Every bottle material is a trade-off. The useful question is not “which is best” but “which failure mode can you live with”.
Insulated stainless steel
Good at: temperature retention (6–12 hours), durability, no flavour transfer.
Bad at: weight, and it is not microwave or dishwasher friendly in most builds.
Fails when: the vacuum seal is compromised by a drop — then it becomes an expensive regular bottle.
Plastic (Tritan / PP)
Good at: weight, price, gym bags, kids.
Bad at: heat. Hot liquids can deform PP and accelerate leaching; Tritan is better but still not a thermos.
Fails when: left in a hot car, or scrubbed with an abrasive that micro-scratches the surface.
Glass
Good at: taste neutrality, cleaning, no leaching at any temperature.
Bad at: gravity. A glass bottle in a backpack is a physics experiment.
Fails when: it drops, which is eventually.
What we stock and why
Insulated steel for commuting and travel; a silicone-sleeved glass bottle for desk use; Tritan only where weight matters more than temperature. We do not sell single-use plastic, and we do not sell “self-cleaning” bottles with UV lids — the cleaning is the part that matters.
Cleaning, briefly
Warm water, a bottle brush, and a weekly soak with bicarbonate for steel. The lid gasket is where smells live; replace it once a year.