Icon 16 oz Stainless Steel Mug vs Stainless Steel King Travel Mug: which is safer?

Thermos Icon 16 oz Stainless Steel Mug is our pick: better on PFAS and on the overall hazard picture.

Our pick

Thermos Icon 16 oz Stainless Steel Mug

Thermos

Icon 16 oz Stainless Steel Mug

PFAS grade

Excellent 95/100

Overall grade

Excellent 87/100

Verdict

Buy

Hazard flags

⚑ 2

Material

stainless steel, no stated interior coating

Confidence

82%

PossibleSeal degradation and bacterial growth

PossibleLid or cup material (not specified)

THERMOS Stainless Steel King Travel Mug

Thermos

Stainless Steel King Travel Mug

PFAS grade

Excellent 95/100

Overall grade

Excellent 83/100

Verdict

Buy

Hazard flags

⚑ 3

Material

Stainless steel interior and exterior, plastic lid

Confidence

82%

PossiblePlastic lid polymer degradation

PossibleGasket/seal material composition

PossibleThermal shock stress on seals

Where these two actually differ

  • We flag Seal degradation and bacterial growth and Lid or cup material (not specified) on the Thermos and not on the Thermos.
  • We flag Plastic lid polymer degradation, Gasket/seal material composition and Thermal shock stress on seals on the Thermos and not on the Thermos.
  • The Thermos is stainless steel, no stated interior coating where the Thermos is Stainless steel interior and exterior, plastic lid, which is most of the difference in these two grades.
  • These two are level, close enough that price and fit should decide it rather than our grade.

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 insulated travel mugs: see the full ranking