Tech Tools Heated Car Travel Mug - Keeps Your Bevrege Hot - Retro Style - Stainless Steel 12 Volts (Red)

Long Review But Must Read Before You Buy Extremely Nice Mug, here are the facts. Bought this product because thought my old mug was broke only to find out the cord was broke. Now I have an extra one, but that’s a good thing. I travel/Drive a lot so I use heated coffee mugs all the time, I have 4 or 5 of them all different models, and I use them all. I gave it 5 stars because the only Cons probably won't be Cons to most others, and the mug does everything they advertise it to do and that I expect in a heated mug. Introduction: As for this product, works great. People who are new to these types of mug just don’t realize the idiosyncrasies of these types of mugs. Doesn’t mean they don’t work or are not good, just that ALL heated coffee mugs have their quirks. And not to be rude, some people just don’t know what they are talking about. Here are the categories I’ll be addressing. Does the lid fit snug or leak and how does the slide piece on the top of the lid work, the fuse, Does it warm/heat the coffee & how long does it take, how many years can you expect to get out of a mug, the width of the bottom (how it fits in the cup holder), how many ounces do they hold. Pros & Facts: The lid on this product fits securely, no leaks, O-ring is good quality, you can actually pick the mug up (Empty) by the lid and the lid does not come off. I don’t know of any heated mug that’s spill proof if you tip it over. I have a few other mugs where the lids just sit on top. So this Lid passes the test. As for the opening slide on this lid, these can sometimes slid back shut when you go to take a drink or if the vent hole is part of the slide, can gum up with dried coffee residue and won’t be able to drink properly. Now, I haven’t owned this long enough for this slide to wear out yet, but for now works fine, and the vent hole is located separately on the lid. So this passes my test too. I have even switched the lid to another mug because it works so well. As far as warming coffee, it works great too. The 160 degrees is extremely hot so I can’t even put it on that setting if I want to drink the coffee. It can take up to 30 minutes to heat a cool cup of liquid. Most of the time I brew my coffee at home then put in small mason jars for travel, then when ready I pour into mug, plug it in and in about 30 minutes I have a piping hot cup of coffee (I pack a cooler bag for my cream). So if you drink it black you only have to stop once to fill it the first time. The reason it doesn’t work well or at all for think soups and sauces is because it works off the heat exchange principle. Just like a block heater on a motor, as the area where the heater is gets warm automatically circulates with the colder liquid. It’s just science. So if the sludge/liquid can’t mix/circulate it won’t work. This will work for all liquids, Tea, Coffee, Hot Cocoa, etc. Don’t expect it to do more than it’s designed for or else of course you’ll get frustrated. And know this, it takes all of my coffee mugs about 25-35 minutes to warm/heat up the liquid, this is just how they work. If it’s already hot, it will more than keep it warm/hot with it plugged in. All of my other mugs, when the coffee is hot I have to unplug it or I continues to heat it making it too hot to drink. Then you have to plug them back in to warm it up, this is just how they work. I like this Mug because it has settings that actually work to keep it at the temperature I like. However, I still like to unplug it from time to time as I feel this adds life to the heating element. Think of it this way, all heating elements have a lifespan of “X” number of minutes/hours. So eventually it will break. So once the coffee is hot, why keep it plugged in for any longer than necessary. By since the cig lighter plug is so easy to access while driving what’s the big deal about plugging and unplugging. Next is the size in ounces. I don’t recall how many but this is plenty, and larger than 2 of my mugs and the same as the others. So ok there, as I like a large cup of coffee so I don’t have to keep refilling (because I have to pull over alongside the road for that). Folks – YOU CAN NOT PUT THESE IN THE DISHWASHER!!!! Really people? You have to be told this. Cons: Yes it is more cumbersome to wash because this mug does not have a rubber cap where the plug connects. I keep my finger over it when washing, but the key is you should not use till at least the next morning to make sure thoroughly dry. 3 of my other mugs come with rubber caps for this purpose. This mug is a bit narrow for my cup holder, probably for most economy cars and newer small cars will fit just fine. I driver a pickup and suburban and I have to jerry rig the cup holder to fit so it doesn’t tip over. I am creative so I made it work. I find that none of the mugs I have actually fit snug in MY cup holders, so I live with it. Other Tips/Topics: As far as the fuses, while I have not had any problems with this plug thus far, I have over the years with all of my other mugs, so I simply put in a higher rated fuse. I am not saying to do this, just that I’ve never had a problem with the higher fuse and it works for me. I use a 5A 250V fuse slow/delayed trip type fuse. If you are using the factory fuse and they keep breaking, just know that this is NORMAL, as there is not a mug on the market that won’t from time to time blow a fuse, if you don’t upgrade to a higher amp/volt. It’s normal. And just remember they shut off once you turn your car off as juice to the cig lighter is off when the key is off, if you have that type of car. My truck is live all the time, so I can fill up the mug before I go into a meeting, then when I come out, it is all hot and just need to add cream before I start driving. You should always heat with the lid on so it doesn’t evaporate or spill. Conclusion: Very nice coffee mug. One of the best on the market. Heats well and Hot. Doesn’t leak, lid is comfortable, and all of my mugs last 3 to 5 years or longer just depending on level of use. Just know they won’t last forever, but so far this one is a keeper. I totally recommend this product, and I don’t usually do reviews, but as you can see I put a lot of time into this review, because I have started to rely on reviews when buying and feel it’s the right thing to do.

Purchased another one of these, as they only last a few month's. Never reached hot temperature, 1400 max and normally would not get above 1300. Returning this one, will try another and another and another. Getting tired of buying these Heated mugs, but love hot coffee. So far this has worked as advertised. Just don't ever spill liquid on the temp sensor. Been through a half dozen of these and other's in the last few years. This brand of stainless seems to last the longest, which is usually a year before you have problems with setting the temp. I guess $ 20 or so dollars is worth the price for a warm cup of coffee during the day. I like my coffee hot and the 1600 Degree setting works great. I did notice a slight problem when left in the car in below 0 weather, took a while to set the temp to stay at 1600. This stainless coffee cup seems to work better and last longer than the red or blue, why I do not know. I use it daily and would recommend.

Love my cup. Over all it does it's job. But like everyone else the physical size if the cup causes problems in daily use. I use it to keep my coffee hot on my desk or in the car to refill another cup that fits in the car cup holder or won't fall over when you walk by it. I fixed the tip over problem by putting using a coke can coozie with a notch cut out for the cord attachment receptacle. I doesn't fall over nearly a easy now. Manf. needs to supply or make available a attachable base that clips to bottom of the cup to provide some stability for desk use. I also made a cup holder for the car by taking 2 of the standard plastic window mounting cup holders and joining them together to make it deep enough to hold the cup . I used some 3/16 sheet aluminum to reinforce the arm so it would support the extra weight of the cup while hanging on the passengers door . Manf. needs to make one of these available to allow his product to be used. This is for Katie who requested I type in more info on my experience with the Smart Mug. 1. Has been a reliable heated mug for two years on my desk. I've try others with no success, they don't have the good thermal control of the Smart Mug and burn up the heating element. I use it as a means to keep my coffee warm from my oversized Contigo coffee mug and thermos. 2. Just this week I added one to my motorcycle. I made a holder that is attached to the handle bar and powered by the 12Vdc socket that is on the Suzuki 650 V Strom dash. I would like to speak with the manufacture to make a suggestion to make one for a motorcycle accessory. The ADV and Touring market is hot right now and we look for equipment to make our life easier on the road. I took mine out on the bike in 40 degree weather at 70 mph set at temperature to 130 degrees and the mug maintain the coffee at 129 to 130 degrees, even with the added wind chill factor. Well what else can I say, after the trip on the bike yesterday, I change my review from a 4 stars to a 5. Power connection needs to change to a much smaller component something resembling something used in this century. Display needs to be waterproof so damage won't occur doing hand washing.

Es de mal calidad. Calienta, pero no mantiene el calor cuando está desconectado. La tapa tiene derrames, al agitar o inclinar un poco el vaso. Las partes electrónicas no son herméticas. A pesar de lavarlo con cuidado, en alguna ocasión le entró agua y se descompuso. Solo duró tres semanas!!!

It is useless

This is perfect for me in my profession I can make the drink set the temp and always have a hot drink to hand.

The product is good (fyi, I have bought one and currently using it) but both the merchants or amazon lack expertise on engineering practices because the product specification does not include the current (or amps) rating for the device. This could lead may to buy the wrong adaptor or converter for use as the power supply for the mug (when they are using it outside their cars). Out of the goodness of my heart and for solidarity with the numerous customers out there, the missing amps rating is 5A. This means that you can buy a power supply adaptor with a current rating of between 4A-7A to safely power it. Because of the absence of this amperage information, I wasted money buying a 12V power adaptor rated at 0.5A (that is, 500mA) which could not operate it. After laising with technicians out here where I live, we found that the rating for the device is 5A. I have told amazon to include this info but they have refused to do so till today.

As a lorry driver, this mug is an absolute godsend. It maintains temperature very well, and will even reheat drinks that you've left to go cold (or at least, too cold to enjoy). The only warning that I would post is to be very VERY careful when cleaning it. The seal between the buttons on the front and the cup itself aren't the best. The one that I have now is my second as moisture got in through the seal and basically fried the electronics as soon as I plugged it in. And at £25+ a time, that can get a bit expensive fairly quickly. It would be better if it had a removable 'inner cup' that could be washed properly without having to worry about getting any water anywhere near the electronics. But it's fine as long as you only rinse it, and do it carefully.