The Klean Kanteen Insulated TK Wide 64oz is a stainless steel thermos with an extra wide opening. I was curious how the biggest 1900 ml does its’s job. Well… I am flabbergasted about the results. Watch the video!
- Volume: 1900 ml/64 oz
- Pack size: 118 mm x 285 mm/4.65” x 11.25”
- Weight: 836.3 grams/29.5 ounces
- Price: € 60,00/$59,95/£ 54,95
A while ago the stainless-steel drinking bottle brand Klean Kanteen introduced another gem: the Klean Kanteen TK Wide. This is also a double-walled insulated bottle made of 18/8 food grade stainless steel. And of course, Wide stands for its wide opening of 66 mm. The TK Wide is available in 5 different sizes: 355 ml, 473 ml, 592 ml, 946 ml and 1900 ml. The first three sizes are available in 9 different colours; the 946 ml in four and the largest only in matte black and brushed steel. The one that I am reviewing here is the 1900 ml Klean Kanteen Insulated TK Wide 64oz in brushed steel and I am flabbergasted about the results.
For hot and cold
I own quite a lot of regular size thermos bottles and I use them all the time. On trips and also when shooting my video’s when it is a bit colder. I don’t only use them for drinking tea or making coffee when I don’t have the time to make a fresh one and cook water with a stove, but I use them for noodles too. With the TK Wide – since it has an opening of 66 mm – I thought: this is a nice bottle for bringing a prepared warm pasta leftover from the day before. The disadvantage of most bottles with a narrower neck is not that I can’t get the food in or out, but that they are difficult to clean.
Size and weight
The Klean Kanteen Insulated TK Wide 64oz is a seriously big and heavy isolated bottle. It has a volume of 1900 ml/64 oz, the pack size is 118 mm x 285 mm/ 4.65” x 11.25” and a weight of 836.3 grams/29.5 ounces. On my scale I measure 832,7 grams/29,3 ounces and being 1 ml = 1 gram the volume of 1900 ml is spot-on. When the TK wide is filled it weights a wopping 2732,7 grams/96.4 ounces.
48 Hours Isolation
Klean Kanteen claims for the 64oz TK Wide – as it is officially named – that it keeps a drink cold for 135 hours and warm for 38 hours. Pretty impressive numbers and this I checked.
I tested the temperate rating a few times on the go with different outside temperatures ranging from 6 degrees to 14 degrees Celsius and a few times indoors with a steady room temperature of 18 degrees Celsius. I took the average of the measures for a more balanced figure. Outside I measured in 48 hours a temperature drop from 95,7 °C (starting with boiling water) to 39,2 °C. Inside the numbers are 97,7 °C to 44,8 °C. In my opinion these measurements are a bit better than what Klean Kanteen states but I don’t know their definition of warm. I experienced that with 40 ° C I am still happy with a cup of tea when it is cold outside.
The loss of temperature – or basically energy – is mainly because of the neck of the bottle where the cap is placed. On the outside I could not feel any warmth coming through the double walled bottle except at the neck. This is not unusual; the neck and cap are the biggest challenge for thermos bottle manufactures.
Maybe you are wondering how long a drink keeps cool. Well, I didn’t test it for several reasons. Mostly because in my summer life I finish a cold drink during the first 6-8 hours. But I can imagine that you do things differently. So send me an email if you want me to test that too, but bear in mind that 135 hours is 5.6 days…
Klean Kanteen 64oz TK Wide as foodcontainer
Like I wrote above, I was curious how the Klean Kanteen Insulated TK Wide 64oz would do in combination with hot food. Well also here the big thermos has proven more than I expected. I used it as a food container to take some hot pasta and noodles with me on day trips during video shoots. I like to have something warm when it is cold outside, and I don’t always have the time to boil water for an outdoor freeze dried meal. And… I am a better cook…
From the above you will understand that food stays hot too. But the good thing about the 64oz TK Wide is the wide opening. It is very easy to get food in the big opening and getting it out likewise. And when I am done it has proven to be very easy to clean too. What I especially like is the thread.
Screw thread
What also keeps it clean is the beautiful way in which Klean Kanteen has the cap screwed into the bottle. Inside the inner bottle are “nubs” that together form a thread. The cap turns in these studs. In that respect it is very different than a lot of other bottles where the tread is more like the traditional spiral that is a bit harder to clean. Thanks to this special Klean Kanteen thread, I noticed that drinking and pouring go’s very nicely and spill-free. Even with the cap screwed half in. Because of the “nubs” there is always an opening for the liquid to pass. Something you don’t have with a traditional continuous thread.
Wide Loop Cap
The Klean Kanteen Insulated TK Wide 64oz as I tested it comes with the standard vacuum insulated Wide Loop Cap. The cap is made from the same stainless steel as the bottle and – as the name reveals – it is isolated. The cap has rubber all around it for the grip and a large metal loop that you can pull out of the cap. The loop is very useful for puting the bottle for example out of the side pocket of a backpack. It can be used together with a carabiner to hang the bottle on the outside of a backpack but with the large TK Wide I would not do this because of its weight. But the cap fits on every TK wide so that is the reason. But the real reason why the loop is there and needed is not even mentioned on the Klean Kanteen website.
Vacuum
One thing I discovered when I was testing and checking the temperature rating, is that the bottle is sometimes very hard to open. The reason for this is the following.
When you put hot food or liquid in the thermos the material itself is at its largest volume. Because it is also steaming hot, a little bit of steam is trapped when I screw the cap on. The food will keep on steaming for a while and in the bottle there will be a little overpressure.
When the food cools, this overpressure disappears and… when it cools further a negative pressure is created. I discovered that this ‘vacuum’ can be quite powerful after a couple of hours cooling down. This results in needing the loop to put a lot of force on the cap to open it. And when applying a lot of force the metal loop is quite painful to the hands. It is not a big problem, but you should be aware of this before you buy.
Three extra caps
So, the big Klean Kanteen 64oz TK Wide comes standard with the Loop Cap but all the other TK Wide models come standard with the Café Cap with a drinking lip (and metal loop too). Nice detail is that for the TK Wide series in total four caps are available so you can adapt the bottle cap to your liking.
The Wide Loop Cap (as I have). Full stainless steel interior, rubber on the outside and the loop.
The Café Cap. Made from BPA-free Polypropylene, food-grade silicone and stainless-steel swivel loop handle. Open and close drinking function. Easy to disassemble and is dishwasher safe.
The Wide Straw Cap. A cap specially made to put a straw through. Naturally a metal straw and not entirely coincidentally, Klean Kanteen also has this one.
The Chug Cap. A cap with a lockable drink spout. Handy if you also want to use the bottle as a sports bottle and want to be able to drink large sips of water.
Klean Kanteen Green
I like companies that make an extra effort to keep our planet liveable and Klean Kanteen does quite a lot. They support a lot of environmental organisations that help to save the planet; from single use waste to keeping our water clean. Next to that Klean Kanteen is member of the 1% For The Planet Organisation meaning they give 1% of the turnover every year to various projects that contribute to a better world. And as we all know: if a lot of people help a little bit, together it leads to the greatest things. Last thing I like to mention is that Klean Kanteen is a 100% carbon neutral company. So, if you are looking for a new bottle, take this into the equation. There is a reason for paying maybe a bit more.
Verdict
The Klean Kanteen Insulated TK Wide 64oz has surprised me in more than one way. I am flabbergasted about how well it isolates; depending on the definition of warm the bottle I reviewed outperformed the numbers from Klean Kanteen. After 48 hours the water was still at 40 °C and then a cup of tea is still nice when it’s cold outside. Next to that it doubles as a food container for pasta or noodles. Thanks to is large 66 mm opening the TK Wide 64oz is easy to fill and to clean.
I love the Klean Kanteen thread. The fact that other caps are available is a bonus. To open the bottle, you need sometimes strong hands. The metal loop can be a painful when applying a lot of force. The empty weight of 836,3 grams /29.5 ounces is heavy and filled with water is weights 2732,7 grams/96.4 ounces. It is your choice if you want to carry this up the mountain in a backpack or bike panniers. For shorter hikes with friends it’s doable, but I think this Klean Kanteen is more of a ‘camping with car’ product. The Klean Kanteen Insulated TK Wide 64oz retails for € 60,00/$59,95/£ 54,95 and I am ok with that. I rate the Klean Kanteen Insulated TK Wide 64oz at 8.8 points out of 10 total.
Information: www.kleankanteen.com
