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.
Buy Sportline HydraCoach Intelligent Water Bottle Now
Wonderful item for those of us who try and drink a certain volume of water each day. This takes the guess work out of "is this my 4th or 5th glass today". Now you know each day what you have consumed. Lives up to it''s claim
Read Best Reviews of Sportline HydraCoach Intelligent Water Bottle Here
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.
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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.
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Okay, so I have to say to the gentleman who got his red cages and they weren''t red, well I agree!
