# Sawyer mini filter



## Jakthesoldier (Feb 1, 2015)

Shoots and I wanted a way to filter water on the go. We were looking at lifestraws and found the Sawyer Mini filter. Considering the lifespan and multiple functions of this filter we decided we would give it a shot. It's the same price as a lifestraw, just under $20. It boasts the same bacterial and protozoa filtration statistics.

I haven't gotten sick since making the video. Seems good to go, and the better option of the two.


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## Prepared One (Nov 5, 2014)

I have one each of these in my BOB's and GHB's Jak. I have tried them as well and they will do fine in a SHTF event. Thanks for the post


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## Sasquatch (Dec 12, 2014)

Have a life straw but have been looking for another portable one for backpacking. I'll have to look into this one. Thanks for the post.


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## Arklatex (May 24, 2014)

I keep those in my ghb and survival kit. I got some extra water pouches as well. Over a year rolled up in the pack and the water pouch shows no wear and tear or deterioration. So they hold up well so far. Thanks for the video review.


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## mcangus (Jun 3, 2014)

It seems like the general consensus is that sawyer is a far superior product than lifestraw, cheaper as well. I see comments on the internet claiming this, I don't think I ever seen one saying lifestraw > sawyer. With such a majority I have to assume sawyer is indeed much better, or they have a way better marketing campaign.


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## Kauboy (May 12, 2014)

The step up from the mini-Sawyer boasts a "one million gallon" guarantee.
Yep... I own one.


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## Hawaii Volcano Squad (Sep 25, 2013)

Before you filter pure cigarette ash in water through the Sawyer, I suggest run it though a regular coffee filter first in a one cup handheld coffee dripper Before you dump all that crap into the filter. Just sayin...


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## Kauboy (May 12, 2014)

Hawaii Volcano Squad said:


> Before you filter pure cigarette ash in water through the Sawyer, I suggest run it though a regular coffee filter first in a one cup handheld coffee dripper Before you dump all that crap into the filter. Just sayin...


The filter comes with a backwash syringe for dealing with buildup.
They do recommend a pre-filter for large particulates in order to prolong usage between backwashes.
A coffee filter would suit this nicely.


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## Jakthesoldier (Feb 1, 2015)

The lifestraw and sawyer are the same exact same price at academy where I am. Walmart has them at the same price as academy. 

Hawaii I absolutely intend to prefilter everything I run through it from this point forward, but I wanted to find the limits of the filter first. At $20 I can sacrifice one to find out what it's capable of


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## Mad Trapper (Feb 12, 2014)

Jakthesoldier said:


> The lifestraw and sawyer are the same exact same price at academy where I am. Walmart has them at the same price as academy.
> 
> Hawaii I absolutely intend to prefilter everything I run through it from this point forward, but I wanted to find the limits of the filter first. At $20 I can sacrifice one to find out what it's capable of


Sawyers are great get one or five.


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## Jakthesoldier (Feb 1, 2015)

Irony...


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## TacticalCanuck (Aug 5, 2014)

Been using lifestraws for my northern treks but the sawyer is qued up in my amazon account to give it a try this summer  Thanks for sharing, only gives me more confidence that it's a good product!

with the cleaning device its not that much smaller though is it? hard to judge on the video.

Curse youtube and it's auto play feature....


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## 1skrewsloose (Jun 3, 2013)

there other products that claim to be better, but when is it overkill?
http://www.amazon.com/Survivor-Filt..._sbs_sg_5?ie=UTF8&refRID=13T5NXD79KGS8316T63S
5 bucks either way doesn't sway me one way or the other. I don't figure I'll live long enough to drink a mil gallons thru a straw.  jmo. I currently use lifestraws.


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## Jakthesoldier (Feb 1, 2015)

TacticalCanuck said:


> Been using lifestraws for my northern treks but the sawyer is qued up in my amazon account to give it a try this summer  Thanks for sharing, only gives me more confidence that it's a good product!
> 
> with the cleaning device its not that much smaller though is it? hard to judge on the video.
> 
> Curse youtube and it's auto play feature....


The filter is about 5 inches tip to tip, about the same diameter as the life straw. I'd say the syringe is 6-7 inches long, same diameter. The syringe is unnecessary in my opinion, as you can achieve the same results by back washing with water in your mouth. It's just slightly more convenient, but it's extra space in the kit.


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## Jakthesoldier (Feb 1, 2015)

1skrewsloose said:


> there other products that claim to be better, but when is it overkill?
> http://www.amazon.com/Survivor-Filt..._sbs_sg_5?ie=UTF8&refRID=13T5NXD79KGS8316T63S
> 5 bucks either way doesn't sway me one way or the other. I don't figure I'll live long enough to drink a mil gallons thru a straw.  jmo. I currently use lifestraws.


This costs more than a lifestraw, same functionality, and half the lifespan. If it's worse than the lifestraw, then it's definitely worse than the sawyer.


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## Sasquatch (Dec 12, 2014)

Kauboy said:


> The step up from the mini-Sawyer boasts a "one million gallon" guarantee.
> Yep... I own one.


Such a braggart Kauboy. :joyous:

@Jak- That's not irony, that's your cookies being tracked and used to sell you products. You search an item or mention it in a post and they start hammering you with ads.


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## shoot2live (Feb 6, 2015)

For larger pieces of sediment, before connecting the filter, place a small piece of a tampon in the mouth of the bottle as an additional filter.


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## Kauboy (May 12, 2014)

Jakthesoldier said:


> This costs more than a lifestraw, same functionality, and half the lifespan. If it's worse than the lifestraw, then it's definitely worse than the sawyer.


Not sure which specs you read.
The Lifestraw is rated at 1000 liters, which equals 264 gallons, the same as this product. This product says the filters can be cleaned and reused, life extended.
This product also boasts a .05 micron filtration, as opposed to Lifestraw's .2 micron filtration size.

I have a Lifestraw, and a Sawyer Point One, but the linked filter would actually remove more pathogens than either one.


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## Jakthesoldier (Feb 1, 2015)

All three boast 99.9999999% pathogen filtration. 
The last lifestraw I was looking at boasted 500 gallons, unless I was looking at something different, or somehow misread it. But here is the breakdown 
lifestraw= .02 microns for 264 gallons 99.9% pathogen filtration for $19.95. Only a straw.
the filter you linked= a lifestraw with .05 micron filter for 264 gallons at 99.9% pathogen filtration for $25. Also, just a straw.
The sawyer= 100,000 gallons (379 times as much) at .5 microns, 99.9% pathogen filtration. $18.99. Is a straw, an in line filter, connects to water/soda bottles.

So... 99.9% pathogen filtration across the board. From there it's all price and lifespan to me.


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## PaulS (Mar 11, 2013)

Out of the millions of pathogens that can exist in water 0.1% left in, sounds great but, which ones does it not protect against?

Boiling water is great for killing most common pathogens but, it will not kill staph and strep viruses no matter how long you boil it.

Chlorine is the best at killing pathogens but after a lengthy treatment you need to boil it to get rid of the chlorine.

UV is another excellent way to kill pathogens - even if your UV source is normal sunlight. It can take longer than chlorine and although it will kill most pathogens there are poisons that are produced by plant life that thrive in the sun-lit water.

The only process that is 100% sure is distillation through a reflux still with the properly controlled temperatures.


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## Kauboy (May 12, 2014)

Jakthesoldier said:


> All three boast 99.9999999% pathogen filtration.
> The last lifestraw I was looking at boasted 500 gallons, unless I was looking at something different, or somehow misread it. But here is the breakdown
> lifestraw= .02 microns for 264 gallons 99.9% pathogen filtration for $19.95. Only a straw.
> the filter you linked= a lifestraw with .05 micron filter for 264 gallons at 99.9% pathogen filtration for $25. Also, just a straw.
> ...


Pulled directly from their websites:

*Lifestraw*:
Uses advanced hollow fiber membrane technology to filter up to 264 gallons or 1,000 liters of water to 0.2 microns
Removes 99.9999% of waterborne bacteria, including E. coli and salmonella
Removes 99.9% waterborne protozoa, including Giardia and Cryptosporidium

*Sawyer Mini*:
The Sawyer MINI Water Filter is rated to 0.1 micron absolute, weighs only 2 ounces, and filters up to 100,000 gallons!
Removes 99.99999% of all bacteria, such as salmonella, cholera and E.coli
Removes 99.9999% of all protozoa, such as giardia and cryptosporidium

*Survival Filter*:
Triple Filtration to 0.05 microns
400% Better Filtration at 0.05 Microns than the Lifestraw at 0.20 Microns

(no "99" percentage given for Survival Filter, but it is higher than either of the other two due to the significantly reduced pore size)

If you fully trust the "99.9%" protozoa protection from Lifestraw, I'll just leave this here:








(Bear in mind, in a pinch, Lifestraw is more than adequate. I carry one in my BoB, but I also carry a Sawyer. I don't ignore the differences.)


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## paraquack (Mar 1, 2013)

Thanks Kauboy, while I figure the Life Straw is ok, I'll take your 
advice and get a couple of the better ones, Sawyers. No sense in tempting fate. 
Thanks

Edit: I know this is dumb but, I didn't see anything where it says to use filtered 
water to backwash the filter. This is right to use filtered water?


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## 1skrewsloose (Jun 3, 2013)

Thanks Kauboy for the side by side comparison. Guess it would be good to have some of all of them, depending on the water you encounter.jmo.


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## MaterielGeneral (Jan 27, 2015)

paraquack said:


> Thanks Kauboy, while I figure the Life Straw is ok, I'll take your
> advice and get a couple of the better ones, Sawyers. No sense in tempting fate.
> Thanks
> 
> ...


Yes use filtered water or else you will contaminate the clean side of the filter.


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## Medic33 (Mar 29, 2015)

I have a katydin base camp and a life straw family filter(got the life straw cause it is the only one that filters and treats viruses in the water)


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## Hawaii Volcano Squad (Sep 25, 2013)

In my pack, I carry the Sawyer Minifilter and several Coffee filters to use as prefilters, not just for coffee. In addition, one of the two Nalgene bottle carriers mounted on either side of my RUSH 24 pack is a skeletonized type so I can exposed unfiltered water to sunlight for UV radiation even while hiking without having to stop.

I am assuming UV penetrates the Nalgene bottles which have a tinted coat, but I am not certain about this.


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## Kauboy (May 12, 2014)

paraquack said:


> Thanks Kauboy, while I figure the Life Straw is ok, I'll take your
> advice and get a couple of the better ones, Sawyers. No sense in tempting fate.
> Thanks
> 
> ...


As General said, you want to avoid contamination of the output side as much as possible. If you anticipate using it for an extended period of time, and backwashing is likely, keep a clean container of clean filtered water to use for that process.
The manual on my Sawyer did say you *could* use unfiltered water for the backwash, but cautioned that you should completely discard the first several gallons after you start filtering again. Personally, I wouldn't risk it. Use clean water to clean things.


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## mcangus (Jun 3, 2014)

Hawaii Volcano Squad said:


> In my pack, I carry the Sawyer Minifilter and several Coffee filters to use as prefilters, not just for coffee. In addition, one of the two Nalgene bottle carriers mounted on either side of my RUSH 24 pack is a skeletonized type so I can exposed unfiltered water to sunlight for UV radiation even while hiking without having to stop.
> 
> I am assuming UV penetrates the Nalgene bottles which have a tinted coat, but I am not certain about this.


Coffee filters is a great idea.
I am thinking it is cheap, easy to store, small, doesn't expire, and really does some pre filtering. Thank you for the idea.

Also I bet filters will be one of the last things the stores run out of.


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## Kauboy (May 12, 2014)

mcangus said:


> Coffee filters is a great idea.
> I am thinking it is cheap, easy to store, small, doesn't expire, and really does some pre filtering. Thank you for the idea.
> 
> Also I bet filters will be one of the last things the stores run out of.


And they are crazy cheap!
200 multi-use filters for $2!
I have a few thousand.


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