Citrus Zinger Sport Review

A bottle specifically designed for those who want a fresh lemon in their water, the Zinger fills a niche in the water bottle market.

Performance Comparison

Ease of Use

Having never used a bottle like this before, this bottle was confusing right off the bat. We had never used a bottle that had openings on both the top and the bottom. Luckily, on their website, the folks at Zinger kindly lined out a step by step instruction guide to using this little bottle, which was very helpful. Because of its complicated design, the Zinger was docked on the ease of use metric. But, if you are excited about lemon water, and we became more so as we tested this one out, the Zinger is a novel bottle that works well at the job it was designed to do.

To use the bottle, unscrew the bottom of the bottle to access the juicer, then juice the lemon into the bottle and re-attach the bottom of the bottle. Then shake up the liquid and use the straw to drink. The straw does not reach the bottom of the bottle, which makes it hard to get all the water out, without taking the lid off. This is one of the reasons the Zinger scored low in the ease of use category. Though no bottle comes close to filling the niche role that the Zinger does, the CamelBak eddy performs a very similar function with its straw feature. if you are not totally sold on the citrus idea, but still want a straw in your bottle, try the eddy instead. For non-plastic options, check out the Miir bottle, or the Camelbak Vacuum Chute for examples of stainless steel, simplified bottles.

Durability

For a plastic bottle, this contender is surprisingly durable. It appears to be delicate, but withstood the drop tests and showed no signs of wear after being dropped a number of times. The number of parts (five different plastic parts and two rubber gaskets) does provide more places for failure, but during our testing period, the bottle held up. The Zinger, much like the eddy, has a weak point where the straw bends. These plastic bottles with many parts seem to have a shorter lifespan than, say, the Nalgene Wide-Mouth, which can last forever if maintained properly.

Ease of Cleaning

This bottle is fully dishwasher safe, so if you have access to a dishwasher, it is quite easy to clean. Otherwise, you will have to clean all the parts by hand, which is difficult and time-consuming. The straw and cap are difficult to clean at all and have nooks where gunk could build up. Also, having two screw-on caps provides two threaded areas where gunk can build. On the plus side, the bottom opening is large enough to get a bottle brush into, so the narrow mouth at the top is not as difficult to clean as the Soma Bottle, or other narrow-mouthed bottles. Other dishwasher safe bottles include the LifeFactory Glass Flip Cap, making it equally easy to clean if you have access to a dishwasher!

Weight

This gadgety bottle has the benefit of being constructed out of entirely BPA Free plastic, making it very lightweight. The bottle weighs only .3 oz empty, which makes it one of the lightest bottles in the fleet.

Taste

Initially, the Zinger had no rubbery flavors, even though it has a rubbery straw and bite valve. Once we drank lemon water out of it a few times, a strong citrusy flavor was imparted on the straw and was difficult to remove, even after washing. This isn't a huge problem, considering the purpose of having this bottle is to have citrus infused water and this contender earned a 7 out of 10 for taste. All of the glass models in our testing, including the bkr, Lifefactory, and Soma scored well in the taste metric, as did the Hydro Flask.

Best Application

Since the Zinger is specifically designed to make citrus infused water, the bottle is best used for that purpose. Because of all of the plastic parts, it is best used at home or at work and carried with you on the go; a place where you have access to fresh lemons and a sink to rinse out all the various pieces of the bottle is the easiest starting point.

Value

The Zinger rings in at $18 online. For a novelty bottle, this is a reasonable price. Because it is plastic and has a complex design, the Zinger may not last as long as a metal bottle, which is simpler and more durable - think Klean Kanteen Vacuum Insulated. But, if your heart is set on lemon-infused water, then this could be the bottle for you.

Conclusion