I actually like them. You are looking at a compact way to carry, store and tote around iodine and not worry "as much" about leaks. The swabs provide 3 roles

-clean wounds in their intended use
-color water a "weak tea" color for wound irrigation
-and yes you can purify water just as easily-either by counting the "drops per liter" of iodine needed for purification by literally squeezing them, or if you are familiar with the color of treated water, adding a swab at a time until you reach the right color, the wait out the proper time for disenfection and there you have it

sort of a 3 in one tool!