
*Please, don’t do what I did here, because I am stupid; also, I was not paid, encouraged, or compensated by the Yeti to write this. They’ll think me just as stupid as all of you should.
Are Yeti-brand coolers and cups worth the premium price tag? I can’t speak for the coolers, but when it comes to the Yeti Rambler 14 oz. Mug, I can give you a resounding OH YES.
Here’s what happened…
Nick Orange (this site’s co-owner, moral conscience and idea man) and I were walking around Dick’s Sporting Goods. We decided to purchase an item to review for the site, but didn’t want to just waste money on anything.
It had to be something I’d use at home, at work and on my occasional forays into urban exploring. Pocket knives, first aid kits, hiking packs, astronaut ice cream…none of it seemed worth discussing, much less reviewing.
Then we came to the Yeti display. The price tag kind of slaps you in the face. Yeti products are easily two to three times the cost of similar products, but some of that cost comes across in the look and feel of the item. The handles, the enamel coatings, the hefty rubber latches that cinch the coolers shut, all of these have a durable, premium feel. But is it worth twice the price?
We decided on the 14 oz. Yeti Rambler Mug, and instead of buying one, we bought two. His would be used primarily in an office setting. Mine would be used and abused in the great outdoors. After a few weeks, we’d get together and decide if the mugs were worth the $25 price tag.
The very first thing we did, just so we wouldn’t hesitate to put the mugs through their paces, is purchase the mugs, take them outside and drop them six feet to the concrete sidewalk. Passersby weaved away from us, of course, because that seems a crazy thing to do. We just wanted to get the first scratches out of the way.
