Ocean Bottle review: My honest thoughts after 1 year

I only have a few requirements for my water bottle: it needs to hold a good amount of liquid, it should be lightweight for travel, it needs to keep my liquids cold, and ideally, it will be easy to clean and carry around.

Having previously owned a Chillys bottle which was heavy, dented easily, and hard to clean inside, I was looking forward to trying out another eco-friendly alternative, the Ocean Bottle.

Their original bottle promises 18 hours of cold and 6 hours of hot storage, in a variety of natural colours, all made from at least 65% recycled materials. They also have a lightweight single-walled stainless steel bottle which doesn’t offer any temperature retention but is great for travel.

I have been able to test out the Ocean Bottle Original the Ocean Bottle Lite, and the Tumbler. Throughout this Ocean Bottle review, I am going to tell you how I got on with their reusable bottles, including initial temperature tests and updates after using each for long periods of time.

What is so special about Ocean Bottle?

As you may have guessed from their name, Ocean Bottle creates reusable bottles made partly from recycled plastic waste that has been dumped into our oceans. They also ensure that all of their bottles are recyclable, so these bottles don’t become an extra piece of waste bobbing around in the ocean. Although, you really won’t want to throw an Ocean Bottle away as they are well made.

They also collect 11.4kgs of ocean-bound plastic for every single Ocean Bottle that is sold. This is equivalent to a whopping 1,000 bottles saved for every 1 bottle purchased. They are on a mission to collect 7 billion bottles worth by 2025. So, by purchasing your very own Ocean Bottle you are supporting them on this really important mission!

My experience using Ocean Bottle

After testing out my Ocean Bottles with a variety of hot and cold drinks over time, here are my honest thoughts.

What drinks can you store in an Ocean Bottle?

You can store both hot and cold drinks in your Ocean Bottles. Meaning you can use the bottle as your everyday water bottle or you can use it to take your coffee to work. And even better, you can use your bottle to store a cold cocktail or mocktail to take to a picnic.

They even have tumblers and brew flasks specifically for hot drinks. But make sure not to put hot drinks in their Lite bottle as this isn’t insulated and could burn your hand.

As part of this review, I tested out my Ocean Bottle Original by using it to take a frozen mocktail to the park for a picnic. In this review, I will be sharing how it got on! Also, feel free to check out my frozen mocktail recipe below.

What size bottles do they have?

Ocean Bottle started out with quite a limited range of bottle sizes, just 500ml and a 1l. More recently, they launched their Lite bottle which comes in 620ml and their original bottle now comes in 750ml as well.

The 750ml is the perfect size for taking to the gym or out for the day. It is still lightweight enough to carry around without it making your bag heavy. Which is why it is now the Ocean Bottle I use for day-to-day use!

How long does Ocean Bottle stay hot & cold?

All bottle companies make quite large claims about their bottles. I believe that most of them test the temperature retention without opening the lid, which obviously will keep things locked in for longer. But the average person will be dipping in and out of the bottle all day.

So, I decided to put Ocean Bottle to the test. Here is how each of my Ocean Bottles fared:

The Ocean Bottle Original fares pretty well when it comes to retaining temperatures. I don’t find it as effective as my old Chillys bottle, but the lid opening is larger, so I suspect the temperature is more likely to escape from my Ocean Bottle when I open the lid. That being said, I don’t need it to keep liquids cold for 18 hours, so the Ocean Bottle is sufficient for my needs.

I also really enjoy using my Lite bottle for my travels. It doesn’t keep things cold, but sometimes I prefer having something light to carry.

Is Ocean Bottle leakproof?

All of the bottles (and brew flask) that they sell are completely leakproof. I put them in my bag and let them roll about in there and I’ve never had one accident. You just need to make sure the lid is done up properly (a stupid mistake I’ve made only once). The only time you will get any leakage is if your drink has spilt over the top and gets trapped in the grooves of the lid.

Ocean Bottle also sells a few other products, like their reusable mug and tumble, which aren’t leakproof. These are made to replace takeaway coffee cups and weren’t designed to be thrown into your bag. That being said, they are quite spillproof, so you can walk around with a full coffee in the tumbler and not spill it all over yourself.

Is the bottle easy to drink from & clean?

Unlike many other reusable bottles on the market, Ocean Bottle has created a lid with two openings. The top lid is the perfect size for drinking out of and the second larger lid is great for pouring stuff into and out of, as it creates a much wider opening.

In the photo above, you’ll see that I am pouring my drink out of the larger opening since this makes it a lot easier for thicker liquids to plop right out. But when it comes to drinking water or any drink that is thinner, you can use the other smaller lid to drink straight out of. How convenient!

This also means that when you come to fill up your Ocean Bottle you will experience a lot less spillages. Which is great for messy people like me. It’s almost like the bottle also acts like a flask, so you get two in one. Winning!

And unlike my Chillys bottle, the double lid makes it really easy to clean the Ocean Bottle. You can get into the base of the bottle easily with a brush or cloth and the lids can be soaked in hot soapy water.

The double lid is a feature on both the Lite and Original bottles.

How do they hold up over time?

I’ve been using my Ocean Bottle Original for a year now and I am really impressed with how well it has lasted. The exterior still looks pretty clean, with only a few scratch marks on the lid, and is completely free of dents despite me dropping it, a lot. In comparison, my Chillys bottle is covered in dents. The lid still works completely fine with no issues with the seal.

I’ve had my Tumbler for a little under a year and the seal has remained strong on the lid. The only downside is that it is hard to clean under the slider, which opens up the hole for drinking. This means there is a slight coffee stain building up underneath there.

I’ve had my Lite bottle for only a few months and so far it is faring well! I’ll be sure to update this Ocean Bottle review as time goes by!

My verdict

If you are keen to do your bit for the environment by buying a reusable bottle, then you should really consider going the extra mile (at no real extra cost to you) by buying yourself an Ocean Bottle. Not only is it helping to repurpose plastic waste that is clogging up our oceans, but it is also a really effective bottle that looks stylish.

For this Ocean Bottle review, I put it to the test by using it to store a frozen mocktail and it exceeded expectations. The bottle was a joy to use, thanks to its double lid for sipping and pouring. The drink stayed frozen and I suffered from absolutely no leakage accidents. Plus it really looked the part at my fancy picnic in the park.

Their bottles are really well made, so I suspect that if you look after yours, it’ll be with you for a really long time!

Where can you buy an Ocean Bottle?

The best place to buy an Ocean Bottle is from their website. You can choose from a variety of different models, including a 350ml brew flask, a 500ml or 1-litre bottle, or even one of their new ‘go’ bottles which features a nifty internal straw for sipping on the go.

They also provide a 10-year warranty which covers manufacturing defects and accidental breakages. Get picking your Ocean Bottle here: