With a smaller capacity than the Hydro Flask Wide Mouth, the 24 oz Standard Mouth is a lighter, more versatile option that still has all of our favorite features of a Hydro Flask bottle. The carrying handle is smaller than that of the Yeti Rambler and the Hydro Flask Wide, since the Standard has a narrower mouth than both of these bottles. We didn't find this too problematic since we could still fit two fingers into the handle comfortably. The narrow mouth was also nice for drinking cold beverages; wider mouth bottles are tough to drink from one-handed and also cause backsplash, especially when drinking and walking simultaneously.
We did not like the narrow mouth for hot drinks, though. The narrow mouth of the Hydro Flask seemed to conduct heat, making it almost impossible to drink our hot drinks even hours after the bottle had been filled. On the opposite end of the spectrum, the narrow mouth was too narrow to fit ice cubes for cold drinks. If you are planning to use the bottle as simply a water bottle, the Hydro Flask Standard is a great option, but for hot drinks or very cold drinks, it falls a bit short. The narrow mouth also makes this bottle challenging to clean. The fact that the threads are on the outside of the lid helps its case a bit, but it is still challenging to get it completely clean.
Over the years, Hydro Flask has proven to make bottles that are built to last, and this one is no exception. We took this bottle to the crag, we biked around town with it, we dropped it on the ground. Though the paint got a few nicks, the bottle was otherwise unscathed after a few months of heavy use. While other insulated bottles saw minor dents and chipped paint, the Hydro Flask stayed relatively unscathed.
We admit that part of this is the luck of the draw and how the bottles fell. Many of our friends have Hydro Flasks and Klean Kanteens with several dents and scratches, but these types of dents and scratches typically do not affect performance.
The Hydro Flask Standard Mouth has a much lighter feel than previous Hydro Flask models we have tested. Its sleek shape, narrow width, and slightly smaller capacity give it this light feel. It's more than a feeling, though — the Standard weighs significantly less than the heavier bottles in our review.
The Hydro Flask did well in this metric. We filled this bottle with coffee, tea, Emergen-C, and water, and for the most part, flavors seemed to dissipate quickly after a wash or two. The threads on the lid are exposed and easy to clean, which is where we found flavors to linger the most. That said, it is easy to clean, which gave it a higher score in this metric.
Despite its excellent insulation, we don't find the dimensions of this bottle to be great for much besides room temperature water. Hot drinks tend to stay burning hot for too long, and the mouth is too narrow for ice. This bottle is also an investment. However, there is no doubt in our minds that Hydro Flask makes quality products, and this model is no exception. It's a durable and reliable workhorse bottle. We also loved the wide variety of color options and sizes.
