The vanilla flavored one was a bit sweet, but that’s how I generally prefer it. I usually am throwing berries and granola in there too so admittedly can’t give you an unbiased recommendation! I think there are plain flavored ones either almond or coconut milk based, which might be more of what you’re looking for.
While I can concede your point that it’s feasible and possibly even more practical to open from the stem, I gotta say that since switching to the other end years ago(because I saw a similar thread on reddit), it’s been super easy and I’ve had zero issues. The stem just has a higher rate of fucking up, but it’s not like either end will fully decimate the banana. Peeling properly after it’s opened is an easy fix either way.