I work in a corporate office (Cummins Inc.) with 100’s of other people. It was once common to see people carrying around soft drink bottles to and from their meetings. But in the last few years, soda has mostly been replaced by water. Where people once carried around Coke, Pepsi and Mt. Dew bottles, now they carry all manner of plastic and metal water bottles.
According to whoever make the rules, humans should drink at least 64 oz of water a day to stay hydrated. That means if you don’t want to walk back and forth to the water fountain all day, you need a water bottle. Finding your perfect bottle is like trying to find a perfect pair of sneakers… personal preference plays a big part. The Square water bottle from Clean Bottle is an option with an extra feature that may or may not make it your next favorite bottle. Let me show you.
Note: Images can be clicked to view a larger size.
The Square is available in Charcoal, Orange, Green, Blue, and Raspberry. I was sent a Green bottle to review.
At first glance the most obvious feature of the Square is the fact that it is… square. This not only sets it apart visually, it also keeps the bottle from rolling if you drop it.
The bottle is made from food grade 304 stainless steel and has the capacity to hold 20 ounces of liquid. The caps and spout are made from 100% BPA free plastic.
During my time using / testing this bottle, I found the cap was easy to remove and place on the bottle. I also liked the large handle. The spout was comfortable to drink from. It’s not sharp or rough and is large enough that you can take a large gulp.
Other than the shape, the Square seems like any other metal water bottle, till you realize that the bottom cap can also be removed. What’s the point of having both a top and bottom cap that can be removed? Ease of cleaning, at least theoretically…
In a promotional video for the Square, they mention that regular bottles are hard to clean because mold and mildew can accumulate at the bottom of the bottle. With the ability to remove the bottom of the bottle, the Square is supposed to be much easier to clean. It sounds good, but in reality, I found it no easier to clean than a regular bottle. If you study the picture above, you’ll see why. First of all, it’s too narrow to get your hand inside to clean it, so you’ll need to use a bottle brush. Also, the main part of the bottle isn’t a straight through tube. It has what I call “shoulders at the top and a ledge at the bottom. This design makes it almost impossible drain all the water because it gets trapped in the corners. After washing the bottle and setting it on the counter with both ends removed, a little bit of water was still rolling around inside it even after more than 24hrs had passed.
One other thing I didn’t like about this bottle is that it isn’t dual walled. That means that it will sweat when filled with cold water.
In the end, Clean Bottle’s The Square water bottle has a unique look and an interesting design, but in my opinion it needs a lot more work to really make it easier to clean. Also the price is way too expensive at $45.
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| Price: | $44.95 |
| Manufacturer: | Clean Bottle |
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I’ve been using mine since xmas (i was an early adopter from kickstarter)…
My only gripe is that it is not dual-walled, but since i use it primarily for water at the gym it’s not a huge deal. Would be awesome to sip hot coffee from it during my winter drives 😉
I can see that cleaning is still an issue, but I have been using it just for clear water so it hasn’t been that bad.
One thing i do like is that the normal-diameter, allows for your everyday cup-holders in cars, and even the bottle holder in my gym’s treadmill.
@anson Thanks for another viewpoint 🙂
I like the removable bottom and the single wall wouldn’t bother me much.
The thing that kills it for me is that it’s steel. Any time I’ve tried metal bottles the water has a metallic taste that I don’t like.
I’ll stick with my 24oz. Contigo.
@Ed I didn’t notice a metallic taste with this bottle.
so it’s square. Interesting shape. Nice colors.
The benefit of cleaning the bottle more easily goes away when you realize you still need a bottle brush. Just buy one–they’re cheap. The regular steel bottles are easy to clean with a brush, easier than these extra crevices that nasty stuff builds up around.
My stainless steel water bottles could be bought in quantity: 2 + a bottle brush and come out ahead of this…$50 water bottle? Does it sing to you or something?
Great review! I agree that I does look harder to clean because of its shape. I still find the regular stainless steel water bottle easier to maintain.