They're absolutely not an upgrade to plastic straws. I don't like the feeling of a hard material clanking against my teeth every time I take a sip.

I've switched entirely to glass straws, they are a huge upgrade from plastic. No sharp edges like plastic, won't collapse if you want to suck up something firm like a milkshake, takes up less storage since I only need to keep a handful around to cover various sizes. And they look much, much better to boot. Can't say I've had any issues with them clanking on my teeth, but I use straws for sipping, not chewing on.

How do you carry them when you are out? Are they breakable?

I don't like the taste of metal straws, so I bought glass ones. They are awesome, but like all glass things, they are incredibly hard and incredibly brittle. If you drop it, it might shatter, it might be fine. I own four, use them regularly, including occasional travel, and have only dropped one.

If that sounds like too much work for you, there are reusable plastic straws available.

Glass is breakable yes, and I use the glass straws at home so I can't really speak to carrying them around (I rarely eat out so never had a need to).

I live in the EU, and I have never seen a glass or stainless steel straw.

In Austria they sometimes sell them in supermarkets (in the special offer section of discounters like Hofer/Aldi).

You can get them in kitchenware stores (expensive ones from WMF, or cheap ones from Sewa), and even Ikea sells them.