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See why.Reusable Plastic Cups
Could we find a set of functional, durable, and stylish plastic cups to meet our outdoor drinking and dining needs?
By Published Sept. 14, 2021
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What You Need To Know
We love to enjoy food and drinks outdoors—at picnics, backyard barbecues, clambakes, and more. While we could use the glasses from our kitchens for these gatherings, many of them are breakable and too heavy to transport easily. Reusable plastic cups, which are sometimes marketed as “shatterproof cups,” are meant to survive an accidental tumble onto a hard patio or deck and provide a safe, convenient alternative to indoor glassware. We liked most of the cups we tested, but our favorites are the Amazing Abby 16-Ounce Ice Cube Plastic Tumblers. The eight cups in this set have thin rims that made for a pleasant drinking experience and textured exteriors that allowed us to grip them securely. The cups’ bases are wide, so they are stable on various surfaces, and they can be stacked for efficient storage. Like all the other models we tested, they didn’t crack or break when we dropped them onto concrete.
What You Need to Know
Lightweight and durable, plastic cups are meant mainly for outdoor use, though we know plenty of families with small children who use them indoors, too. With outdoor dining on the rise and with so many models of plastic cups on the market, which set is best? We focused on cups that could hold 12 to 16 ounces, the size we like for drinking everything from lemonade to iced tea to soda to water. Some of the cups in our lineup can be purchased as single units, but most are sold in sets of four, six, or eight.
The cups we tested were made from different types of plastic, including acrylic, melamine, and Tritan. All were free of bisphenol A (BPA), a compound common in plastics that many people choose to avoid. All the cups were equally durable. After we dropped them on concrete, we noted that each retained small nicks and dings on either the rim or the bottom of the cup, depending on how the cup landed. None shattered, cracked, or was seriously damaged. We fully recommend six of the sets of cups we tested.
What to Look For
- Thin Rims: Cups with thin rims—those measuring from 1.83 to 3.64 millimeters—were the most pleasant to drink from. Their delicate rims reminded us of the glasses we use in our own kitchens, so it didn't feel like a compromise to be using plastic. We were able to spend more time enjoying our drinks and less time thinking about the cup from which we were drinking.
- Textured Exteriors: The exteriors of most of the cups in our lineup were covered with textured patterns, including water-like ripples, raised diamonds, or etched detailing. These textured surfaces made our grip more secure, which is especially important for outdoor dining, as you may be holding your glass for most of the time.
- A Wide Bas...
Everything We Tested
Highly Recommended
- Drinking Experience: 3 stars out of 3.
- Design: 3 stars out of 3.
- Durability and Cleanup: 3 stars out of 3.
Our favorite set of plastic cups has everything we were looking for, including thin rims that make the cups very pleasant to drink from. The textured exterior allowed us to grip the cups securely. After these cups were used, washed repeatedly, and deliberately dropped onto concrete, they retained only minor nicks and dents. A bonus: This is the least expensive set (per cup) in our lineup.
- Drinking Experience: 2.5 stars out of 3.
- Design: 3 stars out of 3.
- Durability and Cleanup: 3 stars out of 3.
Though their rims are slightly thicker than those on the cups of our winning set, these cups were still nice to drink from. They had the second-widest bases in our lineup, so each cup sat sturdily on all surfaces. Testers were able to securely hold the cups, thanks to the attractive water-like ripple pattern on the cups’ exteriors. When dropped repeatedly, these cups retained a similar amount of dings as the other cups in our lineup. Lastly, they are stackable for easy storage.
Recommended
- Drinking Experience: 3 stars out of 3.
- Design: 3 stars out of 3.
- Durability and Cleanup: 2 stars out of 3.
These beautiful gray-blue cups were moderately lightweight, and our testers enjoyed drinking from them. They were durable and had wide and sturdy bases, and their diamond-patterned exteriors made them easy to hold. The only drawback with these cups is that they’re not dishwasher-safe, so cleaning them requires more time and effort.
- Drinking Experience: 2 stars out of 3.
- Design: 3 stars out of 3.
- Durability and Cleanup: 3 stars out of 3.
These cups have a sturdy base, and they’re stackable. We also liked that they were dishwasher-safe for easy cleanup. However, our testers were conscious of their thick rims while drinking from them. Compared with thinner and more elegant cups, they felt slightly clunky. These cups are sold singly, so you’ll need to buy multiple cups in order to make a set.
- Drinking Experience: 2 stars out of 3.
- Design: 2.5 stars out of 3.
- Durability and Cleanup: 3 stars out of 3.
This set’s brightly colored pink cups, which are also available in turquoise, made it stand out from the rest. The cups were easy to hold because of their dotted pattern. However, these cups have smaller bases and thicker rims than those of our favored cups. While they didn’t fall over during testing, they were not as stable as those with wider bases. After we washed them and deliberately dropped them onto concrete, they retained only a few small scratches.
- Drinking Experience: 2.5 stars out of 3.
- Design: 2 stars out of 3.
- Durability and Cleanup: 3 stars out of 3.
These etched cups were durable and had the widest base of any cups in our lineup. This sturdiness was a plus, but they also weighed substantially more than the other cups. We think these are a better fit for an outdoor sit-down meal where you won’t need to hold your cup for extended periods. Lastly, these cups aren’t stackable, which means that they take up a fair amount of storage space. If you’re not interested in buying a set of six, you can also purchase them singly.
Recommended with reservations
- Drinking Experience: 3 stars out of 3.
- Design: 2 stars out of 3.
- Durability and Cleanup: 2 stars out of 3.
These inexpensive cups had the thinnest rims of all the cups in our lineup, so it was nice to drink from them. Their thin walls and tall sides reminded us of drinking glasses we would find in our own kitchens. Their wide bases felt sturdy on multiple surfaces. They were too tall to fit in the top rack of one of our testers’ dishwashers, so they had to run them through on their sides. Lastly, these cups aren’t stackable, so they take up precious storage space.
- Drinking Experience: 3 stars out of 3.
- Design: 1 stars out of 3.
- Durability and Cleanup: 3 stars out of 3.
The cups in this set had a lot of great traits, including their thin rims and their durability. Testers found two drawbacks: First, the stacked cups stuck together, so on several occasions our testers struggled to separate one cup from the others. Second, the base of these cups was smaller than that of most of the cups in our lineup. Therefore, they were less stable on uneven surfaces.
Reviews you can trust
Reviews you can trust
The mission of America’s Test Kitchen Reviews is to find the best equipment and ingredients for the home cook through rigorous, hands-on testing. We stand behind our winners so much that we even put our seal of approval on them.
Carolyn Grillo
Carolyn is a senior editor for ATK Reviews. She's a French-trained professional baker.
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