Customer Reviews

Zojirushi Tuff Slim 17-Ounce Stainless-Steel Vacuum Bottle

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I just knew I had to write a review on this thermos and let you know how fantastic it is! I've always thought the glass vacuum bottles were best because that's what my mom always bought when I was growing up. I was a little skeptical, but based on the reviews here, I eagerly ordered this little bottle, and it is SO much better than a glass vacuum bottle. My mom and I made coffee early in the morning and it was still hot (a good, drinkable hot--not warmish) over 12 hours later! I do fill it with hot water while my coffee's brewing to heat it up, like you're supposed to do. The little spout pours perfectly and I love the push button--never seen anything like it. The best thermos bottle ever!

I needed a high quality thermos due to my workgroup moving to a building where the on-site food vendor has an insane policy of not allowing patrons to use their own mugs to dispense his decidedly average coffee. (Well, you can pay the he wants as he "doesn't know how big your mug is".)

I read many of the reviews here, and decided the negative reviews were bunk. After receiving the Zojirushi, my opinion of those reviewers giving 1 or 2 stars is that they are either silly, can't read basic instructions, or ignorant of basic physics.

1. The instructions that come with the product CLEARLY state how to clean the unit, including removal and care of the gasket. Read the manual ... it's a whole page long, so yeah, I realize that's a lot to ask.

2. This model is NOT a "sippy cup" -- not sure why someone would complain about a feature that clearly wasn't part of the design. The spout design, however is rather clever and works like a charm.

3. This bottle keeps stuff hot. Before using it the first time, I rinsed with hot tap water, then filled it with water at the maximum temperature out of my faucet, a scalding 136F. Over four hours later, the temp had dropped all to 133F. In the morning, after 14+ hours, the water measured 110F. Passed with flying colours.

This morning I loaded it up with fresh press-pot coffee. Throughout the morning the coffee stayed hot as I poured helpings into the bottles cap. Only when I returned to do some work from home was the last 1/2 capful was the temp below par. For several hours there had been far more air than liquid in the bottle. Those who say this bottle doesn't keep things hot may have experienced this phenomenon and not really thought about basic physics.

Obviously after one day I can't comment on longevity. But I'm pretty sure this bottle will be a companion for a long time. Take that, Coffee Nazi.
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Update: Nearly three months later and I am still pleased with this bottle. It has performed well and I use it every work day. I will buy more Zojirushi products.

I came to regard Zojirushi brand due to their leadership position in the bread machine market. I also have much family that use their rice cookers with satisfaction (I still have a Tiger). However, I understand they started with vacuum flasks first. These flasks were invented by Dewar in Scotland but Thermos in Germany patented them and Dewar lost the suit to regain patent rights. Today, Thermos quality is across the board. I'm sure they make some good and some not so good. This Zojirushi isn't the best Japanese craftsmanship, but it's a product outsourced to Thailand. Still, I found it satisfactory. Most importantly, it kept liquid hot.

I preheated it with boiling water, then filled with boiling water. I measured the temperature of the just-filled flask with a Fluke infrared thermometer. It was 175F. This is as hot as practical at my high altitude, higher temperatures would require pressurization. I closed the flask and let it sit upright for 12 hours overnight in temperatures that dipped from 69 to 63F. I measured 154F when the flask was opened. It cooled slightly when I poured it in the cup but it was sufficiently hot for coffee or tea. Adding cold cream or milk would lower temperatures and reduce the effective storage time. It should still be good for 8 hours.

The fit and finish seem good. The flask appears to be entirely stainless steel. The lid is plastic with rubber-like seals and opens and closes without putting a finger on any surface contacted by the drink to keep it sanitary. The outer cap is stainless but has a plastic liner. The plastic appears to be hygrophobic -- liquids bead and shed easily so there is very little residual film in the cup after it's emptied. It performs well but I still might prefer a completely stainless steel cup since I don't like to drink out of plastic. Besides the hygrophobic feature, the plastic allows for reliably working threads to be formed inside the cup for attachment to the flask at low cost compared to machining them on thicker metal. The plastic may also insulate the hot beverage from your hand.

I haven't had any problems with leaks or dribbling. Overall, it seems quite good.

Update: I have two of these now and alternate between the two so I can always have a clean one ready to go when the first one is emptied or being washed. Needless to say I use them daily. They keep my coffee hot most of the day. By evening it's more warm than hot because popping it open and half-emptying it throughout the day results in it filling halfway with room-temperature air each time and that kind of cools it off especially as it gets nearer to empty since there's much less hot mass in there to maintain the temperature. I also take them camping on short overnighters, one with coffee and the other with hot chocolate for the kids. They're holding up well and continue to give good service.

This vacuum bottle is surprisingly lightweight, very compact and as other reviews have said, keeps liquids warm for many hours (I haven't tried cold liquids in it yet, but if it keeps heat in, I'm confident that it'll keep heat out.) It fits nicely into my nylon briefcase and so far (about 2 months), I've had no problem with the seal. I carry coffee to work in it each morning and at lunchtime the coffee is still hot enough to burn my tongue. I gave this product 5 stars because I have absolutely no complaint and I really like it.

I bought this thermos (vacuum bottle) to put my daily coffee in. I am trying to be environmental in everything I do, and I realized that I was taking a disposable paper cup almost every day from the local Starbucks. Not environmental at all! So I decided I needed a thermos. I chose this model because of its small outer size and good internal capacity. I had seen a similar item by Thermos/Nissan and wasn't as enamoured with its looks. I bought the Zojirushi just from the description and photo on Amazon. I am delighted!! It holds just the right amount of coffee for me for the day, stays piping hot more than 8 hours, looks fantastic and never leaks. I love drinking little cups of coffee out of the cute cap-cup. Even the seal and the spout are of brilliant design. For a "low-tech" item it is so high-tech. It is flawless. I highly recommend.

PS I also researched different reusable water bottles. I tried the Siig bottle and found it to be too unsanitary. I finally got a stainless steel Kleen Kanteen which works great. It's easy to keep clean and I truly can't taste any metallic taste. Klean Kanteen Stainless Steel Water Bottles

I recommend both of these products as essential equipment in outfitting your life more environmentally. You'll have them both for a lifetime.

This thermos does a good job at keeping things hot, and I really like the slim design. It makes it easy to fit into brief cases and lunch boxes. I have not noticed any negative affects of the Teflon lining, other than it gets stained from coffee over time. I also like the fact that it is .5L (17 oz.) so I get one extra ounce compared to the 16 oz. thermoses, but this is still smaller on the outside than most of them.

The really objectionable part of the design is the stopper. As at least one other reviewer mentioned, it is very intricate and allows for lots of little spaces for buildup to occur. There is a fairly delicate o-ring that seals on the bottom side of the stopper. Over time, this o-ring seal gets buildup on it and then tends to stick to the stopper when the mechanism opens, rather than moving with the plunger as it should. When the mechanism is then closed, the o-ring becomes an obstacle to the plunger and the thermos will leak. After having a coffee sogged mess a few times, I now make sure to check the location of this o-ring every time before I use the thermos. The opening and closing mechanism also tends to get sticky over time. I have only used this thermos for black coffee, nothing with sugar or other sticky stuff.

I have had this product about 18 months, and am on my second stopper. Zojirushi customer service reluctantly sent me a new one when the first one failed after 6 months. If they come out with a new (less complex) stopper design, this would be the best thing going in a small thermos. As it is, the frustration of using it is great enough that I am ready to replace it even though the body is still in good shape.

I'm very satisfied. It keeps liquids warm to hot -- even when there is just a small amount of liquid left inside that small amount is kept pretty hot. It's easy to clean and I've been using it more than I expected.

If you like "being green" buy this product and spare the environment all those discarded paper or styrofoam cups you would have gotten at the local deli, Starbucks, etc. Thermos will pay for itself in about a month of daily use by saving money on coffee or tea. Plus the tea I make is much better quality than what's commonly sold to go.

Holds about 1.5 standard coffee mugs of liquid, suitable for one person. If you use the thermos cup it will seem like more liquid since the cup doesn't hold much liquid and will be refilled often.

This thermos is what I expected. Holds heat very well, and the pour-through top makes it very convenient.

Works great if its pre-heated first. 4 hours after filling it was still too hot to drink.

I was looking for a hot water bottle that will keep the liquid hot for a long period for car rides and camping trips. This baby did the job! I took it on a day trip with me and when I got home 6 hours later, the liquid inside is still hot! I could have easily boiled tea with it.

With it's small size this is a very easy to carry and store. I noticed it's easy to get fingerprints on the outside on the stainless steel.

It's nearly impossible to drink (without burning your lips or tongue) unless you pour out the water into the lid (as a cup).

The opening where liquid pours out is very small and makes it hard to clean.

Overall great product!