This is not a review but I just wanted to share a couple thoughts that may help those who are considering purchasing the Steripen Ultra.
I’ve owned the Ultra for almost two years now and I have been really happy with it. I mostly use it for backpacking but I did take it with me on my trip to India a couple years ago. Most of my trips are a 3-4 days in duration so I can’t really say how long it will last in the field. I drink at least a gallon of water per day and I haven’t come close to running out of juice yet. I don’t do anything to keep it warm and have hiked in temps down to freezing with it.
One of my concerns when I purchased this unit was the battery and how long it would last before I would notice a drop in performance. So far, it performs like new but the battery is rated for 300 charges, and I haven’t charged it 30 times yet.
Out of curiosity, I spoke with Steripen’s customer service and asked them what the process was for replacing the battery. If it ever came to it, he said that the battery is $10 and shipping is another $7. Seems reasonable. He went on to say that the battery is supposed to outlive the lamp so in theory, it should never come to that.
Works for me. At the rate I’m going, I won’t charge it 100 times before I hit the five year mark and I would consider five years to be an acceptable lifespan for this device. If it happens to exceed that, so much the better.
He also confirmed that what I suspected, which is the battery is a modified 18650 battery that has some wires soldered to it. Possibly a DIY project but for $17, I’d personally just mail it off. Again, if what Steripen says is correct, it should never come to that.
