Recently there has been much debate in the scientific community about the affects of the chemical bisphenol A. This chemical, also known as BPA, is found to varying degrees in plastic water bottles, making them unsafe and possibly hazardous to the health of those consumers who drink water out of plastic bottles on a regular basis. With this in mind, I believe stainless steel is the best alternative material for the consumer who uses a water bottle regularly. Stainless steel has many advantages as a material for reusable water bottles. It is safe; it is durable; it does not alter the taste of the contents; and it looks cool! Below are short reviews of the top 6 major stainless steel water bottle manufacturers.

Klean Kanteen (KK) offers just about everything you could ask for in a stainless steel water bottle. KK come in 4 convenient sizes: 12oz, 18oz, 27oz and 40oz and six colors: green, orange, blue, black, pink and brown. They have six tops to choose from: the sports cap, the flat cap, the loop cap and the sippy cap, all made of #5 polypropylene plastic, and the stainless steel flat cap and the stainless steel loop cap. Their bottles have a slim ergonomic design that will fit in a bike water bottle cage and car cup holder. KKs have a wide mouth (1.75") allowing one to easily insert ice cubes and clean. The downside of the wider mouth is that it is easier to spill. The issue of spilling can be avoided by using the sports top, but is known to leak. They range from $13-$20 for the stainless steel finish and $15-$25 for color.

New Wave Enviro (NWE) are great for those who would like a safe alternative to plastic water bottles, but don't want to spend a lot of money. They don't offer a lot of features but they get the job done at an affordable price. Their bottles come in 4 sizes: 12oz, .6-liter (20oz), 1-liter (33.8oz) and 40oz. NWE offer a sports top and stainless steel loop top. They have a wide mouth (1.75") which makes it easy to add ice cubes and clean (except .6-liter), but as a result are easier to spill. I recommend purchasing the sports top to prevent spilling, but keep in mind that the sports top leaks if the bottle is not kept upright. The 12oz and .6-liter will fit in a bike water bottle cage and car cup holder, but the 1-liter and 40oz will not. A common complaint is that the stainless steel loop cap must be purchased separately which costs about $5. They are sold very reasonably between $7-$18.

Earthlust stainless steel water bottles are great for those that like to stand out with a stylish water bottle. Their bottles come in 3 sizes: 13oz, 20oz and 1-liter (33.8oz) and come in many unique designs (some of which are limited edition). The 13oz and 20oz will fit in a bike water bottle cage and car cup holder while the 1-liter will not. As a bonus, 1% of your purchase goes to 1% For the Planet. They come with a plastic loop top with a carabiner, but offer an optional sports top which can be purchased separately. Earthlust bottles have a narrow opening (1.25") which makes it very difficult to insert ice cubes and clean, but much harder to spill. Their bottles are extremely light, but less durable than most stainless steel water bottles. They range from $15-$20.

Bilt are great for those that want color and style for an affordable price. They come in seven colors: blue, yellow, light green, dark green, purple, pink and black, as well as six designs. Their bottles come in 3 sizes: 16oz, 26oz and 29oz. They have a plastic mouthpiece for those who don't like putting their mouth on metal. Bilt stainless steel water bottles are designed to fit most water filters. They have a wide mouth (1.8") for adding ice cubes and cleaning which also makes it easier to spill. All bottles have a high quality plastic loop top. They range from $12-$15 the stainless steel finish and $15-$18 for color and style.

thinksport are great for those who enjoy hot or cold beverages. They only come in 2 sizes: 350ml (12oz) and 750ml (25oz). Their bottles are double walled for insulation which prevents sweating and keeps beverages hot or cold for hours. They have a nice hourglass design. thinksport come with an internal screen to prevent blockage from ice cubes and tea leaves. thinksport have a wide mouth which makes it easy to put in ice cubes and clean while the top has drinking spout to prevent spilling. They are heavier than most stainless steel water bottles because they are double walled. The 750ml won't fit in most cup holders and bike water bottle cages because it is bulky. The 350ml costs $18 and the 750ml costs $22.

Guyot Designs (GD) are great for those who want a heavy duty stainless steel water bottle. They come in 4 designs and 3 sizes: 24oz, 32oz and 38oz. They have many cool accessories like the Splashguard to prevent spilling and the Gription to grasp your water bottle more easily. GDs are designed to work with most water filters. Their bottles are very high quality and durable, but as a result heavy and bulky. They have a very wide mouth (2") which makes it easy to insert ice cubes and clean, but also easy to spill. They won't fit a bike water bottle cage or car cup holder. All models are sold for $19.