Vintage Stanley Thermos vs Modern is there any difference? Even though they look the same, the general construction and build is quite different. Around the 60’s Stanley thermos started to bear the Aladdin mark. These days, Stanley Thermos just say Stanley.

These thermos are a great way to keep hot food hot and cold food cold. They manage to do this via vacuum technology. Something that has been around for over a hundred year. They come in a wide range of sizes and shape and usually bears the iconic green hammer tone color. It makes the perfect companion for the on the go lunch and dinner. This review will take a closer look at the design and features of the Vintage Stanley Thermos vs Modern version. We will see how it works and whether you should buy one.

Vintage Stanley Thermos vs Modern Quick Summary

Categories	Stanley Aladdin Thermos Stainless Steel Mug
Performance	Excellent
Capacity	24 oz Other Model Varies
Colors	Stainless Steel 18/8
Temperature Capability	Hot and Cold 15 Hours
Warranty	Lifetime Warranty
Brand Awareness	America
Country of Manufacturer	Vintage are Made in USA newer are made in China
Thoughts	The older models has a char vac technology that improves thermal insulation. You can see little difference in the way its constructed. newer models are lighter and probably done to save money. Other than that, they are pretty similar.
Reviewed Thermos	Stanley Classic Legendary Vacuum Insulated Food Jar

History of Stanley Bottle

Stanley Vacuum Bottle was started by William Stanley in 1913. While Stanley passed away a few years after starting the company, it passed through quite a few different owners. One of which is by Aladdin in 1965. During this transition, they moved all production to Nashville Tennesee. It wasn’t until 2002 that stanley was purchased by Pacific Market International. They started to move manufacturing to China.

Uses

The early uses for the bottle was for B-17 fighter. They supposedly used it to carry human organ, bull semen from the cattle industry and a companion tool for deep sea exploration. Today, they are used more as a food containers.

Vacuum Technology

Vacuum Insulation was invented by James Dewar in 1892. He wanted a way to keep hydrogen cool so that it wont evaporate. Hi original design was a two wall glass with its air sucked out. Since then, it started a shift in how bottles were designed.

The basic principal of how vacuum technology work is through thermal transfer. Heat constantly tries to reach a equilibrium with its surrounding. In a bottle, the goal is to either try to contain or prevent it from entering the chamber. Since heat needs a conduit like air to transfer efficiently, you can stop it by vacuuming air between the empty spaces.

Vacuum bottle at that time used a double wall glass container. However, these are more prone to shattering and once the glass goes, so does the heat retention properties. Modern day thermos uses a double wall stainless steel. They are more durable and have the same great heat retaining properties. Stanley was quite innovative with this as well. On the older model, they had a technology called the Char-Vac. This is where they fill the bottle with charcoal dust to help reinforced the thermal retention properties. However, this added weight and was eventually discontinued in 2009.

Vintage Stanley Thermos vs Modern Design

This section will discuss the construction and design of Stanely Thermos.

Bottle Opening

The opening is a very simple mouth, with nothing too interesting about it. It is meant more for pouring rather than on the go drinking. The lip is quite different from the newer model. Since these older model are packed with Charcoal, there is two wall design to it. The lip is more rounded and you can see where both of them are mated. The newer model looks to be one single piece and has a sharpish lip. If you look at the body on the older model, there is a seam on the body. More than likely that was mated on when they vacuumed it. Newer model does not have that same seam.

The cover lid is interesting as well. The model that I have has a filling inside, which most likely is charcoal. This was most likely done to help insulated the bottle. Since the top is the only portion where it is not vacuum insulated. Beneath the lid, there is a gasket there to help seal in liquid and prevent it from leaking.

This design is much simpler than the one employed by Zojirushi. Their bottles have many different gasket with a vent hole to prevent pressure build up. However, theirs are also a lot more difficult to clean. Ultimately it is a trade off. One performs better while the other is more easier to clean.

Weight Handle and Finish

Weight is also notably different as well. The vintage model weighs 2.2 lbs. No doubt thanks to the charcoal insulation. While the shipping weight for the newer model weights only 1.6 lbs.

Both the newer and older model use the plastic handle. It is hinged via two metal loop. While it seems flimsy, it still held up after all these years. The finish on the other hand will wear down with use. The one on the older model seems to be thinner. While the newer model is a bit thicker. Overall, how long it remains is dependent on the use.

Bottom and Instruction

The bottom of the Aladdin model has general information of where it is made. i.e. Nashville Tennessee. There are also instruction on how to use the bottle properly. For cold items, it says to precool with cold water. Vice versa for hot food. In storage, it says to leave the cap and lid off. More than likely this was to prevent smells from building. This also helps prolong the life of the gasket.

Vintage Stanley Thermos vs Modern Thoughts

On the surface, the vintage stanley thermos and modern one looks to be the same. However, if you take a closer look, there are surprising difference. Most notably is the char vac. It was removed for a more lighter designed. Collector actually coveted this char vac technology because of the supposed superior performance. But regardless of the model you get, they should still perform quite well.

I hope you like this Vintage Stanley Thermos vs Modern article, If you would like to see more, please visit our Vintage page.