Cotton, corduroy, canvas, oh my! Half of getting a project right is picking a material that actually fits. The Material Matters Series, runs down what these materials actually are, and when and how to best use them.
We promised something shinier last time, so here it is, Stainless Steel, the material that somehow pulls off looking premium and surviving a backpack, a car cupholder, and a dishwasher cycle it definitely wasn’t supposed to go through.
What are we working with here
Our drinkware runs on 18/8 stainless steel, double-walled with vacuum insulation between the layers, which is the part actually doing the work of keeping a cold brew cold or a coffee hot for hours. From there it splits into two finishes, powder coated on the outside with the raw steel still doing the job on the inside, or fully ceramic coated inside and out, which is the newer, more premium build.
Worth saying plainly since we already did a whole post on actual ceramic mugs, this is just a coating, the bottle underneath is steel start to finish.
Either way it’s BPA free and built to survive actual daily use, not just a photo shoot.
The Vibe
There’s a specific kind of satisfying that only stainless steel does, the weight of it in your hand, the quiet clink instead of a plastic clatter, the way condensation just doesn’t happen because the insulation is actually doing its job. The powder coated pieces have a soft-touch matte finish that feels a little more casual and grippy. The ceramic coated ones go the other direction, smooth and color matched inside and out, so the whole thing reads like a finished object instead of a drinkware add-on.
The Case For It
“It’s not another water bottle. It’s the one they’ll actually stop using their old one for.”
We all know drinkware tops the most kept promo item list pretty much every year, so nobody needs convincing on the category, that argument was won a long time ago. The only real question left is which bottle, and that's where stainless earns it, it solves an actual daily problem, temperature retention, no sweat rings on the desk, fits in the cupholder, so it's the one that survives the drawer purge instead of getting lumped in with the stress balls and the lanyards. Pitch it as the upgrade to something the client already believes in, plus… who doesn’t love a new water bottle??
The Deets
Powder coated pieces, like the 16oz Everyday Tumbler, hold heat for about 3 hours and cold for about 8, and take a direct screen print for one color or direct digital for full color at an upcharge. Ceramic coated pieces, like the 12oz Nomad Tumbler, stretch that retention out to around 10 hours and come with a choice of three lid styles, which makes this style even more fun to pick and customize.
Minimums for these sit around 24 units depending on the piece, but there’s something for every budget on our site.
Where It Shows Up (few but not all)
→ Created Co. Cold Cup, 16oz, powder coated with a twist-on lid and 12 hours of cold retention, in six colors.
→ Created Co. Nomad Tumbler, available in 8, 12, and 16oz, fully ceramic coated with your choice of sip, flip, or grip lid.
→ 32oz Hydro Steel Insulated Bottle, double-wall stainless with a flip-up spout, built-in brass straw, and a silicone carry loop.
Next up in Material Matters, we’re looking straight through the next one.