ZojirushiSL-NCE09 Stainless Ms. Bento Steel Vacuum Lunch Jar, 28.5-Ounce

I bought 2 -one for each of girls, in 8th and 9th grade. I agonized over Mr. Bento, Ms. Bento, and Classic Bento. Finally decided on Ms. Bento because it comes with a carry case large enough to HOLD A DRINK! The issue I had with Mr. and Classic is that the girls would have to fumble around with a separate drink, or get yet another bag to hold the canister and the drink. With Ms. Bento, it's perfectly sized to hold the canister and a bottled water. The size seems shockingly small at first, but then as you get better at packing, it's amazing how much food you can actually fit in the 3 tiers - especially pastas and rice based dishes where you can cram food into every mm of usable space. I just wish the lids were interchangable between the 2 insulated levels - the water resistant bottom cup isn't very big but sometimes you would rather have the larger cup for wet/possibly leaky items.Hot OR cold issue: You can only use as all hot or all cold for the bottom and middle insulated cups. If you read that you can combine hot and cold - what this really means is a top cup that does not need insulation. You definitely cannot put say, cold yogurt on the bottom and hot fried rice in the center. It is also misleading to say hot and cold because the top cup will take on some of the characteristics of whether it's hot or cold that day. So make sure your top cup is compatible with being on the warmer or cooler side. For warmer days, I can put most any fruit and it's ok, and something like chocolate chip cookies, which my girls report is awesome since they are soft and warm like out of the oven. On cold days, then put in crispy and crunchier items, like crispy wafer cookies and fruit they really like to have cold.STAYS hot or cold issue: Does it really work? YES. I can't explain why some people say it won't retain heat. I can tell you what I do: Boil water. Don't use tap water or water you think it hot enough. BOIL it. Do this FIRST. Let it sit in the canister while you do everything else. I let mine sit for at least 15 minutes. Perhaps others' water is not hot enough, or not warmed up long enough so it won't retain heat. Ditto for cold. My girls report very nice and warm by lunch, not scalding, but better than "just warm". I finished my daughter's meal and cauliflower (see more below) and it was still warm after school. Prep: 6:45, canisters done by 7:15. Lunches at 12 noon and 1PM. Finished daughter's lunch leftovers at 5PM.Can this make me eat better? YES. My girls aren't veggie lovers. The first day, I put all stir fried cauliflower in the bottom cup, and they said it was like eating the never ending bowl of cauliflower. The next day, I carefully served 3 types unmixed - corn, peas, and green beans. It wasn't much of each, but with the beautiful presentation, they actually ate all or nearly all of the vegetables - hahaha!!! It is true you find yourself thinking more about the proper allocation between protein, carbs, moderate treat, and fruits/veggies, and shopping this way as well. I just order more bento type stuff like the little containers for soy sauce, dressings, syrup, and cream cheese, plus a few playful picks for decoration. The bag is quite sturdy - it is not flimsy material - a thick material with sturdy straps. The spork is nice, as is the cover. If you're worried about scratching the cups or are a heavy handed jabbing type of eater, just use your own plasticware. I hand wash and hand dry everything, and it hasn't been too arduous. Use plastic wrap to line the cups for stainy items - like spaghetti/chili.Back to Mr. Ms. or Classic? It's really hard to say for others, but Ms. has been just right for the girls both size wise and because they barely have enough time to finish the volume of lunch they already have. It's lunch, not dinner, and as a last resort, you can still fit in a bit more food inside the carry bag.

EDIT: I spoke to some of the teachers at my kid's daycare and they said the food is nice and warm at lunchtime, which I was happy to hear. They also said that they've seen lots of insulated/thermos-type lunch containers, and this one is by far the best at keeping food warm. I am super pleased with the Ms. Bento and how much flexibility it gives me in packing my kid's lunch!I bought this for my kid's lunch because our daycare doesn't have a microwave or crockpot/bain-marie to heat food, even for babies eating baby food/finger foods. I find that the Ms. Bento is a good size for a one-year-old with a healthy appetite who eats finger foods, and I'm sure it'll work well as my kid gets older and wants to eat more.I bought some silicone cupcake liners and use them to divide food in the separate containers. The container that goes at the bottom is the "soup" container, 7 oz, and I can get two cupcake liners in there if I squish them. I put three to five pieces of different kinds of veggies in each liner and pack some more around the liners; there's plenty enough space for baby-cut carrots, broccoli/cauliflower florets, small pieces of potatoes, green beans cut small, etc. The lid screws on and has a rubber ring, so it's watertight.The container that goes in the middle is the "main" container, 10 oz, and I can get two cupcake liners in there. I usually put pasta in one and some kind of meat in the other; I can squeeze in 8-12 spirals of pasta into one cupcake liner and some slices of meatloaf in the other, no problem, and of course the entire container itself can hold a lot more. I think the lid is insulated, but I don't think it's watertight--it's not threaded/screwable; it's a put-on-and-twist-ten-degrees mechanism.The container that goes on top--the "side" container, 11 oz--has a small divider compartment of its own. I put fruit and cold cuts into this container because it's not intended to keep the food inside hot. I usually can get a strawberry or two an some diced cantaloupe or some apple slices in there, plus another cupcake liner with some shredded ham. This container is actually quite big and can fit a lot; I definitely don't use all the capacity for my kid's fruit and ham. It has a lid that pulls off; the lid has a rubber ring around it. It's probably not watertight, but I haven't had any problem with leaks or spills, even though I've put wet stuff (like fruit) in it.I honestly don't know how warm the food is when my kid gets fed at daycare, but I'm pretty sure it's not cold, which is enough for me (and probably for my kid, too). I pack the "warm food" containers--the soup and main containers--the night before and keep them in the fridge. In the morning, I fill the bento container with hot water from the tap and let it sit while I'm preparing breakfast and the food for the top container, probably 5-10 minutes. Then I heat the warm food containers in the microwave for a minute, put the lids on, pour the water out from the bento container and dry it, and assemble the whole thing.There's enough space in the bag that's included for a water bottle in the 12-16 oz range, eating utensils, plus something relatively slim, like a ziploc of crackers or cookies.While I was researching insulated food containers for my kid to take to daycare, I bought the Mr. Bento to check it out, too. Mr. Bento is significantly bigger and heavier and has way more space and an extra container; it was too much for what we needed. This version of Ms. Bento (with three containers--there is also another with just two) has enough containers for what my kid eats, the bag is sturdy, and overall its profile is smaller and easier for carrying around. Everything seems pretty sturdy and well-made; I can see us using this for years.