Water is crucial to all forms of life, however, plastic water bottles are clogging our oceans and landfills, as well as poisoning our air. Purchasing a reusable water bottle will help save the environment, so you might as well get one that’s reliable and trendy. As of right now, it seems the popular brands are Owala and Stanley.
Both Owala and Stanley have a variety of qualities that help them stand out from your typical water bottle. Owala’s are spill-proof, have a “sip top” and a “chug top” and come in many different sizes, shapes, and colors. Stanley’s have convenient handles, fit-in cup holders, and also are sold in a plethora of styles.
According to their website, the Owala company was inspired by the fact; that 3 out of 4 people suffer from chronic dehydration. They assessed their competitors and figured most other manufacturers create water bottles that are either overkill or underwhelming. Their mission was to construct a water bottle that had all the factors you need, with no unnecessary extra features or bulk.
With that goal in mind, they invented the FreeSip. The FreeSip is the first and most popular Owala style. It’s made of stainless steel and comes in 24oz, 32oz, or 40oz. It offers triple-layer insulation which keeps your drink cold for up to 24 hours. The website displays 22,261 reviews, with a 4.5-star average.
“I love the different sip-tops, and the colors are really cute too,” said Triton junior Sophie Stanley.
Sophie Stanley has used both Stanley and Owala bottles and appreciates the pros of them both. However, when it comes to choosing a bottle for her daily use, she leans towards Owala due to its reliable seal. While the straw on the Stanley is appealing, it is impossible to prevent any inevitable spills throughout the school day. Triton Junior Devyn Alantzas agrees with Sophie’s Reasoning.
“At dance, whenever someone falls or jumps or anything, all the Stanleys will tip over and spill everywhere, it’s really annoying,” said Alantzas.
On that note, Alantzas recently made the switch to Owala, but she misses the handle on the Stanley and the fact they could easily fit into any cup holders.
Invented by William Stanley Jr, the “Stanley Cup” has become a staple in many households. Their goal is to allow humans to maintain their health with water, and the Earth’s health with a less-disposable world. Beyond that, Stanley is committed to sustainable practices, ensuring their carbon footprint is minimal while manufacturing and packaging their products.
Stanley offers over 30 different colors, styles, prints, and materials, as opposed to Owalas’s 3 styles and 11 colors. Their most popular model is the Quencher: 40 oz Tumbler. At $45 it’ll keep your drink cold for 11 hours, has double-wall vacuum insulation, and weighs at 2.05 lbs. This cup has received 7146 reviews, with a 4-star average. A common complaint is the weight, since most people carry it around all day to prevent it from spilling.
Taking everything into account, it is easy to conclude that each brand has a lot to offer, and also has its faults. Both Owala and Stanley sell other models that have solved the issues of the popular complaints. However, it’s human nature to continue to follow the trends and seek out the aesthetic look that the two basic styles offer. So, despite their efforts to fix the issues in their products, people still commonly complain about and praise the typical designs. Whether one is better than the other is a personal preference, since they seem to have equal amounts of pros and cons.
