17 January, 2012

No Paint or Plastic



The Reflect - polished (left) and brushed (right)

We've got these new bottles in from Klean Kanteen: the Reflect. We thought they'd be neat to try out, so we got just a couple to see how you guys like them.

You can get them here.

These remind me a lot more of the original Klean Kanteen (remember the stainless top?) they're a neat alternative to the newer ones with plastic tops and sippy mouths and all different colors.
New cap!

The new cap also has a bamboo top. The loop on the top swivels around so it gets out of the way when you don't need it.

We think you'll really like the high-polish version as well. Looks good on a bike!

13 comments:

Garth said...

I know it's not up to you--you're charging less than their own website on both this and the other Kanteen models--but it is idiotic that a bamboo cap on the lid is doubling the price of a steel water bottle. Bleah to marketing tricks, even if they are very elegant.

Velouria said...

Oh you're killing me, I love this thing!

Anonymous said...

I like the lid. past lids that I got from VO fell apart pretty quickly. The plastic separates from the metal threads. You just have to glue it back on, so its no big deal, but gives you the feeling that QC is not up to snuff. I welcome the new lids!

Gunnar Berg said...

$32? Plastic rules.

VeloOrange said...

Garth:

they are a bit pricey compared to some of the other models, but you are getting more than the bamboo (I think) - both models have a nicer finish than the normal unpainted bottles - the extra finishing, brushing, and brushing costs a couple dollars, I suspect.

There's also more metal in the tops than the other ones - all the important bits are metal, not just the threads (or nothing in the case of the current loop top.

Most companies also don't try to gouge their dealers - if we're paying what we're paying for them, that usually means they're expensive to make.

Anyway, this is why we're just trying them out - I think we're worried about the same things. If you guys think they're worth it, we'll keep them around. If not, then we've all learned a bit about what kind of water bottles people like.

Dominic Dougherty said...

I bought one of these exact bottles from NAU and while I thought it was rad, the metal loop on the cap makes a racket banging against the bottle while riding. Nothing that a few wraps of electrical tape didn't fix, but for as much as these bottles cost, I shouldn't have to do that.

TSVDP said...

OT: Can't help but mention that the cover of the current Bicycling Times has a guy on the cover, to me it would look like your founder.b

TSVDP said...

p.s. The bicycling times issue of which I speak of is the "lights" issue.

TSVDP said...

Speaking of bamboo, those bamboo fenders off of French ebay made in Vietnam might look nice to some, something to consider.

Garter Dinty said...

Can we buy just the lid if we like the no-plasic but don't care about the brushing and truffle-oil finish?

VeloOrange said...

The tops are not available to us separately so we can't sell them separately. Sorry.

The loop should be "springy" and not rattle, except over big bumps. Dominic, you may want to exchange yours.

Anonymous said...

Why don't you import the thermo bottles made in China? I bought one in Japan and I love it. It stays cold in summer and it doesn't have condensation.

Anonymous said...

I have 2 of these. Try not to drop them. If you do, they will dent horribly and make you angry for spending so much money on them. Stick with plastic.