This is my Sigg bottle.

"Hello, Kat's Sigg bottle"

I used to love my Sigg bottle. I had coveted these trendy thirst-quenchers for so long, that I finally gave in to the hefty price tag and dropped nearly $30 to acquire one. But, you know, yay me: because it was all stainless steel and BPA-free and yadda, yadda, yadda. Except actually: wrong and wrong.

It turns out that the original steel water bottle is not. It’s aluminum. Now, in Sigg’s defense, I don’t think they ever tried to fob themselves off as being stainless steel. But they aren’t exactly running around with big “buy our amazing ALUMINUM water bottles” advertisements either, are they? But here’s the thing: a decade or more ago we were all warned off antiperspirant because of its aluminum content, ditto aluminum cookware. The way I see it, there appears to be at least some reason to believe it isn’t in our best interests to prepare or consume food from aluminum vessels. A good reason to avoid water bottles made from it.

But if Sigg isn’t hiding the fact that their bottles are made from aluminum, they were hiding the fact that the older bottles (manufactured prior to August 2008) contained BPA. It was found in the inner liner of the bottles, but has since been replaced with a new, BPA-free liner. Sigg has a lot to say about the safety of aluminim as a material for beverage canteens, as well as about the safety of their old and new liners. I’ll let you read it on your own and make up your own minds. My bottle contains the new, non-BPA eco-liner. But already, the liner is starting to fray, and I’ve managed to swallow a few flakes of it by accident while drinking. Which poses two potential problems: first, the liner that was intended to stop the aluminum from coming in direct contact with my beverage is no longer performing that function; and second, is it even safe to ingest the liner? It’s been tested to be non-leaching when in contact with your bevvie, but what about when in contact with your digestive tract? Not so sure.

the fraying Sigg eco-liner

For me, it’s the last Sigg straw. I hate the little threads of plastic-y liner that keep detaching themselves into my water. I also feel like, for $30, the lining shouldn’t do that. The bottle is, after all, less than a year old and I’ve meticulously followed the care instructions (my bottle has been only very gently washed and has never seen the inside of a freezer or dishwasher).

I also feel like a loser for doling out a lot of cash on an aluminum canteen while thinking I was buying stainless steel. But that’s my problem, not Sigg’s.

I guess, in the end, I just feel a bit like I was duped. There’s just this reputation about a Sigg bottle, about that “Swiss Made” moniker. It’s as though I bought a Rolex and when I went to change the battery later saw Casio stamped inside.

So, for me at least, it’s Sayonara Sigg and your flaky liner. I’m going out to pick me up a genuine stainless steel bottle.