Our revolutionary patent-pending process instantly pH balances your tap water and infuses it with antioxidants and electrolytes. Like magic – but it’s actually science. – Kor+ website
Margaret Schlachter and I have been testing the Kor+ Hydration System for a little over a week, we'll share the pros and cons of our user experience and how it matches up with their marketing.
From mykorplus.com:
Brett: While antioxidants, electrolytes and all the above sounds great and I'm sure would be an added bonus of drinking all my daily water from the Kor+, the part I'm most interested in is filtration – I only enjoy drinking clean, clear, crisp water – if the Kor+ can deliver that without too much of a hassle, I'm on-board for continuing to use this product long-term.
Margaret: Living in a city and constantly on the go I really like the idea of having filtered water on the fly, especially when I am flying and filling my water bottle at airports. I have a couple filter systems already mostly used for backpacking trips but having a water filter system for on the go appealed to me. The added stuff I didn't really care about.
Filtration – It’s How The Transformation Happens
The KOR+ filter, made from coconut shells infused with molecular hydrogen. That means it not only removes impurities but also adds antioxidant inducing elements and electrolytes like potassium, magnesium, and calcium to keep you properly hydrated.
Brett: Although I was ready to grab the Kor+ and hit the trails for a run upon receiving the package, after reading the quick instructions I needed to cool my jets for 8 hours after pre-filling the filter and letting it soak. The following morning I assembled the flask, filled with water and placed in the fridge for use later in the day. About an hour later I grabbed a bottled water from the fridge and was just about to crack it open when I remembered the Kor+. While the 20 oz volume would be enough for a quick run (I live in the desert, water is required even for a quick 5k training run, much more for really hot & dry trail runs) I felt the nozzle type might be awkward and the smooth cylinder a little too easy to drop.
Margaret: My experience at first was much like Brett's I assumed it would be an on the go thing and didn't realize you had to soak the filter for 8 hours before using. No biggie, but it is something that is a bit of a pain if you are looking to grab and go on your first use. Otherwise I filled it with tap water on one of my adventure days and chucked the bottle in the car cooler to have fresh water coming out of the mountains.
Taste & Usage
Brett: While there's absolutely no way for me to prove any of the benefits aside from taste, I was really impressed how crisp and fresh the water tastes from the Kor+. Each day I've been filling with regular tap water (note: my tap water isn't all that great, we use a Brita pitcher or filtration in our refrigerator for drinking water) and I enjoy crystal clear, crisp & clean water from the Kor+ bottle. Time will tell if I notice any additional benefits from the “superfoods” in my water.
Margaret: For me, it was hard to tell if the water really tasted different as I spent most of the time trying to figure out the best way to get water out of the bottle. See below comment. I live in a city and we already filter our tap water. Unlike Brett, we have a Berkey Filter with a double set of filters for both filter out any harmful chemicals, pesticides, bacteria, and other things that can be in city water. Additionally, we have a fluoride filter as well. So basically the water we drink is really clean. So it is really hard to tell if there is any difference between Kor+ and my normal water.
Brett: Usage-wise, the Kor+ doesn't require any additional tasks aside from filling the bottle and placing in the fridge. The pop-up “nipple” is covered by the cap, so it stays clean whether I throw in my backpack for a hike or in the cup in my Jeep. The water-tight seal is a must, and I'm glad it doesn't leak despite being tossed around a bit. I've found that I use it most often right in the office during the day, and it has replaced my wasteful habit of grabbing a cold bottled water from the fridge once or twice a day when I'm too lazy to fill up a cup from the fridge or pitcher.
The design & weight doesn't lend itself at all to athletics, however, and I won't be carrying it on any runs as the (slight) extra weight of the filter and plastic filter components and pop-up cap/nipple design rattles too much to swing around with every arm movement. The nipple itself is odd-shaped compared to your average sports bottle, and I've found it works best at rest versus on-the-go. I'll explain this a little more below when it comes to drinking out of the Kor+.
Margaret: See below
Drinking From the Kor+
Brett: My biggest issue with the design of the Kor+ is the type of filtration. With my Brita pitcher, the filtration happens passively: You'd fill the reservoir up top and gravity pushes the water through the filter, filling up the lower section for dispensing. With the Kor+, the “active” filtration happens as you sip through the translucent straw inside the bottle – forcing you to suck considerably harder than you would through say, a straw in a fast food cup. Coupled with the sucking is the straw positioning in the center of the cup, so drinking the last bit of the bottle cannot be accomplished if the bottle is on an angle while you are walking around.
Margaret: Okay, this is where Brett and I totally differ. Using the bottle was not easy at first, you need to make sure the filter is in the right direction otherwise you will be unable to drink from it. Unlike Brett, we don't have any bottled water in our house and I was already in the habit of refilling my glass bottle with our Berkey filtered water as my go to for a cold drink while working at home. So it hasn't made drinking water any easier for me. I might use it for travel on my next road trip when I fill up from tap water at rest stops and water fountains, but otherwise it will probably just collect dust around my house on the day to day.
Wrap-Up
Brett: While I definitely enjoy the clear & refreshing taste of the water I suck from the spout in my Kor+ bottle and find it convenient to use daily in my office, the deciding factor on whether I'll pony up $15/month for new filters comes down to the yet-unproven-to-me benefits I will glean from the great stuff the filtration adds to my water. My plan is to keep using it for the remainder of the month in the hopes for them to figure that out. Maybe I'll like the clean, crisp water enough to purchase a subscription and continue using the bottle every day, maybe the quirkiness of having to suck harder than usual will end up with the Kor+ sitting on a shelf.
Margaret: Some people may find that the Kor+ Bottle is a great addition to their life, for me I am already looking for its next good home as the usage of the bottle was not easy for me to want to continue to have it around. I like the look of it but the functionality is lacking.
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