I am not usually big on drinking protein shakes, but my partner seems to use a lot of them, and he had me try them for a short while as I go to the gym with him a lot. He gave me one of his spare shakers so I would have one of my own, and this was one of the Maximuscle branded ones.

Maximusle is a big name in the protein and sports supplements world, so I assumed this would be a very good quality shaker for the protein shakes. The lid is red (does come in other colours I believe) and it is coned up, which some what reminds me of a muffin (all about food lol!!) Inside the lid is a plastic circle grating, which is to help the protein powder disperse and disolve properly.

The cup itself is made from a thickened plastic and is clear, with the Maximuscle logo printed on the sides. The lid is easy to remove and put back on the cup when needed, and it screws on, so you can tighten it as much as you need to. The drinking spout is easy to open and the opening part is still attached to the lid, so you can never lose it.

I found that to start with, this cup was good to use, as it did everything I needed it to. It mixed the protein powder well, and it was easy to drink from. After a while though, I noticed it was not as great as I initally believed.

Soon, the lid tightening starts to drop, and you find that it may start to leak occasionally, with the leak getting worse over time. I also found that the cup held upto the smell of the protein shake really easily, and no matter how many times I scrubbed it or ran it through the dishwasher, it still had a dank, mouldy smell, which just seemed to get worse everytime I used it. The smell soon became a taste, and I had to throw away the cup.

I thought this may have been a one off, but when I spoke to others about the situation, they too said they have found the leaking and smell problem, and they had to replace theirs every other month or so, sometimes sooner if they used theirs more often.

At £4.99 a shaker cup, it is not such a cheap thing to keep replacing, but I partially think they have been designed this way so people keep having to replace them and spending more on them means more money for Maximuscle, who make the shakers.

I have tried some other brands of shakers since, and most have been about the same as the Maximuscle one, with only the occasional few being any better. I am no longer using protein shakes, so I am no longer using the shakers, but my partner is and he has found a different brand that works much better for him now.

Personally, I found that these Maximuscle shakers were good for a few weeks at the most, but I do not think they are worth the money you have to pay for them, and I would not use them again. I give these shakers a 3 out of 5, and I only recommend them to people who use them very sparingly, or who like to replace their stuff and waste their money.

*This review is also on Ciao under the username of Hailee*