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Fell for a $45 'miracle' water filter that was just a plastic tube with charcoal
Bought this portable filter from a viral ad claiming it removes 99% of contaminants. Tested it with tap water and a basic testing kit - it didn't even catch the chlorine. Anyone else get burned by one of those overhyped survival gadgets?
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abbyp611d agoMost Upvoted
The Sawyer mini is fine for backpacking, but it doesn't filter out chemicals either, just bacteria and protozoa. That viral ad was still probably a ripoff, but expecting any portable filter to remove chlorine from tap water is asking way too much. Those basic testing kits aren't even accurate for measuring anything other than maybe sediment. The real problem is people buying survival gear based on a cool video without looking up what the specs actually mean. You can't blame the whole category of water filters just because you got sold a bad one.
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kai_chen22d ago
...and honestly the only survival gadget that's ever actually worked for me was a cheap $10 Sawyer mini filter. I took it backpacking through some questionable creeks and never got sick once. The key is to stick with brands that have been around forever and don't rely on flashy marketing. That viral ad stuff almost always ends up being junk.
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