This item was NOT an Owala FreeSip Tritan water bottle! First of all, I ordered on 7/24 %26 chose to order here vs Amazon because it was said to arrive by 7/31 %26 Amazon would be much later. (My son has to have a water bottle that is clear, plastic %26 leak-proof for school that started on 8/1, so I chose the option with faster shipping so that he would have it for the first day of school.) I wasn't informed that it was delayed until 7/31 at 6pm. It didn't arrive until 8/6 -Nowhere close to the date I was originally anticipating!
****Actual Product Review****
The item I received was a knockoff that looks SIMILAR to an Owala, but did not have any branding or labels or stickers anywhere on the bottle. The bottle was also not the same color as the advertised picture -the picture shows a clear light gray bottle with "owala" printed vertically on the lower part of the bottle, gray straw, white band on the bottom of the lid/top with "owala" imprinted or "engraved" on it, dark gray above %26 white handle %26 button %26 light gray flip-top lid. The bottle that I received was a clear %26 colorless bottle with no brand markings %26 a white straw. The lid/top had a gray band around the bottom with no brand identification, with white above %26 a white flip-top lid %26 gray handle %26 button. The bottle arrived in a generic solid white box without any brand markings or identification. After some internet searching, I found the same bottles, like the one I received, being sold wholesale Alibaba.com without branding %26 with the exact coloring as the one I received. What I cannot understand is how this item could be advertised %26 sold as an Owala FreeSip Titan water bottle. I checked every detail of the description %26 information to ensure that I was indeed ordering a genuine Owala vs a knockoff. I know how often people can be duped into ordering an item that they believe to be genuine, but did not read the description where it was disclosed (although, it is usually via choice words to also make it easy to miss without paying close attention.) I did not find anything that would give me the impression that I would receive a look-alike item. The reviews even led me to believe that I would be receiving a genuine item because some reviewers had pictures of the genuine items that they received. I am very disappointed %26 annoyed that I am having to waste my time with all of this! Attached is an image I found online bc I forgot to get a picture before shipping the return back, but it is EXACTLY like the bottle I received. Also including screenshots of the image I thought I was getting %26 emails showing order date %26 shipping notification %26 promised arrival.

I was extremely excited and intrigued by Owala bottles, but couldn’t justify shelling out $30 for a small water bottle when there wasn’t a colorway I loved. Then after months of debating, the DICK’s special colors came out and I loved the Spring Fling color, so I immediately hopped on it! I also bought my husband one in another color.

In comparison, my cap was significantly more difficult to close- it’s like the spring in the cap was stiff and fought against the push of the cap. But it was still functional and I didn’t think it was so bad… until one day after only a month, when I pressed the button to open the lid, the spring somehow jumped ejected and the open button also flew off.

When I tried to utilize the limited warranty, my claim was estimated to be replied to in 1-3 weeks. My claim wasn’t reviewed until I checked in myself 4 weeks later, only to be given a gift card to purchase a new lid from the website. All of the lids were sold out except the completely white and completely black color. I joined the restock waitlist for a few different colors, but there wasn’t even an option to get a replacement for my specific colorway, which completely defeats the purpose of me getting a bottle in the first place.

TLDR; getting the bottle was a disappointment from start to finish. Lid came slightly dysfunctional and broke within a month or so of use, had to wait another month for claim to be acknowledged, and had to wait even longer just to get a cap that had some kind of color that doesn’t even match my originally desired color way.

A solution for the warranty process would be to send the exact replacement of the broken item instead of making us purchase a replacement of the broken part.

I would not recommend this product to anyone and am disappointed in the warranty process.

I ordered this product brand new. I washed it thoroughly when I received it and was excited to give it a try, and I noticed that it had a bad smell, and the water had a bad taste. I was able to identify the source of the smell, it was the gasket. As it was a brand new product, I contacted Owala customer service to ask if they would replace the gasket. They gave me the absolute runaround for weeks. They made me explain my situation and send pictures in five separate emails. The same exact thing I had been explaining from the very first email. As for a gasket replacement, they told me to just use the cup for a while and see if it goes away. And even though I I had already explained in the emails that I tried thoroughly cleaning every inch of the cup, but the smell was still there. Or I can purchase a new gasket at their website and they’ll waive the shipping. So they want me to purchase things for the cup that is brand new that I shouldn’t need to purchase anything for.

This was their response
“Thank you for sharing your experience. Identifying the root cause of a bad smell can be difficult as we have to account for individual sensitivities along with smells we'd expect to be present in a bottle. I apologize if our cleaning instructions failed to provide the desired resolution and I would be happy to offer additional guidance. Our bottles are made of 18/8 grade stainless steel and BPA-free plastics and we do not coat any of our materials in any way. The smell of metal or plastic may be present in your bottle or even amplified based on its use. We do not offer replacements for these issues; however, we have thoroughly tested our cleaning instructions and, when applied regularly, found that they will help diminish bad smells.

Please try the following:
- Scrub and rinse off all components with warm, soapy water.
- Submerged the smelly components in a white distilled vinegar bath for up to 24 hrs.
- After the vinegar bath, scrub and rinse thoroughly with clean water and set aside to dry completely.

Repeat these steps as needed for the next few weeks or until you notice the smell diminish. If the smell continues to present issues, I would be happy to provide a free shipping code you may use toward the purchase of a replacement gasket or new product. Please stay in touch and let me know if you need additional assistance.”

Needless to say, I returned the cup. I won’t be trying anymore of their products. I will instead try another brand.

I love the Owala Free Sip stainless steel bottle. I own 4 of them (they have so many colorful combinations), my son has 2, my daughter has one as well. I’m a nurse and have recommended it to all of my coworkers and new moms. Most of my coworkers have bought one because of how highly I speak of this water bottle. I also gift it to all my expecting mom friends. My #1 most favorite thing about it is that you can carry it, open, drink and close it with one hand. Just flip the handle lock, press the button to open the top, sip, and close all with one hand. Definitely useful when you’re breastfeeding, holding a baby, or busy at work. You don’t even have to lift the bottle, you can set it on the table and sip it while you’re typing away since there is a straw. You’re choice lift it up and tilt or set it down and sip, your choice. The last thing I love is that the drink spout is not exposed, you don’t need an additional straw top to cover the straw/spout it’s protected and safe when you close it. It’s also super easy to clean, my whole hand fits in the tumbler so I don’t need a bottle brush (but I do have one for when I want a real super soapy clean. You have to try this bottle, I have a 24oz, 32oz, and 40oz bottle. The 40oz is my favorite since it really helps me stick to my water goal of 80oz per day.