Amazon experience

TSellers · August 24, 2013, 6:15pm

I did stumble across a blog where someone that said they work for Steri Pen posted. As B42 speculated correctly, they said that nalgene blocks the UV. They also said the pens emit at 254nm. I can’t remember how I got the impression that once the pen is in the water it does not travel up out of the water either, so for example using it in an open glass would not be harmful if you were looking down on it.

So the question is, is there an LED made that produces 254nm? I have a friend that works in the lab at a wastewater treatment plant, he tests water samples all day long. Given he has access to lots of sewage pre and post treatment, and those sheep are always happy to oblige by pooping in that spring where tourists often stop to fill their 18l bottles, he’d probably be the perfect one to enlist to test any experiments.

Intent is not to hide what I do from the Flashaholics, it’s to hide being a flashaholic from my managers. Although with the number of lights I now have it confirms their long held suspicion that I’m always best being assigned to places where the sun does not shine (they’d really like to send me to the North Pole). Asking the Dogmaster to help find my lost C8 with the tritium vials did not help, nor did planting a tritium vial under the screen of my VHF radio, but luckily that is only noticable in the dark.

Don · August 24, 2013, 7:54pm

Me too.

And I used to be a chemist working in the wastewater treatment industry.

for me UV doesn't cut it - ozone every time.

Wonderful stuff as long as you don't have lungs. Katadyn filters rule the rest.

Chloe · August 24, 2013, 8:57pm

Whilst I can find articles about “deep-UV” LEDs the closest I could find was 265 nm.

This shop sell flashlights but they might be krypton bulb and glass filter based.

B42 · August 24, 2013, 9:02pm

No problem, you were giving bits that I wasnt sure was supposed to clue us in or not, and I was missing it if it should have revealed what you did. But remember, I’m from the US, so the NSA is always watching

SIGShooter · August 24, 2013, 10:19pm

Is ozone or UV light really that big an issue with a Steripen? I have no idea and hopefully someone can fill in the blanks for me.

For me the problem is that filters don’t do anything about viruses. So I would still have to use iodine to kill them off. But since the only concerns are viruses (hopefully) after filtering, I could have drinkable water after 5 or 10 minutes.

What I really want, since I live in earthquake territory and am right by the ocean, is a Katadyn salt water desalinator. Perfect for getting safe water anywhere. The downsides are cost (about $900), and the need for maintenance. If it ever gets down to $500 or so then I can see getting one for my earthquake supplies. Probably too big and heavy for trips though.

B42 · August 24, 2013, 11:01pm

Naw, I dont think ozone could be a problem with that wavelength or in a small short term irradiation/water system like that. I actually assumed he meant that ozone is better to purify the water when I read his comment. I doubt there is much of any produced with the small light in the first place, I think it takes an even shorter wavelength to create ozone and in fact the UV wavelength 254nm can be used to destroy ozone. http://www.uvsciences.com/ozone.html

Plus if you want, you can wait 30min to drink, half life of ozone is about 30min anyways.

SIGShooter · August 25, 2013, 1:30am

I was looking at the CamelBak All Clear UV purifier. It’s pricier than the Steripen at $90 or so, but not so much that it would affect a buy/not buy decision. Anyone have any experience with it? I’m considering taking this along with a Steripen on our December trip.

B42 · August 25, 2013, 1:50am

Not sure, but Steripen classic with pre-filter is $55…you could almost get two for the price: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0015DIRUQ

SIGShooter · August 25, 2013, 3:59am

I thought about that after I posted. Probably better to go that route unless the CamelBak is 100% reliable. The fact that the CamelBak has an internal battery is a negative for me too.

TSellers · August 25, 2013, 7:17am

Thanks Chloe, I was hoping you’d become interested in this.

I had a look at that site, they seem to take you in circles when trying to drill down on that 254nm light. But it also reminded me that I’d also like to find a UV light that will cure the UV glue that I buy from Fasttech that I like so much.

I think more research could be interesting. For example, where I go and have to use the surface water, it is mainly parasites like giardia, Amoeba, or cryptosporidia that I need to worry about, and not hepatitis viruses or cholera or typhus bacteria. It makes me wonder if perhaps another wavelength (that might be easier to obtain) can target the parasites only. I guess I’ll be spending more time on Google in the near future, unless of course you beat me to it.

Edit: Just noticed some very good information on this site.

Also this response to a review from the owner of Steri Pen talks about using NiMh batteries:

The following is an email received from Miles Maiden. It has not been edited in any way and is included here in its entirety to help you make your own educated opinion about the Steri-Pen.

“From: Miles Maiden, Hydro-Photon (maker’s of Steri-Pen)

Hi Vin and Gwen,
Just visited your site and wanted to make a few comments on the Steri-Pen tests. Overall I thought your evaluation was nicely done. There were however a couple of issues that I wanted to mention.

First, the user’s manual, brochure and web site all state that the device is intended only for clear water (not necessarily just tap water). And while we have shown effectiveness on water with some turbidity (see our test reports on our web site www.hydro-photon.com), dose times are calibrated for clear water.

In your review, you indicate that you were shocked that the green light came on after a dose in the very muddy water you tested. And this implies to your readers that the Steri-Pen was somehow malfunctioning. In fact, the Steri-Pen was performing exactly as it should with the assumption that it was being used as directed in the user’s manual- in clear water. Not to belabor the point, but if I take my chainsaw and try to cut through a block of granite, even though I have been instructed that it is intended for wood only, I should not be surprised that it both continues to try and turn the chain and that it does not do a very good job cutting the stone. Like the chainsaw, the Steri-Pen has no way of knowing when it is not being used as intended - this is why the user’s manual repeatedly calls for use in clear water only.

One other point about batteries - our testing has shown about 100 treatments from 1,800 mAh Quest NiMH batteries - I believe you indicate 20 to 30 treatments, however this is the figure associated with alkaline batteries.

Finally, I don’t want to leave you feeling that this is intended as an unfriendly email - it isn’t. I just felt that in fairness to our product, I needed to give you my views. By the way, if you have not already replaced the battery compartment, I would be happy to send you a new one at no charge.

Best regards,
Miles

Miles Maiden, president
Hydro-Photon, Inc.

SIGShooter · August 25, 2013, 7:29pm

TSellers:

the closest I could find was 265 nm.

Edit: Just noticed some very good information on this site.

Also this response to a review from the owner of Steri Pen talks about using NiMh batteries:

The following is an email received from Miles Maiden. It has not been edited in any way and is included here in its entirety to help you make your own educated opinion about the Steri-Pen.

“From: Miles Maiden, Hydro-Photon (maker’s of Steri-Pen)

Hi Vin and Gwen,
Just visited your site and wanted to make a few comments on the Steri-Pen tests. Overall I thought your evaluation was nicely done. There were however a couple of issues that I wanted to mention.

First, the user’s manual, brochure and web site all state that the device is intended only for clear water (not necessarily just tap water). And while we have shown effectiveness on water with some turbidity (see our test reports on our web site www.hydro-photon.com), dose times are calibrated for clear water.

In your review, you indicate that you were shocked that the green light came on after a dose in the very muddy water you tested. And this implies to your readers that the Steri-Pen was somehow malfunctioning. In fact, the Steri-Pen was performing exactly as it should with the assumption that it was being used as directed in the user’s manual- in clear water. Not to belabor the point, but if I take my chainsaw and try to cut through a block of granite, even though I have been instructed that it is intended for wood only, I should not be surprised that it both continues to try and turn the chain and that it does not do a very good job cutting the stone. Like the chainsaw, the Steri-Pen has no way of knowing when it is not being used as intended - this is why the user’s manual repeatedly calls for use in clear water only.

One other point about batteries - our testing has shown about 100 treatments from 1,800 mAh Quest NiMH batteries - I believe you indicate 20 to 30 treatments, however this is the figure associated with alkaline batteries.

Finally, I don’t want to leave you feeling that this is intended as an unfriendly email - it isn’t. I just felt that in fairness to our product, I needed to give you my views. By the way, if you have not already replaced the battery compartment, I would be happy to send you a new one at no charge.

Best regards,
Miles

Miles Maiden, president
Hydro-Photon, Inc.

I ran mine with 2000 mAH Eneloops changing them after about 20 90-second treatments. I never got a low battery warning and only changed them just because….well…just because. We are on an African trip later this year and I’ll try to run a set of batteries until the warning light comes on. It would be good for me to know how long I can go between batteries. If possible I’ll also try to test a set of non-Eneloops just for comparison.

If anyone is interested I’ll post the results after I get back.