Water: HOORAY!!! I finally got my Sawyer!!!

[miguel]

After months of hesitation, I finally got my Sawyer water purifier yesterday. I ordered the Point Zero Two Purifier from MoonTrail.com: Sawyer Point Zero Two purifier :: Drip water filters :: Water Treatment :: Moontrail

The price at MoonTrail.com was more than $20 lower than many other sites, including REI, Amazon and the other other big outdoor-type retailers. Shipping was about $10 and I got the product in less than a week.

Here is a link to the product on the Sawyer website: Point Zero Two Purifier - Sawyer Point One Filters

This item has a "0.02 Micron Absolute Hollow Fiber Membrane" which is based on the same technology used for kidney dialysis machines. I'm not a doctor, engineer or scientist, so I will have to take their word for it.

Here is a picture of the box the product came in:

You might notice the box says, "up to one million litres" which is different from the stated "up to one million gallons" marketing message on their site. That disappointed me a little, since 1,000,000 litres works out to ~ 264,550 gallons, which is quite a bit less! Still, based on my calculation, that would provide -- in theory -- ten people with two gallons of water (7.5 litres for you metric people!) every day for more than 36 years. I have emailed Sawyer to ask for clarification on this issue. Worst case, if things are still bad after year 20 of SHTF, I will either kick a few people out of camp or cut everyone back to 1 gallon a day.

This box was shipped in a larger box with some packing by the MoonTrail.com team.

Here is a picture of the contents of the box:

The items in the Sawyer box are:

Bucket Adapter & Hose
Faucet Adapter (for use on a sink)
Filter Cleaner (the backwash syringe -- IT IS HUGE!!!)
Hole Cutter for Bucket (looks like a drill bit)
Purifier Hanger (aka hook)
Quick Release Hose Adapter
0.02 Micron Absolute Purifier

It also came with a sheet of assembly instructions, detailed instructions on how to backwash and an index card advising that you will need to prime this baby before use. I know many people on other forums have said the flow sucks, but most admittedly hadn't primed it before heading out to BFE. Despite being a tech guy, I always RTFM!

I bought a white bucket to use with this for $3 at Walmart. Not sure it is food grade, but it's the one everyone is talking about in other threads that is marked HDPE 2. Since I don't plan on storing water in it, I figure I'm OK. You hard core folks correct me if I'm wrong!

Also, since it has hoses and connectors, I want to buy some bladders and a charcoal filter to see how much I can customize this for different purposes. Not wild about carrying a five gallon bucket everywhere I go with this thing! They do have a version that comes with a clean and dirty bag, but I didn't want to spend another $60 for that right now.

I will post updates on this as I begin to play with it.

Hope this helps anyone considering how to account for water in an emergency!

 

[VERT]

Very nice! I picked up a Saywer with the clean and Dirty bags a couple of months ago. I agree that those bags are overpriced but I did not want to deal with the bucket. I still am waiting for a good opportunity to try the filter out.

 

[Johnson]

Thanks for the thorough post. I'd be interested in the flow rate that you get out of a single filter. Once you get it up and running, see how long it takes to pass 1 gallon of water.

 

[VERT]

The one problem that I see with my Sawyer is that a person could break the ends off the filter with rough handling. These units are sold for back packing and yet they have tubes hanging off of them. I would love to find some sort of lightweight plastic case or other method for storing the filter in a pack.

 

[miguel]

The one problem that I see with my Sawyer is that a person could break the ends off the filter with rough handling. These units are sold for back packing and yet they have tubes hanging off of them. I would love to find some sort of lightweight plastic case or other method for storing the filter in a pack.

Based on the size, I think it might fit into a plastic travel mug, nagalene bottle or a thermos. Toss in some packing peanuts or bubble wrap and you are GTG.

From nose to tail it's about 7" and less than 2.5" in diameter.

I'll try to get some flow rate tests done some time soon and will necro-bump this thread when I do.

 

[smokingman]

We love our Sawyer filters.I would say on average the flow on it is around 1/3-1/2 gallon per minute.It depends on elevation and what kind of pressure(how full)your source of water is.
Best water filter we have ever tried.

 

[Johnson]

We love our Sawyer filters.I would say on average the flow on it is around 1/3-1/2 gallon per minute.It depends on elevation and what kind of pressure(how full)your source of water is.
Best water filter we have ever tried.

That's a pretty impressive flow rate. I'm still researching options, but the Sawyer is looking good. Thanks for the info.

 

[Johnson]

OK, so I just bought my Sawyer .02 from Moontrail

Should be here in a week, so I'll write up a review when it gets here. Thanks for the heads-up and the link to Moontrail, who definitely was the least expensive.

 

[miguel]

OK, so I just bought my Sawyer .02 from Moontrail

Should be here in a week, so I'll write up a review when it gets here. Thanks for the heads-up and the link to Moontrail, who definitely was the least expensive.

COPYCAT!!!

Not sure how MoonTrail can undercut everyone else on Sawyer products, but they do. Not sure how their pricing is on other items.