Cortez Peters System of typing. I’ve also been occupying the kids with Christmas toys I’ve rotate-rationed so that the “new toy” factor can be drawn out for several weeks. I’ve been digging around of the house looking for stuff to write about: Toys, kitchen tools, and even bathroom shower curtain rings.

I’ve come to realize two things: 1. I’m old and hold on to things a long time 2. I’ve been an Amazon customer since it was only a handful of pages and ONLY sold books.

I’ve also included my very first how-to Youtube video. That was a very convoluted process. I first used my Kindle Fire to take it because my video card is full again (holidays and kids), then I had to figure out how to get it off the cloud so I could upload it to Youtube, and then realized that in order to upload it to Amazon I had to use an online converter to change it from an mp4 to an avi. So if you are wondering “Why this thing?”; that’s why. A lot of effort for a very random idea!

Product Review:

FOOGO Phases Stainless Steel Straw Thermos

Foogo — Five years ago they had two cliche’ colors. Now they come in a few swanky options.

I bought our first Foogo about five years ago, lost it a year later bought another that we still own. It does keep cold liquids cold and has survived multiple abuses, including getting crunched in the metal workings of a recliner closed by an unawares dad. Other than a small ding on the side from that incident, the cup itself is in good shape. The top however did not fare as well over time.

The lid hinge does pop off easily, I think, by design and does its job when closed. However, after so many drops and tosses from daily use the plastic just gives way. Our lid no longer attaches, but we continued to use the cup. Without the closing lid, I find that it leaked some through the straw if it was set too long on its side when full.

The base with the straw is alright, but the straw itself needs care. I use a q-tip to get in a clean up in the bend from both sides. I only used ours for water, so our mold issues were minimal. The problem is moisture…mold loves it and that bend in the straw never fully dries. Unfortunately, you can’t get the silicone straw part separately; it would be easier to maintain if you could rotate straws. To reduce your mold problems, especially with non water liquids, rinse the straw often. Use a pipe cleaner, or a q-tip works well to dry that pesky bend. If you find that it has been left for a time and turned into a Petri dish…soak it in some white vinegar for a while, then wash it with a q-tip soaked with hydrogen peroxide, follow with a swish in hot water.

One last word on the straw: beware the biter. My first never bit or pulled at the straw, but my toddler son managed to nip off a bit of the tip and then handed it to me looking pleased for his efforts. He now uses it as a stainless steel, lid-less cup unless we are bringing it outside.

How to clean the Foogo Thermos Straw (if it has been forgotten and gotten moldy)

Nothing fancy here. Ooh my…I now understand why people who shoot their hands have manicures.