EcoVessel Filtration Water Bottle Review

Editor’s Note: Please note EcoVessel has since changed their product design since our review. Here is the updated version of this product.

I like to believe the best about humanity, but when it comes to water fountains, I don’t take chances.

That’s where the Eco Vessel Ultra Lite Water Filtration Bottle comes in, for the germaphobes, adventurers and everyone in between. While the Eco Vessel does not filter out all waterborne bacteria and viruses, it does a good job at removing chlorine and other unpleasant tastes and odors as I’ve noticed while testing it out.

Read more: Thermos Stainless King Review

This bottle from Eco Vessel is like a normal reusable water bottle – but a lot better than those reusable water bottles you get for free at random events with companies’ logo slapped on them. First of all, it has a water filter. And it’s pretty durable. Here are my unfiltered thoughts on the bottle:

Pros:

• Includes a filter good for 100 gallons or about 550 refills
• Can be used without a filter, extra straw included
• Lightweight yet large capacity, 25 fl. oz.
• Easy to clean
• Spill proof
• Made in the USA
• The filter has an antimicrobial treatment making it unnecessary to clean the filter
• No BPA, No BPS, No phthalates (in other words it’s non toxic)
• Dishwasher safe (just the bottle, not the filter)

I’d have to admit, my testing process for this water bottle has been far from extreme. I’ve used it as a normal person would, taking it to the gym 3 times per week, taking it with me to the car dealership and on the train.

The main thing that I like about this bottle is that it has a filter. The filter is made of “coconut shell carbon” and does a pretty good job at getting rid of bad tastes from tap water. I’ll go into more detail about the filter in the ‘Cons’ section.

If you don’t feel like using the filter, you can easily switch it out for a normal straw and ta-da you have a normal water bottle.

Even without the filter, this Eco Vessel bottle is not like that dumb free water bottle – it’s solid, durable and actually something worth spending moolah on. The Eco Vessel has a large capacity and features a silicone flip top spout. The bottle is also completely waterproof and I’ve tossed it into my backpack upside down without it ever leaking.

Read more: 10 Gifts Under $10 for Travelers

How to Set the Filter Up:

Prior to using the bottle, I wasn’t sure if I needed to rinse the filter out, so here’s some information of what you should do when you first receive your Eco Vessel bottle, directly quoted from a representative:

The filter has a carbon layer. The first gallon that cycles through the filter will have a gray color as it washes through some excess carbon. It’s safe to drink, but most people don’t do to its complexion. What you want to do is push a gallon of water through before drinking and the gray color will go away.

I didn’t flush my filter out to begin with, however I didn’t notice any grey coloration and the taste was completely normal.

One thing which you may want to know about the filter is that it displaces 2 oz of water, meaning the water capacity of the bottle is 23 oz with the filter, not a huge difference.

Cons:

• Hard to suck the water out
• Water filter does not protect users from bacteria, viruses or germs
• Personal preference – I don’t really like the straw

While drinking from the Eco Vessel bottle with the filter, you need enough force to first suck the water up the straw against gravity, then use enough suction to pull the water through the carbon filter in order to get the water into your mouth. It takes quite a bit of effort.

There could possibly be an easier way if Eco Vessel tweaked the design, building the filter into the bottle cap, getting rid of the straw, then making unfiltered water able to flow through the filter and through the spout in the bottle cap via gravity when tilting the bottle upside down.

One thing that I was quite disappointed about with the Eco Vessel filter was it doesn’t protect users from bacteria, viruses or germs. This is some information taken directly from the Eco Vessel bottle product description:

WARNING: THE FILTER DOES NOT PROTECT USERS AGAINST FOOD BORNE OR DISEASE CAUSING BACTERIA, VIRUSES, GERMS OR OTHER DISEASE CAUSING BACTERIA.

If traveling outside of the U.S. or for the highest level of protection, we strongly advise consulting a travel expert before using filter. It may be necessary to use supplementary purification tablets or water treatment drops for the region where you are traveling.

This means you will NOT be able to scoop up some murky water from a puddle in Indonesia, drink the water through the filter and expect to survive. 🙁 However, the filter removes over 99.9% of Giardia and Cryptosporidium, which are parasites which cause waterborne illnesses.

As a side note, I got really sick (think fever, stomach virus and a cold at the same time) when visiting Jakarta, Indonesia after drinking a milkshake. I was sick for a couple of days, threw up and was pretty much useless for that time period. Note to self: don’t drink milkshakes in Indonesia. It was tasty though.

So if the filter doesn’t filter bacteria, viruses and germs, what does it filter?

• Bad tastes
• Parasites
• Bad odors
• Chlorine

This filter would probably protect you from your hose water (which contains heavy metals and plasticizers) and probably not from germ infested murky puddles.

Good tastes are nice, but I’d still like a bit more protection from germs. I get the feeling that having no germ or bacteria filtration kind of defeats the purpose of having a filter, especially for a traveler expecting to come across dodgy water. Aparently the LifeStraw, a straw shaped portable water filter is able to filter out all waterborne bacteria without the use of chemicals, although I have not tried it out.

I like to think of the Eco Vessel filter like that of a PUR Pitcher. They both remove some bad tastes but are quite obviously not for filtering water mixed with fecal matter – not that any filter is meant to.

The Verdict:

The Eco Vessel Ultra Lite Water Filtration Bottle is a well made water bottle with a few blips here and there. The extent to which the filter is able to filter out bacteria and other dirty stuff is a bit disappointing, however this is a good choice for those looking for a dependable bottle to bring to work or the gym. It doesn’t spill, has a good sized capacity and is completely non toxic.

You can find the Ultra Lite Water Filtration Bottle for 28.95 on EcoVessel.com and on Amazon.com. The price is decent considering it includes a filter that you could be using for a long time.

If plastic’s not your type and you’re looking for an insulated bottle, Eco Vessel also sells those, and they even sell insulated filtered bottles.

While you’re at it, you should read my Thermos Stainless King Review, which is a sturdy vacuum insulated food jar.

Where to Get It:

• You can find the Eco Vessel Filtration Bottle here on EcoVessel.com
• Also here on Amazon.com

What are your thoughts? Leave a comment below.

The Eco Vessel bottle was provided for this review. As always, this Eco Vessel Filtration Water Bottle review contains only my honest views and opinions. 🙂 Also, links to Amazon.com found in this review are affiliate links, meaning that we get a commission if you decide to make a purchase, at no additional cost to you. We would never endorse a product or service we didn’t actually use and believe in.