Wednesday, 19 December 2012

Review - Azuma Food Flask


I've read many a review, on many a product, as I'm sure we all have and the one thing that grates me is the length of some of them, don't these people realise we have better things to be doing with our time than trawling through pages of notes?  So I thought, quick and simple should do the trick. 
 
Two sections:
 
1.) Summary (for those who really don't have the time or inclination to read further)
2.) Detail (What I was looking for in the product and How it performed based on those things)

Azuma 600ml food flask - £8.99 (Amazon)
 
Summary
 
Definitely worth the £8.99 as long as you don’t want piping hot food!  I looked at a lot of reviews for other flasks (Stanley, Thermos, Primus, Pioneer) and have so far not been disappointed.  The food is definitely only ‘warm’ after 5.5hrs but it made a welcome change to sandwiches on a cold day.  The leakage issue was one of my main concerns but it passed with flying colours. As for long term performance, only time will tell.

Detail
 
a.) Does it keep food warm? Yes (ish) After 5.5hrs without opening, lunch was warm and edible but definitely not hot.  This was also after pre heating flask. 
b.) Does it leak? No, and this is a big plus as strangely many manufacturers don’t guarantee this in their websites small print.  It was not upright in rucksack and was removed on more than one occasion and thrown back in and not a drop of leakage.
c.) Will it fit snugly in a rucksack? It came with a shoulder strap with little attachment points on either side.  Needless to say a quick saw later, they were off, and it fits about as snugly as a flask could fit.
d.) Weight? 388g without cup lid, 469g with
e.) Access and wash ability? Simple plastic spork reaches the bottom easily and easy to get at all of your food plus easy to wash with large entry at the top.
f.) Does the threading warp at very low temperatures? (i.e. Scottish winter walking) Not tried this one yet.  Scotland beckons in the New Year.
g.) Do you need the cup lid? (i.e. you eat straight from flask, so does not having the lid compromise heat loss or leakage?) If the cup is removed it still does not leak and I did a little kitchen test on insulation with and without the lid.  Using 500ml boiling water and a 3hr sit time, with the cup lid in place the water was 2 degrees Celsius warmer, so not  a massive difference.
h.) Enough food? Personally 600ml is enough for a day walk for me. (I do also carry snacks) But if you have a large appetite maybe the quantity is borderline.





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