Making the switch to a reusable water bottle can help you cut down on single-use plastics and keep closer tabs on your daily water intake. And while you’d think water bottles would be a pretty straightforward subject, there are a surprising number of very average vessels out there.
Our experts have assessed the performance and ease of use of a range of reusable bottles from big brands like Kmart, Kathmandu, KeepCup and more to help you find the best bottle for your needs.
How we choose what we test
We select reusable water bottles from popular brands that are either available in prominent online and traditional retailers, or ones that have strong brand recognition that you’re likely to seek out. The bottles in our most recent test range from $7 up to $85, so you can determine whether more expensive bottles are worth the higher price tag (or if a budget bottle will get the job done).
How we test reusable water bottles
Performance
We measure how long it takes for chilled water to warm up in each bottle. First, we drill a hole in the lid that’s 0.1mm larger than the thermocouple we use to measure temperature. Then we fill each bottle with chilled water (approximately 3ºC) from a 20L container, attach the lid and insert the thermocouple with the tip as close as possible to the centre of the bottle.
The thermocouples are attached to a logger that records the temperature every 60 seconds. The surrounding ambient air temperature is maintained at approximately 24ºC, and we then wait for the water to reach a temperature of 11.5ºC. The data reveals which bottles are the slowest to warm up, and bottles that stay cool for longer earn a higher score.
When I first walked through the doors at CHOICE, my job was to write about tech for CHOICE Computer magazine. Since then, I've covered everything from home entertainment to personal safety devices, tech for your car and even mattresses. If you want to find the best combination of a bed, 4K TV, soundbar, GPS unit and food delivery app, I'm your guy.
The one thing I've noticed across all the product tests I've organised it's that nothing is simple.
Mattresses can be just as complicated as computers, and manufacturers as well as salespeople don't make things easy. They either use complex jargon that you just want to ignore, or they
oversimplify things to the point where you don't know what you're paying for.
My goal isn't just to help you find the best TV, mattress or soundbar, I also want to cut
through the nonsense and help you fully understand the products you're considering. That way, you
can make an educated, informed decision when it's time to buy without falling prey to a sly
salesperson.
Plus, when you understand the product, you know how to set it up in a way that best suits your
home and can look after it. Nothing is plug and play anymore, and if a complicated smartphone or
Bluetooth speaker feels less intimidating after you've read my content, then I know I've done my
job.
Outside of work I'm very into gaming, I love
watching retro classics at the cinema, I enjoy getting up early to spend hours smoking a tasty cut of
meat and I'm deeply into home hi-fi. Any music genre from laidback jazz to the loudest, screamiest,
most brutal heavy metal ticks all my boxes. I also had a stint as a live music photographer for a number of years.
You can find me on LinkedIn.
When I first walked through the doors at CHOICE, my job was to write about tech for CHOICE Computer magazine. Since then, I've covered everything from home entertainment to personal safety devices, tech for your car and even mattresses. If you want to find the best combination of a bed, 4K TV, soundbar, GPS unit and food delivery app, I'm your guy.
The one thing I've noticed across all the product tests I've organised it's that nothing is simple.
Mattresses can be just as complicated as computers, and manufacturers as well as salespeople don't make things easy. They either use complex jargon that you just want to ignore, or they
oversimplify things to the point where you don't know what you're paying for.
My goal isn't just to help you find the best TV, mattress or soundbar, I also want to cut
through the nonsense and help you fully understand the products you're considering. That way, you
can make an educated, informed decision when it's time to buy without falling prey to a sly
salesperson.
Plus, when you understand the product, you know how to set it up in a way that best suits your
home and can look after it. Nothing is plug and play anymore, and if a complicated smartphone or
Bluetooth speaker feels less intimidating after you've read my content, then I know I've done my
job.
Outside of work I'm very into gaming, I love
watching retro classics at the cinema, I enjoy getting up early to spend hours smoking a tasty cut of
meat and I'm deeply into home hi-fi. Any music genre from laidback jazz to the loudest, screamiest,
most brutal heavy metal ticks all my boxes. I also had a stint as a live music photographer for a number of years.
You can find me on LinkedIn.
