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Know More About How We Tested Each Of The Water Bottles... |
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Durability
In this section we put each bottle through several vigorous durability tests including:
- The Drop Test: For this test we held each bottle 4 feet above a hard surface and dropped on it’s lid and then again on its body. The goal here was to test for the durability of the lid as well as the dent factor for the bottle itself.
- The Scratch Test : For this test we placed each bottle in a back pack with several other household items. We carried each bag around for 3 days and then measured how well each bottle held up.
- Run Over Test : This is just like it sounds. We ran over each bottle in search of extreme durability. We know, we know, you would never run over your precious bottle, but it was fun for us, and it offered great information.
- Dishwasher Test : Are these bottles dishwasher safe? Some say they are, but we wanted to know for sure.
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Style
Style matters quite a bit for many people. The word style is a relative term, and it is difficult to gauge because it is a matter of opinion that defines style. That being said, some of the bottles we are testing are undeniably more stylish for any type of person. The pictures are worth a thousand words in this section.
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Temperature Temperament
Temperature timing is the measure of how long a bottle can sustain the temperature of either hot or cold liquids. For the cold test, we filled up each bottle with ice-cold water, and then put them in the dishwasher for 1 hour where temperatures exceeded 100 degrees. Part 2 of this test was leaving ice-cold water in a hot car on a summer day for 5 hours. The other side of this test was to see if hot liquids could remain hot. NOTE: We cold only try this test with a couple bottles, because most of them are not double walled. For the hot test, we filled our bottles up with boiling water, and then we tested the temperature after leaving them in the freezer for 5 hours. The results of this test were the most interesting, and perhaps the most important.
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Cleaning
Dishwasher safe or not dishwasher safe, that is the question. This is really a yes or no type answer, but if they are not dishwasher safe, is there an effective way to clean inside of the bottle thoroughly? Also, even though they say they are dishwasher safe, how well do they really fare in the angry dishwasher?
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Cap (Lid)
There are so many cap choices, and while this appears to make thing complicated, it is really a matter of preference. Some bottles have rings at the top, which are nice for carrying, but not very durable, others have sports type lids, which we learned are not very functional because you can’t squeeze your bottle. And yet others simply have twist off caps like we have been getting used to our whole life from soda bottles and water bottles. For us, these are the easiest, most practical, and most familiar. But the cap choice doesn’t stop there. If freshness is important to you, some bottles have vacuum-sealed caps that help to maintain the freshness and temperature of whatever is inside. We like that a lot!
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Uses
Hot and cold, freezable? What about putting substances other than water inside? These are the types of things we measured in this test. Many bottles cannot be used for hot beverages, cannot be put in the freezer, and cannot be used for certain types of liquids besides water, soda, and juice.
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Sizes
Everybody likes options. So we took a look at what types of sizes are available for each company. Most companies have a size that is great for your vehicles cup holder, as well as a larger size for camping or for the office, or for working out.
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Functionality
We took a closer look at things like, “can you fit ice cubes inside the mouth?”, and how easy does the bottle tip, as well as everyday usability.
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Warranty
This one was simple. Some companies believe in and stand behind their products more than others. This was VERY important for us, because we know that these bottles aren’t that inexpensive, so we didn’t want to have to buy one more than once if we didn’t have to.
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Materials Matter
While plastic bottles are OK for some scenarios, we spent our time looking at mid to high-end aluminum and stainless steel bottles. There is a lot to be said about which type of materials are used. This is also one of the biggest factors to consider, since safety is the goal.
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Price
We found it odd how much the old adage “You get what you pay for” applied in our test. Some bottles are definitely a bit more expensive than others. But, when you consider how they rank in all of the categories above, you will find that the highest priced ones will offer a lot more bang for your buck, and in most cases the extra few dollars buy you a lot more value and a better warranty. We believe in buying something once and not needing to buy it again. A little more money up front will safe you from having to buy another bottle in the near future. Explore this site; you will see what we mean.
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