This bottle has been all the buz on the world wide webbings. BPA free and very reusable, the idea is that it is a high end replacemant for all those water bottles we go through in a day (yeah- the ones that mysteriously end up off the coast of the Aleutians, or in the Andes Mountains or everywhere else. Follow the jump for more...
posted originally from: Unplggd
We have been to a few presentations by the team that is making this product come to life. RKS, the famous California design consultancy, Eastman Chemical- a big player in innovative plastics and Eric Barnes- the founder and CEO of Kor have put together (at great expense) a bottle that is creating a new market for water and hydration accessories.
The good and the bad...
First of all, this is a magnificent piece of engineering. Secondly, just because we started with good news doesn't mean you should be waiting for the other foot to fall. Sure, we don't like a few things: You can't fit it into a cupholder. It is big enough to carry water for a large part of the day, which is to say: it's pretty big. It cannot be recycled through conventional channels (the number system)- but the plastic is recyclable and the company will take it back when you are done with it. It really does solve the very big trash problem that we mentioned above, as long as you take it seriously and slightly modify a few behaviors- like avoiding buying disposable water bottles on a whim. Finally, it's super gorgeous- like hot.
We received a pre-production model while attending their most recent presentation and were impressed with the changes that had transpired since we last saw it. The latch has been improved, the color has changed from silver to white and they still haven't put an "i" at the beginning of the name- good on them. Apparently some of the parts have been adjusted so they are easier to assemble and last longer- couldn't get the full story on that with time limits.
How is living with the bottle? The mouth is great for pouring and drinking from on the move, the handle is easy to grip for carry, and you can put it in the dishwasher- wow!. It is slightly big for our tastes, though, and you need to be creative when putting it down in the car.
This is going to be amazing for some people and ridiculous for a small group of naysayers. It's about $30 and you can get on the list here.
Related Links:
© 2009 Apartment Therapy
yeah, i can't justify spending $30 on a bottle to hold water. thanks. anyway.
view hipersons's profile
The Sigg bottles are about $30 and I have one of those despite being a tightwad.
I like that it doesn't fit into a car's cupholder, probably because I'm ornery. I loathe the look of coffee mugs, etc., that are built for the car lifestyle, and I find that they generally don't fit the bussing or biking or walking lifestyles well.
That said, my Sigg bottle fits my personal aesthetic better (though I think Kor One's vessel is lovely) and I don't need another waterbottle anyhow.
view happify's profile
Have you ever been embarrased by undoing the velcro of your laptop bag in a quite meeting before, or had to scramble to keep your vibrating cell phone from shaking everyone's coffee cup on your conference table, then the squeak of this lid would probably make you regret buying it in the first place. I have no idea if it is just our bottle or everyones, but we got it for free at some meeting as well, and it is loud. The plastics do look very beautiful, and I might source them in future projects. Kudos's Eastman lab. I am sure they could have done this with living hinges, instead of metal springs. Three elastomer pieces, and springs seam a little unnecessary in a water bottle redesign.
It displays Eastman's plastics pretty well, too bad RKS couldn't receive the same mention.
view whell's profile
Everyone,
The samples we gave out at the Eastman / IDSA event, came with the explanation, at the time, that they were pre-prodution samples and in the final debugging stages.
The squeak, as occurs with plastic hinges is something that was known and was being debugged, as is typically needed.
Most everyone I know was happy to receive a preview sample, understanding that it was a work in process.
Sorry if that message didn't get through.
Please enjoy the gift.
Ravi Sawhney / RKS
view ravi sawhney's profile
If $30 seems expensive, you could always participate in the 1GreenProduct.com KOR ONE Sweepstakes (ends February 4th) in hopes of winning one :)
http://www.1greenproduct.com/2009/01/drink-outdoor-kor-one-hydration-vessel.html
If the question is whether to buy bottled water at the store or fill a KOR ONE with water from your sink, you'll quickly make back your $30 investment.
And while less durable bottles might be cheaper, you might also have to factor in replacement costs.
The comment about cupholders is a good one though. I don't think KOR ONE is well-suited for that.
- Aaron Dalton, Editor, 1GreenProduct.com
http://www.1greenproduct.com/2009/01/drink-outdoor-kor-one-hydration-vessel.html
view 1greenproduct's profile