Avex - Brazos AUTOSEAL Stainless Water Bottle Test Series By Bob Dorenfeld Initial Report    June 10, 2014 Long Term Report   October 21, 2014 Tester Bio Name: Bob Dorenfeld 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. Email: geartest(at)sageandspruce(dot)net Age: 56 Location: Salida, Colorado, USA Gender: M Height: 5' 6" (1.68 m) Weight: 140 lb (64 kg) 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   Photo:  Avex 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". - Initial Report - 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.         - Long Term Report - 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. Reviewed By Bob Dorenfeld Southern Colorado Mountains