Today let's look at a relative newcomer to the market, Owala.  With 42,000 reviews averaging 4.7 stars on Amazon, it's clear there are a ton of people who love this bottle, and in fact it's been the most common brand I've seen in comments on our videos when people suggest which bottles I should check out next.

​So today let's take a deeper look at Owalas to see what's good, what's bad, and whether the hype is deserved.

​​​​​We also cover this in a YouTube video if you'd prefer to watch the recap!​

First, let's look at the good side of Owala bottles.  The most common feature you'll hear people talk about is the combination straw and chug lid, which is trademarked as their FreeSip lid and made Time Magazine's list of 200 of the best inventions for 2023.  The ability to sip when you want a little water and chug when you want more is the main differentiator compared to other bottles that typically make you pick one or the other.

​But the best part of this combination lid is the chug opening, but not for the reason you would expect.  Most straw lids have a rotating spout that has a little plastic pin that goes into a little vent seal, so when you rotate open the spout, the vent opens to allow you to more easily take sips from the straw.

​The following two pictures are of Hydro Flask's Flex Straw and original straw lids.  Both are similiar to most straw lids on the market because they have the plastic pin that goes into a small vent seal.

The problem is that these types of lids still have a very small air vent, so the airflow is constricted and doesn't equalize as easily when you take a sip, making it a little more difficult and sometimes cause wheezing or popping noises.

The chug opening in Owala's design acts as a wide open vent, which makes it ridiculously easy to take a sip of water.  This is the main reason why I found myself exclusively using the straw side because it's so easy to drink from, and I'd be willing to bet that 90% of people do the same thing.  

The straw is easier to clean completely in all of its nooks and crannies, which is something that straw lids with rotating spouts are notoriously bad about.  With traditional lids like in the next picture, you have to pop off the rotating spout to be able to clean the seal underneath, so many people don't do this often and some nasty buildup can occur.

One notable exception is Hydro Flask's Flex Sip lid which as a silicone insert that essentially replaces that seal and makes it easier to clean.  But there are still areas of that lid that are not possible to clean unless you pop off the spout.

And notably, removing the spout can deform the connections a little over time, leading to a loose fit.

With Owala, the straw is fixed, so there isn't a rotating spout with a pivot point to clean around.  This makes it much easier to clean everything.  The silicone seal under the lid cover is also removable to make it even easier to clean.  The lid cover goes over the entire spout area and is spring-loaded to open when you push this button, which means you won't have to touch the surface that your mouth will go on to open it up.

The vent seal with pivot-style straw lids is a common leak point, but Owala avoids that issue.  From my experience, this straw lid has been less likely to leak compared to traditional straw lids.

​The standard price is very reasonable, and you can buy a 32 ounce bottle for $34.  This contrasts with YETI or Hydro Flask who regularly charge $40 to $50 for a similar volume bottle.

More recently, Owala got another popularity bump compared to Stanley because their bottles are completely lead free, which is something Stanley and most bottles on the market can't say because of a lead-based solder that seals the vacuum.  Practically-speaking the lead isn't a danger unless your bottle is damaged enough to expose the area between the two stainless steel layers, but some people rest easier knowning there isn't lead anywhere so it's worth mentioning.  

​The bottle also comes with triple-layer insulation, which includes both a vacuum seal to prevent conduction heat transfer and a copper layer to prevent radiation heat transfer.  But while this is a benefit over non-insulated bottles, this reason alone isn't enough to consider Owala over other brands with vacuum seals, regardless of whether they are triple-layered or not.  I did our standard 4 hour hot water test twice, and the results showed that Owala actually underperformed compared to similar bottles, even if they didn't have triple layer insulation.

​But like I say all the time on this blog, there is no perfect product for every person and every situation.  Owala is no exception, and there are some negatives to be aware of.  

​There is also exposed plastic under the lid and in the straw, so your water will come into contact with plastic.  It's worth noting that these plastics are BPA free and allegedly safe by today's standards, but given the history of plastics and how sometimes new issues come up after years of research, I don't fault anyone for wanting to avoid plastic altogether.

One other very nit-picky issue is that I found the grippy, textured area around the flip cover to be a dirt magnet, so while you should always stay on top of cleaning the inside of your bottle regularly regardless of which one you own, you might find yourself scrubbing this part of your Owala more frequently too.

​And lastly, this may be an unpopular opinion, but for me, I can't stand most of the color combinations.  To me, it looks like they blindfolded someone and told them to throw darts at a board with different colors.  It's like walking into a Home Depot, they ask what paint color you want, and you say "yes."

That may be a little harsh and many people love the combos.  That's perfectly OK!  But most of the colors are a little too funky for my taste.  Then again, I'm fully aware that I've never been accused of being a stylish trend-setter, and I'm willing to concede that the colors are a big draw for many people.

​Overall, Owala really does have a solid product offering.  The FreeSip lid is one of those things that makes you wonder why it wasn't invented before, and the benefits far outweight the negatives in my opinion.  So if you're in the market for a straw lid, consider giving Owala a try.  There's a good chance you won't want to go back to traditional straw lids every again.

​If you're like me, you get bored drinking regular, plain water all day.  I used to be addicted to sodas, so switching from extremely sugary drinks to water was a big shift.  The thing that helped me the most was adding my own flavors. 

Now, technically sodas are flavored water with carbonation and you can also add flavor with enhancers like Mio, but for the purposes of this video I'm calling flavored water anything that gets its taste from more natural sources like fresh fruit, loose-leaf tea, or coffee grounds.

​And at the end, I'll also give my take on two bottle brands that have more recently taken social media by storm, Cirkul and air up.  (spoiler alert, it might not be positive)

​​​​We also cover this in a YouTube video if you'd prefer to watch the recap!​

​Links to Products: As an Amazon Associate, we earn a small commission if you purchase after clicking a link.  It doesn't cost you anything extra, and it really helps.  Thank you!

First, I have to mention the most obvious way to flavor your water, and that's simply by adding fruit like lemons, cucumber, mint, or a whole range of other flavors directly into your bottle!  This works well enough, but the problem is that you ideally would have some way to strain it so it's not a good option with most bottles.

​The good news is that more and more bottles are coming to market with built-in stainless steel strainers at the lid.  For stainless steel, EcoVessel is one brand that's been around awhile, and for glass, Mayu is a brand I've mentioned a few times on this channel.  Just add your fruit, snap the strainer into place, and you're good to go.

It's also worth noting that these strainers double as ice-blockers, which can be a life-saver when driving in particular.

Now I'm not a huge fan of Stanleys, but I recognize many people love them.  Unfortunately, Stanley does not have a fruit infuser bottle option at this time, though a good alternative is from a brand called Fimibuke.  It's essentially a Stanley knockoff with a large built-in infuser for one third the price, and while I can't say much about the company or brand itself, the design and functionality look pretty solid.

Llet's say you're in the market for an add-on infuser because you don't want to buy an entire new bottle.  Well, there are a few options you can look at.  Let's start with ones for fruit, which generally have larger openings that work well for fruit but not for loose leaf tea or coffee grounds.

​Now each of the add-on infusers I mentioned is made with either plastic or silicone, so let's look at some stainless steel ones, which can be used for fruit but are also better for tea and coffee because they have a finer mesh strainer.

​And finally, let's take a look at the two elephants in the room that have taken social media by storm recently, Cirkul and air up.  They each have flavor pods, but they work very differently.