Here, we outline the pros and cons of each bottle material type available to buy. This will help you choose the best water bottle based on your specific preferences.
Plastic water bottles are widespread, especially among sports professionals who need lightweight, portable bottles. However, they come with some serious negative health and environmental impacts. You should probably keep them as your last option.
Pros: Versatile, lightweight, affordable
Plastic is obviously a wildly versatile material. That’s why plastic water bottles come in limitless shapes, colors, and textures. You can get a rigid plastic bottle with a screw-top lid that doesn’t weigh much, or you can get a flexible bottle that you can use to squirt water into your mouth.
Plastic bottle designers have also come up with handy collapsible bottles that you can stuff into your backpacking gear without adding too much weight.
Generally, plastic bottles are also inexpensive
Cons:Health safety concerns, bad for the environment, ages quickly, can be smelly
You may recall how in the late 2000s, Nalgene became enmeshed in a controversy over the safety concerns about its see-through hard-plastic bottles.
This is because hard plastic bottles labeled with the number “7” leach the chemical Bisphenol A (BPA) into the beverages they contain. The chemical is found in materials as diverse as receipts, CD cases, and the liners of tin cans.
BPA exposure has become so pervasive that in a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) which sampled 2,517 people in the U.S., 93 percent of people above the age of six had BPA in their bodies.
BPA is an industrial chemical used to create resins that resist corrosion. The likelihood of leaching also increases when a plastic bottle made with BPA heats up in the sun or contains hot beverages.
The properties of BPA mimic estrogen hormone cells, so it confuses the body and interferes with cell functioning and reproductive processes. That’s why it’s been classified as an endocrine disruptor.
All kinds of health impacts are linked to BPA from obesity to infertility. Medical News Today lists the following health risks based on its compilation of peer-reviewed studies:
Many countries have restricted the use of plastics containing BPA to some extent. In the U.S. the FDA has banned the use of BPA in baby care products such as formula packaging, sippy cups, and infant bottles. France has banned the use of BPA in all food containers, packages, and utensils. The EU also restricts the level of BPA in food packaging.
Here are some tips for avoiding BPA. Anyone concerned with the potential health risks linked to BPA should search for BPA-free products and avoid the use of canned foods and plastic labeled with numbers 3 and 7.
Even though reusable plastic bottles are designed for longer use than single-use plastic bottles, they tend to wear out quickly compared to other materials. Therefore, it’s likely that they, too, will go into landfills at the end of their life. The only way to truly eliminate the harmful effects of plastic is to avoid it as much as possible.
Plastic doesn’t retain its youthful luster as much as other materials. It can easily crack or get scratched or warped over time through general wear and tear. In fact, the more wear and tear you see on your plastic bottle, the more likely it is that they are leaching chemicals or shedding microplastics into your drinks.
Because of the increased chances of health risks when heat is applied to plastic, you should only hand wash your plastic container.
Plastic bottles may acquire a strange scent over time because food scents attach to their chemical bonds.
If you do decide that no other water bottle material is suitable for taking care of your needs, try to follow these best practices with plastic bottles to avoid heat.
Pros: See through, dishwasher safe, no health risks, zero effect on taste
You can easily track how much water you’ve drunk with a glass bottle. That way, you’ll know when it’s time to fill up. Glass bottles are the only bottles with this option apart from plastic bottles that come with health risks.
Glass bottles are generally safe to put in the dishwasher as you would with any thicker glass bowl or jar around the house.
Glass bottles have no known health risks.
When you drink from a glass water bottle, you’ll appreciate the virtually non-existent smell or impact on the taste of your water or drink.
Cons:No insulation, breaks easily, heavy
Glass bottles do not provide insulation. Unless you fill your bottle with some ice cubes, your beverage will not remain cold. However, the exterior of your bottle may become too cold to the touch if you fill it with ice. For that reason, as well as to support its fragility, many glass water bottles come in a plastic casing intended to solve some of these design flaws.
Glass can shatter easily when you drop it. For that reason, glass water bottle companies have developed plastic casings and thicker-walled glass to reduce the chances of breaking. But thicker walls and more materials mean more weight and glass is already heavy. Remember that accidents do happen and if you drop a glass bottle, there is no guarantee it won’t break.
Among the different water bottle types, glass water bottles are the heaviest. That’s why they’re fine for activities that don’t require you to carry them, but for people who want a bottle they can easily tote all day, we recommend a lighter model. Glass bottles work fine at indoor offices or the gym, but for people who travel or have lots of other things to carry (like moms), skip the glass models and go for stainless steel.
Pros: Lightweight, durable, no health risks, dishwasher safe, affordable
Second to plastic, these are the lightest bottle option. They’re great for backpacking, since you’ll want to keep your pack’s weight down. through
Unlike plastic and glass, stainless steel bottles won’t break when you drop them. They can definitely get dents, but they won’t lose their main function of holding liquid.
Stainless steel bottles have no known health risks.
Like other simple hardware around the house, stainless steel vessels don’t require much fuss and you can toss them in the dishwasher next to your ceramic dishes and flatware.
Considering their long lifespan, stainless steel bottles are of great value. You might use one over the course of ten years, while other people are buying bottled water, which gets more and more expensive each day.
Cons: Transfers heat, no insulation, dents easily
Since metal transfers heat easily, single-walled stainless steel bottles are not a good option if you want to use your bottle for hot beverages. You might burn your hands unless you wrap them in fabric.
Cold drinks will also lose their temperature quickly in a stainless steel water bottle, since the bottle will quickly adapt to the outside temperature.
Even though they don’t break easily, single-walled stainless steel bottles are known for getting dents easily. Even a small impact can lead to dents, which can turn a great-looking bottle into a dud with one minor accident.
Pros: Keeps hot drinks hot and cold drinks cold, durable, portable, no health risks, stylish, can be affordable
Most insulated water bottles feature double-wall thermos-like engineering that improves their ability to maintain the temperature of their contents.
For instance, Healthy Human Steins can keep a drink hot for 12 hours, or cold for 24 hours, thanks to their Tempmax Vacuum Insulation.
The vacuum insulation prevents any temperature transfer to the outer wall.
Insulated water bottles are extremely durable, because their double-wall construction gives them an added layer of protection against dents. And since they’re stainless steel, the risk of breaking is a non-issue.
Because insulated water bottles prevent heat transfer, you won’t see any condensation form on the outside of your bottle. If you place your bottle in a tote bag, it won’t leave any traces of moisture.
The sweat-free design of insulated water bottles also ensures that your hands will not get burnt or chilled when you hold your bottle. This means you don’t have to bring a towel to wrap around your bottle just to protect your hands.
Finally, insulated water bottles are not as heavy as glass water bottles, so they can be carried throughout the day with ease.
Again, stainless steel bottles have no known health risks.
Pro tip: How do you know that Healthy Human bottles are safe? First of all, we use 18/8 food-grade stainless steel in our products, commonly used within the food and drink industry. The number 18/8 stands for the percentages of chromium and nickel in the steel. The 18 percent chromium and 8 percent nickel reinforce the strength and durability of the stainless steel. The result is a product that eliminates rust, corrosion, stains and metal odors and tastes impacting your drinks.
Insulated stainless steel bottles come in a wide array of colors, so you can mix and match them with your outfits. Some have a matte, opaque finish while others come in a shiny shellac-like finish. Check out the bright solids, stylish fades, marble and wood grain designs offered by Healthy Human.
Depending on the brand, insulated water bottles have a great price point, considering their durability. For instance, Healthy Human Steins start at $22.99 for a 16 oz bottle.
Heavier than plastic, hand wash only if vacuum insulated
While stainless steel insulated water bottles are not as heavy glass, they are also not as light as plastic. If you need something ultra-lightweight, you might consider other options.
To protect the integrity of the vacuum insulation design of these water bottles, you’ll need to hand wash them and let them air dry with the lid off.
A soft-bristle bottle brush makes hand washing easy. However, if your bottle has sharp interior corners, it may be hard to clean the bottle even with the bottle brush. All Healthy Human water bottles were designed with few interior corners for maximum cleaning ease.
Pro tip: Here are the Use Care Guides for Healthy Human vacuum insulated products, and if you’re looking for cleaning tips for stainless steel, check out our blog post titled: How to Thoroughly Clean your Stainless Steel Bottle.
Pros: Lightweight, affordable
Aluminum is very lightweight, so it’s a great alternative to plastic bottles, when you need to shave off every ounce of weight.
Again, as a cheap material to produce, aluminum bottles will not break your budget.
Cons: Interior lining may pose health risks, flavors cling to lining, less durable than stainless steel
Aluminum bottles require a lining, so the metal does not contact any food or beverages. This is because aluminum can emit toxic chemicals, which renders food and drinks unsafe to eat or drink. Most of the linings used in aluminum bottles are made with plastics and resins that contain the chemical BPA. This chemical has various negative health risks, especially for children, as mentioned earlier in the section on plastic water bottles.
The other downside to the interior lining that aluminum bottles contain is that traces of the flavors of your drinks will cling to the interior of your bottle. If you fill your bottle with iced tea, for instance, the next smoothie you make might end up tasting bitter. Of course, no one likes to taste the residue of previous beverages in their bottle. If you choose an aluminum bottle, you may want to reserve it strictly for use with water.
Because aluminum is a lightweight metal, it dents more easily than stainless steel. However, an aluminum water bottle will not likely break if you drop it.
If you want a trusty stainless steel water bottle that is school- or office-friendly, then you'll like the S'well bottle. The S'well Blue Granite Bottle is BPA- and BPS-free and made with food-grade stainless steel. It uses S'well's "Therma swell technology," meaning it's triple-layer vacuum insulated to keep your water cold for up to 48 hours or hot for as long as 24 hours. This varies on the size of the bottle -- the bigger the bottle, the longer your beverage will maintain its temperature. There are plenty of bottle designs to choose from and sizes including 9, 17 and 25 ounces.
I liked that this water bottle is designed to be appropriate for just about any setting and it doesn't sweat. If you opt for the 25-ounce bottle, it's on the heavier side so if weight is a concern, choose one of the smaller options. Another downside to this bottle is that it is not dishwasher safe, so you will have to wash it by hand. This isn't the biggest deal if you mainly intend to use it for water rather than flavored or hot beverages. It also doesn't have a handle like many others on the list, so I wouldn't recommend it if you're going on a hike or walk.
If you're a student, an office worker, you attend yoga class regularly or have another reason to want a bottle that you can keep by your side, then the S'well bottle is a safe choice. You'll also be satisfied with how refreshing your water tastes throughout the day. When I tested it to see how cold the water remained over a 24-hour period, it fell short, but realistically, most people aren't looking to drink water left overnight. They will most likely refill their bottles on a daily basis. This bottle would make the ideal gift as well since it's available in many designs and shades.
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