Dopper Original and Steel water bottles review

If you’ve decided to stop buying bottled water in favor of refilling an existing water bottle, Dopper bottles could be your next purchase. Designed by a Dutch designer Rinke van Remortel, Dopper bottles are available in an original plastic version and a steel version. Both are BPA free, easy to clean and dishwasher safe. Water bottles aren’t normally exciting to talk about, but Dopper bottles have a unique feature that will make you take a second look.

Note: Images can be clicked to view a larger size.

The Dopper Original is made of BPA free plastic and holds 16 ounces. It’s available in several colors including the blue version shown above. There’s also the Dopper Steel which holds 27 ounces and is made of … well you probably already guessed… steel. It also has a section made of BPA free plastic.

Except for the capacity and main bottle / cap material, both the Original and Steel bottles have the same design and features. You can unscrew the top cap and take a swig of water like you would any other water bottle.

But when you unscrew the top section with the cap in place and flip it over, you now have a cup that you can then pure liquid into from the bottle. Things suddenly become much more civilized. This is a water bottle fit for royalty. Ok, was that going too far? 😉

The cup has a seal inside to prevent leaks when it’s attached to the main bottle.

You can also drink directly from the main bottle as it has a nice smooth rolled edge which is comfortable to drink from.

If you’re already reaching for your credit card to buy a Dopper bottle, wait a little longer, because there are two “issues” that I’ve noticed while testing the Original and Steel bottles. First of all, they suffer from an affliction shared by most water bottles on the market – they sweat when filled with cold liquid. That’s a deal breaker for me because I hate bottles that sweat. I don’t like having to wipe my hands on my pants to dry them after every sip. Of course, using the built-in cup alleviates some of that problem, but the cup actually introduces a second problem. If you happen to fill the bottle all the way to the top spout and then unscrew the cup section, excess water will spill out when you remove the cup. that’s because there’s more area that can be filled when the cup section is attached, than can be held by the bottom section when the cup is removed. The obvious solution is to just not fill it all the way to the top…

Dopper bottles are safe to drink from, well made and unique. If you can get past the sweating and can remember not to overfill it, it makes a fun water bottle. An added benefit to consider is that 10% of the proceeds from each water bottle goes to the Dopper Foundation to support clean water access projects in Nepal and educational outreach campaigns on single-use plastic waste.

Note: The Steel version is not currently available, but is expected soon. Pricing should be around $27.50.