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Super Speedy Summary Review

This water bottle is the first of its kind to be self cleaning. It uses a UV light that burst every 2 hours inside to sterilize any bacteria and keep the water fresh. The stainless steel 17 oz bottle is USB rechargeable and vacuum sealed to help keep water cool for hours. The bottle is well built and sturdy even when dropped and the USB charge holds for weeks of use. It also comes in a range of colors. I thought this would be a tough mental sell at the $95 price tag but after a few weeks using it its tapped into my inner nerd and I love it.

PURCHASE $95

In Depth Review

Anyone that has lots of water bottles for sport and outdoors will know what I mean when I talk about ‘That Smell’. The invention of a self cleaning Water bottle from LARQ could mean that the single most disgusting thing about my outdoor gear may finally have met its match .

At a touch of a button, the 280nm UV-C light from the lid neutralizes up to 99.9999%* of harmful, odor-causing germs. You get this ‘Alexa’ like reassuring glow when its doing what it does. Better still you can press the rubberised top yourself and make it glow, which I do more to impress people with my hi-tec bottle than for any real reason.

The Bottle Intelligently activates every 2 hours on its own, blasting the water and inner surface in purifying UV light. This means you know the water stays fresh and germs don’t multiply.

The bottle also acts like a vacuum flask so the double insulated construction keeps your water cold for 24 hours. All in a travel-friendly 500mL / 17oz size.

One charge lasts up to 1-2 months and recharges via USB . I used it on adventure mode where it does a more frequent and in depth clean and it was still working 3 weeks later. Charging up with a standard USB cable seems to take about an hour. The lid will glow a reassuring green when charging, then turns solid green when fully charged .

Materials

Made from 18/8 double walled vacuum sealed stainless steel it feels like its hefty and well made. I had one in ‘obsidian black’ which has a hard wearing satin finish to it that I really like.

Scienceyness – 280 nanometer UV light

The special type of light the bottle lid emits is ideal to eradicate germs, triggering a photochemical reaction that destroys their DNA. UV-C light is widely used today in hospitals to sterilize patient room surfaces.

https://www.livelarq.com/content/LARQ%20Efficacy%20Data%20E.coli%20-%20Harrens%20Lab%202018.pdf

The Lee Tries to Break it Bit

So , I put it in the fridge and it was fine. I also stuck it in the freezer and the bottle still worked fine the next day ( although the water didn’t freeze properly inside because the bottle is so well insulated).

I gave it a good drop when full from chest height onto a hard floor and the bottle and electonics were fine ( although I did put a small dent in it).

The bottle is also airport friendly ( obviously without the liquid in!). I also splashed the lid and recharging USB port with water and it didn’t break anything. I wouldn’t submerge the lid in water, but it seems pretty resistant to the odd splash and leaving out in the rain.

I also put tea and coffee in it and it kept them hot for quite a few hours. Obviously the UV system had no effect but it wasn’t damaged by having any kind of hot or cold drink in it.

Lee Proof

The lid emits the UV light so naturally the first thing I did was to take it off and try to shine it round the room. The guys at LARQ have put a failsafe in the lid to prevent the light from shining when the lid is off so there is no risk of damage to eyes.

Just keep in mind here that this is NOT a water purifier. You cannot scoop dirty puddle water and then sip a cool fresh clear water bottle a few seconds later. What this does is purify and then maintain purity, of water you put in. At the very least the water needs to be clean and clear to the eye.

This bottle WILL remove bacteria but it WILL NOT remove any dangerous chemicals from water. That’s up to you to use your common sense on the source you choose to fill the bottle from .

Warranty

The LARQ bottle comes with a 1 year warranty too which is good to see given the electronics inside.

Limited Edition Sleeve

The bottle can also come with a neoprene sleeve with a luxe vegan leather strap that will keep your LARQ Bottle snug wherever life takes you. It mainly protects the bottle from me being clumsy and even has a small circular carabiner for hooking it on to stuff too.

Verdict

This water bottle is a hard sell at $95 but my inner nerd LOVES it. It is the first of its kind to be self cleaning. It uses a UV light burst every 2 hours inside to sterilize any bacteria and keep the water fresh. The stainless steel 17 oz bottle is USB rechargeable and vacuum sealed to help keep water cool for hours. The bottle is well built and sturdy even when dropped and the USB charge holds for weeks of use. It also comes in a range of colors.

PURCHASE $95

Wanna Buy It ?

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Technical specifications

Height

9.6 inches (243.7 mm)

Diameter

2.7 inches (69 mm)

Weight

13.5 oz (0.38kg)

Volume

17 oz (500mL)

Material

Polished stainless steel (BPA free)

Battery

Rechargeable (Lithium Polymer)

In the box

• The LARQ Bottle
• USB charging cable
• Quick start guide