Avex offers a wide array of water bottles and travel mugs, and we’ve managed to round up a couple of them for review – one for hot drinks, the other for cold. Both offer features to make drinking with one hand simple and drip-free.
Avex Highland 32 ounce travel mugFirst up is the 20 oz. Highland AUTOSEAL® Stainless Insulated Travel Mug. This sleek stainless mug combines sharp looks with plenty of nice design touches, elevating it above the cheap ones you might be tempted to pick up at a gas station or grocery store. BPA-free double wall stainless steel is safe to drink from, won’t ever get sweaty with condensation, and is vacuum-insulated to keep your cold drinks cold for up to 20 hours, and hot drinks hot for up to 7 hours. At the base and on the lid is some nice grippy rubber, which adds a pleasing accent color, prevents it from tipping, and makes it a bit easier to grasp. It also aids in tightening the lid. Speaking of the lid, that’s where all the action is. The AUTOSEAL® lid is advertised as leak-proof and spill-proof. Challenge accepted!
Verifying that claim is pretty simple. Fill, drink. Try to get it to leak, make sure it maintains temperature. Repeat as necessary. After topping it up with my favorite morning coffee (whatever Mrs. Outsider brews), I tested the one-handed functionality. Squeeze the large button, tip, and drink. Worked well, and the flow rate was spot-on for hot drinks. Once it was about 1/3 empty, I made sure the lid was snug, then flipped it upside down and shook it. As advertised, no leaks. While it’s probably expected that the lid is leak-free, Avex added a secondary feature to ensure against leakage while traveling – the button can be locked, preventing accidental dispensing while in a purse, backpack, or messenger bag. That works well too, and the extra insurance is appreciated. We couldn’t find anything not to like about the Highland, and it’s even available in a smaller, 16 ounce version. If hot drinks are your thing, you can’t go wrong with either.
Avex Brazos Autoseal 32 ounce water bottleFor keeping cool, the Brazos Autoseal® with its 32 ounce capacity is hard to beat. Although it’s not double-walled, a bottle this size means you can pack plenty of ice in with your drink, keeping it cold for hours. Tritan™is BPA_free, and won’t impart any unfriendly odors or tastes on your beverage. But the big design feature is the Autoseal® lid. A button on the lid opens the valve. No caps to unscrew, no spouts to pull. The positioning of the button allows you to give it a squeeze using a natural hand position. It may not seem like a big deal, but it’s much easier to use one-handed than a regular sports bottle, with the added bonus of being leak-proof.
I’ve used bicycle water bottles at work for years. Bite the valve to pull it open, then push it closed with your teeth. Anyone who’s done this for a while has probably mashed their lip at least once, or squeezed and accidentally gotten water in their lap. That’s avoided with the Brazos. Tilt, push, drink. Avex appears to have spent some time making sure the opening has just the right amount of flow – not so much that you dump it on yourself, and not so little that you spend all day taking a drink. The loop on the top is rubberized, and has sliding locks that allow you to clip it to bags and backpacks. There’s even a little flip cover on the valve itself, so if you’re out and about in windy, dusty conditions, your valve stays clean. Like the travel mug, Avex offers more than one size, so you can get a 25 ounce Brazos if the 32 ounce version is more than you need. And like their other bottles, it’s dishwasher safe in the top rack.
These are not the first Avex products we’ve tested, and probably won’t be the last. In a crowded market full of different companies all vying to be your beverage vessel of choice, they have some useful features that set them apart from the competition. That certainly makes them worth your consideration. avexsport.com
– Brian