Riding in Tucson Az you learn real quick what to use in this heat. This bottle hands down keeps the liquids ice cold longer than any other bottle I've tried. I freeze a half filled bottle overnight then top it off with the remaining cold drink in the morning before heading out. It stays cold easily for 2 hours. If I'm going out longer I'll freeze the whole bottle. Fit and finish are top notch, stays secure in my cages. Cleans up easily. The valve works great in regards to keeping things sealed inside with no leaks or splashing but this is no high flow valve despite their description. Flow is moderate at best and if you look inside the valve you can see that the cutout that allows the liquid to come out is too small to allow high flow. Also remember that the more insulated a bottle is the harder it will be to squeeze it. A small price to pay for keeping things ice cold I think. 4 Stars for now. Perfect the "high flow" valve and it's a 5 star easily.
The Polar bottles keep drinks cold on 90F-100F days better than competing brands I've used. If I fill a pre-chilled bottle with ice and cold liquid, the mix will stay cool for ~90 to 120 minutes in very hot conditions. The caps tighten on the bottle securely, and the valves allow you to squirt/sip drinks in the open position without leaking and without fussing with a twist-mechanism (just pull and push like any normal bottle). The understated bottle designs and colors are a nice aesthetic touch, too.
People give me the Podium chill for gifts. I try them, then went back to my old Polar. Now with the new mouthpiece the choice is even clearer. Podium Chill mouthpieces are much bulkier (even the new one) and simply take more effort than needed. The new Polar mouthpiece is small and, very easy to use; just put it in the mouth and squeeze. No need to turn a dial when flying down a hill when you can sneak a drink yet don't want to fumble with turning the mouthpiece. Moreover, the exterior of the bottles make noise in my carbon bottle cages. Granted, the cages i use grab the bottle tightly, but the Polar makes no noise (other than some ice slosh, not a bad thing). They also look better than the PChill.
