Keeps stuff HOT--warm after 24 hours, even. Very small for its capacity--barely bigger than most pint thermoses, yet it holds a quart (.95 liters). Switch atop the stopper lets you pour without unscrewing. Nice looking--stainless steel with black plastic handle and trim. Doesn't leak, but may dribble (see below) if you're not careful. High-quality--feels good, looks good. Liner is stainless steel--nothing breaks if you drop it.
Negative Product Points
Pour-through stopper can dribble after pouring.
Detailed Commentary
Great thermos! It's the smallest one-quart I've seen, which is important for me because my work bag isn't very big. It holds in heat better than any others I've tried.
I was going to buy one of those construction-head Aladdin-Stanley thermoses, but I couldn't see a guy with a tie drinking from one of those at work. This is classy.
The pour-through stopper is its only design weakness. You flick a switch on top of the stopper to pour without unscrewing. It makes a cool clicking noise when you do this. When you're done pouring, you flick it closed. It doesn't leak, but because of the design, a small amount of liquid remains in the body of the stopper after closing the valve. This liquid can dribble out later when the thermos is inverted. I get around this by shaking it over a trash can before screwing on the top to take it home.
I just read Mark Prince's review of the pint Zojirushi, and he said that the pint model's pour-through stopper closes automatically when you put the lid on. I've had mine for a long time, and I've never tried this. I just did, and mine closes automatically, too! How about that? And I thought I was done learning when I left college . . .
After two years, my stopper valve became hard to work. I called Zojirushi, and they sent me a replacement. Nice people.
Buying Experience
Bought this from Starbucks. I've seen these on Yahoo Shopping since for twenty-five bucks. I'd pay $50 to replace mine (if I had to). When browsing Zojirushi offerings, you may also see this listed as a "dura bottle" (Sweet Maria's lists it this way, for example).
