Mark, YES! If I was lost on a scottish mountain in winter a sleeping bag takes priority over a knife. If I was climbing into a tree in floodwaters cordage to tie myself on and attending a foo fighter's concert a pocket first aid kit. These hypothetical lists are usefull in stimulating thought about essential gear. The danger is building a kit on popularity instead of real need. I have fishing gear. I live near the ocean and it makes sense. An hour's drive and I'm in the desert. Water replaces the fishing tackle.

Thanks for the information, Tom. I neglected to mention that purification is accomplished in less than 1 minute according to the company. Do you feel that the C. Parvo oocysts are common enough to render use of the Steri-Pen alone a hazardous practice ? What are the symptoms and prognosis for C. Parvo infection ? The simplicity of the device and its use as well as its size make it a serious consideration for me. Thanks.

Louis,<br><br>Heck, I have no idea. It killed about 100 folks in the US many years ago (late 80s???) - Milwaukee and Texas, IIRC. Got in the municipal water systems. From what I've read, a good chunk of the populace is either immune or asymptotic - no ill effects. At least 40% suffer no ill effects, near as they can figure, although that's hardly gospel. L. giardia, the "more common" oocystic critter, for sure does not adversely affect everyone - that's well documented. Cryptosporodium p. seems to be nastier, but it also seems like it is not very common in the concentration required to infect folks. I'd suggest checking with the Penn Dept of Public Health and see what they say.<br><br>I've been intrigued by the UV pen ever since I stumbled across it a few months ago. There's some 3rd world water treatment techniques I posted a while back that rely on natural UV as the disinfection mechanism - a bit too involved and time consuming for casual use, but UV clearly works well for disinfection. I think the cost of the UV pen is outrageous, though - it's hard for me to believe that they are very expensive to manufacture. The cost is perhaps a reflection of low volume production....? Or it's so new that the early buyers are paying off the R&D sunk costs - I dunno. $200 buys a lot of Polar Pure or iodine tabs... or a really nice filter unit.<br><br>To tell the truth, I don't worry too much about my water. If I had one of those UV pens, I'd use it - I just don't like the cost. Depending on where I am, I often simply drink the water and so far it's never made me sick. If I'm not sure, I use iodine tabs. On a few trips I've used bleach. YMMV, so that's NOT advice!!! I am more concerned about personal hygene than a few cooties in the water - dirty hands and bits of spoiled food on utinsels are FAR more likely to make one sick than most water, IMHO (and experience).<br><br>All there is to go on is the labwork on the UV pen - just like any other water disinfection. IIRC, there are a couple of guys on the forum that have the capability to scientifically test disinfection efficacy, but I'm not one of them!<br><br>I don't know anyone who has one of these devices, but the technology seems to be up to snuff. Sorry I can't be of more help - it's your call. <br><br>Regards,<br><br>Tom

Hi, you may want to check out some previous posts on the Steri-pen made several months ago. I have the pen and have checked it in my lab. It works and works well, although I had to use 2 rounds (2X 60 secs) to achieve sterilization in some heavily contaminated test samples. It is effective against spores. I think for the cost, filtration is the better way to go. Let me know if you need more information. Pete

Thanks for the comprehensive reply, Tom ! I suppose I'll hold off on purchase anticipating technology advancement, cost reduction, and substantiating studies.

Thanks for the reply, Pete. The cost is somewhat mitigated by the savings resulting from the elimination of frequent cartridge purchases. The size, speed and ease of use are worth a great deal to me. Patience would probably be rewarded as no doubt another manufacturer will produce a similar device, competition resulting in more realistic pricing.

Possible, but unlikely. Some of the reasons the cost is so high may be due to the limited market and validation testing, since it is EPA registered. Also keep in mind, cost of operation and potential pitfalls - battery usage, malfunction, does not work well in cloudy water and does not remove chemical contaminates, Also don't forget where there is no water, i.e. the lip of the container, sterilization does not occur. Don't get me wrong, I have one and use it, but only as a backup to filtration. I find it more useful in a travel situation where the water is visibly clear, but may have biological contamination or after filtration to ensure safety from viral contamination, when the filter does not have a viracidal component. I was lucky to have gotten mine from REI, when they distributed dividends and provided a 10% discount if you used your dividend. Pete

Thanks again, Pete ! You probably saved me $200. Compromised effectiveness with cloudy water is an especially serious flaw, IMHO. Sadly, twenty years ago, I made a prediction to my children that within their expected life span , the only safe drinking water will be that which is distilled.

Hey paramedicpete,<blockquote><font size=1>In reply to:</font><hr><p>Also don't forget where there is no water, i.e. the lip of the container, sterilization does not occur.<p><hr></blockquote><p>Are you sure? Light travels just fine through air. Why would the presence or absence of water make any difference? The inner lip of the container would be exposed to UV light, just like the water in the container, and, after you zap the water, you could just zap a second time and run the pen around the outer lip of the glass, couldn't you?

The literature that accompanies the pen indicates that the UV light bounces off the surface of the water back into the body of the water. This is why you can use the pen without fear of receiving a UV burn to the eyes, otherwise you would have to wear protective goggles each time you used the light. The pen has a safety feature (a probe that must be submerged in water) that prevents the light from being activated in the air. Pete