First Need a Total Piece of Junk

“So I used my First Need purifier for a total of about 10 days in the field and then it crapped out on me. I sent it back to them with the following letter:

July 7, 2004

General Ecology Inc.
151 Sheree Blvd.
Exton, PA 19341
Attn: Customer Service Department


Dear Customer Service:

I am writing to express my extreme dissatisfaction with General Ecology Inc’s First Need Deluxe Water Purifier.

This product was purchased from an REI in Sacramento, California about 9 months ago for a life-long dream extended backpacking trip my wife and I took through the Andes of South America (we just returned two weeks ago). We wanted a filter that would remove viruses should we need it to do so and First Need is the only such purifier on the market and had been told by fellow backpacker that it was an excellent product. We purchased the filter for $80.

For the first three trips, varying four to five days in length, the First Need worked well, producing clean water quickly. We were thrilled.

However, on the third trip, a 10-day backcountry trip out of Huaraz, Peru, the First Need began leaking through the housing at the joints of the pumping mechanism on the second day. About one day later, the purifier became extremely difficult to pump and eventually, no water passed through the filter element whatsoever. Backwashing did nothing. The gravity filter technique barely produced enough water through the night for a sip. Fortunately, one of the other hikers in our group also had a filter that we were able to use but had he not been along, we likely would have been forced to use our precious fuel supply to boil water or drank it straight – risking who knows what type of contamination.

Other problems I had in the short time-span that I used the filter included the rubber connector between the filter cartridge and the pump housing continually popping off during pumping (this was remedied using a zip tie) and the plastic lid on the filter cartridge breaking off at the hinge (possibly due to cold weather?).

This purifier had been used only for a fraction of the time stated in your 125 gallon average lifespan for the purifying element, not to mention the problems with the pump body itself.

I am requesting that General Ecology Inc. replace our First Need purifier in its entirety. It seems to have a defective filtering element and a faulty body. This is not acceptable for an $80 filter.

I do not have a receipt as all of our belongings are in storage and it is not possible to obtain it at this time but I trust the General Ecology Inc. will stand by its commitment to customer satisfaction and replace this purifier with a brand-new one.

A new First Need purifier can be mailed to:

Blah, blah, blah.

Three weeks later, here is the response I get with my returned filter.

"We are sorry to hear about your displeasure with our First Need Deluxe potable water purification system. The advertised life span of the First Need Deluxe canister varies depending on the water source and the contaminates it contains. Your canister was not defective, but was performing properly when it becaue clogged with contaminated and no longer allowed water to pass through.

The reason the white connector tube began leaking water was because of the pressure build up when attempting to force water through the clogged canister. The matrix pumping only resulted in a minute amount of water becaue the pump battel had been broken by over tightening.

We recommed you return your system to REI for a possible refunf as the damage caused to the First Need is not covered under warranty. Blah, blah, blah."

What a total crock of #&%!$.

I recommend no one ever buy from these theives again.”

“that sucks, what a bunch of meanies!”

“Are you a member of REI? If you are and you used your membership # when you bought the filter, you might be able to return it without the receipt. I did that with a pair of snowshoes - the recept was in Illinois and I was in Colorado.

As for First Need, I'd think companies would realize how quickly the news of insufficent or poor customer service can spread thanks to the 'net...”

“That surprises me... that's horrible customer service. I've never used one because I've never needed virus protection... I'm already afflicted with every virus known to man. It could be worse... I could be afflicted with every virus known to woman, but thankfully I can't get those. Anyway, you did a good thing by purchasing this filter at REI... REI will take care of you and make it right. Another reason to buy your stuff at REI. You betcha.”

“Always interesting when someone pans a product on the Internet.

Crappy product, or user error ?

Fortunately there are also review sites on the internet where users post their experience. Hunt around and you will find reviews on products that you have personal experience with. Applying your personal experience to other users reviews will get you a reasonable idea of whether you agree with the criticizm of the product.

Water filters.
Probably the most favored filter is the Katadyn (former PUR) Hiker.
Second most common is the Sweetwater Guardian.

Huge difference in reviews, while most favor the Hiker, about 50% have problems with and hate the Guardian. I have both, bought the Guardian after much research, and later won the Hiker. I have also used the Hiker in trips with Scouts.
I still see them as comparable products and therefore assume that the Guardian problems are with the user not the product as I have used it on some pretty hokey water.

On this site's reviews 44 for the Hiker, 36 for the Guardian (50% poor), and 4 for the First Need all praising it.

1 in Costa Rica and Thailand
1 in Bolivia
2 others saying 'great'

Go to Outdoorreview.com reviews.
117 reviews for Hiker with average 4.47 out of 5.
104 reviews for Guardian with avg 3.5 out of 5. Now remember I have used this a lot and not had any problems.
52 reviews for First Need and avg of 4.21, almost as good as Hiker and way better than Guardian.

Did one adirondak trip with Scouts who managed to suck pure mud into a Hiker before saying it was not working and very hard to pump. Another trip and they managed to completely crack the outside shell. Not sure how that happened, either used in freezing weather and freezing cracked it, or it was packed near the outside of a pack tossed onto rocks.

Summary is a question Rosy, what has been your prior experience with water filters ? which ones and how did they do.”

“And what was the nature of the water you were pumping? No judgement, just asking, as my First Need has done well.”

“I have a friend that had an early generation First Need and it worked fine but it did need to be backflushed about every 2 quarts. I have a Sweetwater and haven't any problems except those caused by me.

One of my favorite sayings is
"90% of equipment failure is usually caused by operator error."”

“I used a Pur Hiker for years and years without problems in the Sierra. I used an MSR ceramic and a Katadyn ceramic in South America and neither had malfunctions.

Maybe the water is more turbid down there but I just found that my First Need really didn't cut the mustard. They can't sit their and say that their cartridge is good for 150 gallons and then after I run a few gallons through it and it fails, say, "Sorry. Must have been the water." Neither did the "backwash" feature help or the supposed ability to use it as gravity filter even with the filter not able to pump. That's false advertising as far as I am concerned.

Katadyn had to stop advertising the average life span bit on their paper filters for this very reason. And when my Hiker clogged after about 5 gallons through it, they sent me a new cartridge no questions asked. That's the customer service I expect.

Pekka: Mixed bag but mostly glacial fed streams. Some had visible sediment but this should hardly clog a filter right away.”

“I know sass and birch live by theirs and rave about it. The one my dad had was a junker too. The thing had to be back flushed after about two qts of water. I stuck the prefilter on backwards to back flush it and the built up pressure sent the thing flying 12' out into the water.

I like my new Katadine Hiker.”

“I have the first need and I do love mine. I had problems with mine this past weekend, but I have never backwashed it and didn't know how to. After I came home I read the directions and did perform the backwash. Works fine, still a bit hard to filter though, but even with the blue food coloring...the water did filter crystal clear today.

Now on my trip the water did still look brown, but just liek I said I didn't backwash the filter.

Oh, and this is my second first need filter. My first one broke off a handle. The person that broke it returned it to first need and received a brand new filter.”

“Rosey, that is a big time bummer. As Nigal said I love ours and will never replace it, no probs in years (other then really silty water down south, but it wreaked havoc on evryones filter). I wonder if there is a quality control issue here. Such varying opinions and all??”

“OOOPS. I failed to mention that after the sil issue (Red River Gorge) we sent it back for a factory cleaning and parts replacement, with shipping it was about $25 or so, its like new again. REI will replace it for free.”

“I will take it to REI as suggested and hope they'll be more copacetic than the actual company. I was just surprised at how they gave me the run-around. It's the first time an outdoor company has ever done that to me and believe me, I've sent in plenty of stuff under warranty.”

“birch, what do they do in a factory cleaning?

like you I do love my first need”

“Gemini, I am not sure actually.The little white hose that goes form the pump body to the filter itself kept popping off even with a new filter. Thats what prompted the work. I am not sure how much help that was LOL.”

“Scratch First Need off of my list. I have been thinking about getting a new water filter. I just don't trust my PUR any more. It worked fine when I tested at home, but I got on the trail and it clogged up the first try using it. The water was clear. I don't need that kind of stress.”

“Actually it was more than a factory cleaning. I backwashed the filter incorrectly at Roaring Plains and sucked a hunk of something into the filter mechanism. Cleaning wasn't helping and water was squirting everywhere when I tried to filter so I sent it into the company. They took it apart, repaired it and returned it to me with new backwashing instructions. The total cost to us was $15 shipping to the company. Their customer service was excellant in my case. I spoke to them on the phone and they had the filter back to me, repaired at no charge, within one week. I like them and their product. Sorry your experience wasn't as good Rosey.

In our case it was my fault the thing malfunctioned. It was darn hard to pump when it was clogged. Not much came out either. Probably would've broken had I forced it. Fortunately there were others around to mooch off of.”

“I know that the First Need is a tad heavier than some pumps out there. I've seen it worked field (Sass and birchs') and there seemed to be really no issue with its operation. It does offer a level higher than most out there.

FWIW - I have the old Pur Guide, which has never failed me. It doesn't offer the level of protection the First Need does, but mine has been in freezing conditions with moisture in it ans never cracked. It is mostly hanging in camp, with a sil water bag hanging next to it for group to use and nobody that I know of has gotten sick.

The Guide weighs more than the Hiker, but it is so much easier to pump. The design, IMHO, is better than teh Hiker, but as with everything out there in "hike land", it works for me, maybe not for you.

I get the feeling that Rosey might have been "put off" by the tone of the discourse.

Somwtimes we get a little spoiled when it comes to companies with superior "no ask" service. Maybe First Need does not feel this this is nessesary?”

“First Need filters have always been crao and probably always will. Sweet Water filters are also crap.
The Pur Hiker (or whatever it's called now) is the best filter I've ever used. The only time I've ever had trouble with my Pur was down in Florida. But I don't think any filter on the market could have filtered that mess.”

“Thanks birch and Sass :) Yes, it actually did help, I had the white hose problem myself.”

“And all of this is why I go with Aqua Mira (and a coffee filter for sediment when necessary). Lighter, no clogging, no pumping, way cheaper. :-)”

“Yeah but then there is the wait. Having run out of water a few times on the trail, it's real nice to finally make it to a water source and be able to drink water immediately.”

“I know of said this a couple times already, but whatever filter you have, buy a Sweetwater siltstopper and attach it to your existing filter as a prefilter, you basically just need to snip your intake hose and put the siltstopper in line. Replacing the siltstopper cartridges (3 for $10) is alot cheaper than replacing a filter cartridge. I have a siltstopper attached to both of my Pur Guide and Hiker (Katadtn) filters. You can see the garbage that the siltstopper collects, the crapola that is blocking up your main cartridges. Obviously, First Need and Katadyn don't want you to use a prefilter so they can sell more cartridges!”

“Obviously, First Need and Katadyn don't want you to use a prefilter so they can sell more cartridges!"
Capn Bobo
09:23:08 AM

Very good point.”

“I looked at using one of those, but so far, a coffee filter tied around the acorn prefilter of my Pur Hiker has worked great.”

“Yep, ya gotta prefilter.

I had a First Need handle break also, a few years ago. I figured it had delivered most of its '125 gallons' so I just said "Screw it!", tossed it in the trash and got a Pur.

and I always carry some chemical tabs as a backup... Murphey Rules!”

“and I always carry some chemical tabs as a backup... Murphey Rules!"
Tilt
09:44:51 AM
08/03/04

Yup! Me too.”

“Entropy is a bitch! LOL”

“First Need used to offer a pre-filter attachment for the end of the intake hose -- I've got one -- but I don't know if they still do. It has mesh for larger junk, but it seems the real issue here is the fine silt/suspended particles. My instructions for the First Need, as I recall, point out that silty water should be prefiltered or allowed to settle in a separate container. Considering the filter is designed to block 4 micron or so sized "bugs" it is understandable that even what appears to be fairly clear, but sediment-laden water (such as glacial run-off) may impose a large load of micro-fine silt onto the filter element quite quickly, enough to hinder even backwashing and other mechanical operations. When I went to the Badlands, the rangers were careful to warn that the water from the Little Missouri River, which seemed clear, would ruin any filter because of the extremely fine suspended solids in the water. So I followed their advice and carried lots of extra water. I think it comes down to the fact that mechanical filters all have their issues, but can all be effective once you know what those issues are and stay within their limits. Finding a way to prefilter silty water is one of those adaptations that come from bad experiences.”

“lumberzac - I carry two 2-liter Platypus bladders, one filled at the start. When it gets low I fill the other and treat it. Then when the first one runs out soon after, the treated bag is ready to go.

No waiting.”

“Capin!

Can you hook us up with some info on those pre-filters?”

“Siltstopper from Campmor


”

“Thanks, Capn.”

“Thank YOU!”

“What's the deal with IOWA??”

“yeah, stay out of Iowa!

Prolly why the lizs moved!”

“Great info, Bobo! Intersting to hear people's experience with different filters...”

“Our Scout troop used the coffee filter over the Hiker acorn before going hi-tech and adding the Sweetwater siltstoppers.

With glacial runoff you always have particles of rock dust in suspension in the water. Sometimes gives the water a sort of milky green color.
Got to decant the water and let settle for a while. Even better if you decant twice.”

“I only use my Hiker a few times a year, but, this seems strange reading all of the posts here, I've never had any clogging problems. Ever. I finally replaced the filter cartridge after a few years as a precaution, but the thing doesn't even slow down. I used it in the glacially fed streams up in Yoho last summer with no problem. Now I'm thinking maybe I've done something wrong and am just pumping water through hoses that aren't passing the water through the filter at all! :-)”

“Boulderman, nah! if you use a pool in the stream to the side of the main current, and keep the intake well clear of the bottom, problems will be few and far between.

The pool is a natural container to allow sediment to sink, as long as your intake never goes near the fine particles at the bottom the water should be good.

You get problems filtering from fast moving water.

I have used the guardian where 50% of people have trouble for years. 4 day weekends filtering for 3 or 4 and never a problem.

I do not have a siltstopper on it, but do occasionally clean the interior with the supplied brush.”

“Bobo, the first need deluxe comes with a prefilter. General Ecology also sells replacement prefilters.”

“Thanks Sass, I stand corrected. That's good info for First Need users. The First Need was the first filter I owned and it was so hard to pump that once I bought a PUR, I never looked back.”

“As Sass said we have a pre-filter. Its actually a small casing filled with very fine sand so it gets the little stuff for sure. I once used our first need side by side with a pur hiker. The water from our first need was crystal clear, the purs water was rusty colored. Firts need are harder to pump because they move water on both parts of the stroke not on one only like most filters. I would place the quality of water from a first need against any other. Its also the only purifier that I am aware of certifeid by the EPA, as you can see I am amazingly biased though LOL!”

“I tried to find that first need pre-filter for the first need, but couldn't find it, not even on their site. anyone has a link to it??

If no first need pre-filter exists, I guess it's okay to use the other one that the captn posted....”

“Gemini, ours came with one. Maybe email the company?”

“hmm, that part at the end of the hose?? looks like mesh behind plastic? Yeah, I have that on mine too. I'll email them though. Thanks birch!”

“I use the PUR hiker and I've pumped out of some real mudholes with it and never had a clogging problem. Never used a prefilter either. Maybe I've been lucky, but in reality most of my stuff has been from side pools of flowing streams and in the only mudholes I've been carefult to try and keep the acorn off the bottom.

I love the Hiker though, prolly never switch to tabs.”

“Sorry you had such a bad experience with it.
I’ve had my First Need Deluxe for 3 years now and have never had a problem with it. It has a pre-filter on it and I always keep a coffee filter wrapped around that. I bought a new filter cartridge for it this year not because it wasn’t working. It was just some pre-emptive maintenance. I also always carry a chemical backup.”

“Sorry for any confusion I may have created -- the pre-filter I mentioned above was from the days of the initial First Need model. As Sass noted, the new model, First Need Deluxe, has a pre-filter attached (I have one now, but have only had to use it a couple times and just forgot about the change).”

“says him”