Save Money and Prevent Waste with Insulated Water Bottles

I have a collection of stainless steel water bottles that I use constantly. Awhile back I invested in a Thermos 18oz insulated water bottle and was amazed at how I still had ice cubes in there at the end of a full work day. So, I've been on the prowl for some larger-capacity insulated water bottles to start replacing some of my old ones.

For Christmas I bought each of my three nieces one of the 17oz Ecovessel insulated water bottles, so I thought I'd try out the 25oz for myself. Based in Boulder, Colorado, Ecovessel uses 100% recyclable materials and everything is BPA-free.

The product says to hand-wash, but I tested it in the dishwasher as well. It survived just fine, but I imagine after awhile the green coloring might come off. Also, be sure that the top-part stays in the top rack since it has some plastic.

One of the things I really like about this bottle are the two openings--one large one for putting in ice and cleaning and a smaller one on top for easy drinking. They offer a bunch of fun colors too--I chose the green shown here.

In the larger opening there is a stainless steel mesh strainer basket. This is intended to help block ice cubes from going through to the smaller drinking area. Interesting idea, but the first thing i did was try to remove it and its handle broke. After playing with it for awhile I figured out a way to remove it without the handle and took it out for good. This was really my only disappointment with this product. 

Otherwise, I put maybe 4-5 small ice cubes in there, fill with cold filtered water, and the bottle keeps it cold for over 8 hours. No complaints there! And, really, I didn't need that strainer in there that broke, so I would still recommend this product. You can purchase the Ecovessel insulated water bottle at Amazon for $21.95--a great investment.

There is a similar product now offered by Thermos in a 26oz size, so I decided to try that one as well. The top works very much like the Ecovessel top, but I think the Thermos version is much more rugged and has less potential to break. Again, there are two openings--one larger to load and wash through and one smaller opening for drinking. There was no strainer device in this model, which was just fine with me.

The Thermos insulated water bottle is also BPA-free and dishwasher safe (with the mouthpiece on the top rack). The description at Amazon says hand wash, but the materials that came with the bottle said dishwasher safe.

Again, this water bottle works fantastic, keeping water ice-cold all day. In fact, Thermos claims it can keep beverages cold for up to 18 hours! This model can also be purchased on Amazon, with the costs ranging from $15.99 to $21.99 depending on the color you choose.

Overall, I think the Thermos brand bottle is constructed better, but both bottles work great if you're looking to take a cold beverage with you on-the-go!

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