Customer Reviews

New Wave Enviro Stainless Steel Water Bottle (40-Ounces)

5 star:		(43)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(15)

 

 

The main reason I chose this bottle over Klean Kanteen (KK) is that it comes with a stainless steel (SS) cap, whereas KK charges extra money for the SS cap (shame on KK). This turned out to be a very good alternative to KK and did not disappoint. I was at first concerned with two potential issues others have mentioned, i.e. the metallic taste of water and denting of the bottle. But, having used it for a while now, I have not experienced either problem. I will discuss the quality of the cap later.

Initially there is a metallic smell inside the bottle. Instructions on how to clean the bottle are actually printed on its sides: use diluted vinegar or baking soda. To get rid of the metallic smell inside the bottle by filling the bottle with diluted vinegar overnight. As for the metallic taste, I wouldn't say the water actually tastes metallic. It's more accurate to say that the outside of the bottle smells metallic when you are drinking from the bottle, but the smell went away pretty fast for me (which will not be a nuisance to the majority of the population).

The construction of the bottle is very sturdy. I cannot see how someone could claim it dents easily, except perhaps by filling and dropping it several feet up.

A common complaint about SS bottles is that they are too cold to hold when you fill them with iced drinks and too hot when you fill hot drinks. I am using this bottle mainly to hold hot tea while I go out or when I go to work. I wrap a sock over the bottle, and that pretty much solved the heat problem for me (this also works for iced drinks by making the bottle easier to hold while absorbing condensation forming outside the bottle).

Because the cap is made of SS, it does make noise when being turned, but not so loud to attract attention. I have not had leaking problems so far. The only time when water leaked out under the O-ring seal is when I put near-boiling water into the bottle and turn it on its side, which is not something most people would do.

I highly recommend this bottle to anyone seeking an alternative to plastic water bottles and the rather overpriced KK bottles. Its SS cap makes it much more cost-efficient than the KK bottles, and the quality does not disappoint.

I just bought this bottle like a week ago and I can tell it's already better than a Sig and other bottles I've tried in the past. First of all, it's not aluminum and yeah yeah they Sig tells you it's coated and you don't have to worry about aluminum exposure. But let me tell you I've tried 2 of their bottles and turned them back. The first one I had the threads were not properly coated and I tasted aluminum every time I took a sip, and the second started tasting bad because I forgot to wash it only one night, One Night! That's all it took, and the bad taste would not go away, even after soaking it in baking soda and water, and after that didn't work, vinegar and water. Turned it back, got this one instead, it was a little more expensive but worth it. First of all there are a couple of great pros compared to other bottles.

1. Stainless steel - You don't have to worry about exposing yourself to aluminum or plastic that is said to impart chemicals into the water.
2. The cap is perfect in everyway, Leak proofed by a silicon O-ring that's firmly in place. The entire part of the cap that screws into the bottle is sealed off and is completely made of Stainless steel with nice big rounded threads so you won't have to worry about it stripping in the future. Something Sig bottles looked like they would have a problem with in the future, especially since their cap is plastic, and the bottle treads are aluminum. Stupid idea.
3. Wide mouthed opening
4. Lightweight
5. Taste-Free
6. Easy to clean.........And if you forget to clean it, there is nothing to worry about since everything is stainless steel, not some funky rubbery membrane that holds on to smells and taste.

But the main bottom line is, I'm now saving money by not buying water that is questionably pure from companies like Aquafina and Dasani, of which used to give me terrible heartburn anyway.

This bottle is light-weight, taste-free, has a good seal, etc., but it DENTS pretty easily. So far, I've gotten about 5 dents, one pretty severe, without ever noticing I even dropped the bottle while in my duffle bag, daypack, etc.

I've checked out the Kleen Kanteen, and it's much tougher and apparently has thicker steel walls.

I bought one of these about 2 years ago, back when it came with a plastic top and you had to buy the metal top (which was blue, not black) separate. I loved it, recommended to everyone I knew, did my best to destroy it by carrying it everywhere in a city for a year and hiking in rocky forest for another, and it is still awesome.

BUT THEN, I bought 4 in February for myself and a friend. Upon arrival it was clear they are different, and not just because of a different label and cap color:

First - the metal inside looks like it is coated in something or a different quality, it does not have that stainless steel look. Perhaps as a consequence there was discoloration inside one - looked a bit like rust but it did not impart a rusty taste so we figured it be fine.

Second - After one day of use, the plastic part of the top of one fell off. The screw into the bottle is metal, but the loop is cheaply attached plastic. The top fell off a second bottle shortly thereafter. We managed to reattach both, but it kept coming off one and soon was lost. The cap is not essential, but we need the hooks to attach them firmly to our packs (as we use them in field work) and they're hard to open and close without them.

Third - there is a rubber seal at the point where the plastic of the loop attaches to the steel cap. When the plastic loop fell off, so did the seal, so now that bottle does not seal.

Fourth - Those 2 of 4 without plastic top problems often leak. I think they come unscrewed just enough. My old bottle has NEVER leaked.

Given 3 of 4 bottles have definite flaws, I am confident this is not a fluke, and the design (different label, different top, different metal/finish) accompanies a decrease in quality of materials and workmanship. Perhaps the company was sold, or manufacturing moved to some cheaper location. Get the old bottle if you can, even if you have to pay an extra 5 bucks to buy the blue top separately.

After reading other reviews of these bottle I bought one of each, KK and New Wave Envrio in the 40oz size for field testing and the end result is that I can hardly tell the difference between them. They are identical in size shape and appearance other than the logo and so far as I can tell they are the same grade and thickness of steel, even to the point of being within a gram of the same weight without the caps. (that's 1 paper clip worth of metal)

In usage the only difference I've noticed is that the metal cap on the NWE makes a bit of racket unless you use extreme care when opening it. This might make a difference if you are trying to sneak up on some wildlife, but for general hiking use probably won't. Since it is metal rubbing on metal it might also cause the bottle to start leaking in 50 years or so. The BSP-free type5 plastic cap on the KK doesn't require as much effort to open quietly, but being plastic will probably need to be replaced in only 5 or 10 years, though at least it won't cause the bottle itself any wear.

End analysis: 46 cents difference and do you want a metal cap?

I'm no expert on water bottles, but this one is nice. My wife read that the clear/tinted Nalgene sports bottles may seep carcinogens over time when washed in hot water, so she wanted to replace our bottles with something "safer". I ordered this bottle and another one very similar to it. I'm very pleased with both of them, but I like this one (hers) better. "My" bottle has a pop-top closeable lid, but I never use it. Instead, I unscrew the cap and drink from the bottle like from a cup. I like the blue plastic handle/bottle lid on this bottle. It's comfortable to hook a finger through for bottle transport. The bottle itself is nicely finished and the silicone O-ring on the lid seals quite well. A stainless steel bottle is obviously going to be more heavy than an equivalent size plastic bottle, but this isn't a concern to me. I kinda miss being able to see at a glance how much water is in the bottle, but when the water is cold, I can usually tell from where the condensation is on the outside of the bottle. There's really not much else to say. It's a nice water bottle.

I purchased one of the NewWave Stainless steel bottles last year. Within 2 months of use it developed a hole- water trickled out the side of it- like there was a fracture in the stainless steel. I choose the larger stainless steel bottle wanting to reduce our plastic exposure and so I could pack 1 bottle of water for the entire day or long walks

New Wave offered no guarantee or replacement and Amazon wouldn't take it back, either.

I have seen other cheaper stainless steel bottles of better quality than this one. Shop around before buying one of these.

I'm surprised that other reviewers find this product acceptable. The bottles left a terrible metallic taste and odor in the water. Even after multiple washings with soap as well as vinegar, the bad taste and odor were there. I even tried putting bottled water in them...just to see if it was my city's tap water that was leaving the metallic taste. It didn't matter. They were unusable and I returned them. Try Klean Kanteens--they are a little more expensive but better quality and, best of all, don't taint the taste of your water!

When you receive your bottle look inside for rust spots. I had to return my bottle to Amazon.com because of a rust spot close to the top of the bottle. I will not buy another one like that because of the defect but also I wasn't too happy with the design of the lid etc.

Best price for the volume held. Easy to drink out of, carry, and clean. Finish work is not the best (logo is bleeding off and one bottle has a malformed lip), but durability is good. I use mine EVERYDAY and I LOVE it! On few occasions I have noticed a metallic taste, but it was gone by the next cleaning or water fill up. NO leaking issues, and mine are on there side about 50% of the time. HIGHLY RECOMMEND