Going back a few months now I decided I needed to replace my trusted water bottle that I’d had for years. There are just so many options on the market today that I struggle to come to a decision. I narrowed my search to either a glass water bottle or a stainless steel water bottle – but which is best?
When comparing soy candles to paraffin the only properties they share are aesthetics and the fact they are both vegan. That’s where the similarities end as these types of candles differ in cost, burn time, environmental impact and health concerns with soy wax candles coming out as a clear winner.
In order to compare these two types of water bottles I gathered my research into various criteria which you’ll find below but before we review them here’s a handy look-up table in case you’d prefer to skip the detail.
Oh and by the way, if you’re looking for the specific advantages and disadvantages of glass water bottles I’d encourage you to read my article “Pros and Cons of Glass Water Bottles, we review the facts” next.
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CriteriaGlass Water BottleSteel Water BottleEnvironment / Eco FriendlyYesYesHealth Concerns/CleanlinessLow/GreatLow/GreatDurability/FagilityGreat/GoodGood/GreatWeightGoodGreatAesthetics GreatGreatInsulationAverageGreatCostGreatGoodGlass and Stainless Steel Water Bottles Compared
In order to compare glass water bottles with stainless steel water bottles I decided to research and rate the bottle types against several criteria.
From an eco-friendly perspective, both glass bottles and stainless steel bottles can out well.
Whichever bottle type you choose will ultimately reduce single-use plastic bottles which is ultimately why we use reusable options.
But in addition to that, I found out that both metal and glass are endlessly recyclable and many manufacturers are now using recycled material in the production of their bottles.
In addition to this, you can be safe in the knowledge that once your bottle comes to the end of its very long life you’ll be able to recycle it rather than having to send it to landfill.
When it comes to health you can never be too careful and several years ago reusable water bottles started to get a bad wrap for leaching chemicals into the water contained in the bottle itself.
This leaching of chemicals happened mainly in plastic bottles but has been known to happen in steel water bottles. There is quite a lot of information online about this topic.
From a glass water bottle perspective, the non-reactive properties of the glass mean that this cannot happen.
To ensure you get the same comfort from a stainless steel water bottle make sure that you buy a product that is made from food-grade steel.
The other concern when it comes to health is how clean the bottles will keep under normal use.
Unlike plastic, both bottle types are non-porous which ensures that bacteria is kept to a minimum and that any flavour from previous drinks does not linger affecting the taste of your drink.
It’s Important to Keep Your Water Bottle CleanIt’s important to keep the bottles clean but that would be the case with any reusable water bottle.
By the way, if you are considering buying a stainless steel water bottle and wondering how to keep it clean why not read my other article “How to Clean Stainless Steel Water Bottles (6 step guide)” next?
From a durability perspective, I would say glass bottles are slightly better.
Glass is such a wonderful material and it’s quite unlikely to attract scratches and light damage during everyday use.
Stainless steel on the other hand can attract minor scratches, I find especially when travelling. Small scratches can be buffed out but if you do find yourself in this position make sure you get the correct cleaner and only try on a small section of the bottle first.
Fragility is a different matter.
If you are unlucky enough to drop a stainless steel water bottle the likelihood is that you’ll end up with a small dent at worse.
With glass water bottles, the worse outcome is that the bottle could smash.
That said glass water bottle manufacturers now make their bottles out of toughened glass and some surround them with a silicone sleeve which adds quite a lot of additional protection from breakages.
So if you do tend to be a little clumsy then maybe a stainless steel water bottle is for you.
In general, bottles made from glass are heavier than stainless steel. This does of course depend on the size of the bottles and the features such as single or double-walled in the case of stainless steel.
When people make a purchase they tend to test the weight of empty bottles to make a comparison.
But I think we should be mindful that once the bottles are full of liquid the weight of the actual bottle may not be significant as once full the difference might be much less noticeable.
That said, if weight is important to you then I would recommend a stainless steel water bottle.
There are some incredibly light steel water bottles on the market now, although these do not tend to be insulated – but great for cycling for example.
Glass bottles clearly look completely different to stainless steel bottles.
Manufacturers of these types of bottles have spent a lot of time and money making them look fantastic, creating real desire in the market.
So with both types of bottles looking so good the decision of which one to buy will be up to you. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder as Molly Elliot Seawell once said.
So the choice is up to you.
6. InsulationGlass water bottles tend to be used more for cold drinks than hot drinks and this is because the insulation properties of a glass bottle are quite low.
This means that if you use your glass bottle for hot drinks they are unlikely to stay hot for long.
Some glass bottles come with a silicone sleeve which can help but only slightly.
Single-walled stainless steel bottles are similar when it comes to insulation. Metal is a good conductor of heat and so with a single-walled bottle, the heat is simply transferred from the liquid to the surrounding air.
It is now more common to see double-walled insulated stainless steel bottles.
These bottles are excellent at retaining the original temperature of the liquid inside, be it hot or cold.
The bottle has two steel walls with a vacuum in between and it’s this vacuum that ensures the heat cannot pass through.
What this means practically is that some steel bottles can keep cold drinks cold for up to 12 hours and hot drinks hot for around 6 hours.
These types of bottles are great for travel especially those that commute.
The cost of a glass bottles vs stainless steel water bottle is quite similar.
From the research I did I would say that bottles made from stainless steel are generally slightly more expensive. For example:
Price will of course depend on various factors including brand, size, features etc.
From a health perspective, there is no difference in drinking from glass or stainless steel as they both hold non-porous and non-reactive properties. This means vessels such as water bottles are unlikely to harbour bacteria or retain flavours from previous drinks.
Chemicals are very unlikely to leach from glass bottles or stainless steel bottles. This is due to the non-reactive properties of these materials which stop this from happening. This is in contrast to plastic water bottles where leaching can occur which can affect your drinking water.
Hopefully, you found my research which compared glass bottles with stainless steel bottles helpful, at least enough to decide on the material your next water bottle will be stainless steel or glass.
Glass and stainless steel bottles are actually very similar with nothing obviously to separate them so it’s going to come down to personal choice and most probably how and what you will use the bottle for.
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