Contigo Byron 2.0 Stainless Steel Travel Mug with SNAPSEAL™ Lid and Grip 20oz.

Why it's worth it

The Byron 2.0 swaps the push button for a SNAPSEAL lid that flips open with your thumb and clicks shut. It costs less than the West Loop mugs, holds 20 ounces, and its slim body slips into a backpack side pocket.

Some people just don't want a button. SNAPSEAL is a single hinged flap: flip it up to drink, press it down to seal. There's less to fail and far less to scrub, and it's the easier mechanism for a kid, a teenager, or anyone with stiff hands. Owners who carry it in a bookbag report it staying shut through a commute.

The trade shows up in the insulation. Contigo rates the Byron 2.0 at up to 7 hours hot and 18 hours cold — real vacuum insulation, but well short of the West Loop 3.0. For a morning commute and a mug you finish by ten, that's plenty. For coffee you're still sipping at three, it isn't.

From our review of 8 contigo travel mugs

What we like

• +Some people just don't want a button
• +The trade shows up in the insulation
• +The body is narrower and taller than a West Loop, with a textured grip band around the middle

What to know

• –A snap lid is only sealed when you remember to snap it
• –The drinking opening sits behind a small flap, so sipping feels a bit more restricted than with the West Loop's wide…