Help me get below 10 pounds

This really isn't possible. I know it is what the package says but both the tabs and drops have the same active ingredients and both state the same concentration of Chlorine in the water as a result of treatment.

Therefore the only difference in treatment time should be the amount of time that the tablet takes to disolve.

I would suspect that there is a difference in the standard they are testing to for the amount of cysts left in the water or in the quality of the water being tested.

Yes – he is misinformed.

Both take 15 – 20 minutes to treat bacteria but BOTH take up to 4 hours with cold water to kill viruses and protozoa. In fact, the tablets are more concentrated with respect to dose and are EPA approved whereas the liquid is not. The longer treatment time is strictly for protozoa, which the tablets can treat effectively but the liquid can't unless one triples the dosage!!

Short video on water treatment with AQUA MIRA

If both Aqua Mira drops and tabs both take up to 4 hrs to kill protozoa and people are only waiting 20 mins, why not just use bleach or iodine?
Chlorine Dioxide, Chlorine and Iodine would all seems to kill viruses and bacteria within 20 mins. People always bring up the fact that chlorine and iodine are less effective against giardia and crypto, but if the correct wait time for chlorine dioxide isn't being used anyway, why bother?

According to the COO of Aquamira (letter is quoted in the thread I linked to above) 4 hours is only necessary for crypto (not giardia) and then only under very adverse conditions, unlikely to be encountered in the field.

In my opinion bleach and iodine both taste foul. Aquamira is pretty tasteless at the dose I normally use–heavier treatment only gives the water a faint sour taste (not unpleasant, IMO–sort of like putting a slice of lemon in).

Also, some people are allergic to iodine.

For me, the real "why bother?" question became, why bother using any treatment at all? For where I like to hike, I've quit treating at least half the water I find. But that's another (endless) thread…