KOR ONE Hydration Vessel

Disposable, throwaway plastic bottles filled with water may be terrible for the environment, but we have to admit that the concept of carrying around water or some other nice potable liquid to stay hydrated actually makes quite a bit of sense.

That's why we're so keen on the KOR ONE Hydration Vessel ($29.95) - a slightly grandiose name for a beautifully designed reusable, portable 750-milliliter bottle.

Made from a new type of plastic called Tritan(TM), the KOR ONE claims to offer greater stability and durability than older generation polycarbonate refillable plastic bottles. Created by the Eastman company, Tritan can also supposedly withstand warm, humid environments better than its predecessors - a trait that allows users to place their KOR ONE in the dishwasher for easy cleaning.

(KOR does not come with an instruction booklet, just a little strip of plastic placed around the bottle with information on proper care and usage. We applaud KOR for not printing up a whole information booklet, but we do wish that the info strip was made of paper - preferably recycled paper - rather than #5 plastic. In any case, one of the bullet points on this informative paper strip points out that KOR should only be washed on the top rack of a dishwasher. Given the 11-inch-plus height of the KOR bottle and the fact that the rack of our beneath-the-sink dishwasher is miniscule, we're resigned to washing the Hydration Vessel by hand. Perhaps that's for the best though, since another point on the information strip tells me that handwashing is recommended.)

Beyond the strength/durability/clarity properties of Tritan, KOR really wants to play up the fact that the Hydration Vessel contains no BPA (bisphenol A), a chemical recently designated a "toxic substance" by Canada and placed on a blacklist by Wal-Mart and other retailers. In September, the Washington Post ran a scary story about BPA being linked to mood disorders and brain function problems in monkeys. While some plastic bottle manufacturers have had to scramble to remove BPA from their formulas, KOR ONE can state that its bottles have been BPA-free from the beginning. (Of course, the tradeoff with using a new plastic is that the Tritan formula may itself have risks that are only discovered years in the future...)

KOR has a nice webpage explaining the eco-benefits of switching from disposable plastic bottles to a reusable bottle like the KOR ONE.

KOR apparently made the decision to manufacture its bottles in North America, both to cut down on the environmental costs of shipping the bottles and in order to work with an ISO-14000 certified factory adhering to strict environmental guidelines. (Update - We had originally reported that KOR ONE was made in the States. Apparently it's actually manufactured in Monterrey, Mexico. Apologies for the error.)

Frankly, we're darn proud of the fact that the KOR ONE Hydration Vessel was designed in the States. The pictures don't convey the full beauty of the KOR ONE bottle, but they give some idea of its sculptural qualities. The bottle's beauty may seem a little frivolous at first, but you realize that it makes sense. KOR wants reusable water bottles to seem stylish and sexy - much more appealing than a boring old disposable bottle. That's why KOR ONE fit in perfectly at a NY fashion show.

We dig the details like the rubber base that lets us plant the bottle securely on a table or countertop. The RKS Design team apparently intended to evoke a glacier - pure water surrounded by ice - with their blue-and-white design. But for us, the KOR ONE simply looks sleek, space-age, sculptural and dramatic. The white edges act as a framing device, while simultaneously serving a protective function and providing an integrated carrying handle.

This bottle deserves to win design awards.

Our only concern? Maybe it's so good-looking that people will be reluctant to use it in the real world where it might get scratched or even swiped...

Where to buy:

Order your KOR ONE ($29.95) online today through the company's own website.

You can also find the KOR ONE (for 5 cents less) through Amazon.com.