Ohelo | Products
Choosing to reuse is always going to be better than a single use option. It will save you money, help protect the planet from single use plastics and be so much nicer to use. But should you be choosing stainless steel, glass or plastic for your reusable bottle? Which is the best material for a reusable water bottle?
What is stainless steel?
Stainless steel is an iron based alloyed metal that contains a minimum of 10.5% Chromium and covers a range of different materials. Stainless steel water bottles may come in various grades of stainless steel, with some having food grade stainless steel on the inside, with a cheaper grade externally (Ohelo bottles are 18/8 food grade stainless steel inside and out).
18/8 stainless steel has 18% Chromium and 8% Nickel. The Chromium gives it its “stainless” quality. The Nickel is used to improve strength and durability. It also helps protect against corrosion.
Why is stainless steel used for reusable water bottles?
18/8 stainless steel is commonly used for premium reusable steel bottles as it is easy to clean and durable.
18/8 stainless steel will not impart flavour and does not leach chemicals into your drink. It’s food safety means it can be used as a bottle material without the need for an internal liner (which would be needed for an aluminium water bottle, for instance).
It is tough and durable and can be also used to create a true vacuum flask, allowing it to be perfect for keeping your drinks hotter and colder for significantly longer than other options. The durability of stainless steel water bottle means it should not need replacing as much as alternatives that are more easily broken.
Stainless steel is also endlessly recyclable and easily recycled. This means that even though a stainless steel water bottle should last you for years, when it does finally come to the end of its life it can be fully recycled into another object.
Insulated stainless steel water bottles may not be the cheapest reusable bottles available, but they should last you a long time, saving you money in the long run.
Do stainless steel water bottles contain any nasty surprises?
Sadly, almost all stainless steel insulated bottles on the market contain lead. This is found in the sealing dot of the bottle that seals in the vacuum layer. Lead is toxic, and the use of it in insulated flasks means both the makers and their environment are being exposed to Lead. Trace amounts of lead may also be found across the bottle surface due to the vacuumisation process.
Ohelo are one of the only bottle brands in the world to be using a lead free solder material in our stainless steel insulated bottles – ensuring they are not only safe for you, but for our makers and their environment.
What about glass?
Most reusable glass water bottles are made from borosilicate glass, a material which can be safely used with hot or cold drinks. Glass is a safe, inert material that will not impart chemicals or flavours into your water.
Glass is also 100% recyclable and has a very high recycling rate here in the UK, making it very environmentally friendly at the end of its life.
Glass is not as life proof as stainless steel. It is not as durable and is more easily broken when dropped. As all of us accidentally drop things from time to time this does mean that glass bottles are less likely to last as long as plastic or stainless steel bottles.
Glass can also be considerably heavier than stainless steel or plastic – and that is before adding the weight of the water you want to carry with you.
There are both insulated and non-insulated versions of glass bottles available, both of which are suitable for use with hot and cold drinks. However, non-insulated bottles will not keep your drink hot or cold for very long, so you will have to drink it in a similar time to a cup you use at home if you want to have it hot. Insulated glass bottles are air insulated rather than vacuum insulated. This means that they will keep your drink hotter than a single skin glass bottle, but they won’t have the thermal retention of a stainless steel vacuum insulated water bottle.
Why reusable plastic bottles are a bad idea:
Plastic reusable bottles have long been popular as they are cheap, lightweight and durable. However, they have some rather significant downfalls – including health concerns and a lasting environmental impact.
Plastics get smelly and can impart flavour. This is due to the atomic structure of plastics. Thermoplastics that are commonly used for water bottles are formed from long polymer chains which may allow the smaller particles to be absorbed, including some smelly ones. This can lead to staining and flavour retention.
Sadly, it may not just be old flavours that a reusable plastic bottle leaches into your water. BPA is a common ingredient for polycarbonate plastics, which are typically used for reusable water bottles. BPA has hormone-mimicking properties. Small amounts of BPA can leach from plastic drinks bottles into the drinks inside. Even BPA free plastic bottles may pose a health risk, as the Bisphenols that are commonly used as replacements to BPA in BPA-free plastics are being shown to have similar hormone mimicking properties.
They are only suitable for cold drinks – so when the weather turns colder you do not have a way of carrying your coffee with you on that crisp winter walk.
Furthermore, there are significant issues at the end of product life for plastic drinks bottles. They are rarely recycled due to the unknown composition of the plastics and generally end up in landfill. If they are recycled, most plastics can only be recycled 2-3 times before the material degrades too much to allow further recycling. They can take hundreds of years to break down in landfill and even then, there is the issue of the microplastics that will be left behind. With microplastics now being found in the most remote areas of the planet, and even human blood, this is definitely worth consideration.
To summarise:
Choosing to reuse is definitely a step in the right direction.
With the average 1l bottle of water costing 65p and 1l of tap water costing 0.1p a reusable water bottle will inevitably save you money in the long run. If choosing a stainless steel or glass reusable bottle it will be better for your health. It will also help protect the planet from the onslaught of single use plastic.
Looking at all of the available options we believe 18/8 food grade stainless steel is the best material for reusable water bottles. That is why as a family run brand we chose 18/8 stainless steel for our unique range of water bottles and travel cups. It is durable, safe, can be used with both hot and cold drinks, and is 100% recyclable. Shop our full range of insulated stainless reusable water bottles now and join team choose to reuse!
Here, we outline the pros and cons of each bottle material type available to buy. This will help you choose the best water bottle based on your specific preferences.
Plastic water bottles are widespread, especially among sports professionals who need lightweight, portable bottles. However, they come with some serious negative health and environmental impacts. You should probably keep them as your last option.
Pros: Versatile, lightweight, affordable
Plastic is obviously a wildly versatile material. That’s why plastic water bottles come in limitless shapes, colors, and textures. You can get a rigid plastic bottle with a screw-top lid that doesn’t weigh much, or you can get a flexible bottle that you can use to squirt water into your mouth.
Plastic bottle designers have also come up with handy collapsible bottles that you can stuff into your backpacking gear without adding too much weight.
Generally, plastic bottles are also inexpensive
Cons:Health safety concerns, bad for the environment, ages quickly, can be smelly
You may recall how in the late 2000s, Nalgene became enmeshed in a controversy over the safety concerns about its see-through hard-plastic bottles.
This is because hard plastic bottles labeled with the number “7” leach the chemical Bisphenol A (BPA) into the beverages they contain. The chemical is found in materials as diverse as receipts, CD cases, and the liners of tin cans.
BPA exposure has become so pervasive that in a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) which sampled 2,517 people in the U.S., 93 percent of people above the age of six had BPA in their bodies.
BPA is an industrial chemical used to create resins that resist corrosion. The likelihood of leaching also increases when a plastic bottle made with BPA heats up in the sun or contains hot beverages.
The properties of BPA mimic estrogen hormone cells, so it confuses the body and interferes with cell functioning and reproductive processes. That’s why it’s been classified as an endocrine disruptor.
All kinds of health impacts are linked to BPA from obesity to infertility. Medical News Today lists the following health risks based on its compilation of peer-reviewed studies:
Many countries have restricted the use of plastics containing BPA to some extent. In the U.S. the FDA has banned the use of BPA in baby care products such as formula packaging, sippy cups, and infant bottles. France has banned the use of BPA in all food containers, packages, and utensils. The EU also restricts the level of BPA in food packaging.
Here are some tips for avoiding BPA. Anyone concerned with the potential health risks linked to BPA should search for BPA-free products and avoid the use of canned foods and plastic labeled with numbers 3 and 7.
Even though reusable plastic bottles are designed for longer use than single-use plastic bottles, they tend to wear out quickly compared to other materials. Therefore, it’s likely that they, too, will go into landfills at the end of their life. The only way to truly eliminate the harmful effects of plastic is to avoid it as much as possible.
Plastic doesn’t retain its youthful luster as much as other materials. It can easily crack or get scratched or warped over time through general wear and tear. In fact, the more wear and tear you see on your plastic bottle, the more likely it is that they are leaching chemicals or shedding microplastics into your drinks.
Because of the increased chances of health risks when heat is applied to plastic, you should only hand wash your plastic container.
Plastic bottles may acquire a strange scent over time because food scents attach to their chemical bonds.
If you do decide that no other water bottle material is suitable for taking care of your needs, try to follow these best practices with plastic bottles to avoid heat.
Pros: See through, dishwasher safe, no health risks, zero effect on taste
You can easily track how much water you’ve drunk with a glass bottle. That way, you’ll know when it’s time to fill up. Glass bottles are the only bottles with this option apart from plastic bottles that come with health risks.
Glass bottles are generally safe to put in the dishwasher as you would with any thicker glass bowl or jar around the house.
Glass bottles have no known health risks.
When you drink from a glass water bottle, you’ll appreciate the virtually non-existent smell or impact on the taste of your water or drink.
Cons:No insulation, breaks easily, heavy
Glass bottles do not provide insulation. Unless you fill your bottle with some ice cubes, your beverage will not remain cold. However, the exterior of your bottle may become too cold to the touch if you fill it with ice. For that reason, as well as to support its fragility, many glass water bottles come in a plastic casing intended to solve some of these design flaws.
Glass can shatter easily when you drop it. For that reason, glass water bottle companies have developed plastic casings and thicker-walled glass to reduce the chances of breaking. But thicker walls and more materials mean more weight and glass is already heavy. Remember that accidents do happen and if you drop a glass bottle, there is no guarantee it won’t break.
Among the different water bottle types, glass water bottles are the heaviest. That’s why they’re fine for activities that don’t require you to carry them, but for people who want a bottle they can easily tote all day, we recommend a lighter model. Glass bottles work fine at indoor offices or the gym, but for people who travel or have lots of other things to carry (like moms), skip the glass models and go for stainless steel.
Pros: Lightweight, durable, no health risks, dishwasher safe, affordable
Second to plastic, these are the lightest bottle option. They’re great for backpacking, since you’ll want to keep your pack’s weight down. through
Unlike plastic and glass, stainless steel bottles won’t break when you drop them. They can definitely get dents, but they won’t lose their main function of holding liquid.
Stainless steel bottles have no known health risks.
Like other simple hardware around the house, stainless steel vessels don’t require much fuss and you can toss them in the dishwasher next to your ceramic dishes and flatware.
Considering their long lifespan, stainless steel bottles are of great value. You might use one over the course of ten years, while other people are buying bottled water, which gets more and more expensive each day.
Cons: Transfers heat, no insulation, dents easily
Since metal transfers heat easily, single-walled stainless steel bottles are not a good option if you want to use your bottle for hot beverages. You might burn your hands unless you wrap them in fabric.
Cold drinks will also lose their temperature quickly in a stainless steel water bottle, since the bottle will quickly adapt to the outside temperature.
Even though they don’t break easily, single-walled stainless steel bottles are known for getting dents easily. Even a small impact can lead to dents, which can turn a great-looking bottle into a dud with one minor accident.
Pros: Keeps hot drinks hot and cold drinks cold, durable, portable, no health risks, stylish, can be affordable
Most insulated water bottles feature double-wall thermos-like engineering that improves their ability to maintain the temperature of their contents.
For instance, Healthy Human Steins can keep a drink hot for 12 hours, or cold for 24 hours, thanks to their Tempmax Vacuum Insulation.
The vacuum insulation prevents any temperature transfer to the outer wall.
Insulated water bottles are extremely durable, because their double-wall construction gives them an added layer of protection against dents. And since they’re stainless steel, the risk of breaking is a non-issue.
Because insulated water bottles prevent heat transfer, you won’t see any condensation form on the outside of your bottle. If you place your bottle in a tote bag, it won’t leave any traces of moisture.
The sweat-free design of insulated water bottles also ensures that your hands will not get burnt or chilled when you hold your bottle. This means you don’t have to bring a towel to wrap around your bottle just to protect your hands.
Finally, insulated water bottles are not as heavy as glass water bottles, so they can be carried throughout the day with ease.
Again, stainless steel bottles have no known health risks.
Pro tip: How do you know that Healthy Human bottles are safe? First of all, we use 18/8 food-grade stainless steel in our products, commonly used within the food and drink industry. The number 18/8 stands for the percentages of chromium and nickel in the steel. The 18 percent chromium and 8 percent nickel reinforce the strength and durability of the stainless steel. The result is a product that eliminates rust, corrosion, stains and metal odors and tastes impacting your drinks.
Insulated stainless steel bottles come in a wide array of colors, so you can mix and match them with your outfits. Some have a matte, opaque finish while others come in a shiny shellac-like finish. Check out the bright solids, stylish fades, marble and wood grain designs offered by Healthy Human.
Depending on the brand, insulated water bottles have a great price point, considering their durability. For instance, Healthy Human Steins start at $22.99 for a 16 oz bottle.
Heavier than plastic, hand wash only if vacuum insulated
While stainless steel insulated water bottles are not as heavy glass, they are also not as light as plastic. If you need something ultra-lightweight, you might consider other options.
To protect the integrity of the vacuum insulation design of these water bottles, you’ll need to hand wash them and let them air dry with the lid off.
A soft-bristle bottle brush makes hand washing easy. However, if your bottle has sharp interior corners, it may be hard to clean the bottle even with the bottle brush. All Healthy Human water bottles were designed with few interior corners for maximum cleaning ease.
Pro tip: Here are the Use Care Guides for Healthy Human vacuum insulated products, and if you’re looking for cleaning tips for stainless steel, check out our blog post titled: How to Thoroughly Clean your Stainless Steel Bottle.
Pros: Lightweight, affordable
Aluminum is very lightweight, so it’s a great alternative to plastic bottles, when you need to shave off every ounce of weight.
Again, as a cheap material to produce, aluminum bottles will not break your budget.
Cons: Interior lining may pose health risks, flavors cling to lining, less durable than stainless steel
Aluminum bottles require a lining, so the metal does not contact any food or beverages. This is because aluminum can emit toxic chemicals, which renders food and drinks unsafe to eat or drink. Most of the linings used in aluminum bottles are made with plastics and resins that contain the chemical BPA. This chemical has various negative health risks, especially for children, as mentioned earlier in the section on plastic water bottles.
The other downside to the interior lining that aluminum bottles contain is that traces of the flavors of your drinks will cling to the interior of your bottle. If you fill your bottle with iced tea, for instance, the next smoothie you make might end up tasting bitter. Of course, no one likes to taste the residue of previous beverages in their bottle. If you choose an aluminum bottle, you may want to reserve it strictly for use with water.
Because aluminum is a lightweight metal, it dents more easily than stainless steel. However, an aluminum water bottle will not likely break if you drop it.