A good vacuum bottle (what most people call a thermos) will hold enough coffee to last you an entire day at work and keep your drinks balmy right down to the last cup.
Compared to smaller thermal mugs, food thermoses or glasses, a thermos holds more, so you can sip your drink throughout the day or share it with others.
After comparing 32 thermoses and testing 17, we found that the Stanley Classic Legendary Bottle 2.5 QT was the easiest to hold and pour, and it kept drinks balmy for hours.
Our choice
The handle made this thermos the easiest to hold and pour. It has a tight cap that can hold a cup of coffee or tea and is dishwasher unthreatening (as long as it fits in the coffee machine).
Among the thermoses we tested, the Stanley Classic Legendary Bottle 2.5 QT stood out for its durability, reliable heat retention and ease of apply (especially considering its size). We found this container to be the easiest to hold and pour, thanks to a wide, sturdy handle that slides out of the bottle and folds up (so the thermos takes up less space in your bag).
The Classic Legendary Thermos kept drinks balmy for over eight hours and survived our drop tests. Despite its immense size, this thermos still fits into most backpacks and does not leak when inside. You can also buy a 2 liter bottle if you want something a little smaller, and it comes in two colors.
Budget selection
This smaller, cheaper thermos keeps drinks almost as balmy as our top pick, but it’s not dishwasher unthreatening.
The Stanley’s Adventure To-Go 1.1 QT bottle insulates almost as well as the classic Legendary bottle, but holds half as much. However, it is also half the price. Both the Classic Legendary and the Zojirushi SJ-JS10 keep drinks slightly warmer, but our testers found that the Adventure To-Go kept drinks sultry enough throughout the day.
The Adventure To-Go Thermos doesn’t have a handle, but due to its smaller size, it doesn’t really need one. However, it is not dishwasher unthreatening. This thermos is available in five colors, as well as a smaller 25-ounce size and a larger 1.4-quart model.
Also great
This 35-ounce thermos is tiny and delicate enough to fit in a compact commuter bag. However, it is not dishwasher unthreatening.
If you’re looking for a slimmer thermos without a handle, we recommend the Zojirushi 35-Ounce Stainless Steel SJ-JS10 Bottle. It’s less than half the size of a Stanley Classic thermos, yet holds about four cups of coffee while still fitting in a backpack or bag. The Zojirushi bottle keeps drinks balmy even after eight hours and is fully leak-proof.
If you’re looking for something that can hold more than our favorite Zojirushi travel mug while still being tiny enough to fit into a messenger bag, we think this model will be your best option. We also like that it comes in two colors.
