What makes a good mug?

[socialgiraffe]

I have recently been looking at mug suppliers and noticed that there quite a large variation in the different types of mugs available to our industry. Some are whiter than others, some have much better printing success and then there are some that simply don't feel right. So it got me thinking as to what is my main criteria when looking to purchase mugs. Below are my top five and the reasons why, it would be interesting to see what others think...


1. Print Quality & Reject Percentage. I suppose this speaks for itself, but so often is neglected. I am currently in the middle of a very large run of mugs for various customers. So far no spoils if you do not count the one that I printed upside down

2. Price. This is possibly more relevant to myself and other larger volume producers than smaller companies. 10p difference in the mug price really can make or break the order.

3. Look, feel and quality. Does the mug feel right, is there lots of pitting, does the inside of the mug feel rough or smooth? I recently had a complaint about one of my mugs because when they put it in the dishwasher it did not clean the inside that well. They said there was a lot of staining yet the mug had only been used a few times. Since then I have started to check the inside of a mug as well as the outside.

4. Box Packaging. Most of my mugs are sent out using an overnight guaranteed courier. We all know they are not particularly careful with packages so receiving the mugs in a box that could have been dug up with Richard the Third is not particularly good for me. I do not know anywhere that sells mug boxes to hold 36 pieces and even if I did the unit cost would increase. I have to send them out in what they came in but have found that a whole roll of brown tape can not save some of them. If they arrive in a good strong purpose built box I feel confident that they will arrive at their ultimate destination as 36 mugs and not 1008 pieces of earthenware.

5. Whiteness. This is quite low on my list because I genuinely do not think it matters. Some whites are a lot brighter than others and yes arguably the image printed on a white mug may produce slightly more vibrant colours. But in reality the end user will not notice, especially as most mugs are used under artificial light.

It would be interesting to see what other people think

[Paul]

i would say little bit of all but none


I would say best mug is original mug that people willing to pay for regardless of how white it is

[gorgall2]

Mostly 2 and 3 for me.

[Justin]

For me, good straight sides, good bright white finish, smooth inside (but this is rare) Free of all pitting. Cost wise I'd choose the mug that was right, if that means 10-20p more so be it. Postage from suppliers can be an issue as well. Has to be a 10oz for me.

.....and if it was to say "TAMS" on the bottom.....oh, the good ol' days eh Paul

[logobear]

I fink, ..... that you need to find a good mug that works good for you, and financially makes sence.......
But wot I really fink, - is......
that you should find a great mug supplier, and just stick with them. Bear in mind that the world mug market is volatile, and that some great mug buying opportunities can come & go very quick, and especially won't be there next time you look........
SO
imHo - trust sourcing of mug to a great supplier!
- who ideally always has good stock,
Always of good mugs,
at the right price,
and will support you in their use.
for me, TMT
P

[JMugs]

With Logo on this one.
Good business to me means, profit for my supplier, security for my supplier from my support, profit for me, security for me with support from my supplier, and a happy customer at the end.
Now add Logo's bit. Add Social's bits and we have a pretty good requirements list.

[purpledragon]

Points 2 and 3 for me too i think
But id say a comment justin made there might be more relevent than we think ie good old days of tams
Now so i understand it tams were a british company (someone will correct me if im wrong im sure) now i never bought tams mugs so i dont know what the cost was like i suspect they couldnt compete with china but thats where it could all go horribly wrong . Almost everything we use in this industry comes from china and sooner or later that bubble has to burst what then ? Chinas economy is already slowing down human rights are starting to get decent wages for the chinease workers deisal costs are rising this will all have a direct impact on what we buy and how much we pay . Personally i think we pay too much as it is and imho the main reasons for cost on this is we have to buy it so we can be charged high rates for it . lets face it you can buy a standard mug for pennies in bulk i cant believe a spray coating costs so much more to bump those prices up . Suppliers will need to wake up to this one day or simply disappear

[socialgiraffe]

Some good points there and yes, we should start a petition to bring back TAMS!!!

I agree with Logobear on a good supplier but unfortunately stock is always an issue. Not one of the major suppliers has always got mugs in stock. I do not purchase from TMT to be honest as the price is not good for bulk stock but those that do have good stock often run out. I know its hard to know how many you are going to sell in advance and do not blame the suppliers for this, it is what it is. As an example a supplier of mine ordered 20,000 mugs for January, this was double what they sold last Jan. They sold out within 7 days and the next stock was not arriving until Feb 1st (another 20k). These sold out in much the same time so he is doing double on last year, who could estimate this?

[John G]

Print quality, no variations in size or quality, dishwasher safe/proof - BMS for me.

Used other suppliers but quality for me wasn't there.

[John G]

SG - if you're going through that many mugs, can you not go direct to source, or do you do this already?