RTIC equal to Yeti...not so fast

RRP

As they say in the world of stock market analysis YETI has a moat consisting of product performance and their customer service reputation. OTOH that moat is neither wide nor deep enough to prevent competitors from reverse engineering and attacking them which obviously RTIC has done.

Lit

Anyone know what percentage of lead is in these Chinese knockoffs?

DoubleEgger

Somebody here can make some Yeti stickers to cover up RTIC if you want to still look cool. 

SGH

DoubleEgger said:

Somebody here can make some Yeti stickers to cover up RTIC if you want to still look cool. 

Brother Double, I have seen the sticker reference several times as of late. I missed something somewhere. What is the deal with the stickers? I'm guessing that someone is selling them? 

HeavyG

Photo Egg said:

HeavyG said:

I think with Yeti part of their pricing strategy is the thought that "if it costs more it must be better".

A surprising number of folks "buy" in to that notion. 

and some people just blow hot air

Let me guess...Yeti owner?

DaveRichardson

@ksmyrl Have you tried calling Roswell Hardware?  They always have the cups on the shelves, and from what I've heard, they are one of the top retailers in the Atlanta area.

Might even find one of the powder-coated cups there, as well!

Photo Egg

HeavyG said:

Photo Egg said:

HeavyG said:

I think with Yeti part of their pricing strategy is the thought that "if it costs more it must be better".

A surprising number of folks "buy" in to that notion. 

and some people just blow hot air

Let me guess...Yeti owner?

Let me guess, your still blowing hot air over products that you have never tried and add no validity to what you post.
But yes, I have one small Yeti 20 that was gifted to me. Honestly, for me, it's heavy and bulky for the small amount it will hold. For me it would not be worth dropping over $200 on such a small cooler.
I also have 2 Pelican coolers and one of the new RTIC 65s, as well as a Coleman and 2 Igloos. Also have 3 of the Polar Bear soft coolers.
Living is a place with frequent power loss the coolers come in handy as does the Honda generator.
This is not the first post that you have dogged the high end coolers.
Just trying to understand why you would waste your time criticizing coolers you have never used.

YEMTrey

SMH.  I will never understand conversations on this site over money spent and value.  We are all Egg owners and have shown we spend some serious $$$$.  Arguing over who spends a couple Benjamins more on something is a moot point around here.  We buy $1000's worth of grill and equipment, then proceed to buy $200 briskets.
It's par for the course around these parts.

Hotch

It may be starting up again.......................

and it's not Friday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ksmyrl

Thanks to those who have offered suggestions. I bought the ACE out near where I work for the Christmas gifts I plan to give. But I will try the other places if need be. I just hope for everyone's sake Yeti can get some cups to the stores in time for the Christmas rush.

Lit

HeavyG said:

I think with Yeti part of their pricing strategy is the thought that "if it costs more it must be better".

A surprising number of folks "buy" in to that notion. 

You have a green egg right? You know vision makes a Chinese knock off for half the price that is comparable. You must also think if it cost more it must be better. The green egg scenario is even worse because the vision is somewhat proven and the rtic is just a gamble.

4Runner

SGH said:

4Runner said:
I guess the courts will decide if they are stealing or not.  

Im pretty sure that the court battle is over. That was the reason for the delayed shipping. Yeti was crying and complaining again that someone else was making a rotomolded cooler. Looks like all ended well as RTIC is now shipping. 

Just and FYI. The battle has just started.  It is still ongoing. 

HeavyG

Photo Egg said:

HeavyG said:

Photo Egg said:

HeavyG said:

I think with Yeti part of their pricing strategy is the thought that "if it costs more it must be better".

A surprising number of folks "buy" in to that notion. 

and some people just blow hot air

Let me guess...Yeti owner?

Let me guess, your still blowing hot air over products that you have never tried and add no validity to what you post.
But yes, I have one small Yeti 20 that was gifted to me. Honestly, for me, it's heavy and bulky for the small amount it will hold. For me it would not be worth dropping over $200 on such a small cooler.
I also have 2 Pelican coolers and one of the new RTIC 65s, as well as a Coleman and 2 Igloos. Also have 3 of the Polar Bear soft coolers.
Living is a place with frequent power loss the coolers come in handy as does the Honda generator.
This is not the first post that you have dogged the high end coolers.
Just trying to understand why you would waste your time criticizing coolers you have never used.

A few places have done actual testing of coolers. Their results indicate that the Yeti does not perform significantly better at holding ice than many other cheaper options.

Yeti's may be better constructed in some ways than some other options and if you are in bear country or doing parachute drops that may be an overarching concern. However, for most folks the pragmatic intent of a cooler is to keep things cold (or warm as the case may be).

Is the Yeti worth twice the price over an Rtic? Beats me. Is an Rtic as good as a Yeti even tho it cost half as much? Beats me.

I imagine we'll be seeing some results of comparison testing in the coming months

There is really nothing magical about a Yeti. They are not using some proprietary material that provides "super duper insulating abilities".

I recall an old story from decades ago about a piece of software that originally sold for $50 but just wasn't selling many copies. Market research indicated that at that low price too many folks thought that the software just couldn't be much good and wasn't meant for professional use. So they raised the price to $500 and sales zoomed. 

There is a lot of psychological research that shows the same thing - people's perception of a product can be swayed by pricing points into believing that the higher priced product "must" be superior.

I wasn't slamming Yeti per se as they are just likely using some of that psychology in setting their prices that many vendors also use.

4Runner

Close. They own some sort of patent and theIr is a pending court case.  So, there could be some sort of "magical" formula that holds true.  I have yet to see controlled tests but on a weekend trip a couple of years ago my YETI killed both my friends Igloos.   Doesn't necessarily make it worth the extra $200 but make no mistake, it does out perform. The marginal cost is up to the consumer.  

HeavyG

Lit said:

HeavyG said:

I think with Yeti part of their pricing strategy is the thought that "if it costs more it must be better".

A surprising number of folks "buy" in to that notion. 

You have a green egg right? You know vision makes a Chinese knock off for half the price that is comparable. You must also think if it cost more it must be better. The green egg scenario is even worse because the vision is somewhat proven and the rtic is just a gamble.

Actually I don't think an Egg is better constructed than many other options. I have an Egg because at the time I bought the one I have they were the only maker selling a kamado. So in a sense they were in a similar situation to Yeti not a lot of competition and BGE had the name recognition and that certainly drove sales for a long time.

Now there are other makers of kamados that are readily available, constructed as well as or better, and at similar or lower prices and many people are buying them and not Eggs.

I have never used a Vision but I am dead certain that they perform just as well as an Egg. Just like with Yeti there is nothing uniquely magical  to an Egg over most other kamados. I can't speak to how Vision compares to BGE in customer service so BGE may well be worth paying more just to be bale to get free parts.

If I had thought that the higher priced item was better I would have bought a MiniMax rather than the KJ Jr. I looked at both but decided to go with the KJ Jr. because not only was it significantly cheaper it is also better made. Plus, I didn't really care if the colors of my kamados didn't match.

The Rtic - both the cooler and the company - may well turn out to be a short-lived dud. I did pre-order a 65 so perhaps I am gambling a bit. But I am not at all worried that the may be the case. Actually, I may be upping the stakes because now I am thinking I really want to go ahead and order one of the Rtic 20's.

SGH

HeavyG said:

A few places have done actual testing of coolers. Their results indicate that the Yeti does not perform significantly better at holding ice than many other cheaper options.

These tests were obviously fake and biased  

However, for most folks the pragmatic intent of a cooler is to keep things cold (or warm as the case may be).

This is not true. A way overpriced cooler is a status symbol. Makes you one of the cool kids. 

Is the Yeti worth twice the price over an Rtic?

Hell no.

Is an Rtic as good as a Yeti even tho it cost half as much? 

Absolutley. It has thicker walls, a thicker bottom and a thicker lid. It's a no brainer. 

There is really nothing magical about a Yeti. 

Wrong again. They have made thousands of people's money magically disappear. 

Brother Heavy, did you by chance see the song that I wrote for RTIC on the the other thread? If so, what did you think? 

GATraveller

SGH said:

Brother Heavy, did you by chance see the song that I wrote for RTIC on the the other thread? If so, what did you think? 

I saw your song on the other thread and loved it although........... 
It is not the perfect Yeti song because you didn't say anything at all about momma or trains or trucks or prison or getting drunk. 

SGH

GATraveller said:

SGH said:

Brother Heavy, did you by chance see the song that I wrote for RTIC on the the other thread? If so, what did you think? 

I saw your song on the other thread and loved it 

Thank you brother. I'm working on verse 3 as we speak. Hope to post it soon my friend.  

ksmyrl

I'm not a fan of patent or copyright infringement. If RTIC is guilty of that it should be dealt with. But I do think there is enough high-end cooler market for more companies to enter the game and I believe competition is a GREAT thing. Also remember Yeti was NOT the first rotomolded cooler. Just like BGE was NOT the first Kamado. In both situations they simply improved on an already good design and marketed the hell out of it. Kudos to them.

HeavyG

SGH said:

HeavyG said:

A few places have done actual testing of coolers. Their results indicate that the Yeti does not perform significantly better at holding ice than many other cheaper options.

These tests were obviously fake and biased  

However, for most folks the pragmatic intent of a cooler is to keep things cold (or warm as the case may be).

This is not true. A way overpriced cooler is a status symbol. Makes you one of the cool kids. 

Is the Yeti worth twice the price over an Rtic?

Hell no.

Is an Rtic as good as a Yeti even tho it cost half as much? 

Absolutley. It has thicker walls, a thicker bottom and a thicker lid. It's a no brainer. 

There is really nothing magical about a Yeti. 

Wrong again. They have made thousands of people's money magically disappear. 

Brother Heavy, did you by chance see the song that I wrote for RTIC on the the other thread? If so, what did you think? 

I did just track that thread down.

This line cracked me up:

"Yeti is for suckers and clowns......."


Ouch!

I look forward to further verses.

You do need to work in a "doggone my dog's gone" somewhere to really country-fi it tho.

Perhaps : "Doggone my dough's gone" would fit in the theme!

SGH

ksmyrl said:

Also remember Yeti was NOT the first rotomolded cooler. 

This is key to remember^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^. Yeti stole a idea and wants to sue anyone else who tries to steal it. Don't people realize that once someone steals something it's wrong to try and steal it from the original thieves. Yeti stole it first and that's ok, but if you want to steal it God forbid, Yeti will sue you. 

SGH

HeavyG said:

I look forward to further verses.

Thank you brother Heavy. I should have verse 3 posted tonight or sometime tomorrow. 

SGH

@HeavyG -Brother Heavy, just for clarity, all the things I say about Yeti, democrats, global warming, college basketball, golf, and Ford, I do it in jest. Just having fun. I actually own a few Yeti products but no I never vote democrat What makes it funny to me is the people who will get mad when I bash Yeti, but they know that I own several and have certainly posted more Yeti related threads than probably anyone. The truth is, if it wasn't for Yeti, we probably wouldn't have all of the fine coolers that's out there now. Yeti did a great thing with the rotomolded cooler, they made it cool and brought it to the masses. They deserve full credit for this.  Just as Apple did with the IPhone. I have a Yeti 55 that I bought for a specific purpose and it fills my need well. Even with all of the other coolers that I own, if something happened to my Yeti 55 tomorrow, I would buy another Yeti 55 tomorrow. Sadly I work a lot of nightshift and as such I get bored. When I'm bored I start ragging on Yeti and democrats just for kicks. It always gets things going. 

Lit

Yeti isn't suing rtic because they are a rotomolded cooler they are suing them because they copied them exactly with everything they didn't even try to change the design. There's no way this will end well for rtic. 

ksmyrl

Lit said:

Yeti isn't suing rtic because they are a rotomolded cooler they are suing them because they copied them exactly with everything they didn't even try to change the design. There's no way this will end well for rtic. 

One could argue RTIC is improving on the design. Thicker walls, more insulation etc. I'm not arguing that, just pointing it out. One this is for certain, the lawyers will make lots of money when it's all over. No matter the outcome. So see...it's good for everybody

Lit

Another thing people keep saying thicker walls and more insulation. Is it just more of a crappy insulation or is it more good quality insulation? There are too many general statements for someone to say these coolers are better than a proven product. I put a layer of Saran Wrap around my styrofoam cooler and stuffed some cotton in it so now it has thicker walls and more insulation than all of them.

stompbox

Lit said:

Another thing people keep saying thicker walls and more insulation. Is it just more of a crappy insulation or is it more good quality insulation? There are too many general statements for someone to say these coolers are better than a proven product. I put a layer of Saran Wrap around my styrofoam cooler and stuffed some cotton in it so now it has thicker walls and more insulation than all of them.

I really don't even care if it is better than Yeti.  If it is even comparable at half of the price, what is there to complain about?

4Runner

@Lit we do have common ground after all.  

SGH

stompbox said:

I really don't even care if it is better than Yeti.  If it is even comparable at half of the price, what is there to complain about?

Great point brother Stomp. But that a side, I own both brands and I can tell you that the build quality of the RTIC leaves nothing to be desired. There are folks that are brand loyal and that's perfectly fine. For the person looking for the second best cooler out there (only Orion is better) at the best price, RTIC is the clear winner by miles. 

westernbbq

SGH- many thanks for your (as always) great insight.  I do have an RTIC on order, the biggest one (65?) in the tan color.  VERY excited. 

I can't get any info from RTIC though about baskets that could fit inside the cooler to expand its storage flexibility and capacity.  Any ideas?