54-Quart Steel-Belted Cooler vs Double Wall Vacuum Insulated Stainless Steel Food Canister Container with Leak Proof Lid: which is safer?

Klean Kanteen Double Wall Vacuum Insulated Stainless Steel Food Canister Container with Leak Proof Lid is our pick: better on PFAS and on the overall hazard picture.

Coleman 54-Quart Steel-Belted Cooler

Coleman

54-Quart Steel-Belted Cooler

PFAS grade

Good 70/100

Overall grade

Good 52/100

Verdict

Buy

Hazard flags

⚑ 3

Material

Polyurethane foam insulation, steel exterior, plastic lining

Confidence

75%

PossiblePlastic lining degradation and microplastic release

ReportedBacterial growth in plastic crevices

PossibleSteel exterior corrosion and rust migration

Our pick

Klean Kanteen Double Wall Vacuum Insulated Stainless Steel Food Canister Container with Leak Proof Lid

Klean Kanteen

Double Wall Vacuum Insulated Stainless Steel Food Canister Container with Leak Proof Lid

PFAS grade

Excellent 100/100

Overall grade

Excellent 88/100

Verdict

Buy

Hazard flags

⚑ 3

Material

Stainless steel body, silicone gasket lid seal

Confidence

82%

PossibleSilicone gasket degradation

PossibleBacterial growth in vacuum seal

PossibleSurface corrosion under acidic conditions

Where these two actually differ

  • We flag Plastic lining degradation and microplastic release, Bacterial growth in plastic crevices and Steel exterior corrosion and rust migration on the Coleman and not on the Klean Kanteen.
  • We flag Silicone gasket degradation, Bacterial growth in vacuum seal and Surface corrosion under acidic conditions on the Klean Kanteen and not on the Coleman.
  • The Coleman is Polyurethane foam insulation, steel exterior, plastic lining where the Klean Kanteen is Stainless steel body, silicone gasket lid seal, which is most of the difference in these two grades.
  • The gap is 30 points, wide enough that this is not a close call, and the Klean Kanteen is the one to buy.

Both products run through the same public rubric: materials, coatings, brand disclosure, lab findings, and recalls, plus a beyond-PFAS hazard analysis. Grades are model-based estimates, not lab tests. How grades work →

More lunch boxes: see the full ranking