Customer Ratings & Reviews

I love drinking cold water, but nothing beats clean water. I discovered this water bottle in my store and had to check it out from @LiveLARQ . Just like how people are sanitizing their phones, this bottle uses UV-C LED to clean and sanitized water from anywhere. If you forget to press the button to clean it, it will self activated every two hours. It takes only one minute to cleanse your water. Adventure mode will allow you to drink water from any source, especially useful if you do camping or hiking a lot. This is an environmentally way to drink water, instead of wasting garbage with plastic water bottles. Since it’s double insulated, it will keep water cold for 24 hours. LARQ also donates one percent of proceeds to “1% for the Planet”. They offer two different sizes, seventeen oz or twenty five oz and variety of colors. I went with Monaco Blue to match with my iPhone 12 Pro Max. @LiveLARQ @BestBuy @1PercentFTP Best Buy - El Camino Real, Mountain View, CA. #LARQ #WaterBottle #UVCLED #Sanitizer #25Oz #MonacoBlue #NoMorePlasticBottles #ColdWater #DoubleInsulation @LiveLARQ @BestBuy @1PercentFTP

So a buddy saw me at gym with mine and said its his go to bottle to keep in car. Stays cold and can do clean sycles automatically throughout the day. Had an issue but emailed company and fixed roght away..

All I can say is WOW, all the bottles I had at work will get stinky and mold will start growing after couple days of use, so I will have to wash with bleach all the time, I tried different materials and no luck. I have been using this bottle for 2 weeks or so and omg I love it, no smell, nothing is growing, clean as a whistle. The only thing I wish is that it came in a bigger size

The LARQ self-cleaning water bottle impressively achieves a 99.9% water purification using UV light, ensuring a high-quality, great-tasting water experience. Its innovative technology sets it apart, making it a reliable choice for those who prioritize cleanliness and taste in their hydration.

The first thing to know, before anything else, is this product Sterilizes Clear Water Only. It Doesn’t filter or purify water nor do they claim that it does. Water must be clear and sediment free for the product to work correctly per instructions. The product is designed to be used primarily with water but you may use other drinks. However, the UV-C sterilization may not work or work properly. Manual cleaning is recommended for any contents other than water. DO Not put it in the dishwasher or microwave oven. I think the concept for this product is pretty cool and well implemented using UV-C to sterilize water, provided it’s clear. The self cleaning feature is an innovation as well. However, it excludes the bottle mouth and other areas where the UV light cannot reach. That still requires manual cleaning. Here’s where I think it excels. Thermal performance to keep your beverage cold is above average compared to similar water bottles I tested it against. See photos with a thermal camera. Their claim of 24 hours of keeping a liquid cold with little temperature rise is pretty accurate from my tests using ice water. However, instructions recommend not using or exposing product to temperatures below freezing (32F). The ice was around 19F but the water never froze. Freezing would likely crack the inner shall. The 1 ⅜ inch mouth makes adding ice is easy. The product overview also mentions keeping contents hot. However, the instructions state “Do not expose the product to temperatures above 90F”. Really?? After reading over the instructions and safety sheet / legal disclaimer, those were the only temperature specs I could find. Looked on their website and didn’t do any better. This is directly off of their website: “The LARQ Bottle will keep cold water chilled for up to 24 hours or hot for up to 12 hours. The LARQ Bottle Movement is a lighter, single-walled bottle that will not keep beverages cold or hot, however, it can accommodate cold water and even be refrigerated. DO NOT put hot water into this bottle.” So “Hot” is 90F…. I’m guessing this is because of the lithium ion battery in the cap and legal liability if it blows up or catches fire. The cap uses RGB LEDs to show color to indicate system status. See instructions. This is where the 90F rating gets interesting. If the contents of the bottle are too hot the cap will pulsate orange. I filled it with water at 100F. No warning. Then in increments of ten degrees up to 160F letting it set for an hour each time. I Never got a warning even after leaving it at 160F overnight to see what it dropped to the next morning, which was 125F in about 12 hours. The cap still worked fine and the plastic was Not melted or deformed. Bad temperature sensor? There are some areas that could stand improvement. Even though it has a lightly textured outer surface it still can be a bit slippery when wet and full. A silicone base would be nice too. Fill line inside of the bottle is very hard to see without very good lighting and even then it is still difficult to see. Specs state 25 ounces. I filled it with that exact amount 3 times to be sure and it put the water about 1 1/8th inch from the rim. Inserting the cap would displace water every time. The fill line is approximately 24 ounces. I know this all may sound picky but isn’t that what a review is for? Operation: Normal mode, one button press, for a one minute of UV to kill cooties. “Adventure Mode” will give 3 minutes of UV sterilization for, say, river water that they show on the website. The UV-C LED will cycle on automatically at 2 hour intervals for 10 seconds to keep the bottle sterilized. See instructions for more info. Charging is pretty straight forward. Plug the included micro USB cord to a standard phone charger then into the port on the cap and when it's steady green it's fully charged. See instructions for other color meanings. As for taste, My wife or I couldn’t taste any difference whether we used tap water or tap water that passed through a 3M Filtrete water filter I installed and reviewed for BB a few months ago. Same for using bottled water with it. Even though the website shows it being used in a clear mountain river we didn’t try that. I doubt I would anyways unless I absolutely had to. Here’s a link to LARQ support for this product that explains some things and answers some questions. https://www.livelarq.com/support But beware of a lot of marketing speak and hype that can be repetitious at times. Some things I talked about earlier, like How hot is hot, are never answered beyond the 90F spec which is a bit ridiculous. Who was the third party that verified the specs for them? Pros Verifiable Above average thermal performance See photos with a thermal camera Website informative but lots of hype and can be sluggish in the Q & A sections UV-C with 2 sterilization modes Appears to be very well made No chemicals needed Includes Micro USB cable to recharge it Cons Without a microscope and other test equipment, and I’m not a biologist and I cannot verify how well or if it sterilizes water. Customers must take their word for it. Keeps beverages hot but recommends not to use hot water. “Do not expose product to temperatures above 90F” according to instructions. This conflicts with what is advertised. Primarily for water and not other types of drinks. But you can use them Cannot sterilize the mouth part or anywhere the UV light cannot reach Textured but still can be slippery. Especially when full and wet Expensive Notes Can be used to help keep fruit infused water fresh longer after fruit is removed. You can use the cap to sterilize other metal bottles if it fits the mouth, whether screws in and seals or not. LARQ, of course, doesn't recommend this per instructions. Crazy-Cap is a competitor that does just what I said in the previous sentence and fits popular metal thermos bottles. Conclusion: A bit pricey, lots of marketing speak and then there’s the hot water mystery subjective spec. I think it does what it says it will do to sterilize the water provided you follow the rules. Thermal performance I feel I verified. I will probably use mine with Propel drinks I like and use the UV to keep them drinkable longer since I don’t always drink an entire one at once. Is it worth it? That’s up to you.

I got this water bottle last month and I am still just as in love with it as I was when I first got it! Not only is the design super sleek, it's also super lightweight and easy to carry around. I love how it self cleans your bottle using the blue light which is a huge plus for college students. I would highly suggest getting this for yourself or a friend . BTW the color is STUNNING!!!! Best Buy College Crew members receive products to write honest, unbiased reviews. Reviewers have been provided products free of charge and may have received nominal compensation.

## Design The LARQ Bottle PureVis has a nice, clean design. The first thing I noticed is that the bottle definitely has some weight to it at around 13.5 ounces. The double-insulated wall helps keep your water cold for extended periods of time and also helps prevent the bottle from “sweating” on the exterior. I was disappointed to find that there is no carrying strap or hole for a carabiner on the bottle, which makes it a little less convenient to carry. However, there are first party and even third party sleeves available. I also found that the exterior of the bottle seems to scratch very easily after brushing my bottle up against a wall. You can see the scratch in the attached photos. ## Performance The cap contains a UV-C LED light that shines down on the water to sanitize it. After filling the bottle and placing the cap back on top, simply tap the button on the cap to initiate a 1-minute light cycle (double-tapping the button initiates a 3-minute cleaning cycle for a more thorough cleaning, what LARQ refers to as “Adventurer Mode”). The bottle will automatically perform a 10-second cycle every two hours to help maintain the water and bottle’s cleanliness. The manufacturer notes that adding ice or fruit to the bottle can reduce the effectiveness somewhat as the UV-C light can’t reach every nook and cranny to sanitize it. You can give the bottle a shake while the cycle is active to help make sure everything in the bottle gets exposed to the UV-C light. Therefore, non-clear liquids (such as coffee) are not ideal as the light can’t really penetrate them. It's hard to test the effectiveness of the UV-C light without lab testing, but based on day-to-day usage, the bottle hasn't developed a musty smell or moldy spots like normal water bottles typically do if they're not regularly washed. I’m a little lazy about keeping my water bottles clean, so I’m very happy to have a water bottle that cleans itself. The manufacturer still recommends washing the bottle from time to time, but it's nice not having to worry about it after every single use. Additionally, I feel a little more confident filling the LARQ water bottle from random water fountains as I know most bacteria and viruses are presumably neutralized. ## Battery Life The battery recharges with a Micro USB cable (included) and virtually any USB charger (not included). It takes about an hour to charge and can last up to a month when using the “normal” 1-minute sanitation cycle. ## Summary The self-cleaning technology in the LARQ water bottle makes it ideal if you’re a little lazy like me and don’t wash your reusable water bottle as often as you should. It’s also handy if you get your water from some iffy sources from time to time and want to make sure it is bacteria and virus free.

The Larq bottle is a traditional water bottle in terms of its construction – aluminum with a vacuum-sealed wall to provide insulation to keep drinks cool for hours at a time – but with the added feature of UV light, which not only allows you to treat your water for purity, but also keep the bottle clean when not in use from microorganisms that tend to grow in other traditional bottles. The design is sleek, and the dual blue colors make it subtle, yet eye-catching. The bottle holds 17 ounces of your favorite non-carbonated drink, though there are larger sizes available. This bottle is better suited for in-home or in-office use where access to refill the bottle is readily available, and likely not as well suited for hikes or the gym solely due to the 17-ounce size. If you’re looking for something for on-the-go, I highly recommend a larger bottle. The lid screws securely to the bottle and seals the bottle well with the built-in silicone seal. Under the lid sits the UV LED lamp, which is powered by a rechargeable battery also built into the lid (short cable included, no charging brick included). Sterilization of the bottle occurs every 2 hours automatically, which sounds like would run the battery down, but specs claim the battery will survive for 4-8 weeks with normal use between charges. I haven’t had the device long enough to fully test this duration, so I’m running off of Larq’s official numbers. Larq’s testing states there is a 99.9999% reduction in microbes in the bottle with the UV sterilization, meaning the days of trying to jam a bottle brush into your bottle to clean it, or the days of that musty bottle smell are gone (since it’s the bacteria that cause the smell). After adding water, you can manually trigger one of two water purification modes – “normal” or “adventure” mode. In normal mode, generally used for trusted water sources like a tap in your house or office, the UV light cleans your water for 60 seconds during which the LED indicator light on the lid will indicate cleaning is in progress. In adventure mode, the UV sterilization will run for 3 minutes, providing a longer cleaning for drinking out of less trusted sources. Man, if we only had that for all those times we drank out of the garden hose as a kid… If you’re storing the bottle longer term or traveling with the bottle and don’t need the constant every-two-hours self-cleaning mode, you can activate the “travel lock” feature, which turns off the cleaning until you reactivate it. All mode selections are made with a button on the top of the lid. The two cons to the bottle as I found it surround the USB charger on the lid. First, Larq chose the quickly-dying micro-USB connector, when USB-C is taking over the USB charging world. Every time a new device is introduced to the market with micro-USB it means I have to keep another cable that much longer. It really is time for the market to shift wholesale to USB-C. Second, there is no cover or rubber plug for the USB charger on the lid, making the bottle non-submersible. If you drop it into a sink full of water or a river you’re hiking near, the likelihood of damaging the electronics is high since water will immediately enter the charger port. There is no indication in the instructions or boxing that there is any level of IPC waterproof standards. For the curious, no, you can’t fire up the UV light when it’s not on the bottle. A built-in safety feature will reduce the light’s intensity to one that is non-harmful to the eyes for the duration of the cycle if removed from the bottle or started without the lid on it. Sorry, kids. Overall, the bottle is nice. The battery adds some weight to what an otherwise standard bottle would weigh, though the weight of the bottle body itself balances out this extra weight, thus it’s not top heavy. I like the option of having my bottle clean & smell-free at all times, as well as being able to give an extra treatment to the water from a public drinking fountain or elsewhere. I really wish, however, they had placed a USB-C port on the device.

Ive been taking this water bottle with me to work for the last 4 days and I love it. Larq claims that this bottle cleans itself with the UV light, so I haven't washed it with soap and water yet. I trust it is doing a great job at keeping my bottle and water clean because it doesn't have that funky smell that a water bottle typically gets after a whole day or two of use. My water tastes great even after 4 days of repeated use. Water stays cold in it for hours! I work outside in hot and humid weather and my water stays cold til the last sip! The box includes a small manual that explains how to use the UV light, and a micro usb charging cable. I charged it fully the day I opened it and I haven't had to re charge it yet. The UV light will self clean the bottle and water every 2 hours, or you can manually start the cleaning process when you refill the bottle or at the end of the day before you turn it off for the night. The manual doesn't really provide clear instructions on whether or not you should clean the bottle with soap and water so I just let the UV light clean the bottle without water in it at the end of the day. My only complaint about the bottle is that I wish it had some type of optional carrying handle. It's not a deal breaker, but since I carry this thing with me literally everywhere, I would be really nice to have some type of handle for transport. Anyway.. I would definitely recommend this water bottle to anyone who loves to sip on water throughout the day everyday. They say your typical office water cooler / dispenser can gather all types of bacteria. I trust this bottle will provide an extra safety measure in providing safe and clean drinking water, all while preventing more plastic from polluting our planet! Pros: UV light cleans your bottle and water! Water stays very cold, clean and refreshing! Perfect size for all day carry Battery stays charged for days Cons: No optional carrying handle provided

If you are wondering why would a water bottle be sold at a tech store, well this is no ordinary bottle. It is equipped with self-cleaning tech that is proven to sanitize 99.99% germs. I have been using these kind of bottles for a few years now and at one point of time I had not been using it so the bottle was not cleaned after several months; no gunk and bad smell I could tell. The packaging of the bottle looks like a product that is designed by a particular tech company in Cupertino. This is a product that looks and feels luxurious and it truly is. The bottle holds the right volume of water that I need for my daily activities, not too large nor too small. The color and design are great. It is not too slippery, though it feels very smooth, so I can hold it with my hands just fine. The color is attractive and unique. The bottle is double insulated, which means it can keep your water cold for 24 hours or hot for 12 hours. My other UV-C bottle was not double insulated so I’m very happy about this. The star of the show is of course the UV-C technology in the bottle cap. There are two modes of cleaning, a regular cleaning that takes a minute to complete and the adventure mode that cleans the bottle for three minutes. The bottle also regularly runs self-cleaning cycles every two hours. The battery can last up to 1 month according to Larq, though I have not tested the bottle for that long and I always charge the bottle once every couple of days. It uses micro USB cable to recharge the bottle cap, which you have to supply on your own. I would’ve liked it more if a cable was supplied considering how premium the bottle is. I’m not a fan of micro USB, either, which I found it to be less robust than USB C. In fact, these days I would expect USB C to be the norm. While the bottle is cleaned by using UVC, the inner side of the cap needs to be cleaned regularly by hands. Overall, this is a great bottle that uses high tech to give you added security of drinking clean tap water free from germs. Be mindful that it does not filter the water from harmful chemical or metal contaminants such as lead.

I try to drink water all day and we have filtered water in the refrigerator, but I still could taste the “sediment” as our towns tap water quality is not the best. Once I started using this bottle, I immediately noticed the improvement in taste. I like that the water is being cleaned and sanitized, but it also because it tastes really good. When my work travel resumes this bottle is coming with me – now I can have confidence the tap water I drink anywhere in the country will taste like water from a spring fed stream. Everyone that takes a sip says “Wow! It tastes so clean and refreshing!" The instructions say you only need to charge about once a month which is great. It’s a LITTLE heavy, but I like to call it “sturdy.” I’ve even used it to purify a bottle of water then poured it into other water bottles. The purifying cycle is so fast, only 60 seconds and there is a blue ring on the lid that is lit when purifying and shuts off when finished. It also has very good insulation and a bottle of ice water will stay cold all day long. It's a bit pricey, but worth it!

I received this bottle minutes before leaving for a short trip to an outdoor festival in another state. I typically tend to avoid the tap water there as it tastes off to me and anecdotally gives me varying levels of gastric distress, and I figured it would be a great chance to try it out. The bottle itself feels like other high-end insulated bottles. It has a solid and premium feel to it, like a Yeti bottle. It charges via a micro-USB port on the cap (a cable is included) and the manufacturer claims that a charge will last 1-2 months running 3-4 standard cycles per day (or 10-12 days using Adventure Mode). And really, if there’s anything even remotely questionable about the water that you're putting in it, you should probably be using Adventure Mode, which is a 3-minute, high powered cleaning cycle that the company claims kills over 99.99% of harmful bacteria. Standard mode appears to be less for cleaning water, and more for cleaning the bottle, killing off the kind of bacteria that might begin to grow over multiple uses, causing odors and mold, keeping it pristine without needing to be scrubbed every couple of uses. I don't see how it's possible for it to clean the rim of the bottle though, where your mouth would be making contact, as it screws down on that part when cleaning, so you'll probably want to clean that yourself every so often. The bottle will run a standard cycle for self-cleaning every two hours. In theory, you could keep the same water in the bottle for weeks without worrying about the possibility of mold growing in it. In my use case, it turns out that the "off" taste in the water at my traveling destination doesn't have anything to do with bacteria. I could run as many adventure mode cycles as I wanted and it didn't make my morning coffee taste right. Filtration is needed to remove minerals and chemicals like iron and chlorine. However, I used it religiously, both at the place I was staying at and at water fountains onsite and had no gastric issues over the four days I was there, so if the water happened to be picking anything up on its way from the treatment plant to the faucet, I'm fairly confident the Larq was successful in killing it off. In fact, Larq claims to be able to make any water free of harmful and odor-causing bacteria so long as it's clear, with no cloudiness or sediment, which might make it perfect if you're hiking or camping near a natural water source or traveling internationally. I plan to be packing it along for any trips I go on in the future.

This was a great item for me and long anticipated. I camp and travel do making sure that I have clean safe water is a must for me. The bottle is a good fit and slips into my cars cup holder about like a 12 oz can would. It also looks nice and my coworkers thought it was pretty cool - which I guess is a plus. Charging time was about an hour and a half out of box and lasted for me at least a couple of days, I recharged as per instructions and it was a bit less than an hour. Specifics on how I used it: Sometimes my water bottles would sit in the heat for hours or over night and I'd worry about the quality and safety of the water, so would dump it out and go without water until I could flush and clean the canteen or bottle. I can honestly say, this keeps cold water cold for at least 8 hours in my car, haven't had the chance or need for hot water yet. I am looking forward to less worry when camping and on longer road trips now, knowing I'll not only have cold water, but clean as well.

The LARQ - 25 oz. Water Purification Thermal Bottle is truly a revolutionary water bottle that I believe is definitely worth the investment even if you don’t plan on taking it outdoors for use with river water as shown on the LARQ website. I use the bottle as my everyday drinking bottle and only use regular drinking water in it. Since I work a 9 to 5 desk job, I try to make sure I drink water regularly throughout the day and previously used a non-insulated plastic bottle for this purpose. Unfortunately, that bottle would start to smell and the water would begin to taste funny after about a week of using the bottle even though I would only use it for water. Now with the LARQ Water Purification Thermal Bottle, there is no more funny smell or taste, just clean, fresh water all the time with the added bonus of amazing insulation that seems to really keep my water cold for very long periods of time. When I leave work and return the next day, whatever water that was left in the bottle from the previous day still seems to be the same temperature. One thing to note is in normal mode, the bottle supposedly activates the UV light for one minute on its own every 2 hours but I still haven’t been able to catch the bottle doing this yet. I haven’t really timed it and looked for it to activate on its own and based on the constant freshness of the water, I don’t really doubt that it is doing what it claims to do. Overall, I am very impressed with the LARQ - 25 oz. Water Purification Thermal Bottle and I highly recommend it!

The LARQ water purification thermal bottle uses UV-C technology to eliminate 99.9999% of bacteria in your water and keeps the water bottle smelling fresh all the time. It is very easy to use. Just plug in the cap to the provided USB cord and charge it. The charge lasts for up to 1 - 2 months. After filling it with cold water, you can tap the button on the cap and it goes through a one minute purification cycle to clean your water and bottle. This would be the normal cleaning process for trusted water sources. If you are using an untrusted water source you can tap the cap twice to activate Adventure Mode, which runs it through a three minute cycle to further eliminate bacteria. It also does a self-cleaning mode where it cycles on every two hours during the day to keep your water and bottle fresh at all times. If you are not using the bottle for a while, you can also set the travel lock to keep it from cycling on and save your battery. I’m happy to have this LARQ bottle as I feel confident I can use it all day with cold tap water and know it has been purified. I used to buy a lot of bottled water, particularly when traveling and I didn’t have access to filtered water or just didn’t know how safe the tap water was. With the LARQ bottle, I now feel I can eliminate bottled water and I’m happy to reduce all that extra waste in the environment! I got the Monaco Blue bottle, which is an attractive color of blue and looks good on my desk at work. It keeps my water nice and cold all day long while I am at work, as it will keep your water cold for 24 hours. I got the 17 oz bottle, which is the perfect size for me to use while at work. I plan to buy the larger 25 oz bottle also to use for traveling. If you are a water drinker and are tired of spending money on bottled water and adding to environmental waste, this is definitely the bottle for you! Also if you travel and often have untrusted water sources, the LARQ will give you piece of mind when drinking water while on the road.

LARQ is one of those unique products that works and make sense it does what you expect when it it comes to water bottle that keeps your drink cool and hot if you wanted to, everybody is very familiar with YETI water bottle, i have few, and i use them for 5 days a week, LARQ does pretty much what YETI can do and more! having a water bottle that keeps your drink cool and even sanitize it is one of a kind. LARQ is the first thermal water bottle around that kills bacteria 99.9 (from what they claimed), purify and clean your water bottle as well. the lid is equipped with UVC light, not very familiar but its what help kills all that bacteria we might have on our water or bacteria thats been living inside your water bottle, i believe the inside of the bottle is design for the light to bounce off the surface so the UVC can kill and purify your water. i find that such a neat and helpful product that gives you the extra protection you thought you might not need. ive notice when you use your standard water bottle (yeti) after a week you can definitely tell that its start to build up some kind of smell, which it from what they said is the bacteria, well ive tested LARQ and wow mine did not smell, and still haven't at until now. i believe the reason for that is because this water bottle does an auto cleaning cycle every 2 hrs, so you will never notice it. i fully charged my water bottle before i used it, and the cap have a micro USB plug for charging, LARQ also said this should last for 1 month, which i haven't had the time to test for that long the cap have button for you to press to purify your water, 1 press for regular purification, there's also adventure mode, if you enjoy being out hike/ traveling a lot and does quite trust the water you about to use to fill up the bottle, then yeah this is for your, knowing that LARQ will kill all the bacteria viruses that the water may have, is something that i think its such a useful thing to have. only thing i notice is that the UVC doesn't really purify the lip part of the bottle, mainly just the inside to clean the water, so meaning, you still have bacteria around the lip part, just like your other water bottle, that's the only part i do clean. also this bottle wont filter the water, it will only kill bacteria/ viruses. for people who enjoy drinking a lot of water, having LARQ could maybe actual help us from wasting plastic bottle. now you have more of a chance trusting someone's water and be able to purify it than buying another plastic bottle that is not even helping our planet, and produces more waste for us. i personally did try to avoid grabbing another plastic water bottle at work, and it work because i know LARQ will clean the water that i got from the fossett

After using the LARQ for a week, I am impress with this thermal bottle. I filled up the LARQ with fountain water from the park about 2 or 3 times and let it do its “UV light” thing. No smell the next day. For the next 5 days I’ve filled it up through different source and no funky bottle smell. It works. From what I’m reading about the UV light technology I could actually fill the LARQ with river or lake water and have no issues drinking it BUT it would still have the sediment in the water. I’ll be testing this out on my next camping trip *** it does have a stainless steal smell taste but goes away in about a day*** Definitely would recommend this to friends and family.

As one who’s main beverage throughout the day is water, I loved the idea of this bottle and had to have it. Build quality is very solid and overall appearance is clean. Not much to write in regards to operation as it simply requires you to charge the cap with the provided USB wire and once charged, fill the bottle and hit the button on top and the cap will do the rest. Overall, this is a great bottle and I plan on purchasing a second one for my wife.

I was curious about the LARQ technology and its claims especially after watching the segment from Shark Tank. It looked like a great idea and generally high premium upgrades of a generic product can sometimes warrant their high cost due to cool features or technology. Unfortunately, the LARQ bottle does not warrant its cost and to me it is just an overpriced gimmick. The construction of the bottle is A+. It is high quality, feels premium, and is built to last. The cap, which has all the technology, has a pretty LED and a very easy-to-press button, extremely premium construction and build quality. No complaints here. The design is also very nice. Very pretty, sleek. Also an A+. The thermos functionality is A+. Hard to get the thermos functionality wrong with the correct engineers. It keeps drinks colder for long periods of time (much longer than any conventional water bottle). But, of course, people aren’t buying this bottle for its looks or its functionality as a thermos. It is all about the UV light claims and getting a bottle that gives you “better” water to drink. Does this functionality work? It is very doubtful. If all you do in life is drink water from a tap, this bottle definitely has no utility. Outside of Flint, Michigan you will be hard pressed to find tap water you can’t drink that needs to be treated. Most cities have strict requirements on water quality. In Northern VA (where I am), after the Chlorine scare from several years back, the area instituted some hardcore limits making its water some of the best in the country. I did a blind taste and smell test with water from the tap among 7 people, myself included. 3 people, myself included, found the water treated by the LARQ bottle as better. The other 4 found the untreated water as better. My wife has always complained about how the water in our area has a noticeable metallic smell. She picked the untreated water as being better. So if using the LARQ bottle for tap water has no utility, the question becomes “would you use the LARQ bottle to treat non-tap water?” The directions state that water has to be filtered, meaning you could use clear river water. Heck, even promo pictures on LARQ’s own website shows pictures of water from a river. To me, I would not trust the LARQ bottle to deliver clean drinkable non-tap water. If I was out in the wilderness with the LARQ bottle, before even thinking of putting foreign water in the bottle to treat it with UV light, I would be boiling it and treating it with some self-made charcoal filters which completely defeats the purpose of the bottle’s premium price. A couple years back I was on a remote beach where the water from the faucet was filtered (and clear) but non-potable. I can’t even imagine myself drinking that water with only the UV treatment from the LARQ bottle. The website has no actual studies backing up its abilities (beyond an third party test claimed on the website, and some pretty graphs showing it kills E-Coli with increased treatment time). All the website says is that it is “certifiably effective” with a logos of the FDA, FCC, CE, Harrens, and ROHA below it, which means nothing to me. LARQ also says you can use the UV light to clean the bottle. I really don’t think UV light is enough to clean a bottle from most ailments that make a bottle dirty (saliva from a backwash, mold growth from inactivity, etc.). If you leave water stagnant long enough, it’ll develop mold (had it happen many times in my tea kettle). If that were to happen with my LARQ bottle, I’m using soap and water. Sorry. It has no utility for clean tap water, I don’t trust it for non-tap water and I don’t trust the self-cleaning functionality. To me, the LARQ bottle is just an overpriced thermos. If a thermos is all I am getting, I can get an equally good (or better) thermos water bottle (like one I got for the house previously) for $20…with a straw no less! I, unfortunately cannot recommend the LARQ bottle.

I got a LARQ bottle for myself and I'm so impressed with the product and peace of mind it brings. I will be purchasing these for everyone in my family this holiday season! It's a sleek looking piece of tech that's actually useful. I've been a loyal Hydroflask user for years but LARQ has converted me!