Katadyn Pocket Water Microfilter Review

 Rating: 4,5 of 5 stars====================Product price: Check new Price in amazon====================Buy with Secure Transaction Amazon now…====================  Product Descriptionhe most rugged, longest lasting microfilter available. Chosen by the U.S. military and expeditions due to it's extreme durability and dependability. For those who want the best.The Pocket hails from Katadyn's Endurance series, a high-quality line of filters that can produce up to 100 times more water than standard water filters. The Pocket is so tough in fact, that it's the first choice for extreme adventurers like Mike Horn. Plus, it's the only water filter with a 20-year warranty. Other features include a measuring gauge that indicates when you should change the filtering element, a cushioned base that makes it easy to pump on all surfaces, a prefilter, and a carrying bag.

Specifications:

• Capacity: 13,000 gallons / 50,000 liters
• Dimensions: 24 by 6 centimeters / 10 by 2.4 inches
• Output: 1 quart/liter per minute
• Technology: 0.2 micron ceramic depth filter (cleanable)
• Weight: 550 grams / 20 ounces
• 20 year warranty

Katadyn Pocket Water Microfilter

 Customer Reviews:* The Katadyn pocket has a well-deserved reputation for reliability and durability. It is one of the pricier filters but is also rated to pump much more water than its competitors. The Katadyn pocket isn't light (20 oz), but the better competitor pumps are also about 16 oz., so this isn't too much heavier. Some of the others pump a little faster, but they are usually 0.3 micron filters, whereas this is a superior 0.2 micron filter. The Katydin pocket is also the only pump with a lifetime warranty (excluding wear of the ceramic filter).If you search the web, you'll find a lot of reports of the $75 pumps eventually breaking, especially plastic handles. If you have to replace them (or their short-lived filters), you've already well into what it would cost to buy a Katadyn Pocket. This thing is pretty damn tough, and the only way to break it would be to take it apart and drop the inner ceramic filter.I've found it easy to use, though you need to hold it upright to keep water flowing. During 8 years of trips through the Sierra Nevada, Utah, New Hampshire, and Wyoming this filter has never disappointed.General tips to extend the lifetime of any water filter:1) Use running water from streams/rivers whenever possible2) Position the floater so that water inflow comes from the top of the stream and not the bottom (where a lot of sediment stirs about)3) Rubber band a coffee filter around the prefilter to keep particulate matter out.4) After pumping, unscrew the filter and drain the excess water. This filter is silver-impregnated though, to prevent microbial growth.If you want to keep your packing weight down, carry your water in collapsible water bladders instead of thick plastic bottles. You can buy a cheap adapter so that water is pumped from the filter right into the water bladder. If you search around the web you can find the Katydin Pocket for around 180 or less. I tend to pack light and have lots of fancy lightweight gear, but I am serious about my water sources and don't plan to compromise on this beauty.* Purchased this item through Amazon while in Iraq. I couldn't be more pleased with what arrived.Save a quick buck on a cheeper solution, risk your health and safety with less capable products, or purchase a waranteed item that is tested and utilized by the life-saving organizations of the world?I don't like chintzy things. If I buy something it needs to last. The Katadyn is not only made and waranteed to last, but it does so in a way that also provides the consumer with almost a lifetime of use from a single filter (depending on usage patterns). For $100 more than the next guy is asking you're geting 8 times the volume of safe, drinkable water, from a single filter.My biggest concern in Iraq was the supply of safe water on longer missions, or in the event of an emergency. We're well provided out there with the necessities, but it is nice to be prepaired. Things happen. What I had in my pack was something that on more than one occassion I was able to use in the Tigris, at some of the waddis and some of the rainwater runnoffs for longer missions. The Tigris is higly polluted from factory and farm runoff...among other things, but I was able to fill a camelback without an ounce of concern for my health.There's a learning curve to using the device, and there are videos showing proper techniques. Cross contamination is the name of the game...keeping the unfiltered elements away from the filtered ones. Katadyn makes a point of this in the manual, and provides a carry case that aids in seperating the components. Thje device is solid and sturdy. The handle and end caps are metal and designed to be used by positing the filter upright on a solid surface. Care and maintenance is easy, and as long as you follow the directions to avoid cross contamination you will continue to pump thousands of liters of safe drinking water.If you're worried about the price, consider what you are buying. A life saving product needs to last, even if it's only for a hobby. You are much more likely to misuse a cheaper product by trying to filter sketchy water beyond the filter's capacity.. and unfortunately the only way you will know is when you become ill. The Katadyn has a massive filter life, along with a handy gauge to let you know when it's time to replace the filter (although few will ever need to do this unless they're working for one of the humanitarian organizations).It's sturdy, it's tough, it's made by people who understand that safety should not be compromised for a few dollars or ease of use. If you buy a Katadyn, you're buying quality and ease of mind.I HIGHLY reccomend this product to all readers of this review.