THERMOS Stainless King Vacuum-Insulated 16oz Travel Mug - Army Green - Keeps Drinks Hot/Cold for Hours - Perfect for Commuting, Camping & Outdoor Adventures

After reading recent reviews on this, I'm compelled to take a moment to relay my pleasure with this product, and counter some of the reported downsides.First: Apparently the marketing dept. actually listened, and they aren't using the terrible stickers from Hades to cover the outside of the cup any longer. They are now using the brittle shrink-wrapped plastic, with a perforation down the side (similar to what is used on those glass-bottle cold coffee drinks from that major coffee chain, or some ice cream lids, or some vitamin bottles) , which made it easy to take off the outside advertising. Heck, even the two UPC codes on the bottom of the cup practically came off like old-school colorforms - zero residue.I ordered the plain stainless steel one, so I can't comment on the paint chipping/peeling issues some noted (sure, it might be quality control, or maybe it's exacerbated/caused by dishwasher detergents?). I can say that mine came without a dent or scratch on it. Maybe I'm lucky? I'm sure I'll put some on it soon anyway, since I'm a bit clumsy (and why, apart from this mug, I just can't have nice things).The handle seems plenty sturdy, and yes, the internals on the lid have a few extra pieces. Taking the lid apart to wash and putting it back together is fairly easy, and the opening on the lid lines up 90 degrees from the handle. While it's certainly possible some lids might be defective/improperly aligned/mated, it appears more likely to me that maybe some folks aren't tightening the lid just right?. I can't argue against the folks that are having problems; I can just state that mine is easy to align and the sipping hole is where it should be when the lid is fastened casually/normally.Making sure the lid is 'open' prior to screwing it on seems to help minimize any chance of overflow, or resistance while tightening the lid. On mine, it does not remotely require Herculean effort to tighten or remove the lid to have the drinking hole line up properly, and the lid be leak-free.I use my cup daily, and since my last one (different brand) lasted well over 10 years, this mug appears built well and should last at least that long (but it's nice that it has a 5 year warranty, just in case).Took this mug on vacation. Filled it each morning with coffee from the hotel and had it stay hot for hours afterwards. The only downside is that when I close the lid, the opening to drink from is not 90 degrees from the handle, but closer to 180 which makes drinking a little awkward. I don't care though, because I love the fact that the whole thing can go in the dishwasher!I have had the old, discontinued Thermos 360 for more than 15 years. My last one fell on the floor and the lid does not seal any more. The old design was simply the best on the market but they abandoned for it reasons I don't comprehend. This item is miles ahead from Contigo in quality, but it has certain flaws that might explain whyContigo has 90,000 reviews for its mugs and Thermos has about 30,000. Seriously, there is no comparison in quality, this is a solid item with first rate materials and the best heat retention. BUT:SIZE: they don’t make the 20oz with a handle any more, when there is clearly a market for it, as the Contigo reviews show.WEIGHT: the new 16oz is HEAVIER than their old 20oz! It weighs a whopping 1 lb! One pound! The old 20 oz Thermos weighs 13 1/8 oz and the Contigo 20 oz I have weighs 12 1/4 oz. This also translates into increased production cost!BULK: it is bulkier. It is as tall and wider than the 20 oz Thermos (see photo). The new lid accounts for much of the height.LID DESIGN: the new lid is complicated, which causes problems even with mold and stuck/died liquids like milk--people complain about this in the comments. It takes a 8 steps (!!!) to take the lid apart and clean it. This is some engineering kid having a field day! But without thinking about who is cleaning this! I talk below about whether there are insulation benefits for this, but the main problems apart from cleaning are the following:Thermos were the ONLY mug maker that understood we have noses! Most people don’t complain because they find the same problem with all lids from all manufacturers (read the comments and you will see some people simply remove the lid to drink each time, losing heat!). The lid comes too high up and your nose just hits on it, making it also impossible to take the last sips (you need to take the lid off to finish off the drink). The old Thermos had a deeply recessed lid that left plenty of space even for mens’ noses. If they reissue it, they should make a big deal out of this, I have not seen it in any other mug.EASE OF USE: the ingenious 360 degree design meant that after you just turned the lid a bit away from the locking position, the liquid was released on all sides, so you did not have to worry about aligning the lid with the handle--you could drink from whichever angle. Just read the complaints about the Contigo lids, with some bizarre contraptions to seal the mug that are just a pain. No hard to snap seals, no levers, just a gentle turn. Plus, the lid was also TOTALLY leak-proof, I never once had an accident.HANDLE: as you can see from the picture, even the handle was more ergonomic, with that special touch: a curved corner with a rubber patch that allowed you to grip it with your thumb and keep it from tilting and leaking. The new handle is less ergonomic and looks more brittle and the slippery surface hard to grip.Seriously, this was the perfect design. I am sure production costs for the lid were a fraction of the new one. Why give it up?HEAT RETENTION: Does all this technical razzmatazz mean greater insulation? Marginally. After 6 hours, boiling water (205F) was 145 in the new Termos, 125 in the old 360 Thermos with the defective lid that is not sealing any more (!) and 120F in the Contigo (which is old technology, I am sure they have better ones). When you actually drink, the difference is barely detectable.OLD DRAWBACKS: The only drawbacks of the old mug is that the lid was all plastic, so the edges would be get scraped or dented if you dropped it. The current curved stainless steel rim on the lid is just perfect, so they should keep it. Also the paint chips off--I am not sure that is fixable, though maybe a coating exists.FAR SUPERIOR INTERIOR: To point out the good, the Thermos interior is real stainless steel. I don't know what Contigo uses, but it looks cheap and the many photos with problems suggest it is. My old Thermos is not even discolored inside after years of use.Finally, if you get indifferent and unresponsive customer service, which seems to be the norm, ask to speak to the manager. Literally. You send the the frontline team a product suggestion, they ignore you!!! They have parts and they don't tell you. It's only after I asked to speak to the manager that I got the old service I remember: thoughtful, courteous, promised to deal with the response AND HE FOUND ME AN OLD 14OZ 360 AND IS SENDING IT TO ME!!! So now I will have a lid that works. I am thrilled! The man just won me back as a customer and my review went up two stars and has been turned from dismissive to constructive.They had discontinued the 360 about a decade ago, I had called in, argued strongly in its favor as there was no other 20oz on the market with its features, as there still is none, and about a year later they reissued it! I am sure I was not the only cause, but the woman was grateful for the suggestion. So if you don't get the service you expect, ask to speak to the manager. You will be helping the company improve and you will get the first class service this company deserves. And if you want top quality, this is the brand to go to.My husband had one like it for years. It started looked so beat up, I got another one just like his first one for him. Doesn't leak, handle helps keep him from dropping it, and it keeps his coffee hot for hours.Thermos brand is great.This cup has a handle and it fits in the car cup holder.It also fits in the Keurig (with the riser off).This is the second time I chose this, but I chose a different colorI live in NJ and during the winter It’s impossible to keep my coffee hot. But this thermos, saved my life. Bets thing ever. I take it with me all day long and my coffee still hot at the end of the day. I’ll buy another one just for teaI needed several travel mugs for my bike that wouldn't leak if the mugs bounced around or fell over in my basket or in my backpack. This worked out very well and if I make a coffee run for the whole family, I can load up all of our mugs and not worry about spills. I'm still surprised at how long it keeps my beverage at the perfect temperature. You can't just throw these in the dishwasher and that's the only downside. When I use it for ice water, the water tastes vaguely of coffee (I think I need a much smaller scrub brush for the lid) but it's just the remaining taste of coffee, so it's a bit of a win.Keeps liquid hot - won't break when dropped - easy to clean top - dishwasher safe....We LOVE these cups!I didn’t think Thermos could do any better than their E5 travel flask, but they did with this one. Easy to fill with hot drinks especially this time of the year. Well constructed, easy to use, a good price and prompt delivery.....Great.EDITI gave one of these to the owner of our business for Xmas in 2017. He keeps it fairly clean, but today it was sitting in the sink, and I saw this gross black stuff on the rim of the lid. So, we took it apart and it was full of mold. It was disgusting.So we scrubbed it clean, and now every couple of days he will have to take the lid apart for cleaning when he cleans the mug. I am going to check mine at home tonight.The bottom of the lid had a piece you can unscrew to take it apart. I recommend everyone who purchased this mug take the lid apart for inspection and cleaning.Original review:Thermos travel mugs are simply the best. This is no surprise since Thermos has been making Thermoses for such a long time that, like Kleenex has to tissue paper, the Thermos name has become synonymous with containers that keep liquid warm or cool.I gave this one away as a xmas gift, and it works as well as the one I have at home. This one is rated to keep hot liquids hot for 7 hours, and cold liquids cold for 8 hours.My personal one at home, I have made fresh coffee at night before going to bed, and left it on my bedside table to find it's still warm 7-hours later when I wake up. As a computer gamer who keeps unusual hours, I can say I can no longer do without a coffee mug of this quality.I quite like this thermos, the handle makes it a lot easier to use, although it could make the thermos not fit all drink holders perfectly. It fits the holders that have a gap space in them better. It keeps drinks fairly warm, not a super long time.....but that doesnt bother me really. the lid is secure and screws on so it won't pop off. Its a little tricky aligning the opening exactly where you want but its workable. Easy to clean, durable. I'm happy with my purchaseexcellent little flaskBest type out there with or without handle