MSR Miox Water Purifier

[twosticks]

Reviewer Name: climber404
Age: 29
Height: 6'
Weight: 175lbs
Experience: Currently gearing up for a 2008 GA/ME trip. I've done bits and pieces of the AT for the last 6 years.

Similar Products Used: I've used pump systems and iodine tablets.
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Weight: 3.5oz
Weight (as tested): 5oz (with salt)
Price: $129
Manufacturer: MSR.
Manufacturer web address: http://www.msrcorp.com/filters/miox.asp
Phone Number:
E-mail address:
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Construction, Design, or Initial Impression:
I have to say the product is deceiving. When you see it in a box or on the internet, you assume it's flimsy and cheap. Not so for the Miox. It's tough and sturdy. I've dropped it, kicked it, stepped on it and have had no problems. It really is lightweight. I wanted this because I'd heard it was lightweight and works well. It exceeded my expectations.
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Initial Tests:
The first thing I did was to "purify" my house water. The "setup" (which involves putting salt into the purifier) was easy and quick. After the 15~20 minute wait period, the water still taster fine. I'm not going to lie, it does leave a slightly metallic/chemical taste in the water. It takes some getting used to, but once you're past it, it's a great purifier.
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Trail Test:
The Miox worked great. It's amazing how light it really is. The initial kit comes with enough salt treatments and battery life for ~200 liters of water. You simply fill up the ol' Nalgene, put a bit of water into the Miox, press a button 4 times, dump the water into the Nalgene and wait a bit. No more pumping, no more cleaning the filters. Granted you have to be one with nature as it is not a filter.
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Conclusions/Recommendations:
I would recommend the Miox to anyone looking for lightweight, reliable water purification. This is a strudy piece that fits anywhere. Onec yo uget past the taste, it's a great way to go.:sun
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[VTATHiker]

It's probably not that big a deal, but the Miox produces oxidants from the salt and electricty in order to kill bacteria. Is anybody else concerned about drinking oxidants for six months straight? With all this hype about anti-oxidants lately I think it would bother me.

[Touch of Grey]

The military has been using this system as I understand it for several years and so should have tons of data both PRO and CON to and about it. It's been primarily Special Forces (Force Recon, SEAL's, Rangers, etc.) who have been the users.

Possibly current or recently former military personnel can weigh in on this. Maybe even Sgt. Rock will have two-cents or so to add.

Touch of Grey
:-?

[VTATHiker]

I looked on the MSR site and found a FAQ section about the MIOX with a response to my question:

Q: I make it a point to consume antioxidants. Is there a problem adding oxidants to my water?

A: Much of what we do in life contains some level of risk. Many feel that the benefits of disinfecting water greatly outweigh the risks. However, if the residual disinfectant is of great concern, a one-micron filter containing carbon can be used 15 minutes after treatment with the MIOX Purifier to remove any residual oxidants from the water. It is also a very effective way to treat really nasty water. Some people choose not to use chemical treatment at all, which is not usually a problem here in the U.S. In developing countries, however, where there is a high risk of human waste contamination, and therefore a concern of viral contamination, a chemical treatment step can save you from the viral two-step.

Sooooo... if I don't like the idea oxidants I'd need to filter too. Yikes. I think I'll stick to pumping!

[take-a-knee]

If you just stick with a filter, you still aren't covered against viruses, unless your pump has some sort of pre-filter the chemically kills the viruses. Have you ever heard of hepatitis C, or hepatitis non-A, non-B? Do you feel lucky?

[rafe]

Have you ever heard of hepatitis C, or hepatitis non-A, non-B? Do you feel lucky?

Have you ever heard of anyone acquiring one of these diseases from drinking water on the AT?

[micromega]

I used the miox on a canoe trip down the Green River in Utah a few years back, because the silt in the water is notorious for clogging conventional filters. Its a great little filter and I had no complaints, though the wait time is a problem if you want to drink right away. As I recall, 15 minutes was the minimum but to protect against viruses, it required 4 hours. Really wouldn't be too much of a hardship to treat enough water for morning use and to fill water bottles/hydration pack before turning in for the night and it'd be ready by morning.

This filter really comes into its own, though, when treating larger amounts of water, where pumping would become tedious. For larger groups or for canoe trips where you can lug an entire days worth of water with you, that filter is aces.

[buckowens]

I am military and got my Miox info from the military rep for MSR. At the same time I bought one, he gave me literature on the performance of the unit. Part of it is the scientific mumbo jumbo that says it does o.k.

If anyone wants any of the documentation it is Adobe and I will be happy to email it to you. Shoot me a message.

[hadacol]

One of the reasons both the Miox and Aqua Mira are effective is that some of the oxidant compounds created are both reactive and unstable. You need to mix or prepare the solution right before adding it to the water because it begins to lose effectiveness quickly.

The reverse is that the most active compounds formed will do what you added them to do (kill infectious things) and then break down. Time, exposure to air, and heat all make the process faster - if you wait several hours, or (after 30 minutes) pour the treated water back and forth between clean containers, or boil it (i.e., cook with it) the swimming pool taste will be tamed considerably.

One advantage these methods have over filters is they leave some residual antiseptic capacity in the water. If you filter water and it comes in contact with anything that is not sterile, the process of becoming a pathogenic soup begins all over again. Water treated with Aqua Mira, Miox, or Iodine has a fighting chance against lapses in cleanliness (hence the advice to allow the freshly treated water to leak out over the threads of your container).

Nothing in life is free, and the cost of the residual disinfection is that you will be drinking a bit of the treatment chemical. That said, the "oxidants" that anti-oxidants fight are (in theory) those that are byproducts of your own cellular processes, not so much the ones you eat, drink, or breathe.

For myself, when I am out of reach of help, I tend to be conservative with water. I will treat "iffy" water by two methods (filter and boil, or filter and treat, for instance) and I make sure any water I do not use immediately has at least some degree of residual disinfectant. And a half dozen Immodium weigh only a couple of grams (though it is not much comfort for things beyond garden variety montezuma's revenge).

[vjh]

I am familiar with Mioxx/Aquamira etc. In fact, I just recieved the Mioxx as a gift.(woo hoo) I've been using the Katahdin chlorine dioxide pills you just drop into a bottle and go...Can someone convince me that mixing and waiting is better than dropping and waiting? Takes a step out and I can't figure out why when the pills are the only? EPA approved water purifier out there no one uses them?

Replies PLEASE?!! what am I missing? or am I ahead of y'all. I know there is a price difference but the pills are just plain easy..

thanks,
Vera

[Not Sunshine]

Have you ever heard of anyone acquiring one of these diseases from drinking water on the AT?

I thought Hep A was the ONLY food-borne hepatitis virus (hep B and C are transmitted via blood and/or bodily fluids)...so unless you're filtering water someone recently bled into...

Health departments have been vaccinating people against Hep A for a number of years - I know I got mine after college.

I'd rather carry the extra weight and not have any floaters in my water, personally...but to each his/her own.

[Spokes]

Hello,everybody.I'm new here.If you want to make friends to me ,just contact me.
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[Bucho]

Health departments have been vaccinating people against Hep A for a number of years - I know I got mine after college.

I got my vaccine for the trail, seems to me like it's a good vaccination to have on the AT



I'd rather carry the extra weight and not have any floaters in my water, personally...but to each his/her own.

An inline hollow fiber filter will take out the floaters and weigh less than the miox.