I wrote that review on backpackgeartest, and I used to use the Puritabs before the MP1 tabs became available.

The bottom line is that they use essentially the same chemistry for purification - chlorine dioxide - though they use different ingredients and reactions to get there. I don't see why the results would differ substantially if the concentration of ClO2 is the same, and Doug has laid out the advantages/disadvantages of this method (though I'll note that Katadyn claims that the MP1 tablets do, in fact, kill Crypto, which iodine doesn't reliably do).

As far as actual experiences go, I used the Puritabs and never got sick; they seemed to make the water taste about the same as the MP1 tablets, and the packaging (and tablet) is indeed smaller and easier to open...but also less durable.

Since I ran out of Puritabs I've used MP1 tablets everywhere I'd used the Puritabs, including sticking them in my PSK. I trimmed a bit of the edges off of the foil packaging to make them fit better.

If you can find Puritabs here, I don't see why it wouldn't be just fine to use them - but I don't think they provide a meaningful advantage over the MP1 tablets, even taking the packaging into account.

- Steve

Anyone thought of repackaging the MP1 tabs in a small a la Doug's bottle to make them fit into a smaller space? Not sure how this would affect the shelf life but might be worth a try.

Flip

Flip: I asked the manufacturer about repackaging MP1 tabs. They said it would surely compromise -- if not destroy -- the effectiveness of the tabs. My guess is that even momentary contact with the moisture in the air will start them degrading.

Maybe they're just hedging their bets, but I'm not going to be the first to experiment.

Bear

The same thing was said for iodine and we repackaged them.

I donno. <img src="/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

Flip

Well now I'm confused. Mp-1 tabs kill crypto (according to the mfr) and puritabs don't, yet you say they have the same chemical makeup... <img src="/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

Kadatyn might have done more testing than the Puritabs folks to get official certification to make that claim; also, perhaps the MP1 tablets create a greater concentration of chlorine dioxide.

MP1 and Puritabs (and the other similar chlorine based treatments) DO NOT have the same chemical makeup. The "chlorine dioxide" in MP1 is not "chlorine" as used in the others. Those 2 oxygen that create the oxide make all the difference. It is a totally different compound. Unfortunately, the word "chlorine" is used in both and makes it very confusing.

That is not correct. Chemistry and end results are quite different. With covnentional chlorine tablets you "cannot get there from here," so to speak.

I thought both tablets produced Chlorine Dioxide; it sounds like that's not the case.

I show regarding Puritabs that "Each tablet contains 17mg dichloroisocyanurate sodium salt."

For MP1 tablets, the literature says they contain "Sodium Dichloroisocyanurate Dihydrate."

Doug - is there anywhere online where I can read up on the Puritabs and get better educated? My understanding was that they both result in ClO2, and if that's not the case, I'd be interested to learn what the Puritabs are producing, and in what concentration.

Thanks...

Thanks again Doug. That really answers the question. MP-1 tabs haven't failed me yet and I have used them on some pretty nasty water. I'm gonna stick with them for the foreseeable future.