bkr Water Bottle Review

For people living a more urban lifestyle (and not traversing mountains), you’ll find the bkr checks a lot of boxes. The girth is medium-sized at 3 inches in diameter (including the silicone sleeve), meaning users with small or large hands will be able to hold it comfortably. At this size you should have no problem fitting it in your car cupholders which several of out team members called out as an added benefit. The silicone material has a rubbery feel that we found improves the grip, but if you prefer not to grip the bottle, the built-in handle on the bottle top provides another option. Depending on the size of their hands, reviewers were able to fit two or three fingers through the handle which created a secure grip. Note that the loop handle stays in a fixed position and does not pivot like certain brands of sport bottles. 

Some reviewers found that filling the bkr was difficult at times due to the narrow mouth. Most of the negative commentary came from team members who filled their bottles from a refrigerator water dispenser or filtered water pitchers. In these situations, lining up the bottle mouth with the water source was challenging and oftentimes water was spilled. This isn’t a major flag, but worth considering before you decide you want a narrow mouth bottle. Other testers who filled their bottles from their kitchen tap or dispensers in their office and gym reported no problems. Fitting standard sized ice cubes in this bottle isn’t possible, so if you like drinking ice cold water this bottle probably isn’t right for you.

As expected, there were mixed reviews around the experience of drinking from the narrow mouth. It really comes down to preference and the feedback we collected is more of a matter of opinion. To make this decision easier for our readers, we gathered feedback from both ends of the spectrum to share with you.

“I prefer narrow mouthed bottles so the bkr was right up my alley. As someone who used single use plastic bottles growing up, I found the bkr to provide a similar experience… I never find myself chugging water, so the flow was fine for me.”

“I’m usually drinking from a Yeti or Nalgene, so this was a new experience for me. I found it worked fine when I was doing office work or other tasks around the house. At the gym though, at times I found myself turning the bottle nearly upside down to try and get water out faster… Overall it worked fine, but I prefer a different bottle during a training session.”

The bkr fits nicely in car cupholder making it great for short trips while you run errands. The 16oz model (pictured here) is only 8 inches tall and stays out of your way when you need to interact with controls in the console.

The bkr sealing mechanism held up well during testing. Similar to other glass bottles we’ve reviewed, it has a narrow thread that wraps around just over 360°. Unlike plastic and metal bottles you might have, you won’t be able to crank down on the cap. The cap has a built in gasket that allows for slight torqueing, but there’s only so much tightening you can do before you risk breaking breaking something. This means loosening the cap is relatively easy which some users will definitely appreciate. 

If you plan on carrying your bottle in your hand or storing it securely in a purse you will be fine. For readers who are a bit more careless and like to throw their bottle into a gym bag or backpack, we urge you to take precautions.

A closer view of the brk mouth and cap. The mouth is quite small, comparable to a single use plastic bottle. If you look closely enough you’ll see the rubber gasket inside the cap. 

The bkr won’t keep your water cold for longer than an hour or two. During our insulation test, near freezing water was warmed to room temperature at the two-hour checkpoint debunking any beliefs that the silicone sleeve provides insulation. This result was in line with other glass bottles we’ve tested and it serves as a reminder that glass isn’t a strong insulator. If you prefer room temperature water then this bottle will serve you well.