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Insulated glass water bottles

by on 14. Dec, 2011 in Comparison Guide

Finding an insulated glass water bottle is a rare find. At the Sydney Organic Expo in 2011, we saw a preview of one from Pure Bamboo, with the insulation being provided by a bamboo sleeve. Unfortunately, at the start of 2012, they’re not on the market yet, but we’re hoping to see them soon. In the USA, it looks like another company has them already.

There’s always the glass thermos flask options, but they usually have super thin linings and are prone to easy breakage.

We stumbled upon the Therm-O Terra insulated glass water bottle (right). They’re pretty funky looking, with their double glass construction, and there’s a removable tea strainer in it, but for $38 (in Australia), we think they’re a bit on the pricey side. Why? They’re only 250ml in size.

I don’t really class this as much of a sensible water bottle, but if you’re looking for something to make and carry tea around in and you’re sensitive to the taste of nickel found in stainless steel, you may have just found yourself a perfect insulated tea bottle.

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What is a thermos?

by on 21. May, 2011 in Comparison Guide, Fast Facts

Thermos is one of those brand names that has made such an impact on society that they’re also a used as a generic term in the English language, and sometimes this can be confusing.  When people reach for a thermos, they usually mean an insulated flask for coffee or tea, where in fact, Thermos make a wide variety of products that are NOT insulated. These include food jars, tritan plastic water bottle & metal beverage bottles, travel mugs, coolers,  carafes & pump pots plus loads more products for outdoor use. View the listing on Vacuum Flask on Wikipedia for a more detailed description.

When searching for a Thermos brand water bottle in a shop or online, don’t automatically assume you can put coffee in it. Thermos water bottles / flasks come in the following varieties and we have indicated whether they’re suitable for storing hot liquid.

  • Tritan plastic water bottles (COLD DRINK ONLY – no insulation)
  • Single wall stainless steel water bottles (COLD DRINK ONLY – no insulation)
  • Vacuum insulated water bottles (COLD DRINK ONLY – with insulation)
  • Vacuum insulated flasks (COLD OR HOT DRINK – with insulation)

Here’s some examples of other brands that have gone ‘generic’.

  • Band-Aid – owned by Johnson & Johnson, it’s the generic term used for an adhesive bandage
  • Frisbee – is the generic term used for a plastic flying disc, so much so that the sport ‘Ultimate Frisbee’ does NOT use the Frisbee brnad for their official equipment yet this is accepted.
  • Aspirin – is actually a brand name belonging to Bayer Health Care
  • Esky – is the generic term used for a portable cooler in Australia, owned by the Nylex company
  • Walkman – was the generic term for a portable tape player in the 80′s, a brand name owned by Sony, still used today to brand MP3 players and phones.
  • Rollerblade – is the generic term for inline stakes
  • Google – to google something is now the generic phrase for using a search engine.
  • iPod – has fast become the generic term used for a portable MP3 player and is owned by Apple
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Insulated squeezable sports drink bottles

by on 20. Dec, 2010 in Comparison Guide, Product Reviews

We have compared & road tested two bottles today, the Polar bottle and the Camelbak Podium Chill

SIZE – The Polar is the smaller of the two in volume, holding 20oz, where the Camelbak holds 21oz. The Polar is skinner & taller. Both fit neatly in to most bike water bottle holders.

INSULATION – The Camelbak bottle is advertised to keep drinks cold for twice as long. We found the Polar insulated for a little bit longer, but nothing to brag about. For those who want longer insulation in a plastic squeezable, watch this space, someone’s coming out with a better insulated bottle.

SQUEEZABILITY – Is that even a word??? Last years model of the Polar bottle was quite difficult to squeeze with one hand, this years model is easier, but the Camelbak feels better in the hand. It’s insulation is thinner and a little more high tech.

PRICE – The Camelbak Podium Chill is listed at Shop Naturally for $28.95, The Bicycle Store for $29.95,  and is also available in Rebel Sports, most bike stores and high end sporting goods stores nationally. The Polar is a little harder to find. For $23.50, the Polar bottles can be purchased online directly from the Australian Distributor or visit their website for a list of Polar stockists.

SPORTS CAP - The Polar has the same type of sports lid that’s found on any drink bottle. Pop up, push down. It’s very sturdy and good quality. Camelbak however have their magical non-spill valve which means you don’t have to open or close it to stop it leaking while you’re riding. A real bonus for the Camelbak bottle.

Our Verdict?

The Camelbak is sleaker, a little easier to use and the drink valve is working spending the extra few bucks if you’re a cyclist, otherwise, the Polar is perfectly fine.

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Klean Kanteen price comparison

by on 03. Dec, 2010 in Comparison Guide

Klean Kanteen is the first stainless steel drink bottle sold commercially. An American based company, the bottles are manufactured in China and shipped worldwide. Klean Kanteen bottles are food grade stainless steel and in Australia, are available in the following combinations:-

  • 12oz/355ml classic (in brushed stainless steel & colours)
  • 18oz/532ml classic (in brushed stainless steel & colours)
  • 27oz/800ml classic (in brushed stainless steel & colours)
  • 40oz/1182ml classic (in brushed stainless steel & colours)
  • 12oz/355ml wide mouth (in brushed stainless steel only)
  • 18oz/532ml wide mouth (in brushed stainless steel only)
  • 27oz/800ml wide mouth (in brushed stainless steel only)
  • 40oz/1182ml wide mouth (in brushed stainless steel only)
  • 12oz wide mouth insulated
  • 16oz wide mouth insulated
  • 20oz wide mouth insulated
  • 27oz wine karafe

Up until several months ago, all Australian retailers were importing the bottles directly from the USA, and the cost of these bottles was fairly high in comparison to other similar bottles such as ECOtanka, a New Zealand based company with Australian distribution through Naturally Sustainable.

The second half of 2010 has seen Zen Imports bring the bottles directly in to Australia, and the price has dropped on these bottles. Despite this, there’s still significant difference in pricing between Australian retailers. Here’s a short summary of the differences to help you find the best deal. All prices are taken from 3rd December 2010 and do not include any discounts. These are the advertised RRP’s at the time the article was written.

We are comparing prices between the retailer listed on the Klean Kanteen website, Chalet, against reputable online retailers Shop Naturally & Biome, both who appear to have an excellent selection of the range and excellent customer service reputations online. Beware online retailers with dodgy looking websites or buying on eBay. When buying online, choose someone reputable.

12oz Klean Kanteen classic coloured bottles

  • Shop Naturally $23.95
  • Biome $24.50
  • Chalet $24.95

18oz Klean Kanteen classic coloured bottles

  • Shop Naturally $25.95
  • Biome $26.50
  • Chalet $26.95

27oz Klean Kanteen classic coloured bottles

  • Shop Naturally $28.95
  • Biome $29.95
  • Chalet $29.95

40oz Klean Kanteen classic coloured bottles

  • Shop Naturally $39.95
  • Biome $39.95
  • Chalet $42.95

Klean Kanteen Wide Mouth Insulated bottles 12oz

  • Biome $37.50
  • Shop Naturally $37.95
  • Chalet $42.95

Klean Kanteen Wide Mouth Insulated bottles 16oz

  • Shop Naturally $39.95
  • Biome $39.95
  • Chalet $45.95

Klean Kanteen Wide Mouth Insulated bottles 20oz

  • Shop Naturally $41.95
  • Biome $42.95
  • Chalet $49.95

Klean Kanteen Wide Mouth Insulated Cafe Cap

  • Shop Naturally $8.95
  • Biome $10.50
  • Chalet $12.95

As you can clearly see above, Shop Naturally have the best prices on all the Klean Kanteen bottles except one. When the Cafe Cap is taken in to consideration, they win on all pricing. The price difference between Chalet and the other two online retailers for the Insulated Bottles is staggering. Shop Naturally & Biome offer different caps on their bottles, Chalet do not. Shop Naturally appear to have the largest range of colours & sizes available.

The three e-tailers we checked can be found at www.shopnaturally.com.au, www.biome.com.au, www.chalet.net.au

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Is cheaper always better?

by on 15. Nov, 2010 in Comparison Guide

Price shopping
There are many people selling water bottles in Australia, in retail outlets, department stores, online shops and even eBay.  As with any purchase, be very careful about choosing someone reputable. Is saving $2 on a drink bottle you buy from a total stranger on eBay worth the hassle if you have a warranty claim and they have vanished? Choose reputable retailers that have a good variety of stock over flimsy ‘fly by nighters’. Also choose suppliers who can vouch for the safety & quality of their stock. Check for BPA Free status, the availability of spare parts (replacement lids etc) and warranty.

Cheap stainless steel vs expensive stainless steel
Stainless steel has nickel in it. Cheap stainless steel has higher levels of it. Some people are sensitive to the taste of nickel and find that ‘no-name’ water bottles leave a metallic taste in the water. When this happens, you may as well throw the bottle away. Choose Klean Kanteen, ECOtanka, Earthlust, Cheeki, Thermos, Camelbak and other well known brands.

Cheap plastic vs expensive plastic
Most squeezy sports bottles you buy are made from 1 or 4 plastic, both of which leach plastic taste in to the water. There’s no BPA in it, but you can taste plastic. It’s unpleasant. To a lesser extent, #5 polypropylene bottles leach a small amount of taste, but very little. Your best option is to choose Tritan plastic. It’s the safest plastic on the market and does not leach plastic taste in to your drinking water. Choose Camelbak Better Bottles, Nathan tritan plastic bottles and Lock & Lock over cheap squeezy bottles from the local sports store.

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Glass drink bottles

by on 15. Nov, 2010 in Comparison Guide

With so much focus on bottled water being bad for the environment, most people only think of two different alternatives, plastic drink bottles and stainless steel drink bottles (or aluminium drink bottles like SIGG). There is, however, a third option. Glass.

While the obvious PRO’s for drinking out of a glass water bottle is the safety factor from a health perspective, there are many reasons why it’s simply painful to use a glass bottle to drink from.

  1. They are much heavier than their counterparts. If you’re carrying a water bottle around all day, when it’s full of water, they’ll get really heavy.
  2. Glass is breakable. Most glass bottles you buy are quite thick, but drop one, especially on concrete and they will break.

So, if you’ve decided to use a glass water bottle, what are your options?

Reuse a bottle you purchased with drink in it. Quite a few brands of water & soft drink come in glass bottles, a couple of Italian spring waters found on the shelves of Coles or Woolworths come to mind. If you are concerned about BPA in the lid lining, check with the manufacturer before using.

Purchase a budget bottle from a homewares store. There are many glass bottles available in homewares stores designed for drinking out of, storing home made salad dressing & more.

The bottle to your right is a Maxwell Williams bottle and retails for $4.95. Available in a variety of colours and available from most homewares chains throughout Australia such as Robin’s Kitchen, House and others.

If you are at all concerned about safety or BPA, it’s a good idea to find out from the manufacturer what they make the rubber seal from, as the seal will come in to contact with your water.

There are many variations of these types of bottles on the market, a few beer manufacturers like Grolsch use them too, although I’m not quite sure how easy it will be getting the beer smell out of the seal! Brewing supply companies would also be an excellent choice for a budget glass water bottle.

Lifefactory Beverage Bottle

Purchase a quality glass water bottle. New to Australia in 2010, the Lifefactory glass beverage bottle (above) is a 650ml drink bottle with a wide mouth opening, food safe silicone seal and protective cover and a BPA Free screw lid.

The 5.2cm wide mouth opening is big enough to stick ice cubes down or even a spoon to carry around a fruit salad. The bottle has a diameter of 7cm, fitting in most car cup holders, and the whole thing can be put in the dishwasher. Buy your Lifefactory glass water bottle online from Shop Naturally or Until. CLICK HERE for a full list of Australian Stockists.

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