SHO Newt Bottle Review

I fell in love with this bottle as soon as it was announced and I’ve been a fan of SHO ever since buying their food flask (my review is here).

The Newt bottle by SHO is a fully modular bottle, meaning you can take apart each piece for easy cleaning. It comes with two lids – a leakproof straw lid and a regular screw on lid with an anti microbial drink spout, a carabiner clip and a silicone base so it doesn’t make a clanging noise when you set it down.

The bottle comes in 8 colours, ranging from bold fuchsias and blues to pastel hues, has a 500ml capacity and retails for £35. It is leakproof and keeps drinks cold for 24 hours and hot for 12. I find it performs well on those metrics.

What I really like about the Newt

What I really like about the Newt bottle is how versatile it is. It can handle fizzy drinks (as long as you use the straw lid), hot drinks and water. I usually use the screw top lid for hot drinks and the straw lid for cold drinks because I like to use ice. The mouth of the bottle is quite narrow, but you can still fit standard ice cubes into it. I also bought the infuser accessory that can be purchased separately, so I can use the bottle for loose tea or fruit flavoured water.

I also really like that each piece comes apart for easy cleaning. One of the main gripes I was hearing from others when researching water bottles was that nooks and crannies often get mouldy in hard to reach places. It’s really easy to disassemble the Newt bottle and it is even dishwasher safe which is an absolute win in my book.

It’s also very light and compact so I can easily slip it into a bag without it taking up too much space.

Finally, I really like how SHO have thought of everything and you get the different lids, carabiner clip, silicone base etc all in one box. I think these accessories are usually an extra expense with other bottles.

Drawbacks of the Newt bottle

Despite the bottle being pretty nifty, well designed and versatile, there are some small things that I’ve had trouble with. Firstly, I think it being completely modular is both an advantage and a disadvantage. It’s so easy to take apart to clean, but it means there are a lot of small pieces that are easy to lose. I’ve also found with the straw lid if you don’t tighten it fully the straw is easier to push up, which means it can leak. Of course, this is a user error rather than a fault with the bottle, but it’s rather fiddly.

Also if you intend on handwashing the bottle, you will need to invest in a brush as the mouth is quite narrow.

At £35 for a 500ml bottle, this isn’t exactly the most affordable bottle out there. SHO markets this as their “premium” bottle and it really does seem like it for the amount of accessories you get. But it is a big up front expense. If you are a new customer you can get 20% off your first order by signing up to their newsletter which would then make the bottle £28.

Following on from my previous point, the Newt only comes in a 500ml capacity at the time of writing this. It also only comes in 8 colours and while I think they’re lovely, the range doesn’t compete with the likes of Hydro Flask or Owala.

Who would I recommend the Newt bottle to?

I’d recommend the Newt bottle if you’re after something compact that you can use for tea, water or fizzy drinks. It’s a “one and done” sort of bottle which you can use for anything. Also if you’re not too concerned with having to refill it regularly, or just want something portable for short trips. It’d also be perfect for those who are meticulous about cleaning their bottle and are concerned about the difficulty of cleaning similar bottles with straw lids.

If you are someone who wants a large receptacle you’re likely going to be disappointed as the Newt is only available in a 500ml capacity at the moment. Similarly if you want a wide mouth bottle to fit larger chunks of ice in this won’t be for you. If you are prone to losing things you might want to sit this one out too.

What reusable bottle do you have?