Metal water bottles: EnviroProducts Vs. Sigg

My preferred method of exercise is hiking, and I do a lot of walking (having high-energy dogs in the house will do that to you). As a result, I’m constantly carrying water with me. I despise plastic water bottles, so I use non-leaching metal water bottles for toting around my H2O. Though I haven’t used every version on the market, I do have experience in two particular brands: EnviroProducts and Sigg. The following reviews of each contain my experience with each bottle, as well as a letter grade.

I bought my EnviroProducts water bottle at a local community market last year. It was relatively lightweight (I can’t seem to find the weight anywhere), and it wasn’t flashy.I think I paid something like twenty bucks for it, which seemed pricey, but I was in need of a replacement for my old, gross, plastic Nalgene bottle (which has since been recycled, thank you). I really wanter to like this bottle, since the stainless steel bottle doesn’t have a coating on the interior; but, sadly, it has a couple of issues. When unscrewing the cap, the ridges cause the bottle to make an awful squeaking noise that sounds like fingernails on a chalkboard. I hate it. Another problem is that, one year after its purchase, the bottle has started to make my water taste like rust. Adding lemon juice or herbal tea to the water doesn’t make a difference. As a result of these two issues, I only use the EnviroProducts bottle when I really, absolutely need to. GRADE: C-

I got my SIGG water bottle from Ted after he received it at a conference. It’s a smaller bottle, so I can’t really compare the weight of the bottle (a 32-oz. SIGG bottle weights 5 ounces), but I will say that the SIGG doesn’t make that god-awful noise when you unscrew the cap. In fact, it’s nearly silent. Once the cap has been smoothly opened, the water doesn’t have any weird taste or anything. All in all, it’s an efficient, pretty little bottle that carries good-tasting water. But, I have a couple of concerns about it. SIGG bottles have an enamel coating on the inside that’s been baked on, and the company swears that it won’t ever leach into the water. Enamel is glass-based, but I don’t know what other things are contained in SIGG’s particular enamel. I’ll probably email the company for clarification, but I guess I’m just paranoid about any kind of coating touching my water, even if it is considered safe. SIGG water bottles are a little pricier than the EnviroProducts bottle, and people who like the wide array of designs they can choose from probably won’t mind. But I don’t like designs on my water bottles, preferring a plain one instead, so the extra few bucks don’t really seem worth it. Annoylingly, the designs on SIGG bottles even have names, like “Orient Awakens,” “Cloud Dragon,” and “Mahadshra.” Still, my SIGG bottle is the easiest to use, so it’s the one I regularly keep in my backpack or bag. GRADE: B+

There is another option that I haven’t tried, which are bottles from Klean Kanteen. They’re sold at REI, . But the 40 oz. size weighs 10 ounces, which seems like a lot, and the reviewers at REI said the cap makes that awful noise when its unscrewed. And at $25, maybe I’ll just stick with my SIGG. I suppose I can get over the designs on the bottles and work up the nerve to buy a larger version of my current bottle, which is really only large enough for short hikes and quick walks. (Note: I categorize “short” and “quick” as being three miles or half an hour, respectively.) Who knows maybe I’ll even find a design I can live with. I still think that SIGG bottles are expensive, but as long as it turns out that the enamel coating on the interior is truly as safe as they say, then at least I’ll know that I’m buying a bottle that works really, really well.