I returned my Steripen

"…I don't understand why SteriPen can't pull it off."

Maybe it has a deep trust in its circuit board fabricators. Either that or they don't have a microscope.

This is standard stuff that some of us in North American had to learn the hard way about thirty-odd years ago.

The really difficult part of it is that it doesn't cause catastrophic failure all of the time. Sometimes the problem symptoms will come and go with changes in humidity. It tends to just get worse and worse as long as a good battery is there.

–B.G.–

I love my SP Adventurer but… I always carry Katadyn chlorine dioxide tabs as a backup.

I use only AA lithium batteries in it. Long lasting and lighter than other battery technology.

Still looking for numbers on the Adventurer…..

Let me offer some on my SteriPEN Traveler Opti:
The CR123's are rated at 1500 mAhr each. Let's use a conservative value of 1000 mAhr each, as shown below.

I measured 0.00 mA drain, with 0.01 mA resolution on the multimeter. So, let's use a drain of 0.01 mA (10 uA). Nah, let's use a number 10X's greater than what I observed on my multimeter…. 0.1 mA (100 uA drain).

Doing the math, and accounting for two batteries, 20,000 hrs ==> 2 years.

This is probably why the folks at PEN don't see battery removal/reversal for short term non-use. Long term non-use, other issues such as self-discharge, and leakage come into play.

Anybody have any drain measurements on the Adventurer Opti…

well I was gonna buy a Steripen this week at the REI sale but you guys are scaring me away.

can anyone tell me the pros and cons of the Classic v.s. the Adventurer?
yes the Classic is heavier, but it seems to have more battery power.

Classic has the stopper tip that works with soda bottles, Platys etc.

I can't say I have had problems with my steripen, however, I decided to go the same route and get a squeeze. It is cheaper, lighter, and has no batteries to worry about. I actually just got my Squeeze a couple days ago and I was pretty stoked it was lighter, however, that shortly ended since it is hard to keep it lighter than the Steripen once you squeeze some water through it. it tends to hold water pretty well, unless you spend the next ten minutes shaking it all out. it starts out at 3oz, but after filtering once it was at close to 5oz, which is now heavier than the steripen. i must say though, i enjoy not having to worry about batteries. I think i will be putting my steripen up for sale.

My measurements:

2.8 ounce (without the stupid cap : ) (3 ounces in pint zip top bag)

ran some water through, let the water run out of the filter without shaking – 3.56 ounce

10 vigorous shakes – hold at arm length and really swing it, some of them with the flow direction pointing down, some pointing up – 2.85 ounce

Hmmm… I wonder why my measurements are different???

Since I've worked in the tech sector, I have no illusions about the reliability of any electronic component.

Just the variation of performance with the steripen I see here in this thread is totally typical of low budget and low grade electronics, otherwise known as 'consumer electronics', which the only electronics you can sell at consumer level price points.

Random failures, statistical failure rates (which translates to what you see in this thread: person a: has perfect success, lasts, durable, person b: has one fail, odd battery consumption rates, person c: has had to return x units before getting one that works) is absolutely typical of modern low cost outsourced electronic devices, and is why I would never consider a steripen unit as a filter, a filter is something that is predictable and that works on mechanical or chemical principles, not batteries that have variable abilities to hold charges, electronics that can and do fail at any moment. No modern consumer electronic device is reliable, period, particularly not something like this. I am frankly stunned that anyone buys or uses such a device for water filtering, I've worked around electronics long enough to consider that an absurd risk, I'd never do that.

Sawyers solved the weight and complexity problem, not perfect, but it's good enough, I can see no reason to use a non mechanical or (yuch, vile, but…) chemical solution. I'm ignoring all those posters who claim to know the infection levels of every water source I'll use, thanks for the kind offer to deliver such amazing knowledge about water infections based on look and feel, I didn't realize that giardia had a flavor…. now for that deer upstream, or, worse, that camper who just couldn't resist a morning toilet break by streams edge, or cleaning after, in that upstream spot I've always thought about camping in, or that upstream pasture I didn't know about…. amazing how people can know such things just by feel and intuition. By the way, did you know that if ticks have only a 1 or 2% lyme infection rate in your locale, that means you won't get it when you get bitten by one? So don't worry about that fever you get after that bite you didn't feel, it's not lyme either.

>" I'm ignoring all those posters who claim to know the infection levels of every water source I'll use, thanks for the kind offer to deliver such amazing knowledge about water infections based on look and feel, I didn't realize that giardia had a flavor…."

Guess I missed that post.

I use the Katydyn Mybottle. Like the Sawyer, you squeeze the bottle to force water through a filter. I spoke with a Katydyn rep who confirmed that the virustat componenet is unnecessary "in most of North America".This last is basically iodine. So I'm going with the lighter, simpler two piece filter. This set up gets no love; I'm not sure why. Possibly because the water flow is a bit slow. I've gone back to my old bottle with a different mouthpiece that seems to flow better; certainly acceptable to me. But I may convert to a Sawyer squeeze if it' somehow noticeably better. Anyway, the whole thing is simple and relatively light, with no breakable parts!

This always seems to happen to me lol. I read sparkling reviews and threads about a product while doing my research (like the SteriPEN) and finally decide to lay down the cash for one. After I buy it, a thread like this comes out revealing many of the negatives that I hadn't read before. But this is good info that has been posted.

I bought the SteriPEN Adventure Opti about a month ago and so far I love it. I also have a Sawyer Inline filter that I have set up much like the Squeeze with an old Platypus (I love the Sawyer as well). I like the convenience of the SteriPEN and the fact that I notice no change in the water taste which is nice in places like the Sierras which has some of the best tasting water in the world. Mines worked fine so far, although as has been pointed out I am not getting quite the battery life that was claimed and CR123's are expensive compared to other batteries.

I bought the SteriPEN mainly for the convenience, and the reviews I had read raved about it. I will keep using it until I begin to experience some of the problems that have been noted here. As someone else said, I really want it to work, and work well. But I don't depend on it as my sole source of drinking water and always carry chemical treatment as a back up, although I don't like to use it. Filters can fail as well, but not as likely as electronics. Either way, I'll continue with my trial of the SteriPEN.

What about the steripen freedom ? It's newer than the opti and has it's own battery (and lighter) yet I see little written about it in these forums; probably due to price I think.

I've used most brands of batteries. FWIW, I've never had a problem with Duracell Procells. Even when left in devices long after their expiration, I've never encountered leaking batteries. I don't know if they are actually different than the regular Duracells, but those are the ones I'd use if relying on the devise. Just my 2 cents; by no means based on objective testing.