Review on Contigo 360° Pour Vacuum-Insulated Stainless Steel Thermal Bottle - 25 oz. - Painted Black: Sleek Design and Superior Temperature Retention by Robert Schneider

So I wanted something I could take to work every day with a reusable mug instead of a lid and ended up with this and the classic Stanley Vacuum 1.1 quart bottle. I prefer this Contigo by a mile. But first, a word of caution: the Stanley was actually much better at keeping warm. Using Zojirushi to boil water and Thermapen to measure, I poured 200 degree water into the Stanley and Contigo and checked the temperature again after 8 hours. Stanley was 178 degrees, Contigo 167. Another 16 hours later (24 hours total) Stanley was still an impressive 143 degrees, Contigo 127. (Contigo claims 30 hours of heat but I have no idea how I got that number) Well Why do I still choose Contigo? 1) I probably won't leave my drink there for 8-24 hours. I usually drink everything for 4-6, so the temperature difference is not that big. 2) The Contigo is far more portable - it fits standing up in my lunch cooler, while the Stanley is way too big. and bulky to put anything in. 3) The Contigo's lid/cup is much better - it weighs nearly 8 ounces and insulates well, while the Stanley weighs about 5 ounces and has glass insulation. It is not possible to hold it with hot water in it unless you want to burn your fingers. The Contigo, on the other hand, has a nice finish and a grippy rubber surface that's easy to clean. Speaking of cleanliness, I love that I can just pour hot water into the Contigo and use a lid to easily brew one cup of fresh tea at a time. With a tiny Stanley cap, that's impossible. 4) I really like the Contigo half twist filling mechanism. Just open it slightly, pour water into the lid/cup and twist slightly to close. With the Stanley, you have to unscrew the (surprisingly deep) bottle cap completely every time you want to pour and find a place for the cork when filling. (which can be a common occurrence when using that tiny cup!) Yes, this is a real first world issue to complain about, but once you start using the Contigo system everything else seems like a problem. So yes, if you are in the market for this type of bottle, get this one, you will not be disappointed.