UKC

Hi,
just been after a water bottle and have bought 2 of these http://www.sportsdirect.com/sportsdirect-fold-water-bottle-898053 total £1,98 and 2 of these http://cascadedesigns.com/en/platypus/water-bottles/softbottle/product total £11.40 and have got to say the 99p ones seem fine, I have yet to receive the platypus so cannot comment yet, but its a bag with a lid, can it be 500% better.
So is the platypus value for money, well if I pull the 99p one out of my pack high on a route and the cap has broken off and all the water gone I would surely give £100 for .5L of water, but how do I know the platypus would have fared better, the guarantee is fine and dandy but I want the water now and when someone is charging 4 or 6 times as much they can afford to send out a few warranty claims.
In this day of Chinese manufacturers churning stuff out with minimal differences and suppliers then marketing at their own niche it really is getting difficult to assess if the dearer stuff is better or more to the point, the cheap stuff is actually worse.
Cheers sjc

In reply to sjc:

Sorry if thisn't what you wnat to hear, but I've tried other Platypus products and found the durability lousy.

Last summer I bought an adapter hose for standard plastic mineral water / soft drink bottles: much better.

In reply to AlanLittle:
I've had my current platy for about 5 years, been used on every single mountain climbing day since then with no problems, I think the durability is great!

In reply to sjc: I'm a fan of plattys. My first one lasted around 10 years before springing a leak (replaced much to my surprise under warranty).

No nasty plastic taste to the water and a lid which is watertight - also handy that you can get spare lids for when they get lost/misplaced.

In reply to AlanLittle:

I agree. They delaminate and start leaking at the drop of a hat.

In reply to sjc:

I was going to suggest looking in your local pound store, since mine have been selling bottles that look identical to the sportsdirect ones. But then you replied to victimofmathematics...

Platypus bottles are thicker than the 99p shop bottles, which are, essentially, thick packaging, as used for many drinks and foodstuffs. They work okay.

Platypus caps are a rip-off, since most 'sport caps' fit the bottles perfectly well; that's what I use.

Value for money? Depends on what you value...

In reply to sjc:

I like Platypus and have had many over the years, different sizes. They do their job well and last better than a supermarket waterbottle.

However, they do not last that long. Either they pick up random leaks at the edges or delaminate over time; I have managed to burst one in a spectacular ski-tumble.. I still buy them as haven't found anything better.

In reply to davidbeynon:


I've honestly never had a single problem like that with any of my Platypi (Platypodes?) and some of them are over ten years old. They also have a lifetime warranty, which is more than Sports Direct are likely to offer.

In reply to Martin W:

I have had about 3 fall to bits now. I get about 3-4 years out of them first, and the shape is convenient to use as a second water bottle but I have pretty much gone off them and use hard bottles for most things now.

In reply to captain paranoia:
>
>
LOL why would I buy something I can buy for 99p in a pound store.

In reply to davidbeynon:

I wouldn't go so far as to say "at the drop of a hat" but they DO spring leaks on any fold points fairly quickly.

Got a "Source" branded bladder that has lasted better - but if I was going big walling then I'd go with plastic drinks bottles as already suggested to and dismissed by the OP as not what he wants.

VFM? Well, I since your Platypus will have a lifetime warranty I guess you could say that it was excellent vfm - but if it leaks when you're on a wall and you end up with no water then it will be less than worthless. Depends entirely on circumstances and your perspective.

Si

In reply to sjc: Platypus' have three big plus points for me.

1) Clean taste... They really don't make water taste awful like normal sports water bottles. If it starts tasting a bit iffy, then rinse with boiling water. This nicely takes me to point 2...
2)They can hold boiling water. Great for cleaning, and even better for a hot water bottle at a cold camp! (But make sure you relieve the pressure or squeeze all the air out before you seal the lid for the night to stop the pressure causing a leak!)
3) I've heard there customer service is brill. No first hand experience to prove it though - sorry. Mines just never broken.

In reply to sjc:

I have a 13 year old Platypus still going strong.

In reply to sjc:


'Pound store' - a generic term. "The 99p Store" then, if that penny is so important to you.

And you wouldn't have to sully yourself by venturing in to the maze of crap replica strips and chav tat that is SportsDirect.