If you find regular mugs a little…lacking, the Pinch Hold Mug is here to make your morning coffee a workout. Designed by a rock climber, this mug ditches the handle for a literal rock face—yes, the kind you pinch and cling to as if your life depended on it. And don’t think you’ll coast by with your usual lazy grip. This stoneware beast, crafted in England’s pottery heartland of Stoke on Trent, demands a real pinch to lift. Don’t worry, though; if you’ve got hands like a gorilla, you might just get away with holding it like a normal cup—wrapping it whole.
Brought to you by ma3t, a London-born design collective now scattered worldwide, this mug is a throwback worth hunting for. If you’re lucky enough to find one from the original US$45 batch, know that you’re sipping from a piece of legendary climbing memorabilia. Seven years on, it’s still the mug that separates the weak from the strong, one grip at a time. Oh, wait. We just found out that Dick’s Climbing may have some in stock going for 35 quid a pop.
