Review of Cool Gear EZ-Freeze Sports Bottle, 32 Oz

I sit at a desk all day at work, and naturally I am bound to get thirsty throughout the day. I used to rely on the water cooler to deliver a cool drink, however the water cooler gets boring, and really after drinking just water day after day....I get bored, and sometimes even disgusted. I'm not a huge water drinker, but on hotter days I am glad it is there.
I used to bring in a hot cup during winter months, and I would make myself some coffee or tea, but with summer here I want a cool drink. Even though the water cooler delivers a cool drink, the water does warm up quite quickly while sitting on my desk. I wanted a water bottle that I could bring with me to work that would keep my drink cold throughout the day...or at least half of the day.
I came across the Cool Gear EZ-Freeze Sports Bottle at a local Kohl's. The bottles were on sale for only $3.99, so I figured I couldn't go wrong. Not only did the bottle hold a reasonable 32 ounces of liquid, but it also came with a freezer gel stick that sticks to the inside part of the cap. This freezer stick can be placed into the freezer, and once it is frozen, you can pop it back into the top of the lid and pour yourself a drink. The stick will keep the liquid cool.
The cap has a built in push up drinking spout. You sort of suck on it like a baby bottle.
I froze mine overnight, and in the morning poured some water into the bottle. I also added my crystal light to go pack, and gave it a shake. My water did not cool off immediately, but over time I could feel the colder temperature beginning to form.
By the time I got to work, the temperature was down a lot more, however it still was not that cold, cold teeth clattering temperature that I was looking for. I wondered how well this bottle would work if I were to bring it to the beach on a 90 degree day... I am guessing not so well.
Seeing how the bottles freezer stick does not work wonders, the next day I just filled it with ice instead. It worked better...as I knew it would.
For me, the freezer gel stick is sort of a waste of time to freeze and add to the bottle. Using ice works much better.
The bottle itself is shatter proof; although I have not dropped it, I can tell just by touching and looking at it, that it is pretty damn durable. I could probably throw and beat this bottle onto the pavement, and it will survive.
Besides the crappy freezer stick, another thing I dislike about the bottle is its pop up cap. (This is where the liquid pours from into your mouth) It is kind of hard to suck through, and it extremely hard to get the cap to pop up. I really have to struggle at times to yank it apart, and usually with water bottles I am able to easily just pop the top with my teeth and squeeze. There is no squeezing this hard plastic bottle.
Although the bottle has its odd quirks, I still use it even though it's annoying to tote around. It came with no handle, or tie string around it's neck for easy transportation. It also does not fit into my cars smaller drink holder. My car is an older car though, and I am sure with new holders this bottle wouldn't be an issue.
It for me is just an okay sports bottle, but don't expect the freezer stick to cool your drink off...you will be drinking warm liquid, unless you fill it with ice.
I can't really recommend it, it chills drinks only to about a few degrees below room temperature, it has a lousy touch drinking spout, and there is not attachment or handle for easy transportation. But If you are willing to look past that though, I will add in that it does not leak. That's probably the best thing about the bottle.
You can find this bottle at any Kohl's store nation wide, or on the Internet. www.walgreens.com sells this very same bottle now for $3.79. You can find this bottle in many different colors, if that matters to you.
-Bottle is not microwave safe