Owala FreeSip Sway Review

We've tested lots of water bottle designs, and straw lids are almost universally convenient to sip from, but the Owala FreeSip Sway takes the cake. It is our favorite straw design that's perfect for everyday use. The stainless steel bottle and BPA-free plastic lid are highly durable, and the dual-drink option lid promotes hydration with a single-handed press of a button. The locking mechanism on the lid ensures your liquids stay put during activity, while the bucket handle makes it easy to transport. Whether you like to sip or chug, this bottle is the perfect vessel for your favorite cold beverages.

Drinkability

The FreeSip Sway is a high-quality bottle design that excels at drinkability, tying with the standard FreeSip for the top score in this metric. We'll admit we were skeptical at first due to the complex lid design; however, the FreeSip spout and built-in straw give you options for sipping or chugging depending on how thirsty you are. Whether sipping or chugging, the spout has a great mouthfeel and doesn't require too much effort to sip. The easy flow rate when drinking through the straw is due to the large opening of the chug cap, which lets in so much air as you drink, keeping you from fighting a vacuum. The almond shap of the straw mouthpiece also feels more natural to drink from than a typical round straw.

The lid design is leakproof and has a locking mechanism to keep things sealed when you're not drinking. It is relatively spill-proof unless you leave the lid open; then it's very susceptible to spills, as the larger stainless bottle is top-heavy and easy to knock over if you're not paying attention.

While the bottle doesn't feature any interchangeable lids, we definitely give it bonus points for its 2-in-1 functionality. And we like that it has a fully enclosed spout along with a locking cap to keep the spout free of dirt and other gunk. It's easy to sip through the spout without tilting your head if you're hydrating on the open road, but if you're chugging electrolytes post-workout, you'll have to tilt the bottle back, and for some people the lid hits the tip of their nose. Despite a few drawbacks, the FreeSip Sway favors hydration and drinkability for people on the go.

The mouth piece features the perfect spout for hydration, whether you want to sip the internal straw or tilt the bottle back for more flow.   Credit: Trish Matheny

The lid even features a lock to maintain leakproof performance.   Credit: Trish Matheny

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Everyday Convenience

Featuring a fully enclosed straw, locking mechanism on the lid, a leakproof design, and a cup holder-friendly design, the FreeSip Sway is a dream of convenience features. Our team tested the 30-ounce bottle, which is a preferred volume for spending all day on the go if you don't mind carrying the weight of the full bottle. But with the larger bucket handle and exterior indentations, we found carrying wasn't a problem. The exterior surface is smooth and easy to stow in a backpack or exterior pocket.

The FreeSip Sway passed all our leakproof tests with flying colors, thanks to a locking mechanism. Triple-layer insulation helps keep your cold drinks cold, even when left in a car on a very hot summer day. The wide mouth makes it easy to load ice (or lemons in the case of our lead tester), and the lid keeps ice (and lemons) at bay when you're taking a sip. Perhaps the only limitation is that this bottle is best for cold drinks, we tried it with hot beverages, but didn't love drinking our coffee through a straw.

The FreeSip Sway allows for hydration on the go, thanks to a cupholder-compatible base and a tilt-free sipping design that allows you to keep your eyes on the open road.   Credit: Trish Matheny

The bottle fits perfectly into our truck's cupholder so your hydration stays within an arm's reach.   Credit: Trish Matheny

The handle is sturdy and makes it easy to transport your favorite beverages.   Credit: Trish Matheny

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Cleaning

We won't sugarcoat anything here: the FreeSip Sway is difficult to clean. Ironically, the bottle itself must be hand-washed while the plastic lid is dishwasher-safe, which makes things a bit easier. That said, we found that the dishwasher wasn't always the best way to remove days of chapstick, lemon seeds, and electrolyte residue from the multi-faceted lid. Luckily, there is a neat silicone cover located inside the lid that meets the top of the mouthpiece, making it easy to clean that area by simply removing and scrubbing the silicone component. The bottle features a wide mouth design with internal threads that are easy to scrub, but depending on your hand size, you may need a brush to really scrub the bottom.

While the lid isn't the easiest to wash after significant use, it is easier if you keep up on it by washing your bottle daily. You can also buy a special brush to help scrub the nooks and crannies, but deconstructing the components to clean them out is a small time investment. While it's not the worst bottle we've tried to clean, the FreeSip Sway features a complex lid and non-dishwasher-safe bottle that take a little extra time to clean than many of the other tested options.

The intricate lid is difficult to fully clean.   Credit: Trish Matheny

The straw requires an additional brush to clean and the lid is difficult to clean with only a sponge.   Credit: Trish Matheny

The wide-mouth bottle is easy to clean with a normal sponge, but is not dishwasher-safe.   Credit: Trish Matheny

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Durability

The triple-layer stainless steel design inspires confidence in the longevity of the FreeSip Sway. After many days of use, carting the bottle around via the bucket handle, tossing it into our pack, stowing it in our bike's cupholder during commutes, and accidentally dropping it multiple times on concrete, we're happy to report only cosmetic scrapes on the exterior.

While we have nothing beyond some cosmetic scratches to report from our extensive testing period, we worry slightly about the long term functionality of the press button and locking mechanism on this complex lid. The plastic is thick, durable, and capable of withstanding the abuse of everyday life, but in our experience, the more moving parts there are, the greater the chance one of them will break. And without any of those lid mechanisms, it would be difficult to continue using the bottle in the same way.

Taste

The BPA-, lead-, and phthalate-free lid pairs with the clean flavor of stainless steel, making the FreeSip Sway a great vessel for rotating cold beverages without any lingering aftertaste. Whether sipping cold brew, lemon water, or electrolytes, minimal, if any, previous flavors were detected by our sensitive and discerning taste buds.

Only when we added milk or other thick liquids to the bottle did we notice any flavors left behind, so we made sure to give it an extra-thorough cleaning after drinking iced lattes. During our hot water testing, we noticed some plastic flavoring in our water, likely from either the lid or the straw. Therefore, we recommend the FreeSip Sway for cold beverages only.

Should You Buy the Owala FreeSip Sway?

If you love a good straw bottle and like the idea of the innovative and ergonomic dual-sip design, the Owala FreeSip Sway may just be your next go-to. The insulation keeps drinks cold all day long, and the oblong straw spout fits comfortably between the lips for an effortless drinking experience. We were skeptical at first, but it didn't take long for us to appreciate all the unique features this bottle has to offer. The covered mouthpiece is great for keeping your bottle's interior clean, though it is a bit of a pain to hand-wash and clean between uses. The bucket handle and ergonomic shape make it easy to transport, and we love that the base is narrow enough to fit in the cup holder of our car. This bottle is not for those who like simple and traditional, but if the above convenience features sound like they could help you stay hydrated during the day, that's what matters.

What Other Water Bottles Should You Consider?

The Owala FreeSip Sway is our favorite straw design thanks to its unique lid, which makes it easy to sip or chug your daily electrolytes, but if you want some versatility to stow hot and cold beverages, check out the Yeti Rambler that is also leakproof and durable enough for daily use and more adventurous pursuits. If you like having multiple cap options that you can swap out depending on what you want to drink at the moment, check out the Hydro Flask Wide Mouth. And if you're interested in a more affordable design, the Nalgene Wide-Mouth is a tried-and-tested favorite made from BPA-free plastic.