What do you think of alcohol flasks?

[Lufia Erim]

I personally only see them in movies. Usually used by the "bad boys" or alcoholics. Flasks seem to have a bad reputation. And i realised i never actually seen anyone with a flask in real life.

I was wondering what does everyone think about alcohol flasks?

Have you ever seen one?
Have you ever used one?
Do flasks have a bad rep?
Are the cool?
Or just tacky?

 

[DefunctTheory]

Yes
Yes
Yes
Eh
Yes

 

[Queen Michael]

Yes.
No.
Yes, they're awesome and more people should use them.
Yes, they're very cool.
Nope. "God bless this mess" is tacky. Hooch flasks ain't.

 

[KyuubiNoKitsune-Hime]

As for the main questions: Yes, yes, yes, sometimes, not really.

Flasks are kind of a hipster thing anymore, but if you ever look at a half-pint, or 200ml booze bottle, it's basically a clear flask. The reason being is that the shape fits nicely in one's pocket, or is easy to tuck away in the band of stockings, so it's convenient method for carrying booze. The other advantage a flask has is that it's easy to conceal, this is generally what causes issues with the image of flasks, it's something a drunkard would likely carry to sneak some liquor. Flasks are seen as kinda cool though because they let you carry around some booze for an impromptu drink, which seems to be really cool with hipsters.

Really what they are, is something useful for someone who does drink. I have one just in case I want to sneak some liquor into a movie.

A quick hint to anyone who wants a flask, all metal ones are really shitty, they tend to corrode on the inside, even the aluminum ones. So you want to find a high quality glass lined one, or a glass one with a metal case around it, because glass doesn't corrode. Though any flask that is glass lined will break inside if you drop it on a hard surface.

 

[Muspelheim]

Have you ever seen one? Yes.

The small, flat ones were popular in school, I remember. See them sometimes at parties, but I'm seeing fewer and fewer as I get older.

Have you ever used one? Yes.

I had a metal one, but I haven't used it in years. It's too small, and it looks a bit dumb. I've got a flat, plastic vodka bottle I use instead, if I need to carry my booze around. Fits in a bag, doesn't break, contains a good amount. Perfect.

Do flasks have a bad rep? Yes.

They're a bit like fedoras, I suppose. A bit too old-timey, and you need a lot of accessories with it to not look like a berk. You need a tasteful suit, camping gear or a commando uniform to make it fit, it'll look ridiculous with a T-shirt and jeans.
Plus, they're such a big part of the alcoholic stereotype that you might as well be wearing a hobo-costume.

Are the cool? No. See above.

Or just tacky? Yes, mostly.

It's the sort of thing you use when you're in your teens, and it stops being cool pretty quickly. When you're old enough to go to the pub or stock up at home, you don't need it the same way. And when you're taking booze with you for a trip, that tiny amount won't do any good.

 

[seventy two]

Have you ever seen one? -Yes
Have you ever used one? -Yes
Do flasks have a bad rep? - Yes
Are the cool? - Not really.
Or just tacky? - Not unless it is gaudy.

I have a flask(12oz/350mL) I use when I meet up with friends to drink at someone's place. We have different tastes so everyone is responsible for their own liquor, and since I tend to buy large(1.75L) bottles, it is preferable to only bring a portion(This also helps me limit how much I drink). I don't carry around a flask normally, only if I plan on drinking.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Have you ever seen one? - Yes
Have you ever used one? - No
Do flasks have a bad rep? - Yes
Are the cool? - No
Or just tacky? - Yes

Is this because of the recent Woody Allen movie? Guy keeps drinking from his flask at all times.

 

[Redryhno]

Yes
Yes
Yes
They're convienent, cool or not I don't really care about
Not really I don't think. But I'm also the guy that didn't get a haircut for two years in middle school because I was too busy and so had this weird mullet shit on my head and didn't really care enough to notice.

Personally I've been advocating for people to take their own booze to parties with them for years. Hell, even if you don't take your own, you can always get your own drink and if there's something in it, well...you're probably not the only one. And you might get to have proof of anything that gets put in it since you might have your flask still. Not to mention there are some godawful movies you just can't sit through with your friends sober...

 

[WolfThomas]

When I was young I had several and they were tacky like fedora.

Now that I'm a bit older I could appreciate a nice discrete one for camping, specific parties, the races etc. I also like fortified wines, so that could be an awesome delivery mechanism.

I should buy one of those tactical ones too, because ethanol is pretty useful in an apocalypse.

 

[DementedSheep]

I don't drink alcohol, never found one I actually like (alcohol itself does have a taste) and don't fancy the idea of getting drunk.

I still kinda want a alcohol flask. I dunno...I kinda have a thing for decorative containers in general. If I ever become an eccentric millionaire people are going to come to my house and be like "dude, why do you have all these empty chests, bottles, jewellery boxes and perfume bottles?" and "when are you going to untie me" and "please don't put me in there, no stop!".

 

[FPLOON]

Yes, of course...
Yes but for Coke/Soda...
I don't know... nor care?
Not as much as bow ties...
Just the kid-looking ones... Those need to be condemned like a tacky birdhouse...

Other than that, I did see one with an engraved penis on it... It was both sad and hilarious...

 

[flying_whimsy]

Yes.
No.
Yes, because anyone regularly carrying one is probably an alcoholic.
Sort of, in the same way that smoking looks cool (and let's be honest, it does).
Sort of, for the same reason (both are wasteful, harmful habits).

I can understand having one on display: they can be very pretty and the artistry in the engravings can be top notch. I can understand using one when going to a party or something because of specific tastes, etc. But every person I've ever known to carry a flask regularly had a moderate to severe drinking problem.

I get that people want to think it makes them look old-timey cool, but if you can't go anywhere without your booze...

 

[dreng3]

Have you ever seen one?
Have you ever used one?
Do flasks have a bad rep?
Are the cool?
Or just tacky?

1. Most certainly, there's two on the shelf next to me right now, one big, 4oz, one small, 1 or 1,5 oz.
2. Pretty much everyday though it's usually just the small one, and even then I don't fill it.
3. they most certainly do have a bad rep, however less so than bringing an actual bottle of booze so that's a tradeoff I'm willing to make.
4. I think they're cool, might be wrong though, I don't swig directly from the bottle though.
5. Cool and tacky aren't opposites, odd as that may sound, so they might be both.

As noted above I have two flasks, and I usually pour a bit in the smallest one before leaving home in the morning, usually amaretto or something similar which I then use to sweeten my coffee, kinda like carrying syrup, and I personally see no issue in drinking 1oz of liquor a day.
In the end it comes down to personal preferences though. I could never fill any of mine with just vodka or whiskey and then swig it pure, for the simple reason that I don't like pure whiskey or vodka. If you like booze and can manage it the flask is a handy tool.

 

[Kevlar Eater]

Seen one? - Yes.
Used one? - I own one.
Bad rep? - I dunno or care.
Cool? - It keeps whatever liquid I store in it cool.
Tacky? - I don't base my fashion statements around accessories, so I couldn't care less about tackiness.

 

[maninahat]

Have you ever seen one? Yes
Have you ever used one? No
Do flasks have a bad rep? No
Are the cool? No
Or just tacky? No

Hip flasks are the kind of gift that people inevitably get one Chistmas or birthday from a friend or relative who doesn't know what else to get them. They end up in a drawer, never used.

 

[Imperioratorex Caprae]

I've seen them, I've not used one in the sense of ownership/carrying around but I have swigged a few dollops from them, they may have a bad rep but somewhat undeserved, I don't think they're cool though and they're unbelievably tacky.

Onto why I feel the way I do, and most of my sentiments have been voiced already: Flasks are just very much viewed as something either the hipster generation goes with or alcoholics carry around. I'm not a fan because if one is going to drink at a party, for example, carrying one's own flask is stupid because why not just bring a bottle? Are you too cool to contribute beyond "have a swig, mate"? Its kind of an insult to the host, but thats my view as a former semi-professional party host (when you live above a liquor store in your mid-twenties, you end up hosting a LOT of parties).

The bad rep has been cultivated, deservingly I might add, by alcoholics and people who're using them as fashion accessories which also makes them tacky. I never owned one only because I've never had a use for them, if I were given one it'd end up on a shelf, unused.

Overall flasks are a no-go.

 

[Grouchy Imp_v1legacy]

Have you ever seen one? Yep, I even own one.
Have you ever used one? See above.
Do flasks have a bad rep? Not that I've noticed. In fact the ability to produce a nip at short notice goes down remarkably well with most people.
Are they cool? Or just tacky? Depends - if they're being carried as some kind of hipster fashion accessory then they are definitely not cool and are in fact incredibly tacky. If they're simply being carried as a utilitarian thing then it doesn't matter if they're cool/tacky or not.

 

[PointlessKnowledge]

Yes
Yes
No
I don't know.
I don't think they are.

They're great during the yearly camping trip my friends and I go on. Much easier to carry with you while you are wandering through the woods, hoping that you haven't enraged a moose.