Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Well, after trying several thermos type containers for my son to carry his lunch in, this one actually is the only one that worked. I had an off brand metal one, more kid sized, but he complained the food was cold, not just room temp, but cold... So, I bought a better one, a Thermos brand metal one... same thing, food not warm...said wasnt cold, but still yucky... We do mostly pasta in his, so it couldnt keep it warm enough for him to eat and he usually doesn't mind things room temperature lol... so it had to be cold for him to complain... I then remembered my father carrying a funky colored green thermos around when we were kids and I never remember anything being cold from that thing...always blazing hot...So, figured I would give it a try. Before I sent it to school with my son I got it out and did some comparison testing with the other 2 that he complained about...mainly because I didnt want him not to eat again because the food was cold and it was the weekend, so I had some time to do the tests... I filled each one of them with 2 cups of hot water, straight from the keurig machine (til they were full) and stuck the thermometer in each...each read pretty close to 183 degrees...Sealed all 3 tight and let them sit on the counter and opened them up 4 hours later (that is how long it would be for my son to eat lunch after I packed it) and WOW, what a difference each one read... The el cheapo one, I could feel the heat leaving the container as soon as I put the hot water in the container, well it was only 90 degrees and cold to the touch... The Thermos brand one it was 119 degrees and mostly felt to the touch like room temp, then this Stanley one steam came out as I opened it and it was 153 degrees....HOT to the touch... As a matter of fact I sent the pasta in to school on Monday and he came home with it full... I WAS LIKE WHAT??? Was it cold you didnt eat the pasta, he said MOM it was too hot lol...SHESSSHHH... I had to show him how to use the lid as a bowl and dump it out into that to help cool it down quicker and makes it easier to eat too since it is a little bigger than the others making it harder to eat from with a fork (deep). So, the other days of the week he said the pasta was hot and cooled down in a few minutes and it was awesome! We send in ALL our child's lunches due to food allergies, so it gets old quickly just sending in cold sandwiches....So, the hot meals are a must for us to have a little more variety... I was so frustrated with these things I almost gave up and wanted to buy a microwave just for him at school until I found this one! I handwash it to prolong its life, plus I don't think you suppose to anyways, but either way just better for the seals... I hope it lasts a few years, but if I get one good year out of it I will be pleased to be honest lol...just as long as it keeps the food hot when I need it to... The others NEVER kept it hot from the start...