Don't Fill and Go with the Brita Fill-and-Go Bottle
Written: Apr 03 '03
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Product Rating:
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Pros: slightly better than tap water
Cons: so-so water, bad design, expensive, difficult to fill, stops working before the bottle is empty
The Bottom Line: Whoever designed this bottle should be shot.
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| quasar's Full Review: Brita Fill & Go Water Filtration Bottle |
I seem to have the worst luck when it comes to finding water filtering systems I like. Although I like the water it makes, my Brita Grand Pitcher is an awkward size and has a large spout that makes it difficult to pour water into small bottles for travel.
I thought the Brita Fill-and-Go bottle might solve my problems, but it was so expensive ($9) that I really hesitated to buy it. Then I saw it on sale for $6.99 and decided to give it a try.
I'm sorry I did.
The water it produces doesn't taste nearly as crisp and fresh as the water from the larger Brita filter and pitcher. It's nominally better than tap water straight up but not nearly as good as bottled water, while the larger pitcher produces water on par with the bottled stuff.
The bottle also has several design flaws that make it difficult to use. It's made of a thick white plastic that can be difficult to squeeze and yet water flow is only achieved by successful squeezing. The bottle can be a real workout for your hands. The white plastic also makes it difficult to tell when the bottle is filled; I have yet to fill the bottle without having the water overflow. I always fill the bottle over a sink with plenty of paper towels readily available for cleanup but if you were to fill it from a water fountain I suspect you'd make a pretty decent mess.
The bottle uses a smaller version of the filters used in the Brita pitchers. The lid of the bottle is actually two pieces - a center piece with the sports top and a flat round lid that fits around the center piece and screws onto the bottle proper. The filter is a long cylinder secured into the central piece when you screw on the rest of the lid. I've had some problems with the inner piece partially unscrewing during the course of normal usage causing water to come cascading out through the cracks between pieces. Each time that's happened I've ended up with a nice shower and a small puddle - not my idea of fun.
The nice part about this filtering setup as opposed to the pitcher system is that the water is available immediately. It gets filtered as you drink rather than needing to be pre-filtered. With the pitchers it's very difficult to pour a drink until you've finished filtering the water you add. With the Fill-and-Go bottle you can, in effect, add water and go.
The actual slits for collecting water are near the bottom of the filter which also causes some problems. It means that the water level must reach the bottom of the filter when the bottle is tilted for drinking. When the bottle is only about 1/3 full it basically stops working because the water no longer reaches the slits.
The bottle ostensibly holds 24 ounces, but as I just mentioned you're not going to be able to get 24 ounces of water from a single fill. It's both wider and taller than the disposable 24 and 25 ounce water bottles I've used - it doesn't always fit into storage places that those bottles do fit. For instance, it just barely fits into the bag I take with me to the library when that bag isn't very full and doesn't fit when that bag is filled with books. The other bottles I've used fit regardless of how many books I've placed in the bag.
I have a few other quibbles with the Fill-and-Go. The bottle is contoured for easy handling, but I find the contours don't fit my hand that well and I sometimes have trouble getting traction on the bottle. If I begin with refrigerated water, the outside of the bottle stays cold a lot longer than the water inside which is both irritating and disconcerting. It might come in handy when it's 100 degrees out, though, and I want something cool to place on my forehead.
As you can see, I find there's very little to recommend about the Brita Fill-and-Go water bottle. The water doesn't taste that great, it's big and bulky, it's hard to fill without spilling water, and it's hard to get the water out of the bottle. A portable water filter bottle is a great idea, but this bottle is not a good product. Look elsewhere for your water needs.
Recommended:
No
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