SIGG bottles vs. Nalgene Bottles

You've probably heard of both companies in this debate, but I thought an in-depth review of each would be useful. Here's a comparison table of some key points.

.		SIGG Bottle	Nalgene Bottle
.	Manufacturer Name	SIGG Heritage Collection Smoked Pearl 1.0L Bottle	Nalgene 32oz Wide Mouth Bottle
.	Suggested Retail	$24.99	$10.20
.	Country of Origin	Switzerland	USA
.	Material	Coated aluminum Inert EcoCare lining Plastic/aluminum cap Santoprene cap gasket	Copolyester
.	Capacity	Stated: 1 Liter (33.8 oz); measured (actual): 33.8 ounces	Stated: 32 ounces; measured (actual): 40 ounces
.	BPA-Free?	Yes	Yes
.	BPA Note	Sigg does point out the following tidbit on their website: "Substances like BPA are prevalent in the environment and are in a very wide variety of consumer products found in the home, including food and beverage product containers and most plastic products. As a result, it is literally impossible to certify that something is 100% BPA free and to scientifically validate such a guarantee." It seems like they are saying that whatever you're getting your liquids out of is potentially made with BPA anyway, so don't sweat it. And I think they're probably right.
.	Design Notes	Ribbed design makes it slightly easier to grip and prevents it from rolling around on a flat surface, but makes stickers and decals distorted and challenging to apply.	Smooth surface makes applying stickers and decals easy, but can be slippery when wet. Lid tether does a fair job at preventing the bottle from rolling on a flat surface.
.		No gradations. Opaque exterior means nobody else can see what you're drinking, including you, which can be good or bad. You can't see if there's dirt inside the bottle, and the only way to tell how much liquid remains is to slosh it around or heft it, and even then it's not easy to judge how much is left.	Printed gradations for approximate volume aid mixing beverages and tracking your hydration, at least until they wear off, which does eventually happen. Transparent material lets you tell at a glance how much liquid is left, as well as what it might be and if there are contaminants inside.
.		Dents easily. If dropped on concrete expect your bottle to have a new geometry, although mine has taken some abuse with just minor denting to show for it. Exterior coating can scratch, chip and flake off after rough use exposing the aluminum underneath. Relatively sharp corner makes getting a bottle brush inside to clean difficult.	Outside can be scratched but not dented, although the markings will eventually wear off. Scratches in the plastic can be a magnet for dirt particles, requiring extra scrubbing to remove.
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.	Mouth Diameter	Approx 1"	Approx. 2"
.	Number of turns to remove cap	About 1-3/4 turns.	About 3/4 of a turn.
.	Mouth Notes	Relatively narrow mouth lets you drink confidently even while in motion without worrying about sloshing and spills, but makes cleaning challenging.	Wider mouth allows you to easily maneuver a cleaning brush - plus when you do get it inside, you can actually see what you're cleaning. But if you're in motion - say riding in a car - drinking requires some caution to avoid spilling from the sides of the opening onto yourself. It's also easy to add whole ice cubes through the larger opening.
.	Cap Notes	Plastic, aluminum, and Santoprene cap has hexagonal grip surface with aluminum ring for carabiners that also gives extra leverage if you've screwed it too tight or the contents are under negative pressure. Between the Santoprene seal and plastic threads is a channel that makes an excellent place for mold to grow, but this is fairly easy to clean with a brush.	Tethered plastic cap has ridged grip, but can still be difficult to remove if you've screwed it on too tight or the contents are under negative pressure. The cap is easy to clean but the collar where the tether attaches to the bottle can be tough to clean. Luckily, the tether is removable from the bottle with some effort, and can be cut off completely if desired.
.	Cleaning	Hand wash recommended.	Dishwasher safe (top rack).
.	Taste	SIGG's EcoSafe liner is apparently some kind of baked-on, chemically inert material whose primary component is, according to the SIGG website, "co-polyesters," which sounds similar to what Nalgene claims to be using for their entire bottle. So if you were expecting there to be a difference in lingering taste from acidic beverages or were thinking about how abrasion could occur inside the Nalgene that would trap tiny particles of whatever and bring them along to the next drink, I don't think there would be enough of a difference to make the call one way or the other.	See left.
.	Recycleable after use?	Yes	Yes
.	Freezer-safe?	No	Maybe. Nalgene says it's safe to -40 degrees F, but anecdotes suggest if you aren't careful to leave the top cracked slightly the expansion can cause distortion or breakage.
.	Safe for boiling liquids?	Not recommended. The aluminum shell will transmit all 212 degrees right to your skin.	Not exactly - Nalgene says it's safe up to exactly 212 degrees, but I'd hesitate to try. The plastic sidewalls should offer better insulation from the heat than the SIGG bottle, though.
.	Accessories	Insulated bag and some different sport tops are about all you'll find for this bottle.	A variety of insulated bags, different tops, and devices to make the wide mouth narrower to avoid spilling are available. Also compatible with several water filtration and purification systems.

So what's the verdict? Even though I have been using a SIGG bottle the last few years, I can see where someone would prefer the Nalgene. Whether you're a mom who needs something easy to clean or an outdoor adventurer who can't risk a dented bottle if it falls out of a pack onto a rock, the Nalgene's durability and dishwasher-safe clean-up are tough to beat. But for the college student who likes to bring an adult beverage along on a late night study trip without everyone seeing what you've packed or a working professional who prefers slightly more subtle style that fits in with today's office environments, the SIGG bottle could also be an excellent choice. Overall, both bottles deliver a way to transport liquids effectively, but if I can buy 2 Nalgenes for just 80% of the cost of a SIGG... the odds are tipped in Nalgene's favor for me. What do you think? Let me know in the comments.

Here's another shot of the Nalgene's top just for reference. The coarse threads are easy to screw on and off and clean, but the tethered top can get in the way sometimes.

And here's the SIGG's top unscrewed. The yellowish color is the interior coating, and the white ring on the cap is the Santoprene gasket seal. You can see some of the scratches from everyday use on the exterior coating also.