Product description: EZ Freeze Free, a trademarked water bottle line from Cool Gear that includes a freezable gel stick that keeps beverages cold.

Molded parts: Bottle and cap OEM/Designer: Cool Gear (Plymouth, MA)

Molder: Cool Gear declined to name its supplier

Materials: Copolyester—Tritan, Eastman Chemical (Kings­port, TN)

Design details: According to its website, Cool Gear has been a leader in the reusable food and beverage container industry for 23 years. Its designers combine unique shapes, colors, and concepts in bringing new products to market. With one of the largest sports bottle lines in the marketplace, a Cool Gear product can be found in most major retailers around the globe. Differentiating Cool Gear’s bottles from everyday sports and water bottles is a patented freezable gel stick, which is attached to the cap of the bottle and can be frozen prior to use. It acts as a makeshift ice cube, keeping beverages cooler longer.

While EZ Freeze products were initially molded from polycarbonate, Cool Gear registered a growing consumer interest in a clear, durable material that was BPA-free. Designers also wanted a material that was durable, dishwasher safe, and capable of being molded into various shapes and sizes.

Material details: Designers chose Eastman Tritan copolyester to replace PC because it offered these qualities and could also be used in the molds originally designed for PC without reworking them.

Eastman sources cite further benefits, saying that besides the chemical resistance and low residual stress associated with traditional copolyesters, Tritan also offers high heat resistance, which improves dishwasher durability and eliminates the crazing, cracking, and hazing from continual exposure to high heat and aggressive cleaning detergents.

“Our intent was to utilize a material that would allow us to offer the same attributes of clarity and toughness with added benefits,” says Hank Roth, principal, Cool Gear. “The combination of properties offered by Tritan would not only help satisfy customer needs, but also allow us to continually provide a quality product.”

More info: www.coolgearinc.com | www.eastman.com