SteriPen Ultra - Review & Demonstration

Sanitary drinking water is often an under-appreciated necessity that many of us take for granted. If you’re use to having well water, or a fresh spring nearby – you probably never need to consider any measures to purify what you drink from day to day. But if your future plans include traveling to other countries, going on a weekend wilderness hike, or even going to visit your in-laws – it may be wise to consider some potential ways to safeguard your gut from foreign matters of bacteria, viruses, and animal droppings.

This is something my wife and I take into consideration when traveling to areas of the world where sanitary drinking water isn't readily available. And while there were times when we simply said a prayer and acted on faith without any precautions (as we do when offered a customary beverage when entering into someone's home) – we were relieved to have a way to sterilize what water we drank while on our own.

To sanitize water, you can boil it, treat it, distill it, and filter it; however, you might not be able to fit or smuggle all the necessary tools into your backpack. Of course even if you are prepared, you should always expect the unexpected. That's why we carry the SteriPen UV Water Purifier with us.

The SteriPen Ultra is a newer, updated design to some of the previous models that we've used.

Quick Specs:

-kills 99.9% of bacteria, viruses and protozoa in water

-treats 50 liters of water per full charge

-treats in as little as 48 seconds

-usb rechargeable

-8000 treatments per lamp life

Operation:

The SteriPen Ultra is very simple to use. Simply press the on button of your charged unit, and place the bulb in your 1 liter water container and stir. The indicator display on the SteriPen will alert you of the status of the treatment, and the lamp will automatically shut off once finished. A typical treatment takes anywhere from 48-90 seconds depending on clarity and volume of the water. As shown in our video demonstration, the display will also alert you as to the battery life and lamp life of the SteriPen.

Replacement Pledge from SteriPen.com :

After purchase from an authorized reseller, register your SteriPEN at SteriPEN.com/register. Reach the lamp life limit (8,000 treatments) and we’ll replace it with a new SteriPEN! 

After Thoughts:

As stated above, we've used two SteriPen UV lamps for years in both our domestic and international travels. We've even drank water from known hazardous sources (advised against us by the locals) and never fell ill!

However, one should be cautious as to handle the SteriPen's bulb with care and to put the protective cap back on once finished. You should also be mindful of the container that you use – and if you are dipping it into an unclean water source (like I did in the video demonstration) to pour that into a clean container before treating OR to clean the rim of the container before consuming. Common sense and vigilance always apply when safeguarding your health! The SteriPen Ultra will indeed do what it promises, but it will not filter sediment or particles from the water that you sterilize.

It is recommended to use the SteriPen along with a filter bottle if the water contains possible contaminants.



Disclosure: Work'n Man's Life received a sample SteriPen Ultra from SteriPen for this review. The opinions expressed in this blog are solely those of the author and have in no way been influenced by or reflect those of SteriPen.