Tester
Bio |
Name: |
Bob Dorenfeld
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I'm an active
hiker, snowshoer, skier, and
backpacker. Home base is the Southern
Colorado Rockies, where I'll hike from
7000 ft (2100 m) to alpine tundra, with
desert trips at lower altitudes. Six to
12 miles (10 to 20 km) daily is my norm,
with elevation gains up to 4000 ft (1200
m). Many of my backpack trips are two
or three nights, other trips are longer,
and I usually carry about 30 lb (14
kg). My style is lightweight but not
obsessively so - extras like binoculars,
camera, and notebook make my trips more
enjoyable.
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Email: |
geartest(at)sageandspruce(dot)net
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Age: |
56
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Location: |
Salida, Colorado, USA
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Gender: |
M
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Height: |
5' 6" (1.68 m) |
Weight: |
140 lb (64 kg) |
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Product Overview
Manufacturer:
Avex Website:
www.avexsport.com MSRP: US$29.99
Stated Volume: 24 fl oz
(0.71 L) Measured Width x Height:
2.75 in (2.75 cm) x 11.0 in (28.0 cm)
Body Material:
Stainless steel Cold
Insulation: Up to 20 hours
Carrying Clip: Yes
Color: Silver
body, gray lid, blue cap and carry clip
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Photo: Avex
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The Brazos vacuum-insulated stainless
steel water bottle appears to be a
sturdy container for keeping liquids
cold. Its narrow body is designed
to fit most car-cup holders, and it's tapered
about two-thirds up from the bottom to make a nice
hand-hold. The BPA-free plastic
lid, which screws off in only one turn,
is designed with Avex's patented
"one-touch AUTOSEAL" design that opens
the spout for drinking or pouring via a
horizontal tensioned slide operated
by one finger. A flip lid swings
down to lock the spout shut when not in
use and to protect against dirt. The
swinging and detachable clip handle
provides a way to attach the bottle to a
pack or other item. Avex says that
the Brazos lid is dishwasher safe, but
that the body is not (hand wash only). The bottom of the
bottle does not have a non-slip surface,
but is the same metal surface as the
body. I weighed the bottle at 12
oz (340 g) empty, and 2 lb 2 oz (964 g)
filled with water. Inside the
bottle and on a removable paper wrapped
around the bottle are instructions about
how to use and care for the Brazos.
Also stamped on the bottom are
two reminders: "Top Rack Dishwasher Safe Lid"
and "Do Not Microwave".
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First Impressions
This is a
comfortable water bottle to hold and pick up,
even when filled all the way with liquid up to
the threads, the recommended level, and the
actual filled water matches what Avex states. I
found the lid easy to screw on and off, in just
about one complete turn, and it engages snugly
so I know it's on tight. I couldn't get
any water to leak out of the lid or the closed
and capped spout when turned upside down, or
even by swinging the bottle from the bottom.
I like the one-handed operation of the spout,
which works by pressing my index finger against
the button (labeled "Press Here To Drink") on
the back of lid, opening the approximately 1/8 x
1/2 in (0.3 x 1.3 cm) spout. Enough water
came out to satisfy my thirst, and didn't
dribble either. The protective spout
flip-cover is easy to operate, especially when
using my thumbnail to open, and seems like it'll
keep the spout clean. The swinging clip
handle is also easy to flip out of the way, and
it detaches quite nicely by pushing against the
studs holding it on to the lid, then pulling the
handle ends away from the lid. This
feature might be useful for attaching the bottle
to a pack clip, webbing, or other attachment
that doesn't open. As far as standing
securely on a level surface - no problem, the
Brazos was stable and not tippy when empty,
half-full, or full.
I ran one informal test to check Avex's claim
that this bottle keeps liquids cold for "up to
20 hours". Filling the bottle with 24 fl
oz (0.71 L) of 40 F (4 C) water, I let it sit on
my kitchen counter overnight at room
temperature. At the 20-hour mark, I found
the water to be at about 60 F (15 C), which
still makes for a cool drink, if not cold.
There are of course all different ways to vary
this test, and I expect that if I start with ice
water it'll be colder at the end of the test
period. Air temperature will also be a
factor in how quickly the stored liquid warms
up, as will how long
the liquid is stored before used.
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It's been about four months since I started
using the Avex Brazos bottle. In that time
I've carried it on four day hikes lasting from
two to eight hours each. They accompanied
me and a friend on three car-camping trips,
and I carried them to a couple of concerts and
picnics. Across all of these trips I had
outdoor temperatures ranging from 45-85 F (7-29 C).
Usability
I found the Brazos water bottle easy to use.
There's a nice inward taper in the cylinder
about two-thirds up from the bottom that fits my
hand well and makes the bottle easy to hold.
The lid unscrews without grabbing on the
threads, and it takes two twists of my hand
(about two complete revolutions) to take it off
or put it on. I never had any water spill
as long as the lid was tight or the sip-opening
wasn't accidently pressed open. In
addition, the sip-opening lock mechanism
("one-touch AUTOSEAL") did its job to keep
bottle contents from spilling; it was easy to
use, and I would say, well-designed. I
used the water bottle by sipping from the lid
and directly without the lid - both were
comfortable. Of course using the
sip-opening made it less likely for me to spill
the water while drinking.
I found that
cleaning the Brazos was not a problem, as I just
rinsed it out as needed with dish soap and a
bottle brush if necessary, setting the bottle
and lid on the counter to dry. The lid also
came out of the dishwasher on two separate
occasions with no ill effects.
Unfortunately there is no anti-skid surface on
the bottom of the Brazos, so when outdoors I was
a bit more careful about where I set it down
(for example, if on a rock it had to be fairly
level to keep it from sliding off). The
bottle is quite tall, and when less than
half-empty it had a tendency to tip if I wasn't
careful about where I set it.
Cold Retention
I observed that cold liquids (water, either
plain or flavored) stayed very cold in the
Brazos, confirming my initial informal test of
this feature (see above in Initial Review).
Sometimes, in fact, the ice water was too
cold and I so I left the lid off for a
while to warm it up before drinking.
Wear and Tear
My Brazos water bottle has gotten some small nicks
and scratches on its brushed stainless exterior,
and some slight wear on the plastic top - all
due to normal use from being in a daypack, in
the car, or out on the grass or rocks at a
picnic or lunch site during a hike. As far
as I can tell the bottle and its lid haven't been
affected at all by this wear and tear and works
just like new.
Summary
A good product overall - the Brazos water bottle
is easy to hold, and the lid operates without
much fuss. I like the sip-opening lock to
keep it from accidently spilling, and the "press
here" button on the front of the lid is
intuitive. The swing handle could have been useful for
attaching to a strap if I had needed to, but I
liked it more for carrying the bottle while
walking short distances.
Pros
- easy to hold and drink from -
cleaning is not hard - stored water
remains cold for at least as long as Avex claims
(20 hours)
Cons - bottle bottom lacks a
non-skid surface
Acknowledgments
Thanks to
Avex and to BackpackGearTest.org for the
opportunity to test the
Brazos Stainless Water Bottle.
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Reviewed By
Bob Dorenfeld Southern
Colorado Mountains
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