Eco Vessel Frost Review

The Eco Vessel FROST has triple insulation technology that can keep liquid cold for up to 36 hours. The bottle is made with #304 stainless steel inside and out; it contains no BPA, phthalates or liners. It has a comfortable flip top spout lined with silicone. It has a one piece top with a loop handle for attaching to backpacks and easy carrying. Children can drink from the bottle without tilting thanks to an interior straw. Bottle includes an extra straw, is recyclable, holds 13 ounces, and is designed for 4+ years.

Performance Comparison

Likes

We like the bottle's hour-glass shape which is narrower in the center and helps with grasp, as opposed to straight sides or a squat shape. The design is slim enough to fit into most backpacks and cup holders. It also has a plastic loop for attaching the bottle to strollers or bags.

The straw and silicone-lined hard spout were easy to use and provided a regular and fast rate of flow for easy drinking. There is no leak-proof valve on this bottle which assisted children during the actual use of the bottle, but hindered its score for leaks.

With insulated stainless steel and now an internal silicone straw, the materials are top-notch. It is easy to clean as long as you have a straw cleaner, is easy to assemble and disassemble with 3 pieces to manage, and is also recyclable. In our book, its advertised 36 hour insulation is stellar, particularly when sending your child off to camp on a hot summer's day.

We also like that the spout can be opened without touching the tip which comes into contact with a child's mouth. While the spout is open to the elements and can collect dirt and debris even when closed, it does not require little grubby fingers to touch it in order to open, a plus in our book.

Dislikes

This bottle is the second heaviest in our review, at 10.1 ounces empty. The only heavier was our Editors' Choice the Contigo Kids AUTOSEAL at 0.2 ounces heavier. Given that the Frost is made of stainless steel and has tremendous insulation time, however, this is quite acceptable. However, its weight might be a deal breaker for younger children or those with disabilities affecting their overall strength.

The older version of this bottle has a plastic polyethylene straw which could potentially leach chemicals into liquid contents. If you are purchasing this on Amazon, you are likely to get this older version until their stock is depleted. While having just the straw made of plastic is preferable to having the entire body made of plastic, we still like the bottles that avoid plastic in contact with the contents altogether. Though not a deal breaker, parents might avoid leaving the bottle sitting full overnight.

The mouthpiece is made of thermoplastic rubber and is nice feeling on the tongue. However, it is easy to chew off the end or to potentially damage the spout, which can result in the spout falling off and potentially becoming a choking hazard. While EcoVessel offers a replacement, this is a concern for little ones who might like to chew on things. EcoVessel specifically states that their spout bottles are for 3-4+ years. If the spout becomes damaged it should not be used. As mentioned, even though little ones don't need to touch the mouth portion of the spout to open for drinking, it would be nice to have its design include a cover for the mouthpiece. This could potentially aid in minor leakage.

In terms of leakage, the Frost does pretty well when full, spout open, and lying on its side. When full, closed and shaken upside down, some drops tend to escape. This is one you probably won't want to let loose in your child's backpack.

EcoVessel has phased in a big improvement with the Frost and Eco Vessel Scout with the elimination of a plastic neck, so the body is completely stainless and the lid screws into a stainless threaded neck. Though a bit harder to screw the lid on just right, this style is preferred as it prevents the possibility for a broken plastic part. We did in fact have trouble with the plastic neck splitting causing excessive leakage and eventually, it fell off. This was all with normal use and exclusive hand washing, so it was somewhat of a surprise that it fell apart so easily. We were impressed, however, with EcoVessel's customer service which did replace the bottle in its entirety quickly once photos were provided. Of course, this company has made some awesome innovations with the addition of the silicone straw and the body's stainless steel threading. We are excited to see what is on the horizon for EcoVessel.

Conclusion

The Eco Vessel Frost is a great bottle in terms of materials, insulation, and functionality. As it is heavier than most and the mouthpiece is easy to damage if chewed upon, it is best suited to 4+ years.