Icon 16 oz Stainless Steel Mug vs Rambler 24 oz Mug with Ceramic Lining: which is safer?

Rambler 24 oz Mug with Ceramic Lining is our pick, better on PFAS and on the overall hazard picture.

Thermos Icon 16 oz Stainless Steel Mug

Thermos

Icon 16 oz Stainless Steel Mug

PFAS grade

Excellent 80/100

Overall grade

Good 72/100

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)

Our pick

Yeti

Rambler 24 oz Mug with Ceramic Lining

PFAS grade

Excellent 85/100

Overall grade

Good 73/100

Verdict

Buy

Hazard flags

⚑ 3

Material

stainless steel exterior, ceramic lining interior

Confidence

72%

PossibleCeramic coating degradation over time

PossibleBacterial growth in crevices or damaged coating

PossibleThermal shock or fracture

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 Yeti.
  • We flag Ceramic coating degradation over time, Bacterial growth in crevices or damaged coating and Thermal shock or fracture on the Yeti and not on the Thermos.
  • The Thermos is stainless steel, no stated interior coating where the Yeti is stainless steel exterior, ceramic lining interior, which is most of the difference in these two grades.
  • These two are 5 points apart, close enough that price and fit should decide it rather than our grade.

Both products run through the same public rubric, which covers 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