Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

My experience: The Hydracoach is a great concept, but I don't think it's a very reliable piece of equipment. When you receive it you go through a very simple programming process, similar to setting a watch. You enter in your weight, the time and date, and your desired water intake per day. Then you start it and as you drink it'll track your progress towards your goal. Within the first two days I noticed that the LED would randomly reset itself...this would require me to go through the programming process again, as well as completely lose track of my water intake, thus entirely defeating the purpose and rendering it useless. I just reprogrammed it a few times and endured, but it continued to do this so I followed the return proceedure and shipped it back to the company at a cost of $7. Their return policy indicates that they pay for S&H on returns if it's for a defective product, however I was never reimbursed. They did send me a replacement within a week or so and it's been more stable than the original, but not without problems. The LED reset again within a month and the "low battery" icon started flashing. I found myself really disatisfied with the product at this point...considering that the LED is as simple as a wrist watch, and offers no backlight, the battery should last for at least a year or more. I had to replace the battery which cost about $3. The Hydracoach worked pretty reliably for about 4 months and just recently reset itself again with the "low battery" icon. I know this can't be the battery, so I re-programmed it and it's continued to work well since. I've come to the conclusion that this random reset is just an issue with the software and will just have to be put up with once in a while. So here is the BAD: - $29.99 for the product, $7 to ship the return, and $3 to replace the battery...I just paid $40 for a freaking water bottle. The product has ultimately been more of an inconvenience than it's worth, and I think it's way overpriced. - The 22 oz. size, although convenient to hold and carry, is rather small for someone who has a hydration goal. You will easily chug a full one of these and it will therefore require several refills through the day to reach your goal. - If the lid is screwed on too snug it will make sipping from the bottle nearly impossible. This isn't a negative as much as a note. It took me a while to figure out, but don't tighten the lid all the way in order to get maximum water flow. - The software is unstable and will randomly crash which renders this as good as a plain plastic water bottle from time to time. - Overall: It's simply not worth the money. If you can muster just a little extra motivation you can keep track of the amout of water you drink throughout the day without this, and honestly all you really need to do is approximate. Now the GOOD: + I will say that when this was working properly it was really helpful in meeting my hydration goals. + Being able to see your water intake percentage throughout the day is really great for keeping you motivated and helping you pace your water intake. + I can see where it would be nice for someone who is on a very strict diet or has a required water intake due to doctor's orders, or a medical condition.