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If you want to know the difference between the cheap ones and expensive ones like Pelican and Yeti look inside. The polish level of the steel is the giveaway. The cheap ones like RTIC are rough like cast iron. The finish is important because it traps particles from the liquid and makes the inside harder to wash. Tea and coffee will wreak havoc on the inside of the cheap ones.

The Pelican is the nicest vacuum insulated tumbler we own. We purchased three of these Pelican Travelers. We've owned RTIC, Yeti and two other off brands. And I believe the ice retention is identical across the lot. I mean really, there's only so much room in the side wall of the tumbler to act as an insulator. It's not like a cooler. Truth be told, I don't want to drink out of a cup of 2 day old anything. Regardless of the ice content.
Here's the marked difference this tumbler has over all of them. Fit and finish. The powder coating on every other brand I've seen has a tape edge. Even the Yeti. This one doesn't. The coating is rolled into the form. Beautiful. The lid is screw on which is better than the pressure fit tops. Hard knocks with a full cup can blow the pressure fit tops off spilling the liquid. The sipping lip keeps you from having to tilt the cup up over your face to get the drink out like some of the cheap ones. Plus the lid doesn't seem to stain with tea like the others. The only thing that takes away from this being the perfect design is the slider lid. It was well thought out in that it can be easily removed for cleaning. However, it doesn't seal the top closed. Its more of a bug guard. If they could just tweak this one issue, I think that they'd have the vacuum insulated tumbler perfected.