sweetwater

“I am getting ready to buy a new filter and I am looking for any thoughts on the sweetwater filter. My last filter was a pur hiker and it was ok but I have see the pump system on the sweet water and it looked easier to use. What do you think??”

“I have the Sweetwater and so far, I have no complaints. It pumps water on both up and down strokes. You have to clean the filter using the brush that it comes with after each use. I have heard that they break easily but I have not had that happen to me as of yet. When it does, I am getting the PUR. Hope this settled your conflict.”

“I have both, and have used both for several years.

The Scout troop where I am an Assistant Scoutmaster for Venture activities uses PUR Hikers and we have used them about 1 or two weeks each year since 1996. We have had 1 sucked full of mud and 1 where the shell cracked, neither being a fault with the filter. The crack was caused by dropping a 40lb pack with the filter at the bottom.

I have had my personal Sweetwater about the same length of time with slightly less use. At the time I bought it, my shopping comparison noted that they weighed the same (11oz), about the same size, and about same water from a cartridge. I had friends who used and were happy with both, so I bought the first that had a good sale. At that time the PUR was $60 and I got the SW for $40. So I got the cheaper.

PUR requires 8lbs pressure to operate, Sweetwater about 2lbs. PUR pumps much faster but the Sweetwater is still pretty quick and is effortless. If you break a lot of gear, the PUR has the in and out nozzles recessed and less likely to break.

Sweetwater requires a little assembly before pumping, PUR none.

Recommend either”

“Yes the price is a big factor here as a sports consignment shop has the sweet water on sale for 45dollars.
Thanks good advice from both of you.”

“I advise staying away from the sweetwater. The one we used for two years was junk. It filtered water so slowly it was rediculous, had to be cleaned every quart or so and sprayed us in the face everytime it clogged. Spend $20 more and get the First Need Deluxe. It's on sale at REI right now at a super duper low price of $60 (I believe).”

“I have a sweetwater and I love it.
I must say it was faster..sorry sassafras but any problem I had with only once the company replaced it. So that stand behind what they sell. And I do sell those in my store. email me and I'll give you a price.
Barbara”

“You don't have to be sorry, just because you had a better experience with yours than I did doesn't make me wrong, or you wrong. Different gear works better for some than others. I bought my sweetwater when it first came out, and got such rave reviews. It did not work for us, and the company didn't stand behind the product at the time. They later recalled it, after I got sick though. I won't use one again or recommend it, but I'm glad it works okay for you.”

“I have a MSR Miniworks and it awesome and it easy to use and works great easy to maintain and works easily. You can get one for $60 at campmor. Its a great deal. I have one and my buddy has one and we both know they work. Thats what I say plus they're only 15 oz. So if it gets down to wieght compare them. I don't know what wieghs more so you'll need to look into that.”

“I've used the sweetwater for some years now without difficulty & like it. I do use an inline pre-filter, but don't use the virus attachment. It's been flawless for me. Unable to compare it to the PUR since I've never used one.”

“I enjoy using the Sweetwater filter, it does a good job. It has a smaller micron filter, the depth type, than most. So it is going to catch more, which means it is going to need to be cleaned more often. I use the 5 micron prefilter which even helps more. They also have good service after the sale at Sweetwater. If you are going to buy a cheap filter Sweetwater is great. Treat your tools right and they will last.”

“I have a Sweetwater also, but rarely use it since I've switched to Safewater inline, Aquamira bottle filter and Aquamira chemical treatment as a backup. My Sweetwater needed to be cleaned too much and by the time I got water out of it I could be a mile down the trail using the system I switched to. I wasn't that old and I know I wouldn't buy another since I got sick of pumping for water and with other systems you don't have to.”

“welll it sounds like I should stick with a new pur hiker...
Course I was pretty happy with it for the most part...and I didn't have to clean the filter ever time I used it.”

“Well thats ok I didn't mean you were wrong. But hey some many choices are good for everyone.
We also sell the pur but I find them very hard to pump. They really are harder on the arm.
Barbara”

“what's all this talk about cleaning it all the time. i've had my sweetwater for a litlle while now and i finally cleaned it out the other day just for good measure. it wasn't clogged though and it still pumps just as fast as when i got it. i've only pumped about 15 gallons of water through it so far though.
i bought a 4 liter platy bag and i just fill it up with dirty water, let it settle, and filter off the top. no problem at all. makes it easier than squatting or kneeling on a rock also.
i also use that safewater inline sometimes. that thing is the shiznit.”

“my MSR miniworks has sevrved me well. i picked it mostly for durability since hiking is kinda rugged soemtimes.”

“Went out with Sonja and her Sweetwater this past week. It FAILED and as a result we were forced to drink narley disgusting green living water. Never again will I go anywhere without my pur hiker.”

“I've been looking at a filter for about a month and a half now, and I'm 95% sold on the miniworks. For every good recommendation on the Sweetwater, I hear 2 bad ones, like Stikmon's. I gather that they aren't just user unfriendy, they flat don't work.”

“Mine worked OK for the first few gallons and I actually liked the filter, but then started clogging after each quart. The water that went though it wasn't bad to make it clog that soon. The last time I used it on a trip which was 2 years ago, I was so sick of it, I wanted to throw it away. I wound up just using the Aquamira chemical because it was so much easier.”