water bottle

Does your Klean Kanteen Sport Top Squeak?

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Sport Cap 3.0

Sport Cap 2.0

So, I posted a review of the Klean Kanteen Reflect water bottle and I'm still using it every day. A few days after I bought the bottle, I picked up a Sport Cap 2.0 as there are times when it's a lot handier to drink without unscrewing the lid.

It was convenient, but it was noisy. It makes a squeaky sound as air comes in through the valve. If you do a little asking around or snooping on the web, you'll see that this is a common thing. Your coworkers all look at you like you're crazy.

The good news is that they now have Sport Cap 3.0 available and it solves the noisiness and lets water come out even faster.

Also, it now has a silicone spout which feels better and wears better.

...and just like the old Sport cap, its only $4.95.

New Valve

Klean Kanteen Reflect Water Bottle Review

I've always been a water drinker. I know that the idea of choosing water as your primary beverage of choice is kind of foreign to a lot of people, but I grew up with a dad who drank a lot of water. As such, there aren't many different water bottles I haven't tried. In fact, there's a rather large section in one of our kitchen cabinets full of all manner of water-holding devices. I thought about writing this post after looking through them as a matter-of-fact.

I've used Nalgene bottles in all shapes and sizes complete with the requisite carabiner to attach it to my belt. I've spent months with logo-ed bike water bottles. -Specialized makes the best BTW. I have a cool stainless bottle made by Guyot Designs. It uses the same threads as the classic Nalgene bottle and has a leak-proof trigger activated top. Cool. I even have a Sigg bottle that my daughter likes to steal because it has a repeating pattern of Gorillas painted all the way around. Monkey Bottle.

When I got serious about losing weight a few months ago, I realized that drinking a lot of water was going to be a really important. I had been using an assortment of water bottles for awhile and I decided to pick one nice, new clean one for my desk at work. We've got a refrigerated water cooler in the break room so I can just walk down and fill it up a few times a day.

Klean Kanteen

When I started thinking about what to choose, I decided pretty quick as there is one brand and style that stands out. I went with the Klean Kanteen Reflect.

I had an older Klean Kanteen that was pretty beat up, and though it is painted green, it has lost a fair amount of paint over the past couple years. My thought was that I'd keep using the old one at home and leave the new one at work. The Reflect is unique because it has no paint and it comes with a plastic-less lid. The logos are laser etched onto the sides of the bottle and the side of the screw-on lid. I picked mine up at the Patagonia store in the Pearl District in downtown Portland so it also has an etching of the Patagonia logo. In addition, though the standard version has a flat decorative bamboo plate on the top of the lid, mine has an engraved 1% For the Planet logo.

The Bamboo, and lack of plastic is marketed as an environment friendly feature.

I also use their sports top sometimes, but they can leak. I sometimes put my bottle in my bag alongside my iPad, Bluetooth Keyboard and my camera so the water tight lid is a better choice most of the time.

I chose this model because it has no paint to scratch off, the polished stainless is classic and visually neutral, the stainless body keeps water tasting fresh and the lid is 100% leakproof.

Taste

Plastic bottles can leave a funky plasticky taste in your water if left for more than a couple hours. This bottle isn't plastic, so you're covered there, but the lack of plastic in the lid also helps. Though there are environmental reasons for eschewing plastic on the lid, there's a more practical adavantage. It is easier to keep clean because it doesn't pick up minerals or any funky odors. There is one silicon ring to make sure it seals, but other than that , it's just stainless.

Visual

Unlike some other steel or aluminum bottles, this one has no paint. Even the logos are laser etched onto the outside. That means it will look nicer for longer as there is nothing to scratch off. This bottle is available in two different finishes. One is called Reflect, and has, as you might have guessed, a polished, mirror-like finish. It looks great with one exception. If you plan on using a bicycle water bottle cage, it will scratch up that shiny surface pretty quick. They also make this bottle with a bead blasted finish. I don't have any experience with that bottle, but I'd guess that it may not show scratches like the other.

Durability

The bottle is made of Stainless, which will hold up really well compared to the aluminum bottles by companies like Sigg. I have had a couple of those and they can get dinged up pretty easily even from everyday use. In addition, Stainless is totally safe for contact with your skin and mouth. Aluminum bottles require a coating on the inside to make them safe for food and drink.

Wrapping this up, let me just say that this one is durable, looks classy, and has just a bit of environmental consciousness thrown in for good measure. If these things are important to you, I recommend you check it out.