Owala FreeSip Sway 40 oz
The stylish bottle with an integrated drinking straw: triple insulation for 24 hours, a leakproof push-button lid and the highest design factor in the test – the manufacturer publishes no dimensions or weight for Germany
Pros
- Triple insulation with 24 hours of cold retention – the best in the test
- Leakproof push-button lid with integrated drinking straw
- Robust carry handle in an ergonomic bottle shape
- Free of BPA, lead and phthalates, lid is dishwasher safe
- Available directly from the manufacturer for 55.99 €
Cons
- The manufacturer publishes neither dimensions nor weight for Germany – the data is contradictory
- Significantly more expensive than Stanley and Hydro Flask
- The lid has to be removed for cleaning, the bottle itself only hand-washed
- Only available from a few retailers and the manufacturer's own shop, hardly any price comparison
approx. 41–58 € RRP incl. VAT · price may vary by retailer
Owala FreeSip Sway 40 oz in our test
The Owala FreeSip Sway 40 oz is the bottle that turned a drinking tumbler with a lid into a bottle with a handle. Stainless steel body, triple insulation with 24 hours of cold retention, a leakproof push-button lid with integrated drinking straw and a robust carry handle. Owala sells the model in its German shop for 55.99 euros; on idealo four offers range from 40.69 to 58.05 euros. The catch: Owala publishes no figures for dimensions and weight for the German version.
Why the Sway works differently from a Quencher
The FreeSip Sway is not a stainless steel drinking bottle in the classic sense, but a tumbler system: the push-button lid opens a mouthpiece with the press of a button, which simultaneously serves as the drinking straw. The big difference: you do not have to remove the lid for cleaning and you cannot lose the straw – the mouthpiece sits firmly in the lid.
The shape with the continuous handle is reminiscent of a mini vacuum jug rather than a sports bottle. That is the reason for the design factor: in the office and on the table the bottle looks like an object, not like sports equipment.
24 hours – and why the number holds up at Owala
Owala specifies 24 hours of cold retention and insulates three times, i.e. with two vacuum layers plus an air gap. That explains why the figure is more reliable here than with many competitors: triple-insulated stainless steel bottles hold a temperature stably for over a day better than double-insulated ones.
The price of that insulation is weight. The Sway is heavier than the Stanley Quencher, but it stays at temperature longer. When you pull it out of a cool bag that is an advantage.
The manufacturer's data problem
What bothers us most about this model is the state of the data: Owala publishes neither dimensions nor weight for the German FreeSip Sway 40 oz. On its own product page the size only appears as a graphic, and if you use the US product data you get 29.6 centimetres of height – for tumblers of the same volume Owala gives 30.7 centimetres elsewhere.
We have therefore marked both values transparently: for the German version we have no official figures, and the values given come from the US product data. That is unusual for a test and a reason not to name the Sway as our first recommendation.
Verdict
The Owala FreeSip Sway 40 oz is the most beautiful bottle in the test and works exactly as the manufacturer promises: leakproof, extendable, cold for 24 hours. For the office, university and city that is a coherent overall package. If you are looking for maximum cold retention combined with transparent data and a lower price, you are better served by the Hydro Flask or the Stanley Quencher.
Technical specifications
| Model | Owala FreeSip Sway 40 oz |
| Brand | Owala |
| Series | FreeSip Sway |
| Capacity | 1.18 litres |
| Weight | 0.45 kg |
| Capacity | 1.18 l (40 oz) |
| Dimensions | approx. 29.6 × 9.1 cm (US product data; manufacturer gives none for DE) |
| Weight | approx. 0.45 kg (US product data; manufacturer gives none for DE) |
| Material | stainless steel body, free of BPA, lead and phthalates |
| Insulation | triple insulation |
| Cold retention per manufacturer | 24 hours |
| Lid | leakproof push-button lid with integrated drinking straw |
| Handle | robust carry handle, ergonomic bottle shape |
| Dishwasher | lid dishwasher safe, bottle hand wash |
| Model number | C08767 |
| Manufacturer price DE | 55.99 € (owalalife.com) |
| Price comparison | 40.69–58.05 € on idealo (4 offers) |
| Image source | idealo image database |
Price date and retailer offers: idealo price comparison · Image source: idealo image database · reviews: Amazon
The special features
Triple insulation
Two vacuum layers plus an air gap – 24 hours of cold retention are realistic because of that.
Push-button mouthpiece
The leakproof lid opens at the press of a button and the integrated straw cannot be lost.
Tumbler design with handle
The shape works as a cup in the office and as a bottle on the move – without conversion.
Free of BPA, lead and phthalates
All materials are free of the three most common plasticisers in food contact.
Frequently asked questions about the Owala FreeSip Sway 40 oz
Yes, the FreeSip Sway with model number C08767 can be ordered directly from Owala's German shop for 55.99 euros. idealo lists four offers between 40.69 and 58.05 euros, and the model is listed on Amazon.de with around 3,000 reviews. The classic FreeSip 40 oz in tumbler format, by contrast, is not available in Germany.
Owala gives no figures for the German version. The US product data yields around 29.6 centimetres of height and about 9.1 centimetres of diameter; the weight is not officially stated anywhere. We have marked the values in the data sheet accordingly as US manufacturer data.
Yes, that is the core function of the push-button lid: in the closed state the bottle is leakproof, and the mouthpiece doubles as the drinking straw. The bottle itself is free of BPA, lead and phthalates.
The lid is dishwasher safe; Owala recommends hand washing for the stainless steel bottle itself. In practice a stainless steel bottle in the machine is not a problem either – what matters is the wellbeing of the seal.
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