Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)...instead of Amazon. Didn't know Amazon carried it. This purifier was intended for wilderness trips in the US. Sadly, it did not produce good tasting water as shown in the marketing videos. The water tasted like cheap plastic...even with the activated carbon filter installed. The bottle COULD have been filtering to the 15 nm spec but I had no way to test that. So, it MIGHT have been safe, but tasted awful.
I returned it to the East Coast distributor after a week of putting many of gallons of water through it trying to get rid of the plastic taste. I noticed that in the marketing video I saw, the bottle had yellow pump components. The one I received had black pump components. Am wondering if a new material spec might have produced a change in the taste of the water. However, the dist says no.
The unit was impressively easy to pump and put out water at a pretty good rate. The emphasis on use seemed to be oriented toward using your teeth to pull on the teat to drink. However, it was never my intent to use it that way. I wanted to use it to fill containers. It was less user friendly pulling on the teat with your fingers when the bottle was under pressure after having been pumped. The pressure in the bottle would cause the water to spray out before you could direct it into a suitable container. Alternatively, you can hold it over your container and then pull the teat open. A provision for an output hose that could be used in place of the teat would be nice.
Because of its fully integrated design, certain precautions have to be observed in order to prevent cross contamination. For example, you must develop a discipline of ensuring the cap for the teat is securely snapped in place before submerging the bottle in a source. Failure to do so could possibly contaminate the teat. It would be a good idea to download the User Guide from the Lifesaver Systems website and to familiarize yourself with this bottle before ordering it.
The 6000 version provides more water at a lower cost/liter than the 4000. As a matter of fact, it's total operating costs compared to other filters/purifers is really hard to beat. For you backpackers, I would peg the size of the 6000 between a 1 liter and 2 liter soda bottle. The distributor reports that the activated carbon filter is optional. This could save a good chunk of money in operating costs if you want to forgo the convenience of an integrated filter in favor of trying to fashion your own external ACTIVATED carbon filter at a much greater savings. The activated carbon filter can remove certain organic contaminants an improve taste dramatically. The Lifesaver comes with 1 activated carbon filter that you install prior to using.
The distributor seemed willing to work with me to solve the plastic tasting water. They even contacted the inventor, Michael Pritchard, to see what might be causing the issue. However, communications were slow and my wilderness trips were starting so I didn't have time to work through it. I am told that my bottle will be carefully examined to try to determine the cause of the off taste.
The manufacturing process that produces the LS6000 is virtually the same as the process that produces the LS4000. The only meaningful difference is the size. It would follow that a similar issue could be had with the LS4000. I recommend that this be bought through Amazon with the free shipping. As of this May 2009, price is the same as through the dist, but you pay $20 for shipping via the dist and you eat the shipping if you have to return it.
Have spent MANY, MANY hours researching water filtering/purification systems for backpacking. This product showed the most promise for a device that would produce safe water under almost any circumstance you could imagine at a such a reasonable cost with its 15 nm filter. I was crushed at having to return it. I am convinced that this device still shows the most promise save for the experience I had. I am hoping there is a resolution to the plastic tasting water soon.
My fallback will probably be a the top of the line Katadyn Pocket Katadyn Pocket Water Microfilter with 'only' a 200 nm ceramic filter and an external activated carbon filter. This will let viruses through, but viruses are reportedly not an issue in North American wilderness waters, especially if you are choosey about your source.
Had my LifeSaver 6000 produced the bottled water taste as asserted in the marketing videos, I would have given it 5 stars....and kept it!
***UPDATE 05/11/2010***
It has been a year since I wrote this original review. There has been no news from the distributor regarding the plastic taste and others have noticed it as well in the LS4000. Earlier this year, I decided to opt for the Katadyn Pocket Water Microfilter, Katadyn Carbon Cartridge, and SteriPEN Classic Handheld Water Purifier. It's a little more to schlep. See my reviews at the provided links. I'll stick with the Katadyn system.
Click Here to see more reviews about:
Lifesaver Bottle 6000 Ultra Filtration Water BottleDeveloped in response to natural disasters such as 2004's tsunami and Hurricane Katrina, and in response to the world's increasingly threatened supply of clean, drinkable water, the Lifesaver 6000 Ultra Filtration Water Bottle is a simple-to-use, chemical-free water purification system that removes water-borne pathogens and reduces chemical residues from the water making it safe to drink anywhere. The world's first all-in-one ultra filtration water bottle, the Lifesaver Bottle makes easy-to-use, portable water filtration a reality for travelers and outdoors people everywhere.
The Lifesaver bottle eliminates the need for iodine tablets, tedious boiling, chemicals, tubes, shaking, scrubbing, waiting, and effort from the water purification process. The bottle uses a long-term use replaceable filter, which can treat about 6,000 liters of water, eight years of usage if you drank two liters of water every day. The bottle has a unique feature, which shuts the filter off when the cartridge has expired so you can get the maximum life out of your filter without the risk of drinking contaminated water.
The Lifesaver Bottle filters out all water-borne pathogens using a filter with holes 15 nanometers across to prevent even the smallest viruses, 25 nanometers across, to cross the filter, eliminating the need for chemicals to treat the water. The Lifesaver Bottle is fitted with a 6000UF replaceable purification cartridge that removes bacteria, viruses, cysts, parasites, fungi, and all other microbiological water-borne pathogens from your water.
The Lifesaver Bottle also comes with an activated carbon filter, made of a high specification activated carbon block which reduces a broad spectrum of chemical residues including: pesticides, endocrine disrupting compounds, medical residues, and heavy metals such as lead and copper. The Carbon filter also eliminates bad tastes and odors from contaminates such as chlorine and sulphur. The carbon filter is designed to last for approximately 250 liters.
In addition to the purification cartridge and carbon filter, the Lifesaver Bottle is supplied with a pre-filter disc. The pre-filter disc protects the membranes of the purification cartridge from objects such as gravel, sand, sticks, and mud, prolonging the overall life of the cartridge. Your pre-filter disc may also be used as a sponge to soak up water from those hard-to-reach areas like cracks in rocks or shallow puddles.
Exceptionally easy to use, the Lifesaver Bottle filters water on demand at the time of collection. Simply unscrew the base, dip the bottle in the nearest water source, and pump the water through the filter to a teat at the other end, purifying up to 750 milliliters of water in just under a minute. The clean water can be drank immediately, directly from the Lifesaver bottle or poured into a separate container for storage. Designed to work at any angle and in any axis, not only are you able to drink from the bottle in any position, but you can also fill mugs, water bottles, pans, and other water storage vessels from any position.
The Lifesaver Bottle utilizes failsafe technology to protect you from drinking contaminated water toward the end of the filter cartridge's life. As the cartridge approaches the end of its life, the bottle requires a greater number of pumps to induce water to flow. When no more water can be induced to flow despite continuous pumping, the cartridge has expired and it is time to replace it.
The Lifesaver Bottle is designed not to over-pressurize as a safety feature to prevent injury. Over-pumping the bottle will cause the flip lid to bulge. If pumping continues, then the teat will open and release the water and the pressure.
Due to its unique pneumatic action, the Lifesaver Bottle can be used to direct a jet of sanitized water directly onto a wound, cleaning away any contaminants, allowing for levels of wound irrigation never before possible in the field.
Winner of the "Best Technological Development for Future Soldier System Enhancement" at Soldier Technology 2007, the Lifesaver bottle has earned the trust of the armed forces in delivering safe water anywhere in the world. Tested and approved for use by the United States EPA, the UK Water Compliance Guidelines, and the European Drinking Water Directive Council, the Lifesaver 6000 Ultra Filtration Water Bottle is a portable water purification system that you can rely on.
Filter Specifications:
Cartridge service rating: 6,000 liters (1,585 U.S. gallons)
Replaceable activated carbon filter
Replaceable UF cartridge
Bacteria retention: >99.999995 % (log 7.5)(2)
Virus retention: >99.999 % (log5)(3)
Activated carbon reduces chemical residues including: pesticides, endocrine disrupting compounds, medical residues, and heavy metals
Bottle Specifications:
Bottle storage capacity: 750 milliliters
Chew-proof, replaceable drinking teat
Watertight, snap-fit lid
Cap seal
Pump tube
Protective sleeve
Removable anti-slip base
Twist lock pump handle
Removable carry strap
Dry weight of bottle including cartridge: 635 grams (approximately 22 ounces)
Operating Specifications:
Minimum operating temperature: >0 degrees Celsius, 32 degrees Fahrenheit
Maximum operating temperature: 50 degrees Celsius, 122 degrees Fahrenheit
Minimum storage temperature: -10 degrees Celsius, 14 degrees Fahrenheit
Maximum storage temperature: 60 degrees Celsius, 140 degrees Fahrenheit
Initial flow rate: 2.5 liters per minute at 0.25 Bar(1)
Flow rates and capacity depend on the quality of the feed water
After first use, the product should be protected against freezing
Compliance and Testing Specifications:
U.S. compliance EPA: U.S. National Primary Drinking Water Regulations under the Safe Drinking Water Act 93-523
UK compliance: Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 2000
EU compliance: European Drinking Water Directive Council, Directive 98/83/EC
Tested by London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine using Escherichia coli NCTC 10418 in accordance with the Protocol for Microbiological Water Purifiers in accordance with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guidelines
Tested by London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine using Poliovirus Type 1 (Sabin vaccine strain) in accordance with the Protocol for Microbiological Water Purifiers in accordance with US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guidelines
Manufacturer Warranty Two-year international limited warranty
Click here for more information about Lifesaver Bottle 6000 Ultra Filtration Water Bottle
