Friday, 27 January 2012

A tale of three water bottles

Over the past 6 months I have tried to move away from using old plastic mineral water bottles with tatty labels.  It has been a frustrating journey.

I started off with the green bottle.  It was made by Aquasteel.  I love it.  It was lightweight and stylish and exactly what I wanted.  Within a few weeks the bottle was knocked off the kitchen table, huge cracks formed around the nozzle.  It was useless.  I tried to contact the company to ask if I could buy another top but the email and phone number didn't work.  I had bought it on holiday so I couldn't return it to the shop.  I had to abandon it.

The next bottle was the tall purple one.  I found it at Officeworks.  It appealed because I don't really like the sucker tops.  This had a nicer opening to drink from.  Unfortunately it seems to open at the wrong sort of moment.  It has dumped water on my camera, on the floor of the car and I get worried Sylvia will throw it on the bed when having a night time tantrum.  It has been banned from my bag and from night time use but I love it too much to throw it out.  It is great around the house during the day.

The last bottle is the little purple one.  It is from Safeway supermarket.  It is practical but is just not quite right.  It is too small when I am riding my bike and reach for it in my drink holder.  It just doesn't have the aesthetic appeal or pleasing feel of the other two.

The pursuit of the ideal water bottle continues.  It is not an active hunt.  But I hope one day I will get over the disappointment of the acquasteel and find another I can love and use.

Update 2014  - after trying lots of water bottles, I have now settled on the Thermos water bottles (see photo of a Thermos water bottle) which don't leak and stay cold in summer.  The only problem is that the straw is hard to clean and gets dirty after a while.  I need to look into replacement straws.

This post was inspired by Kari's post on water bottles.
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31 comments:

  1. Helen @ Fuss Free Flavours27 January 2012 at 19:39

    I have the answer to your problems Johanna, the Life Bottle.
    http://fussfreeflavours.com/2011/09/giveaway-lifebottles/
    It keeps my tea hot, or water ice cold for about 8 hours, and as it is so well insulated there is no condensation. Although it could do with a sport lid attachment.

    My regular bottle is metal one pint, navy blue with coloured spots. It goes everywhere with me.

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    1. Johanna GGG2 February 2012 at 19:04

      Thanks Helen - I think I would like a sports lid attachment but this would be great for E to take tea along to a picnic

      Delete
  2. Lynda27 January 2012 at 20:37

    I have a 600mL Envirosax steel bottle and it's so good. I bough it on sale at the Co-Op Bookshop of all places and it's going strong 2 years on. I can't count the amount of times I've dropped this thing (esp. while full and heavy) and it'll ding, but keep on going. I kind of like the character the dings give it.
    Check out this page and scroll down: http://www.envirosax.com.au/water-bottles.html
    The kind I have is called a 'skinny bottle'. The only plastic parts are the top (which doesn't get much action, it would be pretty hard to drop it on the top) and the washer inside the top to keep it tightly sealed. I specifically didn't want a bottle with many plastic parts (because they degrade so quickly when they're getting so much use) and this one is perfect.

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    1. Johanna GGG2 February 2012 at 19:06

      Thanks Linda - love a bottle that can be dropped all the time - mine get a bit of action - I don't mind dings either as long as it still works - 2 years of use is impressive compared to the plastic bottles I used to use

      Delete
  3. Emma27 January 2012 at 22:09

    I have a 18oz (around 500ml) Classic stainless steel Kleen Kanteen which I really really like. I have the loop cap and it's watertight, and has a fairly wide mouth. Another thing I like about them is that there's different types of caps that can be purchased separately.

    They're a slight pain to get hold of (I got mine for my birthday last year, but I think my partner bought it from Amazon), but I carry it with me all the time. I definitely recommend them.

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    1. Johanna GGG2 February 2012 at 19:07

      Thanks Emma - I like the look of the Kleen Kanteen sports lids - will look out for one - never knew about purchasing different caps but that sounds like a good solution for different uses

      Delete
  4. Kari27 January 2012 at 22:15

    I'm honoured to have inspired this post Johanna :) It was very fun to read - leading me to suspect my interest in water bottles is too strong to be entirely healthy! - and I hope you find the perfect one soon. They are a tricky item to get just right. I find kitchen shops offer alternatives to the normal sports-style and supermarket ones, so you could try some of those too (although perhaps you have)?

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    1. Johanna GGG2 February 2012 at 19:10

      Thanks Kari - I have seen some in kitchen shops - actually I bought the acquasteel in house and I am more likely to be in kitchen shops than sports stores so I will definitely keep my eye out there (actually thay are also in toy stores would you believe! I want to get sylvia one but baulk at the prices)

      Delete
  5. Cooksploratrice27 January 2012 at 23:25

    Johanna,

    I love your commitment towards eliminating plastic bottles.
    I really love your blog. You always have interesting content. Keep up the stellar work.

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    1. Johanna GGG2 February 2012 at 19:11

      Thanks Cooksploratrice - well at least there are less plastic bottles in my life these days

      Delete
  6. eatme_delicious28 January 2012 at 07:31

    It's hard to find the right water bottle and tea mug! I used to use the Sigg water bottles but the screw lids get really gross and mouldy (at least mine did), and I've tried Klean Kanteen which is great but I don't like the wide mouth opening. I recently bought a new one made by lifefactory. It's a glass bottle with a rubber sleeve. I like drinking out of glass more and it can go in my dishwasher which is great. Good luck in your water bottle search!

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    1. Johanna GGG2 February 2012 at 19:12

      Thanks Ashley - I am suspicious of glass bottles because I fear I will break them - wonder how much protection the rubber sleeve gives it

      Delete
  7. Ricki28 January 2012 at 12:49

    I used to have a water bottle but I hated the squirt top! I want to sip my water. I'm still looking for the ideal water bottle that's lightweight, won't rust, unbreakable, etc. . . seems it's a difficulty wherever you look!

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    1. Johanna GGG2 February 2012 at 19:13

      Thanks Ricki - I found that there are good and bad squirt tops - I think that is why I liked the acquasteel - the squirt top worked so much better than a lot of cheaper ones

      Delete
  8. Joanne28 January 2012 at 23:15

    Finding the perfect water bottle is no easy feat! I've been using a Camelbak water bottle and really love it!

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  9. Danni29 January 2012 at 00:37

    My water bottle is made by Earthlust (http://www.earthlust.com/). It has a screw top (I also don't like sippy tops) so will never pop open. I carry it in my everywhere, frequently with my camera and/or my laptop. It has been all over Melbourne and survived being flown around the world (kinda fun to open in flight when the contents are under more pressure than the aircraft cabin [1]).

    [1] N.B. don't bring a bottle you care about in your hand luggage on international flights, even empty, they will take it off you.

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    1. Johanna GGG2 February 2012 at 19:15

      Thanks Danni - I am wondering if I need a screw top for when I want a bottle in my bag and a pop top for when I am on my bike - and good advice re plane - I have had too many treasured possessions taken off me

      Delete
  10. jo29 January 2012 at 10:06

    I recently aquired a stainless steel water bottle from a pharmacy here in Bacchus Marsh which has a top similar to your purple one which has stayed shut so far, I don't like drinking out of pop tops either, and the lid unscrews to allow for ice cubes and easy cleaning.
    It is a Cheeki sports bottle & it is fantastic
    http://www.cheeki.net.au/Products/600mlSportsWaterBottles.aspx
    Ditch the plastic!

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    1. Johanna GGG2 February 2012 at 19:16

      Thanks Jo - sounds like an interesting bottle - if I go by bacchus marsh I must check it out - like the look of it

      Delete
  11. Kath (My Funny Little Life)30 January 2012 at 10:46

    Ha, I have some ongoing projects like that myself! Usually with clothes a lot. As a water bottle, I usually use a simple green glass bottle that was a usual sparkling water bottle once and now is my personal water bottle. I somehow find that water from glass bottles tastes better than from plastic.

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    1. Johanna GGG2 February 2012 at 19:19

      Thanks Kath - I have quite a few of these ongoing projects too - I like drinking from glass but it is so breakable

      Delete
  12. Cakelaw30 January 2012 at 13:50

    I am yet to find a water boottle that I like - I used to use the plastic ones until I found out that they harbour germs. The hunt is still on ...

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    1. Johanna GGG2 February 2012 at 19:20

      Thanks Cakelaw - there are some really great recommendations in the comments - I also remember hearing about the plastic germs and plastic just gets a bit smelly after a while

      Delete
  13. Jen30 January 2012 at 18:36

    I'm a big fan of the Camelbak water bottle, but it does have a bite-and-suck valve (which is kind of their signature). Through many years of camping, I've discovered that Nalgene bottles are indestructable (I've never broken one; lost a few, but never broken), lightweight, lids are replaceable (although I've never had a lid break, either, just the bit that holds it to the bottle). Dishwasher safe if kept away from the heating element (I usually just put mine on the top rack), and sporting goods stores (at least, here in the US) have inserts you can put into the wide-mouth bottles to reduce water flow, so you don't dump the entire thing on yourself. They also make narrow-neck bottles.

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    1. Johanna GGG2 February 2012 at 19:21

      Thanks Jen - great information - have heard of camelbaks before but never seen them - maybe I will if I look out for them

      Delete
  14. jean31 January 2012 at 08:31

    I like the Sigg ones. You do have to buy a valve top seperately if you want one. They're a bit pricy in Oz but pretty hardwearing - they do get dented (if thrown on the floor by a toddler for instance) but this doesn't seem to affect the coating inside. And it's easy to order replacement tops for the kids ones! We've had one adult and two kid bottles for more two years or so and have never had the mould issue someone describes above (despite living in sticky Brisbane). They do recommend washing the bottles and letting them fully dry regularly though - so I do this with mine once a week or so.

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    1. Johanna GGG2 February 2012 at 19:23

      Thanks Jean - my water bottles get quite a bit of wear and tear from a toddler - Sylvia finds them fascinating - I guess she needs one of her own

      Delete
  15. janet @ the taste space31 January 2012 at 12:55

    I held on to my favourite water bottle too long.. I got it for free from work, but it was fairly leak proof and didn't have a stupid sucker. But it was plastic, and I knew its days were numbered.... finally I dropped it one too many times and gave it a big crack. In the trash it went. I don't like its replacement.. it is metallic, but the lid is either a screw top which is annoying when biking or a sucker which I hate.

    I am still toying with a good tea mug. I have oen that keeps things warm but it isn't a practical design for my loose leaf tea. I'd loev to find a mug that will allow me to put in loose leaf tea and sip away. Still on the hunt for the perfect mug.

    I hope you find what you are looking for, too!

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    1. Johanna GGG2 February 2012 at 19:24

      Thanks Janet - terrible when one works and you can't find a replacement - can you put a tea infuser in one of these mugs - good luck with your hunt

      Delete

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