I want to answer a question that has been coming up more and more lately related to our stainless steel water bottles post: Glass Water Bottles. People like to buy glass water bottles because they aren’t made in China, are BPA free, and don’t result in a metallic taste. I personally haven’t had a chance to try all the glass water bottles out there, so instead I’ve compiled from other reviews and resources to put together this post about glass water bottles.
Best Glass Water Bottles
The best glass water bottle is the Lifefactory 22 ounce bottle according to Amazon.com reviewers. The Lifefactory 22 ounce glass water bottle has several unique features – notably it has a 100% silicone case. This makes it harder to break this bottle. It has a wide mouth so you can easily clean, add ice, and drink from it. Plus, because of the silicone grip if there’s condensation on the bottle it won’t be slippery. And it’s dishwasher safe (even the silicone sleeve). This bottle has the best reviews on Amazon. (Also note that they make a glass baby bottle.) These bottles are made in France with the Silicone sleeves made in the United States. You can buy the bottle here for less than $22.
UPDATE: CamelBak has come out with a glass version of their popular Eddy glass water bottle, which you can buy for $25. The CamelBak glass Eddy is a great bottle. (Read our review of it.)
Other glass water bottles
The Takeya glass water bottle comes in sizes 16 ounces and 25 ounces and features a silicone sleeve. They also have a wide mouth. Takeya glass bottles are made in Japan.
For the best deal buy 6 Aquasana 18-ounce bottles for under $30. These bottles also have wide mouths but they don’t come with silicone sleeves. You can, however buy a 6 pack of colorful silicone sleeves designed just for these bottles ($30 on Amazon). These bottles are a little smaller than some, holding 18 ounces of water.
Bormioli Rocco Giara Bottles are made in Italy (though there is some indication that some are made in the United States) and very reasonably price at under $12. They come in the largest size of the glass water bottles at 33 3/4 ounces and there are lots of pretty colors.
The Love Water Bottle allows you to write on your own bottle. However, these bottles are made in China.
Glass Water Bottles Made in the U.S.A
(…or at least not made in China)
Glass water bottles that are (mostly) made in America include Lifefactory and BottlesUp bottles. Because of production costs and requirements, it’s difficult to find a glass water bottle made in the USA completely. Lifefactory’s bottles are made in the USA, Poland, and France. Parts of BottlesUp glass water bottles are made in the USA; the other parts are all made in North and Central America. These (partially) American-made bottles are the only bottles I can find that are made in the US. Even though it’s tough to find a bottle made in the US, the glass bottles listed above, with the exception of Love Bottle, are not made in China.
Why Use a Glass Water Bottle
With a glass water bottle you know what you’re getting – a BPA free water bottle that’s durable and dishwasher safe. People tend to prefer glass bottles to stainless steel water bottles because they are made in countries other than China. Plus, if you don’t like the slight metallic taste that comes with some stainless bottles you’d likely want to try a glass bottle.
Downsides to Glass Water Bottles
The biggest problem with glass bottles is that they break more easily than stainless steel. The silicone cases are supposed to help, but because they break so easily a glass water bottle may not be the best choice for children.
What to Considering when You Buy Glass Water Bottles
- Size: The Sizes of water bottles made of glass vary – ranging from 22 ounces to 33 ounces. (Though there are also very large containers, see below.) Depending on your access to water during the course of the day you may want a larger bottle.
- Sling/Protection: The best bottles have a built-in protection. But depending on your lifestyle and use for the bottle you may be fine with no sling or protection.
- Where It’s Made and Manufactured: As previously mentioned, many people like glass water bottles because they aren’t made in China. If this is important to you consider the bottles that are manufactured in France, Italy, or the US.
- Use of the Bottle: Are you planning on using your glass water bottle for sports? Hiking? Sitting at your desk? Around your house? You may want a wide-mouth bottle if you are more active and will want a protective case if you expect the bottle might drop during your activities.
Large 3 Gallon Glass Water Bottle or 5 Gallon Glass Water Bottle
If you’re looking for a large glass water bottle, consider a 3 gallon ($39.99) or 5 gallon ($40) (sometimes called a glass carboy). These are great for storing water as well as more making homemade beer and wine.
Can You Just Reuse a Glass Water Bottle?
You can certainly choose to reuse a glass water bottle from another container. Or you can buy a 12 pack of Voss Water which is packaged in 27 ounces glass bottles and just reuse those bottles.
Have you purchased a glass water bottle? If so what did you think?
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Hi there
Reading your article I think you might be interested in NOTHING!!!
The inert qualities of glass means nothing toxic leaches from glass into the products inside. There is nothing needed on the inside of the glass bottle (like a plastic lining) to protect food and drinks. NOTHING’s going in or coming out of glass. Cheers Adeline
@ Adeline – The NOTHING glass site is really cool. Do you have anything set up for the United States?
Hi there!
Just wanted to drop you a line about Rivé’s BPA-free glass water bottles. These bottles are earth-friendly, safe, and beautiful!
http://riveusa.com/
Thanks for raising awareness about the benefits of glass.
–Natasha
Specialized just came out with the Purist bottle. It has a microlayer of silicon dioxide (SIO2). This gives you the benifits of drinking from a glasss and the durrability of a plastic bottle.
Something to check out. BPA Free LDPE #4 Plastic, so no harmfull chemicals.
-Louie
mmm… I have to admit I still feel uncomfortable with glass bottles, and especially giving it to the clumsy hands of kids. I found these incredibly cute BFA-free bottles (600 ml so they’re not too heavy) The drawings are nature inspired and the ink used is lead-free.
http://www.stylishnomad.com/green-travel/stainless-steel-bottles.html
@ Louie – thanks for the tip about the lead free bottle
Just curious, what’s with the China hate?
Unless you havent noticed, China is the land of poisonous products
@Geoff – A lot of people are concerned about manufacturing practices in China so they prefer not to buy products made in China.
“Tap water” glass bottles are super strong. They are made out of a Pyrex type glass that is safe for cooking and is extra strong. They have been dropped from a table height both full and empty onto concrete and ceramic tile and onto sidewalks from stading hight and have not broken. Plus they are really sylish and fun with the cheeky messages they have. I alwasy have a big on in my fridge at home and the mid size one on my desk in my office.
@ Rob Thanks for your thoughts about glass water bottles.
Can i use any glass water bottle such as an arizona ice tea glass? it says 25 on the bottom and made in the USA. i am a very green person i live a green and energy efficiant life style. i recently stopped using stainless steal becasue the tast of the water was not pleasent and i was getting bad colds and throte infections becasue of them (they can hold bactieria in the lids). now i just glass and they keep the water fresh and tasing good- arizona ice tea bottles have been the best they are thick and i can drop them off a desk and they will survive (only tired once lol ) Thanks so much for all your information- Keep Smilng and Stay Green !
Desiree Gatin
@ Desiree – It should be no problem to reuse that glass water bottle. Just make sure you clean it (especially the cap) thoroughly to keep it free from bacteria.
Just ordered from this company. Made is US by an artist. Beautiful!
bottlesupglass.com/
Kim, do you like the bottles? How are the caps?
Thank you for your recommendation.
And, thank you for your site, Elizabeth.
Gayle
Whoops! Just checked their price. $34 plus shipping is too pricey for me.
Thanks, anyway.
Gayle
Well, $34 for a glass bottle isn’t cheap, but it will actually save you hundreds in the cost of bottled water (not to mention health care costs). And shipping on Amazon is free
@ Kim, Thanks for the suggestion.
Although I usually prefer more stable, less breakable water bottles, this one above is looking indeed very, very stylish.
This is a great looking water bottle above. I love the case that wraps around it.
Yeah, I agree. The water bottle is cute and presentable..
I think I would much prefer using glass. So much cleaner than plastic. Great idea! J
I’ve started storing my water in glass containters as opposed to plastic. It sounds silly but I don’t think it’s healthy to be drinking out of all those plastic bottles that can be exposed to very warm temperatures in transit and possibly get stuff in your water that should not be there. Plus using glass is just more environmentally friendly.
verry good nice articel
verry nice the articel. thanks
Thank you for sharing this article, Glass Water Bottles is very healty
Just thought I’d let anyone (including the author of this article) who might be interested in purchasing the Aquasana bottles, that I just received my set of 6 today and on the bottoms of them was a small gold sticker that said “made in china”. I wish I would have known, as I was hoping to go healthier by switching to glass bottles. Now I’m not sure if I’m helping or hurting my health by switching to these bottles. Sadly, you really can’t trust what you see, read or hear since there is so much conflicting (and cover up) information out there. But china has been known to poison our food, our jewelry, our building materials, so why not our glass?? I’m heading over to Amazon right now to leave a review to at least warn/inform others.
Cheri Thank you for posting. Sorry to hear that you were caught off guard by the China made Aquasana bottles. I was just about to order some myself until I cam across your message. I guess I am back to searching as the $30+ for a single bottle from bottles up seems rather steep, and the Rive bottles say they have a factory in China as well.
EVERYONE SHOULD USE BOTTLES UP GLASS BOTTLES!!!!
Glad to hear that you like glass water bottles so much Ramoo. What about them specifically do you like best?
They are dishwasher safe AND They are free of BPA, phthalates, PVC, polycarbonate, lead and latex. The glass is made in France, the silicone sleeves in the USA and the lids in Poland and the USA for a truly quality global product.
hi all
Am researching at the minute to develop a glass water bottle …is ther anything thats missing that one would like to see in a new innovative product such as a glass water bottle which provides clean drinking water for people throughout the day? what are peoples perceptions on drinking tap water?
any input would be extremley helpful
thanks
Hi Ami, I think that people who use water bottles don’t mind tap water. Personally, I don’ t love filters and they can get bulky.
Thank you! I’ve been looking everywhere for a US made water bottle. I’m so sick of all the “green-washing” from the other “eco” companies. They talk all about sustainability, preserving the environment, reducing the transport of water – but then their bottles are made in China where there are no environmental regulations. Also trying to find where the bottles are made is nearly impossible. Your research is very much appreciated by me! Thank you.
Finding a truly “green” water bottle can be a daunting task. Glad we could help, Rebecca!
Old but great post. I recently discovered the Takeya bottles at Whole Foods and Googled it and came across this. I was hoping they came in bigger sizes. I can down 16-24oz of water like nothing so I don’t think it’s worth it for me. I drink around a gallon of water every day and refilling bottles is kind of a pain. I’ve actually just used 64oz glass Ball Jars with a glass straw but these obviously aren’t that convenient.
I was looking at the 64oz Kleen Kanteens(stainless steel) but despite the USA manufacturer’s claims, I’m still concerned with it being “Made in China”