REVIEW – I just returned from a week’s vacation on Sanibel Island Florida and I immediately noticed that all but one of the restaurants that we visited provided paper straws instead of plastic straws. Why does this matter? Because Americans throw away 500 million plastic straws every day. Think about that a minute. Can you imagine that much plastic that goes unrecycled? Millions of these straws end up in the ocean where they hurt sea turtles, fish, and other animals. Is there a solution? Maybe. One possible solution is the FinalStraw reusable folding straw. Let’s see if it sucks, but in a good way.
What is it?
The FinalStraw is a reusable BPA free and dishwasher safe straw that folds down into a pocket-sized bundle.
What’s in the box?
FinalStraw
Storage container
Drying rack
Squeegee cleaner
Design and features
The FinalStraw case is available in several colors, but I was sent the “goes with everything” Shark Butt grey version. The case has a flip top that opens to reveal a funky looking folded straw.
Grabbing one of the ends allows you to pull the FinalStraw from the case.
Doing so causes the 9-inch straw to automagically unfold for immediate use. The unfolding action makes me feel like I’m a magician every time I do it.
A closer look reveals that the straw is really a medical & food grade TPE tube which is inserted into four sections of 304 stainless steel which fit into each other to create a sturdy and reusable drink-sipping accessory.
Sipping performance
Does the FinalStraw perform like other straws? Yes and no. As you can see from the image above, the FinalStraw fits in a bottle of milk like other straws, and I can drink from it like I can with an evil plastic straw. But… yes, there’s always a but. And in this case, there are several buts to consider before using the FinalStraw as your final straw.
The first difference that I noticed is that the 7mm diameter of the FinalStraw is much smaller than plastic straws that I had laying around in my silverware drawer. Why does this matter? Because the smaller diameter means you have to suck harder to drink using this straw. This is especially true if the drink is thicker like a smoothie or workout shake.
The FinalStraw is also heavier and feels kind of sloppy and wiggly when you use it to stir your drink. That shouldn’t be a surprise since the exterior is made of four separate pieces of stainless steel.
The ends of the FinalStraw are soft and flexible which is great for mouthfeel and for people who like to chew or bite the ends of their straws (weirdos). But I noticed that the end of the straw would sometimes stick to the bottom of the cup so that sipping would stop abruptly. If you’ve ever been stopped in mid-sip, you can understand how this is can be pretty tragic.
You’ve finished your drink, now what?
After you’ve sucked up the last drop of your soda or workout shake, what do you do with the FinalStraw? If you’ve used it to drink anything but water, you’ll need to rinse the inside and outside, and clean it. To do that, you pull the drying rack out of the storage container. Wrapped around the bottom of the drying rack is a squeegee cleaner.
The squeegee cleaner is a cord with one end that is a little larger than the opposite end.
To clean the FinalStraw, you remove the squeegee cleaner from the drying rack and slide one end through the straw.
Then you pull the larger end through the length of the FinalStraw which squeegees out any remaining liquid or gunk (ick).
The final step is to fold up the straw and insert it back into the storage container once you’ve wrapped the squeegee cleaner around the drying rack and replaced the rack in the container. Wow, that seems like a lot more work than using a plastic straw, doesn’t it? Yes, it is… Folding the straw back up so you can put in the storage case makes you feel kind of dorky when you’re out in public because it’s a little awkward.
What I like
- It’s fun to pull the FinalStraw out of the case so it unfolds like magic
- Makes me feel like I’m saving the world from evil plastic straws
- Made to last
What needs to be improved
- The price
- Diameter
Final thoughts
I recycle everything I can, and I even reuse plastic straws. You should see my silverware drawer, it’s full of them. I was hoping that the FinalStraw would be an excellent alternative to plastic straws, but the biggest issue comes down to price. I don’t know many people who are willing to spend $25 for a straw. Granted, this straw is made to last a lifetime, but $25 is hard to swallow (sorry, I couldn’t resist). Then there is the fact that the diameter is narrow which requires more sucking power to sip drinks. And then last but not least, there’s the fact that you have to clean this straw after each use. That’s a lot of effort. While I agree that reducing the number of plastic straws is obviously a good idea, I think there has to be a better way to do that. Paper straws are one alternative since they will break down over time. The FinalStraw is a move in the right direction, but I don’t think it’s the final solution. What do you think? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Price: $25.00
Where to buy: FinalStraw
Source: The sample for this review was provided by FinalStraw.
Gadgeteer Comment Policy - Please read before commenting
No, Americans don’t throw away 500 millions straws every day.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2018/07/18/anti-straw-movement-based-unverified-statistic-500-million-day/750563002/
Or maybe they do.
So he called straw manufacturers himself, asking what they estimated to be the straw market in the United States per day. Some gave him a yearly estimate, which he divided by 365.
“Others gave an estimate of around 500 million straws,” Cress said. “That was the number that I stuck to, because it seemed to be around the middle of what they were saying.”
They do have these on Amazon for $16 for a two-pack. https://www.amazon.com/RUCACIO-Stainless-Collapsible-Medical-Grade-Food-Grade/dp/B07GXN3YWC/ref=sr_1_13_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1541603725&sr=8-13&keywords=reusable%2Bstraws&th=1
Yes, I noticed that there are a lot of Chinese knockoffs.
These knockoffs are poor quality and often fall apart after being used for a while.
I’m strawless. I tell the server not to bring me a straw. I use a sipper top at Starbucks. Even if it’s a milkshake – I’ll ask for a spoon and pull the top.
Using a straw is not really natural (even if it’s a paper straw) and you’ll find that it’s easy to forgo the straw. Granted, I’m not wearing lipstick (most days 🙂 ) and so it’s not an issue.
I do prefer to use a straw for two reasons. 1. A straw helps keep soda from hitting your front teeth as you drink, so it doesn’t eat away at the enamel on your teeth (as much). 2. My teeth are sensitive to cold, so a straw helps with that.
Why are you going strawless? Is it to reduce plastic usage? If so, the spoon you ask for is most likely also plastic and more plastic than the straw.
I use a straw because you don’t need two hands to consume the product, as with a spoon.
I’ll have maybe four milkshakes in a year that I need a spoon and I’m a nearly daily consumer at Starbucks so I’m definitely cutting down. I’ve been strawless most of my life – especially after some dental work where the dentist recommended not using a straw for various issues. Plus I think it makes you “frown” more or at least causes “frown” wrinkles and I’m old enough – I don’t want anymore of those. 🙂
This is the most yucky tmi article….
For goodness sake Julie!! It is a SILVERWARE drawer. You can’t put…
Are they colour coded so your partner knows which one you used?
I would rather drink my smoothie strawless than recycle. I can’t for the life of me need a straw that badly.
That said, my mum recycles sports and other plastic cutlery. But even she knowing my wasteful (I throw them away) ocd (you don’t mix plastic and silver cutlery) has a separate (locked) drawer for new straws and rescued plastic cutlery. I also bought a set of new plastic cutlery to ensure no mishaps like unmatched forks and knives (this is a serious irritant).
The bore (no, not the one writing) of the straw is obviously important because the only thing I drink with a straw is a good smoothie that often contains nuts, oat meal and honey mixed in yoghurt. My type of smoothie would really gunk up a straw and cause ruptured eardrums from all the sacking.
James, you’re hilarious 😉 We wash the straws after we use them. So for us, plastic straws are not just one use.
The population of the USA is about 325 million people. If you believe the 500 million straw figures, it requires that every man, woman, child, infant, older people who are housebound, people who can’t afford or don’t want to go to restaurants, people in prison, etc., etc., etc. use about 2 straws per day. The number is clearly absurd. I can tell you how many straws per week that I use per week – less than 1. Maybe even an average of 1 per month.
It reminds me of a NY politician many years ago (not Trump so don’t delete this) who could quote statistics on any subject. When later asked how he know so much, his answer was “I just made up the numbers”.
I was going by the figure/claim quoted on their website and on other sites.
I believe adults drinking from straws is a typical US thing. Apart from the occasional cocktail I never see adults using straws. It’s only children who haven’t mastered drinking from a glass properly who use straws.
Why is it so difficult to use a glass as it is intended?
Exactly – we’re all adults here. It’s like people who insist on putting a lid on their coffee cup to take back to their desk. Entirely wasteful when all they need to do is exercise some care. This straw is plastic as well – we’re just making the situation worse and then you have to clean it? Use your lips they way they were intended and just drink from the cup. If people have sensitive teeth – try opening your mouth more as you drink – that’s what my dentist says.
It might be an American thing, but here in America we are stuck in traffic quite a bit. Until I retired, my commute was about 90 minutes each way to/from work. Straws are essential when drinking beverages so you can keep your eyes on the road. I even used straws when drinking hot coffee!
I never used to use straws until my husband made me aware that when you are trying to get that last bit of drink out of a glass filled with ice, how you often end up wearing the ice or the drink as it all slips at once and collides with your face.
I too like using a straw because it protects my enamel from stains and wear when I drink tea or soda. I have had straws that I try to carry around with me. That has not worked out because I do not carry a purse and I don’t wear cargo pants or pants with big enough pockets. I am still looking for that small portable straw that fits the jeans pockets. I do keep a large rubber like straw at work with a pipe cleaner to clean it out.
You’ve forgotten the end step in your instructions:
Once your magic wand moment is over, insert one end into the beverage of your choice and then you suck.
I suck because I am actually sucking or I suck because I suck?
We all suck. It’s human nature to want to point out the suckiness in others while avoiding our own. In this case, “you suck” is simply a transportation metaphor, “you” being the transport.
#embracethesuck
Is it just me or does it look like a blowgun? You could paint it white with a red tip so you can smuggle it past the TSA.
So you clean the rubber tube inside the straw like a hunter cleans a gun with a bore snake, but what about the space between the steel tube and the inner tube? Those 4 segments aren’t watertight. This all seems very messy and prone to mold and mildew. I’d hate to get food poisoning because I forgot to clean my Politically Correct, non-GMO, gluten free, organically raised, vegan steel, fair trade, drinking straw.
Joe, that’s a very good point!
Has anyone used the straw often/long enough to provide further info regarding the cleanliness of the space between the steel tubes and the inner tube? I’m really curious about this because the idea of soaking my old drink bits in my new drink is not preferable. Can you get water in there to clean it out properly? If I drink something with little bits in it (ie. not-so-smooth smoothie) and they get stuck in either end of the straw (where water can’t pass through between the steel and plastic tubes), can you get that out of there?
Thank you for the review Julie, and thanks to Joe for having the same concerns!
I’ve been using my FinalStraw whenever I’m out (We have a stash of titanium straws for home) since November. I always clean my straw as soon as I get home by using the squigee and the drying rack. If I thoroughly squeege and then fold the straw back into the drying rack, it dries properly and then I put the whole thing back into my carrying case.
I’ve been using it for a few months. I recently left my straw in the car unwashed for a few hours after drinking a milkshake. The car was parked out in the sun and my straw picked up a funky sour smell that won’t go away even after soaking in a water-vinegar solution, washing, baking in an oven (a solution offered on the internet). The straw is 100% clean but I have a sour milk flavor to all my drinks now!
“what about the space between the steel tube and the inner tube? Those 4 segments aren’t watertight. This all seems very messy and prone to mold and mildew. ”
Yes this! I was looking for someone to point it out– I can just imagine a little fruity bit lodging in there… nasty
We bought the final straw, and find the narrow diameter to be really irritating. I’m not sure why they wouldn’t have made the inside diameter match that of the standard drinking straw. Yes, the outside diameter would have had to be a little larger, and the case for the folded straw would therefore have had to be a little larger … but I’d have thought comfort/usability of the product for its intended use would take precedence.
As to cleaning, I soak mine in soap and water once a week and then give it a good rinse and squeegee and let everything dry before putting it in the rack and letting it dry further. Otherwise it can build up a water-in-a-tight place mustiness. The diameter doesn’t bother me, but I also never drink smoothies and rarely milkshakes. Liquids definitely get between the steel portions; I’ve had coffee come out when folding it. I don’t know about chunks. I’ve had drinks with fruit in them, like a cherry limeade, for example, and the stem of the cherry got sucked into the straw; that was the only time I’ve ever had an issue with the diameter actually.
I feel like I’ve gotten what I paid for in peace of mind that that number of straws haven’t been used by me. I know that’s a little odd sounding. However, I can see why people balk at it. It’s nice always having one on me too so that if a straw breaks or I just want a straw where I normally wouldn’t be offered one, or if a waiter/waitress forgets them (I say I don’t need one when offered anyway) I have my own.
A lot of people bought yet 1 more plastic straw to combat plastic straws. Well played.