The latest advancement in double-wall stainless steel water bottles is the addition of a built-in filter. These days, you have the option to do your water filtering, daily water drinking, and reduce plastic waste all in one swoop. What’s not to love about that? In this article, we share tips on how to choose the best stainless steel filtered water bottle and our Top 5 picks.
Currently, there are several filtration options ranging from standard filtration with activated carbon all the way up to the more advanced UV water bottles. In the chart below, we share our top-rated stainless steel filtered water bottles along with the most important specs to consider for each model. After the chart, be sure to check out our detailed reviews of each bottle for more information.
| Bottle | Specs |
#1) Clearly Filtered Insulated Stainless Steel Filtered Water Bottle  |
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#2) Epic Vostok Double Walled Insulated Stainless Steel Water Filter Bottle  |
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#3) LARQ Bottle – Self-Cleaning Water Bottle and Water Purification System  |
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#4) The Brita Stainless Steel Premium Filtering Water Bottle  |
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#5) Invigorated Water pH ACTIVE Insulated Water Bottle  |
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Best Stainless Steel Water Bottle With Filter Reviews
Now that you’ve considered your options and the features each of our five picks has to offer, let’s explore each bottle in greater detail. In each review, we share the highlights to consider for each bottle before you make your final decision. Plus, we investigated current info to find positive and negative trends that you’ll find in the pros & cons sections below. Now, let’s get started with the Clearly Filtered bottle.
#1) Clearly Filtered Insulated Stainless Steel Filtered Water Bottle
We previously wrote a Clearly Filtered review for the company’s pitcher, and overall, Clearly Filtered Affinity Filtration Technology impresses us. The company not only provides real lab results for its filters, but it also uses sound technology in its filters. The difference between Clearly Filtered’s filters and standard activated carbon filters is the addition of affinity media.
In layman’s terms, affinity media works by sucking up different contaminants that it has an “affinity” for. Clearly Filtered uses the same media in its bottles that it uses in pitchers. Each filter contains eight different types of filtration media. However, we do believe that Clearly Filtered uses activated carbon as one of its eight media types, which is a good thing since activated carbon is the go-to filtration media for removing the most common water contaminants and to improve the taste of the filtered water.
Outside of its filters, the Clearly Filtered bottle works much like a Takeya water bottle by keeping cold beverages cool for up to 24 hours. The double-wall design is what makes this possible. The bottle is both BPA-free and Phthalate free. Several final highlights are the lifetime guarantee, the filter is made in the US, and the fact that the filter removes over 220 contaminants including over 99% of fluoride, which is not easy to find.
Pros
- Removes more contaminants than any other bottle in our guide (over 220 including fluoride & lead)
- Makes clean & crisp-tasting filtered water without removing essential minerals
- An excellent travel water bottle, especially for adventure travelers
- High-quality materials
- Several colors to choose from
- Might be easier to pull water through the straw than other brands you’ve tried
- Does a great job of keeping water cold
Cons
- Shorter filter life than other options in our guide
- Sucking the water through the straw takes a bit of force
- The filter does take up some room inside the bottle, making it hard to fill fully with ice
#2) Epic Vostok Double Walled Insulated Stainless Steel Water Filter Bottle
Epic Water Filters is another brand we trust since the company does show the lab test results for its filters. We previously included the Epic Pure pitcher on our list of best fluoride water filter pitcher brands, though, the Epic Vostok bottle does use a different filter than the Epic Pure pitcher. Instead of the “Pure” filter that’s used in Epic’s pitcher, the company uses its “Urban” filter in its Vostok bottle.
After inspecting the Epic lab test results for its Urban Filter, we found that this filter does not remove fluoride. While this could be a dealbreaker for some people living in areas with fluoridated water, this filter still shines. Overall, Epic’s Urban filter removes over 70 common water contaminants, and it filters 3X more than Clearly Filtered’s bottle filter. Additionally, at the time of this writing, the Epic Urban filter only costs slightly more than the Clearly Filtered filter.
Additional highlights of the Vostok bottle are its larger capacity at 34 oz, it’s 100% made in the USA with BPA-Free & 100% recyclable materials, it comes backed by a lifetime warranty on the bottle, and the filters come pre-flushed. All things considered, annual replacement filter costs for this bottle are lower than Clearly Filtered, and it’s the most powerful filter available in a stainless steel water bottle after Clearly Filtered.
Pros
- 3X higher filter capacity than Clearly Filtered
- The larger bottle is easier to fill with ice
- 100% made in the USA
- Removes over 99.9% of common water contaminants from tap water (70+ contaminants)
- Easy to drink from, and the mouthpiece feels comfortable on the lips
- The double-wall insulation keeps drinks cold even in the hot sun (comparable to the popular Hydro Flask)
- The filtered water has a very fresh to taste to it
Cons
- Does not remove fluoride
- No smaller sizes are available
- A couple of leak issues when the bottle is flipped upside down
#3) LARQ Bottle – Self-Cleaning Water Bottle and Water Purification System
Unlike the two bottles above that filter your water through a built-in straw filter, the LARQ bottle uses a different approach. Each LARQ Bottle comes equipped with a UV lamp that works to purify your water through UV sterilization, and no, this isn’t a gimmick. UV purifiers are popularly used in well water systems to kill bacteria and viruses that could be lurking in well water since it’s not treated with chlorine.
However, the LARQ bottle is better for people who drink well water than people who drink municipally-treated water. Why? A UV purifier does not remove chlorine, chloramines, or other common water contaminants that put a damper on the flavor of your water. What makes the LARQ neat is the fact that it can make freshwater from many sources safe to drink.
Also, the UV lamp automatically sterilizes the inside of the bottle to reduce how often it needs to be cleaned. This is where the “self-cleaning” feature comes into play. Some of the final features we like are the impressively long battery life per charge, automatic cleaning feature, and the IPX7-rated waterproof design.
Pros
- Keeps cold beverages cold up to 24 hours and hot beverages warm up to 12 hours
- The shell is waterproof, there’s no need to worry about water getting into the charging port
- Travel-friendly 17 oz size
- A good choice for people on well water who already like the taste of their water
- The convenience of not having to clean the water bottle often is quite nice
- Its sleek appearance makes it great for business professionals
- No need to buy replacement filters
Cons
- The priciest option in our guide
- Relies on battery power to sterilize water
- Does not remove chlorine, heavy metals, and other common water contaminants
#4) The Brita Stainless Steel Premium Filtering Water Bottle
Now, let’s come back down to Earth where we still believe that filtering water through a filter is necessary to remove contaminants. The greatest advantage of the Brita bottle over Epic and Clearly Filtered is the lower cost for the bottle & its replacement filters. According to our math, Brita replacement filters are significantly more affordable than both Epic and Clearly Filtered (Click Here #ad to check the current price for replacement filters at Amazon).
Additionally, each Brita filter lasts up to 2 months or 40 gallons, whichever comes first. We’ve spent a lot of time reviewing Brita filters, and while the company does log complaints, it’s also one of the most trustworthy water filtration companies in the world. Each Brita bottle filter contains activated carbon and ion-exchange resin. The activated carbon is great for removing chlorine taste & odor, while the ion-exchange resin works to remove heavy metals including copper, cadmium, and zinc.
Several final reasons you may want to choose Brita’s bottle over the other options in our guide is the convenient flip-top design, built-in carrying loop, easy-sip straw, and compared to other Brita products we’ve reviewed – particularly the Brita Longlast Filter – the feedback is very positive for this Brita product.
Pros
- Different colors and two sizes to choose from
- The most affordable replacement filters
- Sweat-free bottle, great for keeping in a car cupholder
- The 3″ opening makes adding ice easy
- Helps to improve the taste of tap water
- It’s easy to pull water through the straw
- Good filter life of 40 gallons
Cons
- Tipping it too high may cause it to dribble
- Does not remove as many contaminants as Clearly Filtered, including fluoride
- Several complaints about not being able to finish the water in the bottle
#5) Invigorated Water pH ACTIVE Insulated Water Bottle
Our final pick takes a different approach to water filtration than the other bottles in our guide. The pH Active model is actually an alkaline water filter bottle that relies on the reaction between your water and the Invigorated Water pH ON-THE-GO mineral filter bags. Unlike Clearly Filtered and Epic, the pH Active bottle does not remove over 99% of a long list of contaminants.
People with acidic tap water or reverse osmosis water systems will benefit the most from the Invigorated Water filter through its remineralization effect. Once your water comes into contact with the mineral filter bag, the pH of your water rises to a slightly alkaline level. For most people, alkaline water tastes better than acidic water since it has a sweeter flavor.
In total, the pH ON-THE-GO filter bags contain a mix of tourmaline, activated alumina, maifan, far infrared balls, calcium, and zeolite balls, which is a similar mixture to what a lot of the best alkaline water filter pitcher brands offer. One type of media that makes this filter unique is activated alumina, which is one of the best types of media for fluoride removal. While the filter bags don’t remove as many contaminants as Clearly Filtered and Epic, they do reduce some of the most common water contaminants including chlorine, fluoride, and heavy metals.
Pros
- A good choice for people who drink demineralized reverse osmosis or distilled water
- Helps to boost the pH of acidic tap water
- No need to suck water through a straw
- Several size bottles to choose from
- Compatible with all mineral filter bags
- An affordable alternative to more expensive alkaline water filters
- Consistently great-tasting water
Cons
- Does not remove contaminants to the same degree as other options in our guide
- Not a good choice for high TDS water
- The short life of the mineral filter bags
Bottom Line
Now you have a complete understanding of how to choose the best stainless steel filtered water bottle and the types of filtration each bottle offers. There are activated carbon filters, carbon filters with special media for additional contaminant removal, UV purifiers, and alkaline mineral filter bags. Before making your final decision, be sure to consider the type of water you plan to filter the most and how you plan to use the bottle.
For travelers, the Epic and Clearly Filtered bottles are the most reliable options for contaminant removal anywhere in the world. For people with RO water who want to boost pH and have cold water on the go, the pH Active bottle is a solid choice. Once you consider your water sources and planned uses, your final decision becomes an easy one.
