Last month I bought a 40oz Klean Kanteen bottle and a 33oz Sigg bottle. In the end I prefer the Klean Kanteen.
Both bottles are very light and look good. The Sigg is lighter, but not so much to really matter. Sigg wins easily in the looks department with different artwork to choose from and the bottle I have has a nice textured powder coat finish compared to the KK basic look and smooth surface.
Sigg uses an epoxy to protect your water from the aluminum and tells you not to use the bottle for long term storage. Could be a bit worrisome not knowing what''s in the epoxy and the possibility of aluminum contamination. I have not noticed a metallic taste from either bottle drinking straight unfiltered tap water. I prefer the stainless steel of the KK just because it''s probably on the safer side.
The bottles are both lightweight and made of thin metal. I haven''t dented either but I have been very careful with them. Both feel like they would dent quite easily. I have not scratched either bottle and the paint on both looks like new after daily use from work to the gym.
The KK bottle has the cap threading formed into the neck of the bottle while the Sigg uses a metal ring insert in the top of the bottle to thread the cap onto. Some people have complained that the Sigg''s threaded insert is sharp, but I have not had this problem. The KK is more comfortable to drink from though. Also the wide mouth of the bottle makes it easy to put ice cubes in, which you can''t do with the Sigg unless you have very small ice cubes.
I have the loop cap on both bottles. The Sigg I really have to twist the cap on tight so it doesn''t leak. The KK cap seals quite easily and has never leaked. The KK also uses a thicker thread size and is easier to screw the cap onto because of this.
Some people are complaining about sweating. On a hot day with the bottles filled with ice cubes both will sweat, but plastic bottles will also.
If I was going to spend that much money on a water bottle again, I would go with Klean Kanteen without a second thought. The only advantage of the Siggs is the exterior design.
Update Dec 09: Over a year of use now and I have stopped using the Sigg due to their older bottles do in fact have BPA. Something they said it didn''t have, so I won''t buy another bottle from them again since it appears they were lying before. They will replace the older bottles, but you have to pay shipping.
I have 2 Klean Kanteens and both have held up well. Some minor scratches and dents, but still look quite good.
I purchased one of these for myself after researching the problems with polycarbonate bottles. At the same time I bought SIGG bottles for my kids because they had cool designs on them. Both brands of bottles are great and much safer than the polycarbonates. I like the Klean Kanteen much better than the SIGG for the simple reason that I can put standard ice cubes in it. I have yet to find an ice cube tray that is easy to use that will fit the smaller mouth of the SIGG.
With the Klean Kanteen I get clean water and no taste of metal or plastic or anything other than water. I fill this 27 ounce bottle 3 times during the day to make sure I get enough water. I like the sports cap, because I don''t have to take off a cap and lay it down somewhere. I originally bought the bottle with a poly loop cap, but when I am teaching there is never a germ-free spot to set that lid down. So I bought a sport cap, and it is very easy to drink from.
If you buy the 27 ounce Klean Kanteen and like your water cold, I recommend a Built NY 20 oz bottle tote to use with it. The metal becomes VERY cold with ice in the water and with the bottle tote, it stays cold and your hands don''t!
Buy Klean Kanteen Stainless Steel Water Bottle Now
I first bought a Klean Kanteen in 2005. It was all it was cracked up to be. Sturdy, but light, water did not pick up a metal taste, it was easy to clean, and never leaked.
In early 2010, I decided to spring for a second bottle -smaller this time, and with a nice painted color finish (not available when I got my first KK in 2005). Immediately upon receiving it, I could tell something was different. It felt thinner -cheaper. Sure enough, I could squeeze the neck of the bottle and "squish" in the sides. I tried this with my original bottle. No way! It wasn''t budging. I added water and, wow! The water had a terrible metallic taste. I never had this with the original bottle. I washed them both and filled them both from the same water source at the same time. Yup -metallic taste from the 2010 bottle. No taste from the 2005 bottle. I started to wonder if the materials were the same, so I grabbed a small but powerful refrigerator magnet and tried to stick it to the side of each bottle. Remember, Klean Kanteen claims that the bottles are made of "304 stainless steel which has a low nickel content." (To be exact, 304 Stainless has between 8% and 11% nickel.)
Anyway, anyone with any knowledge of metallurgy knows that a magnet should not stick to 304 stainless steel. And, as expected the magnet does not stick at all to the circa 2005 bottle. But the 2010 bottle, even with the paint on it? The magnetic latched right on, even with the the bottle was turned upside down!
So, this and the metallic taste and the cheap construction leads me to believe that Klean Kanteen is NOT using the materials (304 stainless steel) they claim to use in these bottles. This is a serious accusation and not one I take lightly. But it is a serious concern. KK stakes their claim on providing high quality stainless steel. If they are using another material, they are deceivcing the public by not disclosing this fact.
Read Best Reviews of Klean Kanteen Stainless Steel Water Bottle Here
After reading recent information about Sigg not sharing info about chemicals used to line the interior of their bottle, we opted to switch to Kleen Kanteen for the stainless steel. There are pros & cons:
1) obvious pro the materials are known to be safe
2) the bottles sweat where as the Sigg did not sweat at all
3) the mouth of the bottle is large enough for ice cubes but makes it a bit more difficult to drink out of -kind of like drinking out of a 1qt gatorade bottle --sometimes a little bit dribbles out.
4) My 18month old loves his bottle because its the same color (stainless steel) as his dad''s. We got him the sport top instead of the sippy top and he manages just fine.
5) the slim shape fits nicely in most cup holders and water bottle carriers
Want Klean Kanteen Stainless Steel Water Bottle Discount?
I purchased two of these bottles in May of 2008 with the stainless steel caps. We were very pleased with them and in August I purchased another. Although the third bottle was more than 20% less than when I made the first order, the quality of the bottle has degraded by at least 50%.
It was immediately obvious upon opening the package that this was a much cheaper steel. It is thin, light-colored and rough. The inside of the older version is polished and smooth while this one is dull and hard to clean. My husband convinced me it was still good or else I would have returned it on the spot.
We''ve had it now for 4 months, compared with the 7 months of the first two. All get the same general treatment and this last one is MUCH worse off. The plastic on the top of the cap is cut up and gouged and cuts into your hand every time you have to open it. More importantly, the steel is dented all over and is beginning to rust. There are dents along the bottom edge as well which make the bottle wobbly and unstable. This has not been through any use to cause such damage. The older bottles, with the thicker, higher quality steel, are holding up nicely and look as new as the day we bought them.
I feel duped by a company that drew me in with a nice quality product and then lowered their standards. I will never buy anything from Klean Kanteen again. The $5 decrease in cost does not make up for the fact that I am throwing this bottle away 4 months after purchasing it.
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