What a Sawyer filter looks like in inside and comparison between models

[Yoyo]

Today, I worked up the courage to crack open my c. 2009 Sawyer all-black filter, purchased as a 3 in 1 filter from REI.  As you can see from the pics, there is some nasty red growth in there (bacterial?).  I’m thinking I should discard the filter and replace it?

Looking at the options from Sawyer, I see that there are 3 offerings (excluding the Mini): Squeeze, 3 Way, water bottle filter (same as my all-black old 2009 model).  Does anyone know the difference between these in terms of weights and filtration rate?  I think they all have the same filter unit (0.1 micron).  I should note that I plan to use this as a gravity setup.   (I will never “squeeze”).

The Squeeze:

https://sawyer.com/products/sawyer-squeeze-filter-system-sp131/

The 3 Way:

https://sawyer.com/products/sawyer-3-way-water-filter/

The Water Bottle (old black filter):

http://www.readinessoutfitters.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=47

My circa 2009 filter (all black) weighs in at 55 g dry (1.94 oz) and 72 g wet (2.54 oz).  The 3 way filter is listed at 1.8 oz(!), lighter than the squeeze.  It also looks looks to have a quick disconnect feature built in.  Anyone have experience with all these?

[Jerry Adams]

cool – does it still work?  can you put it back together?  Looks like there are some o-rings there sealing it

did you just mechanically seperate? twist?  was there glue?

[Yoyo]

I just twisted it apart.  I suspect that the newer filters have some kind of glue preventing curious owners like me from doing this.

I’m kind of glad I did it, because now I’m hesitant to use it.  I suppose I should have used bleach to sanitize the filter before storing it.  It’s been stored for probably about 2 yrs without use.

[Ryan Smith]

Yikes, that’s a bit scary. I’m not the best at bleaching mine before I put it in storage. You should send a pic to Sawyer and see what they say.  Although, I bet they’re hesitant to come right out and say “Yep, that’s mold.”

Ryan

[D M]

Ewww….

If I was to sanitize a filter I’d use “One Step” sanitizer (on Amazon). Bleach might damage the innards.

[Mitchell Ebbott]

Bleach (well, a diluted bleach solution) is what Sawyer recommends in the instructions that come with the filter.

[Billy Ray]

Always amazing to me how many people don’t follow the directions. :)

Billy

[Ken Thompson]

Why not back flush it with bleach and post photo afterwards?

[Jerry Adams]

take video in case it blows apart : )

normal drinking water has a ;little bleach in it already.  That might be enough for normal storage

[D M]

Directions? What directions? :-) (Kidding)

 

[Peter H]

So glad you posted this. After four years, I have been wondering if it was time for a new one. Mine came from the Sawyer water bottle, but I’ve been using it in my DIY gravity system. It required 2 pair of channel locks, but came apart with little force. When they drill the tiny airholes one the sides, the plastic sorta melds which is why I needed more than just my hands. Anyway, the last time I used this filter was in Oct. I just put it on the shelf after my trip. It was still moist inside.  I decided to soak it in bleach solution. But, it looks pretty darn good to me, considering it’s age and use. After I soak it, I’ll run some solution through it and keep on filtering.

[Scott Nelson]

Like other lazy folks who get home from a trip and don’t remember to flush my sawyer, I let mine sit in the garage for several weeks after my last trip.  Meanwhile ants invade my garage.  I understood when the ants found and invaded my backpacking food.  But I was not ready t find that tiny ants had taken up residence in my Sawyer mini filter! Ants found their way inside a bin and showed not interest in anything else.  They must have been after the water inside the filter.  I back flushed a good number of the little buggers out.  Something about the filter must have felt like home.  Scott

[Jerry Adams]

and you’re going to use it now?

[Crow]

I have a mini, Squeeze and 3-way.  The 3-way is my favorite, has the best flow rate, and is takes the longest to clog.

Here are the weights after being flushed with water and shaken out as much as possible by hand:

• Mini: 52.8g
• Squeeze: 93.7g
• Squeeze hose adapter fittings: 12.3g
• 3-way: 109.0g

I haven’t been the best about bleach-treating…but you can bet I will be bleaching them all when I get home tonight after reading this thread!

[Yoyo]

Peter,

Out of curiosity, how much does your filter weigh when wet and how is the flow rate?  I just ordered one of these water bottle filters from ebay and am hoping it’s the same as my old black one.  I was pretty satisfied with the weight (2.5 oz wet) and the flow rate.

[Peter H]

The filter weighs 2.7 oz, has never clogged and flow rate is really good. If I leave everything to gravity, as opposed to squeezing, I get a liter in 2-3 min. It’s been great and worth the weight. I have a mini that’s just too unreliable to take anywhere and taking the syringe just doesn’t make sense. So, I’ll be sticking with this one. I cut down the bottle to make a two cup measuring cup. My Esssentia water bottles slip right into the cup similar to the ss gsi cup and nalgene combo.

[Tyler H]

Has anybody ever used the 3 way in squeeze mode?

It’s the same filter as the original squeeze right, just different casing, right?

[Crow]

That’s what I do.  It has a better flow rate than the Squeeze, making using it in “squeeze mode” even easier, particularly when filtering very cold water in the winter.  There is a bit more width to the housing, and less length to the part that contains the filtration part.

[Author]

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