Customer Reviews

Sportline Hydracoach-Intelligent Water Bottle (Smoke)

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

My experience:

The Hydracoach is a great concept, but I don't think it's a very reliable piece of equipment. When you receive it you go through a very simple programming process, similar to setting a watch. You enter in your weight, the time and date, and your desired water intake per day. Then you start it and as you drink it'll track your progress towards your goal. Within the first two days I noticed that the LED would randomly reset itself...this would require me to go through the programming process again, as well as completely lose track of my water intake, thus entirely defeating the purpose and rendering it useless. I just reprogrammed it a few times and endured, but it continued to do this so I followed the return proceedure and shipped it back to the company at a cost of $7. Their return policy indicates that they pay for S&H on returns if it's for a defective product, however I was never reimbursed. They did send me a replacement within a week or so and it's been more stable than the original, but not without problems. The LED reset again within a month and the "low battery" icon started flashing. I found myself really disatisfied with the product at this point...considering that the LED is as simple as a wrist watch, and offers no backlight, the battery should last for at least a year or more. I had to replace the battery which cost about $3. The Hydracoach worked pretty reliably for about 4 months and just recently reset itself again with the "low battery" icon. I know this can't be the battery, so I re-programmed it and it's continued to work well since. I've come to the conclusion that this random reset is just an issue with the software and will just have to be put up with once in a while.

So here is the BAD:

- $29.99 for the product, $7 to ship the return, and $3 to replace the battery...I just paid $40 for a freaking water bottle. The product has ultimately been more of an inconvenience than it's worth, and I think it's way overpriced.
- The 22 oz. size, although convenient to hold and carry, is rather small for someone who has a hydration goal. You will easily chug a full one of these and it will therefore require several refills through the day to reach your goal.
- If the lid is screwed on too snug it will make sipping from the bottle nearly impossible. This isn't a negative as much as a note. It took me a while to figure out, but don't tighten the lid all the way in order to get maximum water flow.
- The software is unstable and will randomly crash which renders this as good as a plain plastic water bottle from time to time.
- Overall: It's simply not worth the money. If you can muster just a little extra motivation you can keep track of the amout of water you drink throughout the day without this, and honestly all you really need to do is approximate.

Now the GOOD:
+ I will say that when this was working properly it was really helpful in meeting my hydration goals.
+ Being able to see your water intake percentage throughout the day is really great for keeping you motivated and helping you pace your water intake.
+ I can see where it would be nice for someone who is on a very strict diet or has a required water intake due to doctor's orders, or a medical condition.

My wife produces kidney stones like the local movie theatre makes popcorn. One of the best defenses to kidney stone formation is drinking proper amounts of water. Half a person's body weight in ounces is the daily target. My wife does not like drinking water. This is a problem.

We have tried cajoling, rewards, encouragement, exhortation and rebuking to get her drink more water. Not happening.

I bought her one of these for Christmas. Now it's a game to see she how much of her daily water that she drinks. Way cool!

I bought one for my daughter and myself. Now it's a game with competition. Even better. Every day she is trying to beat us and in the process drinking the proper amount of water. (If you want some info on water consumption order the book "Your Body's many cries for Water" here at Amazon. It will blow your mind.)

I can't recommend this highly enough. It is an answer to prayer.

This product is so cool. I work in an office and never keep track of my water intake, but with this product its a no-brainer. The Hydracoach does the tracking for you. Easy to program, and ready for use.

My wife and I have had our HydraCoach water bottles for a couple of years now. It is a great idea, but due to the nature of how you have to drink and the overall inaccuracy of the product, it needs a lot of improvement and the hassle of using it outweighs the benefits. You need to train yourself before you can use this. You have to suck through the top a certain way and it takes a lot of effort. Essentially, you are sucking water through a small turbine that spins and then through a one-way valve. That creates quite a bit of resistance that you have to overcome by sucking harder than is comfortable. If you take small sips all the time, the turbine won't spin enough and won't register enough water flow and will be very inaccurate. If you take large sips and drink a lot of water in a short amount of time it will be relatively accurate. The idea of a turbine to measure water flow seems rudimentary at best. Based on the technology out there for measuring liquid flow rates you'd think there would be a much better option, albeit I suppose this is the cheapest.

Also, you MUST take the top apart and clean the turbine device often or it will clog up with gunk and eventually stop spinning (and stop registering flow). This is especially true if you don't use filtered water or you put sugary sports drinks in it, which is not recommended. I just soak everything in a scalding hot 50/50 vinegar/water mixture, the same way you clean the scale out of the inside of a coffee maker. This is especially true if you don't use filtered water or you put sugary sports drinks in it, which is not recommended.

Another thing that really bugs me is the LCD screen. When the stopwatch timer is stopped or paused, the LCD should go blank after a few minutes like modern day cell phones. The LCD screen stays on permanently until the battery dies and of course drains the battery that much faster. If you leave the timer running all the time it will also drain the battery much faster, so I always start it before I drink, then stop it right after, which is also inconvenient.

Overall, the idea of the product is great, but it needs a LOT of refinement for it to work well enough to where it isn't so inconvenient that it's not worth using.

At only 22oz, I find I have too refill this thing to often. Also, water stays up in the mouth piece and the next time you take a drink you get a mouthful of warm water before the fresh stuff comes up the straw.

Other than those couple qualms it does what it says it does (measure water intake and remind you to keep on a daily consumption pace) which is always a good thing.

Just received this water bottle as a present and I'm really enjoying it. I was a bit skeptical at first but it accurately monitors water consumption pretty much down to the ounce (22oz total). A few minor reason why I didn't give it 5 stars: 1) a bit tricky to twist the cap back on after refilling it due to the design. Not really a big thing...more of an annoyance 2)a larger size bottle would be nice such as a 32oz. 3) You'll be spending a lot more time in the bathroom
I've only had it for a couple of days so hopefully it lasts.
So far so good!

This is an excellent product. Being pregnant and getting migraines I was told by my doctor that I needed to drink more water to keep from getting migraines. Since I am pregnant I am not suppose to take medication that contains the amount of aspirin and caffeine that most migraine pills have. My husband found this water bottle on an episode of I want that Tech Toys, and we were happy to find it here on Amazon for the cheapest price. I have been able to know how much water I am drinking and how much I need to be drinking. I haven't had any migraines since I started using this water bottle. The only down side to water bottle is that when it is filled with ice and water the battery indicator flashes saying that the battery is low. It only does this when there is ice around the inside by the display and will usually stop when the ice has melted or goes below the display. I would definitely recommend this product to anyone who wants to make sure they are drinking the right amount of water. --Ruby

I LOVE my hydracoach and I do not go anywhere without it. I even pack it in my suitcase for travels!

I saw a few negative reviews on this product and thought I would add my own opinion.

First off, I have not had a problem with the battery at all. I bought this water bottle about 10 months ago and it came with a battery in it. I have not had to replace the battery even once. In any event, the battery that it does use sells at my local Dollar Store at a price of two batteries for $1 so it's really cheap to replace the battery.

Yes, you need a little screw driver to unscrew the cap to insert and take out the battery but what other design could the company come up with to securely hold a battery in place and prevent water from going in the battery compartment? I also bought the little screwdriver set from my local dollar store so you don't need anything expensive to open the battery compartment. It's probably the same screwdriver you use to tighten the hinge in your eyeglasses if you have one.

As well, I don't think tightening the lid on the bottle makes it more difficult to suck out the water as one reviewer had said they did. It's easy to assemble and take apart if needed for cleaning.

I know some people may not like that it only holds 22 oz or about 500 mL, but that's the same as any regular water bottle. Your hydration goal could be 2-3 L depending on your weight so yes, you will have to refill the thing if you want to reach your goal. But honestly, do you really expect a company to sell a water bottle holding 2-3 L? That would be quite heavy to lug around in my opinion.

The only problem I had was that at one point it was not registering my usage. The took apart the tubing and blew into the tubing as well as washed it out. That did the trick and it was working again.

I can honestly say it makes me very aware of how much water I am drinking and this is really important for health reasons. I was definitely not drinking enough water prior to this purchase and it's one of the best things I have bought for myself in the past year. Every friend I have given this water bottle to has been thrilled with it. It makes a great gift.

I love this bottle, in fact I bought 3. I keep one at work, one at the gym and one at home. In the past I always thought I took in much more water than I actually did, but now with the HydraCoach I don't have to second guess. It also makes want to drink more water when I look at my percentage of intake. I'm just more aware all around. Its unbelievable how its done, I don't understand it, but I can feel it calculating with every sip. People are fascinated when they see it. It is an interesting topic of conversation.

I love the *idea* of this; however, I was disappointed with the product. In theory, this is great! It keeps track of your water intake ensuring that you are well hydrated. Unfortunately, it's a little cumbersome! You're not just drinking a bottle of water, you have to take drawn, deliberate sips from the bottle. In my opinion, it's just not worth the money. Save yours and purchase the Thermos Nissan Intak with Meter--it's cheaper, easier to use and doesn't require batteries!