This is the Stanley Classic Lunch Box, it’s a design that’s been around for close to 100 years, carrying the lunch of countless millions of blue collar workers across America and around the world.
Long before the advent of Tupperware or ziplock sandwich bags the majority of workers carried their lunches in enameled steel lunchboxes like this example from Stanley. They’re designed to hold both your lunch and an afternoon snack, as well as a vacuum flask containing your coffee.
Stanley was founded in 1913 by inventor William Stanley Jr. to sell his all-steel vacuum flask, a design that became a best-seller globally and a staple part of countless people’s daily lives, being taken on camping trips, fishing expeditions, and into untold numbers of factories, building sites, workshops, and offices.
As they explain on their website, Stanley is focussed on “Built For Life” products, a term they trademarked and use extensively in their marketing. What it means is that products that can be used for decades and never need to be thrown away are ultimately better for the environment, and they’re better for your pocketbook too.
The Stanley Classic Lunch Box is made from 18/8 stainless steel, this is a grade of stainless steel that contains approximately 18% chromium and 8% nickel. This composition is also known as 304 stainless steel and it’s part of the austenitic class of stainless steels.
The high chromium content provides good resistance to corrosion and oxidation, making it a popular choice for kitchenware, professional cookware, and in the food service industries.
Stanley’s lunchbox design has a hinged clamshell-type lid with dual latches to keep it closed. It has a heavy duty handle on top, and inside you’ll find metal brackets in the lid section designed to keep a full-size mug or Stanley vacuum flask secure.
Many modern day owners of these lunch boxes use them on road trips, camping trips, and various hiking and overland expeditions. As people gravitate more and more away from plastics and back to buy it for life type equipment I have a feeling we’ll be seeing plenty of these lunchboxes around about.
The total internal volume is 9.5 liters and it weighs in at 4.4 lbs with dimensions of 13″ long x 6½” wide x 10″ high. The The Stanley Classic Lunch Box is priced at $55 USD and it’s designed to last for the rest of your life and probably well beyond.
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