About half a year ago, the water bottles at our house died. We’d had them for years, and the lids were leaky, the plastic on one cracked, and so on. It was time for new water bottles. I thought I wanted a SIGG, but then couldn’t decide because the SIGG bottles have a lining I’m not crazy about, but Klean Kanteen products are made in China. If you start researching water bottles be prepared – there’s a lot of info to take in.

Kean Kanteen and SIGG are the two most popular choices; with literally online wars between the SIGG and Klean Kanteen camps. Seriously; it’s like people are discussing which college to choose. Beyond these two popular brands there are a whole slew of other water bottles to choose from too, so it’s a process.

I finally decided on Klean Kanteen because it didn’t have the lining and also I heard more talk of mold developing inside SIGG bottles.

Our bottles:

I got the 27 ounce stainless steel bottle with the loop top. My son Cedar got the 18 ounce bottle with a flat top. We both got basic stainless steel color; but had it been up to us we would have gotten colored bottles – they were out. The color choices are very cool though – take a look:

Pros of the Klean Kanteen:

Stainless steel and completely BPA-free – so no toxic chemical and nothing to leach.

Wide mouth so easy to clean and you can pop ice cubes right in.

Keeps drinks icy cold. No joke. Cedar and I go on pretty long walks and our drinks stay cold the entire time. If I put ice cold water in mine before bed the water is not warm even after sitting out all night. My son loves how cold his drinks stay; he always mentions it. I haven’t used mine for hot drinks though.

No weird taste. Our drinks taste just the same after hours in the kanteen.

Good size choices. I like the 27 oz because I know that I need to drink a few a day and I’m good. Also, it’s the perfect size for say an hour workout. I fill it, workout, and the water runs out in just about one hour. My son’s bottle is perfect for his smaller hands, and he drinks about five a day.

Nice design – not too loud. I don’t love logos on anything, but the logo on the kanteen is not so obnoxious. Super slim too. My kanteen fits right in my bike drink holder and when on a walk, it’s slim, so easy to hang on to. It’s also lightweight – (8oz)

Dishwasher safe.

No weird smells like some water bottles.

100% recyclable.

Decent price – I paid about $30 for both bottles.

Cons:

You can’t walk and drink. This is my number one complaint. The mouth is a little too wide, and a bit tilted, and the water comes out soooo fast. It’s a toss up issue though. If the mouth was smaller, it would be harder to clean, and you couldn’t fit ice cubes into it. As is though, I’m having issues. I like to jog, skate, bike, or walk and not stop to drink. Thus far, if I don’t stop I spill water all over. I should have ordered the Sport Drinking Spout when I ordered my kanteen. The problem here is that the cap is plastic, so why have a cup that won’t be toxic if the lid is? I don’t know what I want, but I guess it’s a non-toxic lid that’s like a spout.

When I hand wash, the bottle gets so hot; you could really burn your hand.

If you put icy liquid in it, then leave it out, the water of course starts to evaporate all over the outside of the bottle and gets everywhere – like on a table. This doesn’t bug me too much, but if you have fancy furniture and kids, it might be an issue for you.

The bottle is too slender for some bike drink holders.

Some people around the web note that their bottles are all dinged up and look scratchy. This sort of thing does not bother me. It’s a water bottle, not a flipping painting to look at. My bottle looks fine by the way, no dings yet.

Overall:

I think I made the right decision. I really like the Klean Kanteen. My son loves his bottle as well. We give the Klean Kanteen:

Five out of five happy trees. Mainly because it’s so earth friendly and keeps drinks icy cold and tasting fresh. Visit Klean Kanteen to learn more. Look for Peggy’s review of her SIGG bottle soon; then you can decide which bottle is right for you.

Click here to learn about all the current contests, themes, and green challenges going on at Tree Hugging Family in July 2008

[Images via Klean Kanteen]

Post from: Tree Hugging Family