Highwave JX1604 JOEmo XL Vacuum Insulated Stainless Steel Water Bottle - 32oz, Leak Proof, BPA Free - Perfect for Gym, Hiking & Outdoor Activities

When I initially got these mugs (I have the large and small versions) I gave them an extensive, glowing five-star review as they seemed to be almost perfect products. Unfortunately, after a week or so of in-the-car use I've felt the need to remove that review and write a newer, less-glowing review.Think of these as thermos/travel mug hybrids. They have the double-walled vacuum construction (and screw-on top lid) of a thermos combined with the drinking top of a travel mug. They maintain the liquid inside near the desired temperature (hot or cold) for a very long time.Because of this thermos-like construction, the apparent requirement to fit in narrow European car cup holders (as reported by others), and the design of the drinking lid, these mugs are narrower and taller than a typical travel mug holding a like amount of liquid would be. Another way to put this would be to say that these mugs hold less liquid than they would appear to be able to hold.They will not leak at all if you fill the stainless steel portion of the mug only up to the top of the lower inside ring (the spot where the tea filter--if you have one--fits into).If you fill the mugs according to these instructions you will get about 10 oz. of liquid in the small mug and about 14 oz. in the large one.If you fill them according to the instructions included with the mugs ("fill no more than 1 1/4" or 32 mm from the top of the vessel") and screw down the drinking cap in the open position as recommended, you can get another ounce or so of liquid. However, some of that liquid will be in the upper portion of the drinking lid after the valve is closed and will spill out of the lid if the mug is tipped without the upper screw-on lid in place.If you fill the stainless steel portion of the mug any more than the recommended amounts, you also risk leakage from the outside seam where the bottom of the lid meets the stainless steel part of the mug.Liquid can leak from here if it is trapped between the upper silicone seal and the narrow inside portion of the lid where the screw threads are. This can happen if you fill the stainless steel part of the mug too full before screwing down the plastic drinking lid (even if it is in the open position). This is because some liquid in the stainless steel part of the mug will escape to above the upper seal as the lid is screwed down and before the seal is seated against the upper ring of the stainless steel mug. This liquid will not spill out immediately as it is somewhat held in place by the screw threads, but over time it will escape out of the seam between the two pieces.I found this out what could have been the hard way when I laid a mug that I thought to be empty on my car seat with both lids on, only to come back later and find a big wet stain under the mug where the top of the stainless steel and the bottom of the drinking lid met. Fortunately I only had water in the mug at the time or I would have been really angry.I also noticed dribbles of liquid coming from the seam as the mug sat in the car's cup holder.Probably for reasons having to do with air expanding more easily than liquid that I will not go into, this seepage seems to increase as the liquid in the mug is consumed.My habit was to fill the stainless steel part of the cup to the level of the screw threads, shut the valve, drink the remaining portion in the drinking lid (about an ounce or so) and then screw on the upper lid.I now fill the mugs only to just above the lower inside ring and then screw on the drinking lid in the open position. If I really want get the most capacity out of the mugs, I then continue to pour liquid into the upper portion of the drinking lid until it just begins to appear from under the locking ring. I then screw on the upper lid which automatically locks the valve and seals the upper portion of the drinking lid.Liquid in this upper portion is not very insulated and will spill if the mug is tilted without the upper lid on, but you can increase the capacity of the mugs to 16 oz. for the larger one and 13 oz. for the smaller.What I like:- They can be leak proof when properly filled- They keep beverages at a desired temperature for quite a long time (longer than the popular As many reviewers have commented, this is a great travel (or not traveling) mug.I won't go into huge detail about how great it works since so many have already done this, but I'll point out some good alternate uses, and some things to be aware of:LOOSE TEA: when you use the mesh tea holder to hold loose tea, it works great. BUT you have wait for it to steep then dump it out before you can drink out of it (otherwise loose tea comes right along with the fluid). GREAT SOLUTION!: put your loose tea UNDER the mesh cone, snap the mesh cone into place, screw on the lid and VOILA! You can now steep/travel/drink out it without removing the loose tea. Works every time for me!This might work well for brewing coffee in it too (ala cowboy coffee), I just haven't tried that yet.IF YOU CAN'T PUSH THE BUTTON DOWN FOR A DRINK: slightly loosen the top, push the button down, then tighten the top again.BEFORE TRAVELING: do a quick upside-down check over the sink to make sure you don't have any liquid that's ready to dribble out.DON'T OVERFILL: make sure that you only fill it to that ridge above where the mesh cone sits--otherwise you risk having spills once you screw the lid on.EASY FILLING: I realize all kitchen sinks vary widely, but my sink opening (which connects to garbage disposal) is the perfect size to snugly hold my joemo without tipping-which lets me fill it hands-free from boiling pot of water, other containers, etc. Try it!TOP LID (flat cap that screws on top of the drinking part): I don't tend to use this--even without it this thing keeps fluids HOT! I suppose if you were wanting it to stay hot for hours, you'd use this. Or to make double sure you don't have leaks. But, if you tend to lose things easily, just leave it at home, along with the bag that comes with it.PS--now in Dec 2012: I still LOVE this mug, but should tell you about my own error in reassembling it, and how wonderful this company is. I took it apart to clean it--removed the gaskets, totally disassembled it, and I thought I got it all back together correctly. It leaked this time. I emailed the company and they sent me a photo of what an assembled lid should look like.I THOUGHT I had it right (I had before), but it still leaked and asked for more help. They sent me a new lid!!! Once I got it, I saw that the leak was MY mistake--when putting on the lowest gasket, it should actually sort of be hanging off the end of the lid--I just needed to adjust the gasket down one notch. All is perfect again--what a great company and a great mug.I have one of my own I've owned for 3 years without any problems. I bought this for my wife as she was so enthralled with mine. She has been using it for 6 months without any problem and keeps liquid hot for 5-6 hours without a problem.The design is great for travel as I spend half the year on the road. I can comfortably toss this in my briefcase upside down and never worry about a drop spilling. The fact you can drink from anywhere on the rim makes it so much better than most thermos which have a tiny spout through which molten liquid erupts at varying angles to scald your tongue.I LOVE IT!! I use it for tea instead of coffee and it keeps my tea scalding hot for hours. I love the 360 degree drinking out of the pop top. It's easy to clean and I love the color.It keeps your drink hot for hours, and does not leak. It's my go-to travel mug, though I would not recommend putting in any milk, as even after hand washing, dishwasher, and soaking it in boiling water, it still has a stale milk smell.This is the second mug we have like this. One for coffee and one for tea. The drinks stay hot for hours. Works great!No Strainer like my Tea Vanna mug