I am extremely happy with my unit. In fact, I have a 32 ounce for home use and a 16 ounce unit at work. The first unit you pictured is essentially the same as the Teavana unit with a different label on it. The second unit looks interesting but I already have a setups that meets all my infusing needs. I have also used the mesh strainer out of my Japanese tea pot when in training for a few days. They always have hot tea water so I take advantage of it but with my own tea. The strainer fits perfectly inside a travel cup that I have. I take a little loose tea with me and the mesh strainer can be placed in a styrofoam coffee cup between uses.
My roomate has one basically like that. It works great. Also, one of my favorite sites for loose leaf teas is Special Teas. They ship fast and have decent prices. I'm definately no expert, but I kind of find Teavana to be a little simplified.
I have started a thread for a group purchase of some Chinese tea. Check here: http://www.theshaveden.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7865 The same thread is also running in SRP and B&B.
