Review: Kemier Collapsible Water Bottle

Product Link: Kemier 750ml Collapsible Water Bottle
Vendor: Kemier
Price: $12.99
Color Available: Black, Blue, Pink

I actually own a number of these collapsible water bottle in different colors and from different brands.  I love them because they are easy to carry.  I get different colors so everyone in my family can always identify their bottles easily.

Pros:

• Extremely light weight and almost unbreakable
• No water leakage
• Wide opening for ease of cleaning
• Same color top and bottle

Cons:

• Top might break if hit against a hard object (i.e. dropped on the floor)

Package Includes:

• Pink Kemier collapsible Water Bottle

The Pink Kemier collapsible water bottle came packaged inside a small square box.  The front of the box has a see-through window with plastic covering.  I can easily see the color of my bottle but at the same time I won't have dust drifting into the box.  One side of the box lists features and the other side lists caution points.  

Opening up the box, the bottle was inside a thin plastic bag.  I like the amount of protection for the bottle.  I did notice that there was no chemical smell when I took the bottle out which is always a good sign. 

But this still doesn't prevent a deep cleaning prior to the first use.  In addition, there is a caution point listed on the box to disinfect the bottle with boiling water too so its always good to follow the instructions provided.  I washed it with soap and hot water and then soak the top and bottom in hot water with lemon slices overnight.  This helps to thoroughly disinfect and clear out any potential smells that may be on the bottle. 

So for initial use I filled the bottle with ice cubes and due to the wide opening, my large ice cubes was able to go into the bottle easily.  Then I filled the rest of the bottle with cold water and drank from the bottle.  There were no chemical smell or taste. 

The top of the bottle was very well built.  There's heavy plastic protecting drinking spout.  In addition there's a dual locking mechanism.  You basically press the white button and the top will spring open.  But to help prevent accidental presses, there's a metal d-ring that goes over the white button.  The spout was also good to drink from.  I did notice that I have to be careful when squeezing the bottle as too much water might come out.  So light squeezes should suffice for drinking.

The main selling function for this bottle is its collapsible which works out really well.  You basically open up the top and roll up the bottle then you use the silicone string to tie the bottle into place.  My only fear with this the silicone string might break some day.  The last great feature to the top is a hook.  You can carry the bottle easily by holding onto the hook or attaching the hook to your bag. 

Overall, the bottle is great and probably has the best packaging compared to other similar bottles.  The nice retail box makes it great for gift giving.  And because there are three color options you can make sure that everyone has a different color bottle.

Product Link: Kemier 750ml Collapsible Water Bottle
Vendor: Kemier
Price: $12.99
Color Available: Black, Blue, Pink

Disclosure: I received this Pink Kemier Collapsible Water Bottle for testing purposes.  I'm not obligated to write positive reviews so my opinions are based on actual usage of the product. 

Review: Vibrant Living Insulated Travel Mug

Product Link: Vibrant Living Insulated Travel Mug
Vendor: Yoon Enterprise
Price: $19.25

When we think about vacuum insulated bottles, most people are more familiar with Zojirushi.  You see it in Asian supermarkets, or you find it highly recommended it.  Now comes Vibrant Living Insulated Travel mug that looks very similar to a Zojirushi but slightly cheaper in cost.

Pros:

• Works for both hot and cold beverage
• Built-in holding ring
• Drink directly from bottle without opening top

Cons:

• Lack of color options

Package Includes:

• Vibrant Living Insulated Bottle
• Thank you / Warning

The bottle arrives in a white corrugated box.  On the outside of the bottle lists the name Vibrant Living and the color of the bottle on one side.  Opening the box, I found the bottle inside a thin plastic bag.  When you removed the bag you'll find a very nice sleek looking bottle with the Vibrant Living name printed near the bottom of the bottle.  The bottle is approximately 9.5" tall with circumference at 8.5".  It looks like Vibrant Living chose to design a bottle that's taller rather than wider hence the height.  This design while tall makes it easier to hold in the middle.

Now I didn't realize that this has a locking mechanism on the bottle.  I kept pressing the red button and expected the top to flip open.  Unfortunately after 3 hard presses it wouldn't open and I fear the worst.  I thought I received a defective bottle!  UGH!  I finally realized that the area around the red push button is actually a plastic lock.  From above the button, pull back the black plastic.  Then follow up by pushing the red button and flip top will open to reveal the sippy area.  Sippy area is white and made of plastic and almost 1.5" deep.  The hole opening for the liquid to pass through wasn't too big, I would say about the same as a straw.  I think this is a good design for hot beverages since it helps to prevent too much liquid from coming out when you tilt the bottle to drink.

On the top of the bottle is a folded holding hook.  Flip it up and you can now hold it by the hook or hang it against your backpack.  I have to admit you don't see much of this design anywhere so it was nice to have.  I do think they could make some improvements and make the hook a little thicker.  It's a bit thin and I worry about breaking it after a while.

Before using the bottle, I followed the Thank you / Warning note.  I washed the bottle and also soaked it in hot lemon water overnight before using.  One thing to note with washing the bottle, you need to have a long brush that can fit into the 1.5" opening otherwise it's very tough to clean.

I'm using this bottle for water only.  I don't like to mix different beverages with the bottles I use as I think no matter how well you are cleaning bottles, the taste of different beverages still resides in the bottle.  Anyway, on a cold day I filled it with hot water and take it on my commute.  I was sipping the hot water throughout the day since my office is typically freezing.  I did finish my bottle of water after about 6hrs.  While it wasn't piping hot by the time I finished my water, it was still warm.  I'm ok with this since I really don't want the water to stay scalding hot when I use it.

Now on a hot day I filled the bottle with cold water and ice cube.  I actually filled the ice cube to the top and then fill the leftover space with cold water I keep in the fridge.  Again I drank the water or ate ice cubes throughout the day.  I'm typically done with the bottle within 6-7hrs.  My water was cold throughout the time.  Again, even though the bottle is advertised as keeping cold for 24hrs, I don't really need it to last that long. 

Overall, I'm really happy with the water bottle and felt that it lived up to the description.  I do wish they had more color options though!  I would like to get different colors for family members.

Product Link: Vibrant Living Insulated Travel Mug
Vendor: Yoon Enterprise
Price: $19.25

Disclosure: I was provided this Vibrant Living Insulated Travel Mug for testing purposes.  I'm not obligated to write positive reviews so my opinions are based on actual usage of the product. 

Review: Fnova 35oz Insulated Vacuum Flask

Product Link: Fnova 35oz Insulated Vacuum Flask
Vendor: Fnova
Price: $21.99

So when people think of buying a vacuum insulated flask, one of the more well-known brands that we've heard of is Hydro Flask.  But the cost of the hydro flask is about double the price of this Fnova 35oz flask.  So is the Fnova a good substitute against the Hydro?

Pros:

• Cheap cost
• Multi top options

Cons: 

• Difficult to clean due to narrow mouth opening
• Weak carabineer

Package Includes:

• Fnova 35Oz Insulated Vacuum Flask
• Sports Cap
• Bamboo Cap
• Carabineer cap

The Fnova flask arrived in a big brown box.  Only the top of the box has the item name printed on it.  Since they sell the flask in two sizes (21oz and 35oz), it's interesting they didn't write that info on the box.  When you flip the top of the box open, you'll notice the inside front side cover had a quick Thank You and request for review on it.  Although, Fnova never said if you are suppose to post a review or just simply email them if you have problems / improvement suggestions.

Usually when water bottles gets larger than 30oz, it starts becoming wider instead of taller.  So I was a bit surprised that Fnova chose a tall rather than a fat design.  I'm liking it though because it allows me to hold it a bit more easily with my hands and will insure it fits in most cup holders in the car.  The flask has a narrow mouth opening which is pretty normal for these style of bottle.  But, I wished they had follow in Hydro Flask's footsteps and used a wide mouth opening.  This makes it much easier to clean (you're not limited to the type of cleaning brushes you can use) and also allows you to fit bigger pieces of ice.  Now the Fnova has a bit of a heft to it without the ice/water placed inside it.  I guess this is the result of the material they used to make it a double wall vacuum insulated flask.

The biggest plus of Fnova Flask is the three top options they included.  This beats out the Hydro flask since Hydro charges around $10 if you want to purchase different tops.  But even though this was a plus, I had my doubts.  I had done my research prior to the arrival of this flask and noticed that there were negative complaints about damaged tops on arrival or a very bad straw lid.  I've also seen a video review where the metal band on the bamboo cap fell off.  Well I'm happy to report that I did not see any of these issues.  I think Fnova had paid attention to all the negative complaints from previous users and took the initiative to resolve these issues.  The sports cap no longer needs a straw (I hate them because cleaning the straws is difficult).  The metal band on the bamboo cap was pretty sturdy.  I tugged on it and couldn't separate the band from the cap.  Now the only thing I have to complain about is the carabineer cap.  Having a carabineer with it is great! (I wished they made all the tops be compatible with a carabineer)  BUT why did Fnova provide such a weak and flimsy carabineer.  I strongly doubt that it'll hold up to the weight of the flask filled with ice & water.  I'm not even going to humor testing it!  I straight out switched to a stronger carabineer.

But aside from having a nice form factor and including all the tops, does this flask work as advertised?  And I'll say it does.  After the usual cleaning before initial use of any bottles, I filled mine with ice and water and carried it with me to work.  I left the house around 7:30AM and throughout the day I took occasional drinks from the bottle.  By the time I left work around 5:30PM, the water was still cold.  I did notice there were still some ice in there but it was partially melted. 

So I do like this Fnova Hydro flask a lot.  I'm permanently leaving it at work with a goal of finishing at least an entire bottle of water every day.  Trying to carry it with me from my commute to and from would just be too heavy for me.  I'm also using the sports cap rather than all the other options.  It just makes more sense since twisting open/close the other two tops would be a waste of time versus flipping the top off the sports cap.  Aside from my negative points, I think its important that Fnova packages the tops separately for sale.  Just in case us users do break them by accident.

Product Link: Fnova 35oz Insulated Vacuum Flask
Vendor: Fnova
Price: $21.99

Disclosure: I received this Fnova 35oz Vacuum Insulated Flask for testing purposes.  I'm not obligated to write positive reviews so my opinions are based on actual usage of the product.