First, the good news: The Thinksport insulated sport bottle works as it should. It keeps drinks cold for hours, is dishwasher safe and BPA free, and its double-walled, stainless steel and vacuum-sealed design keeps condensation from forming on its exterior. It does that all very well.
But now, the bad news: It's just clunky and cumbersome.
It comes in 12-ounce and 25-ounce versions; we tested the latter. Its hourglass shape is just too bulbous -- carrying it is almost like trying to palm a basketball and, despite it's 25-ounce capacity, it seems to take up more space than a larger 32-ouncer.
And the double cap -- a large lid with a hole at the top connects with the water bottle, while a smaller lid sits atop of the large cap to keep the whole thing watertight -– is unnecessarily complex, but it does make it kind of look like an old-school martini shaker (more on that later).
And finally, the opening to the bottle isn't wide enough for some ice cubes. If you use trays, you'll find some of your cubes won't fit. Ice from an automatic ice machine fit fine.
The bottle comes with a mesh strainer that fits tightly into its mouth, which is nice for making tea or coffee, as the company suggests.
But there may be a better use for it. Considering the martini shaker shape and its ability to keep beverages really cold, it may be better to stop thinking about it as a water bottle, but rather as a good way to tote adult beverages to picnics, barbecues or wherever else you want to imbibe but can't find a full bar. Just load it up with ice from a machine, add the ingredients for your favorite cocktail, pop in the tea strainer, screw in the lid and off you go.
Austin, Texas-based Thinksport -- from the creators of Thinkbaby -- focuses on creating environmentally friendly and chemical-free products.
"Founded in 2006, Thinkbaby and Thinksport products address the growing concern of toxic chemicals leaching from consumer products. Research has linked many chemicals in common use, including Bispenol-A and PVC, to cancer and developmental problems," the company says on its Facebook page.
Get the 25-ounce bottle on the Thinksport website for $19.99.
Josh Stewart is a Navy Times staff writer, distance runner and rider of bikes.
For more water bottle reviews, check out Hydro Flask and Vapur's Anti-Bottle.
