We've examined the steins from Taverncraft's Epic Collection along with their Tankard O' Terror replica, broken them down, and have selected our favorites out of the entire mix!

The Tankard O’ Terror is enormous. As I sit here, pounding away on my keyboard, the Tankard is sitting on the corner, looming over my desk like some sort of obeliskian god of the old world. In the past two reviews of the Epic Collection steins from Taverncraft, my opinions on the products seemed to get lost in the shuffle of the stats and breakdown of the steins, so this time around we’re shooting from the hip and only giving you the gory details when it’s absolutely necessary. In other words, you’re getting this reviewer’s thoughts straight from his gut, and we hope that you enjoy this set of impressions relayed a bit differently than our previous entries.

To be frank, the Tankard O’ Terror – in the eyes of some – could be conceived as a bit gaudy. Unlike the Epic Collections steins, it is a replica, which means it gets its inspiration from the actual in-game Tankard. And just like the in-game item, it’s blocky, clunky, and almost absurd to look at. The Tankard has an artificially beaten and battered look, like your dwarf warrior had one too many ales while swinging this thing around, so it’s in a way amusing to watch a person analyze the detailing on the stein. In many ways, it could almost appear to be a children’s toy… if it wasn’t so giant.

I mean, this stein is big. Really big. So big that it makes those super-sized cups you get at Burger King or McDonalds look small. This mammoth container holds nearly two liters of liquid, which is roughly the equivalent of six cans of soda or two large McDonalds’ sodas. On top of that, the stein is very heavy, weighing in at approximately four pounds. Fill it with soda, and you’ll definitely have to two-hand this bad boy if you expect to get anything into your mouth.

But almost all of the novelty of the stein is in its enormous girth. When you open the stein and show it to your friends, their first response will probably be some sort of eye gape or jaw drop. Even the biggest steins usually don’t cross into the multi-liter range, so to see something as large as the Tankard O’ Terror is… fun. This Tankard was designed to make you feel like you’re an in-game World of Warcraft avatar with the actual Tankard O’ Terror, and we think it does the job pretty well.

The best part of the Tankard O’ Terror, when all is said and done, may be its price tag. At $39.99, the Tankard is significantly cheaper than any of the Epic Collection steins, which is certainly a draw for this World of Warcraft fan. Although I love dragons and I can’t wait to get my hands on a Horde stein, the Tankard hits a good price point and gives me something from the game that I love without breaking the bank.

Unfortunately, the Tankard also can’t be displayed anywhere in your apartment or house without raising a few questioning eyebrows. The Tankard isn’t necessarily a decorative piece (though there's no reason you can't use it as a vase for flowers when not drinking from it), and thus the only reason to own a Tankard is to either be a bit closer to the lives of your characters in World of Warcraft or to drink out of. Personally, I can’t wait to give the Tankard a drinker’s chance, but each individual has to weigh those two factors when buying this beast. You can see for yourself at WoWsteins.com or over at our sister site, Wowhead, where the entire Taverncraft World of Warcraft line is on display.

So with two steins to go in our Stein-A-Week series, both the Charge of the Great Dragonflights stein and the Tankard O’ Terror have caught our attention. What will we think of the Horde and Alliance steins? Check back in with us next week to find out.