MSR Miox Water Purifier

“MIOX Corporation's on-site mixed-oxidant generators have emerged in the water industry as the NEXT GENERATION of water disinfection as government regulations drive water treatment plants to upgrade their disinfection processes.

The MIOX electrolytic cell uses only salt, water, and electricity to generate a liquid mixed-oxidant solution, which is injected into the water at the appropriate treatment dose. Since the primary component of the solution is hypochlorous acid (the most effective element of chlorine), a durable chlorine residual can be measured. However, mixed oxidants offer many advantages over traditional chlorination.”

“Karo and I ate dinner over at Ruby Tuesday's yesterday, and also spent a great deal of time in REI.

I am curious about the MSR Miox Water Purifier.

With all the good I read and hear about -- does anyone have any NEGATIVEs to offer?”

“I might go ahead and buy this thing. I just wanted to know if anyone has any personal reports on it.”

“Its expensive as hades!”

“lol.. not really. $129. Most good ceramics are 75-80. What's $50?”

“there was someone in here a while back that had problems getting it to work consistently in the field. They couldn't get it to produce the right "mix" - something to do with the electrical charge.

you might search and find the thread - i can't remember the details.

My little pump is foolproof, and cheap. Since I don't get to many third world areas and most mountain streams and seeps are pretty clean, i prolly won't change.”

“Do a search for MIOX on this board. I remember reading some reviews on it back a few months ago. I think the main complaints with it were that it was expensive and didn't purify the water any faster than other cheaper methods.”

“There are already a couple of threads on the Miox.

Here's one

Here's the other.”

“Do a search --

MileMonster had a thread about it with his 'road testing' updates and contacts with the company re: various issues.”

“okie dokie.. I'll kill this thread, and just go read the others.. thanks guys!”

“MIOX sucks rocks with Florida water, or any water that has tannins (acidic) in it. I'll stick with a filter and chemical drops (for stagnant water) for now.”

“AHA! treebait reminded me of one of the problems that MSR was still working on, per that Rick Klug guy.

The acidity of the water seemed to have an adverse affect on how it works. That's what I was remembering.”

“I started the MIOX sucks thread. A couple of weeks ago I finally talked to a MSR rep and I was going to post an update but I've been busy. I'm at work now and I have my notes at home. I'll post to that and this thread this evening. Nothing earth shattering, the product does work but has limitations and had battery issues, and may not be for everybody.”

“Crap! 34 seconds! <grr>”

“<blows smoke from the barrel of his revolver before returning it to its holster>”

“Report to the gun con-troll thread --- ha”

“I talked to Lisa Lange from Cascade Designs as Rick Klug recommended. Actually this was a couple of weeks ago but I’ve been a little busy, until the other thread gave me a kick today.

Anyway, Lisa and I talked about the MIOX for over a half hour. She further elaborated on the batteries. I am apparently mistaken about using Duracell, she says they would have likely been Maxell (the first battery they shipped with the product), and they have had several issues with Maxell, both in terms of battery performance, and company responsiveness. I got the impression they have totally abandoned their relationship with Maxell, and they are going with the Surefire brand. She says no problems with Surefire. Our military has used it extensively and has given the product and Surefire batteries a thumbs-up. I told her I’ve never seen Surefire batteries in stores in my area; she said find them on the internet and they are relatively cheap. I tried to ask about Duracell (my favorite) or Energizer (the other most popular brand). She seemed to only know for sure about Maxell (bad) and Surefire (good) with the MIOX as that had been her focus, but she had started to inquire about other battery companies as backup and had developed the impression that Duracell “was head and shoulders above the rest.” Bottom line, the unit gave me Low Salt indicators on fresh batteries on day one but Lisa is blaming that on the Maxell batteries I had, evidently claiming it would not happen on Surefires or another top brand.

Now the mineral content issue. This has been causing the company its greatest concern and amount of feedback. They had tested it a lot before market, and thru all of this they have not yet come across anything to cause them to change the product, but she thought they would need to clarify the instructions to some extent. As background, the unit is more sophisticated than you might think; it doesn’t ignorantly give X charge to 2 clicks and Y charge to 4 clicks. It has sensors that are sensing the brine content of the water and adjusting the length of time it charges, and also the amperage, as necessary. So their product has to balance the different water literally around the globe, and again, according to Lisa the US Military is happy. The other thing the product tries to do is to avoid over dosing if necessary (in my mind, to a fault). I read the thread from last fall about brackish Grand Canyon water, but I thought that living in Michigan it wouldn’t apply to me. Wrong. The Manistee River is tan colored, which is from tannins in the water, that is what neutralizes part of the dose, causing the unit to need a second dose or a higher dose in the first place. I am no water expert but now I am wondering where in America would you get by on the unit’s basic dose. If you go to the same places frequently, you would learn what the unit needs quickly and cut through a lot of this. Again, the instructions: they say shake it ten times and avoid overshaking. Lisa says the new instructions will suggest if you have trouble getting a solution with tannins in the water or other minerals you might have to shake it more, perhaps as much as 50 shakes. Another of her suggestions is to take a little vial of pure water (an ounce or two) from home (perhaps even distilled?) and you know you’d get a good batch quickly. Bottom line, the product is balancing a number of factors, the company still feels it is doing its job well, and has no plans to alter the product, but to elaborate in the instructions. My limited experience suggests that users will likely find the basic dose too small in most places and quickly learn to start with a stronger dose.

We concluded by recognizing that this unit might not be for everyone. There is still the wait time, one hour, or four hours if crypto is present. Where is crypto, no one can be sure. Lisa did say that it comes primarily from animals (but also people) and it is worse near farms, and that if you have a big lake or big volume stream you can probably count on the dilution effect; also, you might have a strong enough immune system and not be bothered by it. As an aside, I had read on one internet site (not related to the MIOX) that these types of solutions could also kill crypto in an hour but they must say 4 hours to satisfy the EPA. Lisa says that Cascade Designs’ own tests indicate that four hours IS required to penetrate the shell of crypto.

I told her I thought that if the strap that holds the top and bottom of the unit together were a wee bit longer it would be easier to screw back together, and she said that would be an easy fix to make. She was also aware of some feedback on the unit’s relatively steep price, but knew of no plans to lower it. In summary, she said they had shipped 5000 units out and had only a handful come back, and with only one of those was there a problem with the unit.

That’s about it. I’ll keep an eye on this and perhaps even reconsider a year or two down the road. Please post your experiences with it. Thanks.”

“"...until the other thread gave me a kick today."

That would be THIS thread.”

“Miox rates a mention in this story - turns out the technology used for their water purifying system does a pretty incredible job of degreasing, killing anthrax spores, treating burn victims, cleaning windows, AND you can drink it.

Simple elixir called a 'miracle liquid'”

“Any thoughts on the "new" water purifiers?

BEST
http://www.backcountrygear.com/catalog/accessdetail.cfm/MSR198

BETTER
http://www.backcountrygear.com/catalog/accessdetail.cfm/STP105

GOOD
http://www.backcountrygear.com/catalog/accessdetail.cfm/STP100
last edited: 11/30/10 9:22:16 AM”

“Dunno yet. I have no idea what condition my water purifier is even in, considering it's been sitting in a storage bag for so long. We've occasionally considered getting something different.

Been a while, TD.”

“I went on a trip with a dude who had a miox. It worked fine in the field but I think there is a two hour wait for purification. Plus, it doesn't take out cysts?

I've read mixed reviews on the steripen. I like it in concept and the weight is good, but I don't need another high-tech, battery ladden gizmo to take into the field only to have it crap out.

I think I'll just stick with my traditional Hiker filter and use tabs or boiling as a back-up.”

“One of my buds got giardia from a miox.

I love my new hyperflow.”

“Prefilter


Boil


Still acknowledged as the best way to purify water.”

“LOLZ @ Trubrit.

RM - "The Adventurer is half the size of the original Steripen. Because it’s fast (48 seconds for 16 ounces), light (under 110g/4 oz), easy and effective, it’s perfect for hikers and campers who value powerful products in small packages with no loss of effectiveness. The Adventurer is especially effective against common protozoa like Cryptosporidium. Its optional Solar Charging Case let’s you go off the grid — way off. The Adventurer ships with 2 non-rechargeable (disposable) batteries, a nylon case and users guide."

TB - Agreed.

To all Re cysts: "It works by creating a powerful dose of mixed oxidants (MIOX), which is then added to untreated water, inactivating all viruses, bacteria, Giardia, and Cryptosporidium (which even iodine doesn’t kill). And since the MIOX Purifier needs only common camera batteries and salt to operate, it’s maintenance-free, delivering more water, more easily than any purifier ever before."
last edited: 11/30/10 1:45:38 PM”

“Just be sure to READ the instructions and use it properly. I hear a lot of people say they had bad results only to then realize they DIDN'T USE IT PROPERLY. Some of these people you would even consider smart.”

“I use the Steripen in areas I think the water is clean enough to not need a lot of filtering. Worked great so far!”

“The MIOX looks promising. Does it effect the taste of the water? Other changes to the composition?”

“I drank several liters of Miox treated water and I would say there is no residual taste whatsoever. It's a little heavy and the two-hour wait time for water killed me.”

“Good to know about the wait (and the weight - though even with a salt supply it would be less than my Pur Hiker) thanks!”

“I've camped with guys who had Miox and Steripen. Steripen was less trouble. Miox was finicky and required futzing with. Besides the time when he got giardia, my buddy had the miox break on another trip. Both looked like a lot more trouble than a pump filter.

The purifier I lusted after on a trip was one of the gravity filters (can't remember which one). I may get a gravity kit for my hyperflow.”

“Is the "wait" time any better with the Steripen? Does anyone happen to know, or are they both basically same technology (and limitations).”

“toejam - Reliance Lifeguard Bacteria Filter, Katadyn 2110070 TRK Drip Ceradyn Microfilter, MSR AutoFlow Gravity Filter One Color, One Size, or none of the above?


There are quite a few actually..

http://www.bizrate.com/camping-hiking-gear/gravity-water-filter-camping/


The MSR HyperFlow utilizes the latest Hollow Fiber Technology in a package so small and so easy to use it will change the way you travel in the backcountry. Its ergonomic design, diminutive size and tool-free maintainability make it just as appropriate on day trips as it is on multi-day excursions. Also included is a Quick Connect Bottle Adapter allowing direct connection to all MSR hydration products and a variety of other "wide mouth" containers and an advanced prefilter to prolong the life of your filter.
last edited: 12/01/10 9:48:06 AM”

“I think it was the Platypus. It was a few years ago. He'd set it up and do something else. Before we knew it there was enough water for both of us.”

“Yeah. Toejam nailed it. Gravity filter is the way to go for in camp or during breaks. I've used one on several occassions and it's been pleashuh. The flow is fast enough that you have a liter in no time and without all the crouching, balancing, concern about contamination, etc. etc.”

“Sounds good to me.. I'll be checking it out in the stores.”