Backstory: I’ve taken to drinking water mixed with those little crystal light travel packages at work.  Rather than buy a huge flat of horribly expensive bottled tap water, I bought a couple of 20oz sports drinks and re-used the bottles for those.  Naturally, my bottles disappeared several weeks later.  Victims of an overzealous cleaning person.  I dutifully bought more the next day and they too disappeared.  After a third time around, I finally decided that it was time to find a more permanent solution.

Enter the Sigg Water Bottle.  I decided on a Sigg after some research.  I discovered during said research that most, if not all, plastic bottles eventually degrade and leech chemicals into whatever they contain.  Not a good thing.  The Sigg water bottles were recommended as a solution to that problem.

Constructed from a single piece of extruded aluminum and then painted on the outside with a large number of wonderful designs and a water based sealant/lining that is guaranteed to never leech, these things are pretty darn good water bottles.

My concern in buying one was that I wouldn’t like the bottle.  It has a little bit smaller mouth than I normally prefer and my experience with drinking out of metal containers (canteens mostly) has always left a tinny taste in my mouth.  And it’s not like these are a small $1.95 Powerade bottle, so being happy with it was important.

At first, I went directly to the Sigg site to buy a bottle, but they seem to have been having some supply issues and shut down their online shop.  Bad for business, but I’m a rather resourceful Internet shopper so I eventually found one with a design that I really liked (Limited Edition Japan Cloud Dragon) on eBay and bought it.   I spent just under $32 with shipping.

My bottle showed up extremely quickly and after a quick clean and fill I gave it a test run.  And I really do like it.  The mouth is actually quite good to drink from and the coating on both the outside and inside means that you aren’t left with aluminum tasting water.  Being metal, the bottle is able to get quite cold in the fridge which is also very nice.

Cons of the bottle: I’ve been told that they dent easily.  I haven’t gotten any dents yet, but I use it in an office setting, so it’s not getting jostled much.  I’m also not fond of the default stopper.  They sell a sports bottle-like stopper that can be opened without removal which would be much nicer.   Currently, the stopper must be completely unscrewed or left off each time you want a drink.

Overall, I think the purchase was a good one.  I foresee this bottle lasting much longer than the plastic ones and it’s unlikely to get thrown out like them either.  So far, it has proven durable and very usable. Aside from the stopper issue, I really don’t have any complaints and would recommend one to anyone looking for a good water bottle that is both health and eco conscience.