When I first started running, I used to head out with a cassette Walkman attached to me and a big bottle of Evian in one hand. I wonder now how I every made it past my front gate!

Luckily I was able to trade in my Walkman for an mp3 player and my bottle of Evian for a lighter drinking option. The Rucanor bottle is the perfect shape to allow you to hold your hand in the natural 'loose fist' position as you grip it so it shouldn't disrupt your running style too much. Other bottles I've tried have a much thicker section of the 'doughnut' to grip onto, meaning I'm more aware of the bottle and less likely to ever venture out with it again. It doesn't have the ergonomic 'finger spaces' that some running bottles do, but personally I think they're a bit gimmicky. At £3.99 it's a reasonable price for what you get, although Karrimor offer a 500ml version for 4p cheaper.

The drinking spout 'pops out' a bit like a mineral water bottle. While this prevents any leakage, it's best done with two hands which isn't ideal. I prefer the spouts that incorporate a little drinking tube that lifts out, although these tend to be harder to clean and you can't get as much water at a time. The transluscent plastic means you can always see how much liquid you have left and is rigid enough that you'll never squeeze water out by mistake. On the other hand, if you get really hot and need to pour some water on your head, only a trickle will come forth.

That said, I think that with running bottles, 'less is more' and that this model is definitely too large. I found 300ml to be more than enough and often didn't bother to fill the bottle more than halfway. Runaid sell a smaller bottle that holds 150ml (available at wiggle.co.uk), which I find to be more than enough to provide the hydration I need. Larger bottles encourage you to over-hydrate, which has its own problems if you're miles from home. The Runaid bottle also helped to 'wean' me off running with water, which was my ultimate goal.

Nowadays I would only use this bottle for a long-ish run in very hot weather (conditions that I'd probably avoid anyway!). If I'm running in my local park, I can just stash any kind of water bottle somewhere and drink from that. If I'm doing a race, they'll provide water anyway. So for me the purpose of a running bottle is somewhat diminished. But the Rucanor Fist Runners Bottle served it's purpose, which paradoxically was to demonstrate that running bottles are actually quite annoying and it's better to do without.