I used it on accident, downstream of a herd of cattle and never got sick. It's easy to use. Scoop up some water and squeeze hard to get a drink. It works and is very convenient, but I wouldn't trust it as my sole method of filtering on a multi-day trip. For day hikes I love it!

Customer Service

Not needed.

Similar Products Used:

Katadyn Hiker and Guide.

Great for when a source of clean safe water is not available. Or you don't have the time to boil some. The taste is a bit off. But who cares when your thirsty. I used it to drink water from a communal well in India that was known to contain all manner of nasties. I know this personally, as I had previously got Dysentery from that well. Never got sick after using this product.

Customer Service

Unknown

Similar Products Used:

Water Purification Tablets.

It's true that this product has drawbacks, but I loved it on my month-long trek to Mt. Everest Base Camp in Nepal. It's so convenient to be able to drink immediately - anywhere, anytime. I never noticed any iodine taste, and I never got sick. Staying hydrated is the key to acclimatization at high elevations, and although this bottle requires vigorous squeezing to deliver adequate amounts, I had no problem staying hydrated up to 18,400 feet. This product isn't perfect, but I plan to take it on my return trek to EBC next year. I swear by it.

I bought this primarily because of its light weight with the thought that I could live with the slow speed and low capacity. But I can't. It gets used mostly for glacial runoff, which often carries a lot of sand. Unless the water is absolutely clear, the purifier is good for only a gallon before clogging. There is no option to field clean or back flush the cartridges. With the replacement the only option and cartridges costing nearly as much as for heavier and higher capacity purifiers, it makes sense to toss this thing and get a high-capacity model. Most annoying, though, is that the weight rating is misleading. The iodine cartridge has to remain wet to remain active, which means carrying around water in the bottle for that purpose, water I would not otherwise carry. With the water it ends up weighing more than heavier models. The water has a taste, probably of iodine. But I would live with that if not for the basic inability of this purifier to purify reasonable quantities of water. Another annoyance is the fragile-looking goose neck means the bottle has to be carefully stored, not stuffed with everything else.

Customer Service

Never called.

Similar Products Used:

Have used a MSR Sweetwater, but am switching to a First Need Deluxe, which is chemical free and does not have the contamination issues of two hoses.

A great product for what it is designed to do, PURIFY water. A previous reviewer complained of the technical aspects of using this product, and felt his "filter" was a better alternative, but his "filter" would do nothing for him if he was concerned with a waterborn virus contaminating his drinking water. The 1 liter "Mackenzie" is capable of "purifying" up to 26 gallons of water, without a filter change. The filter itself is broken into three components, each of which can be replaced independent of the others. The first is the "Pre-Filter" (activated coconut carbon granules which reduce pesticides and herbicides & eliminate unpleasant tastes and odors). Then comes the "Cyst Filter" (1 micron glass fiber traps protozoan cysts such as giardia and cryptosporidia as well as other particulate). The final filter is the "ViruStat" (Resin bed of patented penta-iodine which deactivates bacteria and viruses by electrostatic ion exchange in a demand-release system, minimizing any iodine residue. A layer of activated carbon granules eliminates any residual iodine). Remember, this is a "scoop or fill" system. No hassle over unpacking, assembling, pumping and separate containers here. Simply fill up the bottle from any fresh water source available, squeeze and sip.

This is a pain to use. Just getting water out gives your forearms a pump, then your thirst is still not quenched. Also, after storing it for a while, you need to do all kinds of things to it to keep it working properly. I'm not sure I did these things correctly and am not confident in this unit. PUR's are so much better, pump water into a bottle (easily), down the water, and forget about purifying water until you drop the hose into the next source.

Similar Products Used:

Sweetwater Guardian, PUR Hiker

None

None

This is a great product. However, here are some pros & cons that you should consider for yourself. Pros: It was very convenient; I just unscrewed the lid and dipped it in the water then screwed the lid back on and started drinking. My friend didn''t even get his pump/filter unpacked yet and I was drinking cool fresh water. This filter/bottle combo is lighter than a pump/filter and separate water bottle. Cons: You need a deep enough water source to be able to submerge the bottle - this is fine if you have a stream - but if all you have is a very shallow puddle from some rainfall it''s tough to fill. You can scoop up the water w/ a cup but you need about a 1 1/2" to 2" of water to do this. Remembers my friend w/ the filter, his filter was able to drain several "puddles" on the rocks that were less than 3/4" deep. I could not. I suppose I could rig up a tube to siphon the water. Bottom line in this case, the pump was better. Drinking from the bottle took a little getting used to. It was very hard to drink while hiking, so I had to stop to drink every time. Additional comments: Drinking from the bottle never really quenched my thirst. You have to squeeze the bottle for about 10 seconds to get a mouthful. It seemed to me that the effort for the mouthful left me not quite satisfied, and then because I stopped I had to catch up w/ my hiking partners. Summary: This is a great product if you have a good water source. You can''t beat the convenience. However, the water has to be deep enough to fill the bottle. It could have been a problem for me if my friend didn''t have his pump/filter on day one of the hike, when the only water to be found was in very shallow rainwater "puddles".

Similar Products Used:

Sweet Water filter/pump

I was actually surprised how fast the water does come out of the bottle - much the same as a narrow straw; certainly not a problem.

There is a slight iodine taste from the treated water (at least I think that's what it is!) but not enough to make drinking unpleasant.

I've used it to treat Mexico City tap water and mountain woods stream water and haven't got sick. Of course these two sources are arguably relatively safe without treating...

Assuming it really works, it's a great, relatively light, convenient, way to ensure a safe water supply.

Similar Products Used:

None

This filter/purifier is the most convenient I have ever used. The filter is a long cylinder whose upper end attaches to the cap of a 1-liter bottle. The bottle is filled with suspect water, the cap with filter is screwed on, and you are ready to drink. Squeezing the bottle forces the water through the filter and out the drinking tube. Fast, light weight, easy to carry, and very convenient.

This is a purifier so it also kills viruses. Does it work? The EPA says it does and I haven't gotten sick yet. So...

After a few bottles, the effort needed to squeeze the water out is reduced substantially. The volume of water delivered with each squeeze is good.

For very long hikes or overnight trips where finding water might be a problem, I fill up a Nalglene bottle or a bladder with water and fill the Exstream bottle as needed.

Highly recommended!

Similar Products Used:

SweetWater.