Core77

Finally, a Reusable Bottle That Unscrews in the Middle for Cleaning

By Rain Noe - November 18, 2014

in Object Culture

You can show up at your gym drinkless and buy overpriced beverages there, or you can save a few bucks (and the environment) and carry your own refillable bottle. As someone in the latter camp, I haven't been able to find a bottle I can easily clean the inside of, and nothing is more gross than the little black specks that eventually form inside on the radii, completely impervious to the bristles of a bottle brush.

Hence the brilliant Alex bottle design. The stainless steel vessel unscrews at its equator, so you can actually get a sponge down into the thing and scrape the corners as clean as you like:

I like the ethical details, like ensuring the strap is made from recycled bottles, and found the unintended benefits of the design interesting, like the nesting to save space. A Core77 Design Award Notable back in 2011, it's taken another three years to bring the Alex to market via Kickstarter, where it has deservedly surpassed its $50K goal with 15 days to go. Buy-in starts at $26.

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Olaf

10 years ago

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We already had that in the Netherlands ;)

http://nl.dopper.com/nl/
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Ado

10 years ago

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Finally?

I've had two of these Alex bottles for close to three years now.

While many (including the comments here) claim this is a solution to a non-issue, it truly enables the user to use the bottle for more than just the typical liquids.

Yes, the common bottles and vessels you can get from your local store can be cleaned. However, from my experience, these bottles are just that much easier to maintain, which justifies the added "complexity".

Really, how is a simple screw mechanism complex?
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slippyfish

10 years ago

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Another aspect I remember from the original Alex launch was the fact that breaking it in half effectively doubled the quantities that could be packed in one shipping carton.
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BPJ

10 years ago

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a splash of white vinegar and a few ounces of hot water. done.
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GateNk

10 years ago

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@FMD:
This isn't a non-issue to most.

Are we to assume everybody possesses a dishwasher now? The fact that the current "solution" requires one supports the existence of the problem.

Any gaudy kitchen gadget ala StarFrit that is a pain to clean could also be a given a pass if the consumer is expected to have a dishwasher. But isn't that poor design?
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FMD

10 years ago

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A bottle that serves to solve a problem that's a non-issue by adding complexity.

The spokes the stick up on the lower rack of your dishwasher are designed to prop up and allow for a complete cleansing of a bottle's interior.

I use a double-wall vacuum-insulated hydration bottle and each time it comes out the dishwasher it looks brand new, 100% dry with no residues.
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