The Flexr bottle is different from other types of sports water bottles in that it is a reusable bottle with a disposable, biodegradable liner. I have to say that I like the concept of the liner. It's certainly healthier for you than re-filling a typical water bottle but there are some drawbacks.
The biggest drawback is that you need to replace the filters. I know that this product was designed by athletes but if the athletes were anything like me, they don't want to spend money on more filters. A 25 pack is $2.95. I'd have to purchase one 25 pack per month based on my activity. The company does give you an option to use the bottle without filters if you want but you need to plug a little hole in the side of the water bottle to do that.
The reason this hole is on the bottle is so it releases air as you squeeze the bottle to get water since the liner is inside. While it didn't leak with the plug, I wonder how long it would actually last that way given it's not really a permanent solution?
Unfortunately, the biggest reason why I would not use this on a regular basis is that I run with my water bottle. I ran with it to test it but there's no handle included to attach it to your hand. Well, there is a handle but you need to purchase that separately if you want it. For what I received, which was just the bottle, there's no way you could run with this for an kind of distance. I used it up to 5 miles and I couldn't see grabbing this too often to run without having the additional handle the company sells. Of course, I'm sure the handle makes it much more comfortable to use.
While this is something that is geared toward athletes including bikers and runners, if indeed this was something for runners, why wouldn't there be a handle to use it that comes with it? It just seems to make more sense to have an option combining the bottle and the handle geared towards runners rather than offering it for purchase separately. You can see below a pictures of the bottle with the optional carrying handle.
The bottle alone would be good for things at the gym. It's best use would be somewhere that you can put it down and don't need to hold it for your activity. Perhaps when lifting weights, doing yoga, crossfit or running on a treadmill that has a place to set a bottle onto it.
Unfortunately for me, without a handle, I could not recommend this for anyone that runs outside plus I'm not sure I really want to have something where I need to purchase liners monthly going forward. I'd rather spend my money on race registrations and just wash my water bottle out.
Interested in learning more?
Go to Flexrsports website
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Go to Flexrsports Twitter page
Have a great day and....Keep Running!!!!
Note: I received a free Flexr Sports bottle in exchange for this review. All Opinions are my own and I was not required to give a particular opinion on the product.
I think you're right, a handle would be a must. That is an interesting design though.
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