MSR Miniworks Review

"You can see by the other reviews that it is a good setup. The only problem I've had is that on the earlier models, the check-valve was a ball on a spring. I stupidly unscrewed the fitting to pack it and lost the ball. We ended up boiling water for the rest of the trip.

I think the new models use a duck-bill type check valve that won't come loose. Also, when I called MSR, they sent me a new valve at no cost, even after I told them it was my fault."

"I've used my Miniworks for the past 3 yrs now and can't say enough about it. An excellent filtration system that is completly user-maintenance friendly!
With the Nalgene bottles and the Dromedary bag, the Miniworks is a MUST HAVE on any backpacking/camping excursion!!"

"This is an inexpensive, great little water filter. It is a little slow
(2/3 litre per minute) so it should not be used for more than two people,
but it's definitely good enough for 1. It takes a while to start clogging,
and when it does it's super easy to clean. Plus it lets you know when it's
getting dirty by a squeaking noise. (The same noise is made when you pump
too fast; it's the blow-off valve blowing.)"

"What a great filter this is! I can forget any worries about reliability with this stashed in my pack. Do not think twice about buying one!"

"I have to say that I thoroughly enjoy using this filter. It is well built and very rugged but I urge you to be careful and not drop it as the ceramic element inside may crack (I would imagine this to be worst in colder weather..)"

"i have used my miniworks for 3 years now. winter/summer. it is eay to clean. the fact that it screws onto nalgene bottles makes it very easy to use.

i got a 2 ft tube that goes from the output into water bottles that arnt the size of nalgene.

good filter, cheap, durable, easy"

"I have used this filter for demonstrations (I teach children) and it has made the most disgusting mud-water from our drainage ditch crystal clear and good to drink. I find myself constantly trying to find something this filter won't handle. Haven't gotten there yet."

"a magnificent filter. completely field-cleanable, durable, and easy to repair. (an inexpensive kit from MSR includes all sorts of O-rings and ball bearings and lubricant and such to repair just about anything that might break or wear out). the screw-on capabilities w/ 32-oz. nalgene bottles and MSR dromedary bags means that dirty water hoses and clean water hoses are not wrapped around the filter together, as on most other systems."

"i use this filter every time i go camping. the timt that really proves this product is when i went to one of the most polluted rivers in eastern north carolina and used it . the water tasted great, looked great and noone got sick this filter is the best."

"The MSR mini-works is an excellent filter. I have guzzled scuzzy ditch-water on hot days with this thing and I am yet to get the scoots. It conveniently screws right on top of a Nalgene bottle, and pumps fairly easy and fast. The price is reasonable, and the maintenance is simple. THUMBS UP!"

"Pros: This is a solid filter that is so easy to clean and maintain. My son and daughter field stripped the filter and had no problems putting it back together. The ceramic filter is simple to clean, simple to replace. The pump screw on to the tops of nalgene bottles and is a breeze to fill them up. If you want to use a hose it has an adapter on the bottom which I purchased a 2 foot hose from Home Depot and it works perfect. It is has a clear blue top so you can see what is going on with the pump and how it is working (my kids loved that) and again... easy as pie to filed strip clean and maintain.

Cons: Yes there is cons... It is a bit heavier that the PURS but the filter seems to last a LOT longer. The other con is that it is not as fast as pumping water as other filters... It is about .75 liters per minute and that adds up if you are pumping water for everyone.

My overall assessment is this.. I like this filter, the USMC also uses this filter by the way, and it is a solid filter that is built to last and is user friendly. All around a great filter and I NEVER worry about my water or it breaking when I take it... I just trust it that much...

Sparky2003"

"I have been using this filter for a year now and can't say enough good things about it. it's ease of cleaning more than makes up for it being slightly more heavy that the pur's."

"I am not particularly good at putting things together, and yet I find the MSR Miniworks easy to take apart and put together. There are a lot of pieces, but it is real obvious where they go, and that makes it easy to clean it in the field, if it gets clogged. It filters the water great and takes up little room in the pack."

"Con: I dropped this filter approx four feet and broke ceramic filter..fell on ground
not concrete. Notified MSR, and they suggest using a lanyard so as not to drop. "OK" I like the filter so I paid $34 for new ceramic, but I'm not altogether happy. Can't understand how the Marines don't drop their filters???"

"It would be unwise not to check the perfromance out on the MSR Mini before making a purchase. I was shoulder to shoulder with friends filling from a lake, the PUR was so hard to pump we had to take turns. The SWEET WATER "clean side hose" and small neck adapter has to be balanced somwwhere so you can use two hands on it, The SWEET WATER was tipped into lake two times bottle and all. Which was OK, because it wasn't really working anyway, It would discharge about 70% of it's water back into the lake through some kind of pressure release system. We used the MSR to fill all the remaining containers (cleaned filter once per 2 liters to keep flow rate up) and went ahead adn chemically treated all the PUR. TIP: first use pump had slow rate until cleaned twice. Only use positive lock wide mouth Nalgene to avoid tipping accidents (have not used small mouth adapters) Wrappping suction inlet with a coffee filter and rubber band helped keep sediment down. Can scrubb filter and hold thumb over exit port on filter and rinse in "dirty water" (we took bets on this part, but I'm fine)Good for up to two people. From what I've seen, this is the best design going."

"Don't buy a Pur. I work at a large outdoor outfitter and the Purs are unreliable, not trustworthy, and fragile. That notwithstanding, the MSR should be purchased on its own laurals. This filter is awesome. I've never had any problems with it. The only drawback (the weight issue is negligable) is the fragility of the ceramic filter. I tell people never to clean it unless they are standing in at least knee deep water, so you don't break the filter if you drop it. Anyway, now you know this, so just be mindful of it when you are handling it. A+!"

"I have owned this filter for 5 years and have never been disappointed. One suggestion, add a Sweetwater prefilter to the intake hose. This works better and minimizes the need for cleaning and saves the filter element. It is slightly slower than others, but with the prefilter I am cleaning less and when it all said and done, I have pumped just as much water as the others."

"Worked Great!
I read an awful lot of reviews from all different sources before I settled on the Miniworks for my Hawaii outback adventure.
What sold me on the Miniworks was its filter far exceeded the 1.0 micron filtration requirements of safe drinking water. The Miniworks is at 0.3 micron filtration.
I wanted my filter to be rated at least at 1.0 micron filtration. Miniworks is. I wanted my filter to be durable. Miniworks is. I wanted my filter to be field servicable. Miniworks is. It is small enough and light enough for backpacking.
My experiences with it were uneventful. No problems, no surprises. It gave me safe drinking water in good time with next to no effort. Nothing tough or tricky about it. I did make it a habit of placing a hanky over the inlet end as a sort of pre-prefilter. Also, I placed the inlet hose at about 3 inches below the surface of the water. A good practice with any filter.
Anyhow, it did its job with no problems. I am satisfied."

"I got this filter after the untimely demise of a sweetwater during a 10 day hike on the Applachian Trail in 1999. We were out in the fall and many water sources on the trail guide were dry. A somewhat mucky spring killed the Sweetwater. After a stop at the Neel's Gap outfitter store (say hi to Jeff and Dorothy at Mountain Crossing) we had the MSR. Not a single problem with it on that trip or many others since. I like the threads that mate with Nalgene bottles and the hose barb to refill our Platypi? Platypuses? hydration bags. As others have said it is a little slow to pump, but it's reliablity and easy cleaning and disassembly certainly outweigh any downside."

"3 years and running, it's awesome....most of my friends have scrapped their pur filters and followed my lead. (others below have elaborated for me) Never rand into a problem in the field that I couldn't easily fix. The new model looks great as it pumps faster. Only concern is whether or not the new filters will work in my old model."

"I've bought a Miniworks filter a year ago after my PUR died during a Sierra trip (the plastic handle snapped off, due to too much pressure from a clogged filter). Overall it's a good filter, although I do have some qualms. It pumps about half the speed of the PUR, which sucked when I was pumping for 4 people. Also, when it's below freezing, I found the filter would not pump unless I took out the ceramic element and heated it with my bare hands. Sometimes it can be tough for people without strong hands to pump, if you lay it on its side. On the plus side, the capability to clean the filter in the field is a major bonus. Pumping is a breeze if you have a Nalgene bottle, although it's somewhat akward to mate it directly to the new bladders with Nalgene-compatible mouths (I use the old PUR hose)."

"I don't believe this is the filter for ultra-light fanatics. However, it works great for me. I've used mine on several trips but have not yet found it necessary to clean the filter. The filter attaches directly to my water bottle and I can attach the hose from water bladder to it. It pumps relatively easy and so far I haven't been sick from drinking the wrong bacteria. So it must be working."

"Nothing more to say than this filter kicks ass. Three years strong and going on a fourth. Easy to clean in the field and always produces the best tasting water."

"I have had mine for 3 years now and I have never had any problems I cannot say enough about it. Although when i was looking for a pump I was worried about the ceramic filter cracking but after dropping it several times it still has never broke. I would buy it again in a heart beat."

"I own two mini-works and we had owned them for over 4 years now. We filter for 5-12 people on each of our outing and never had a problem and we filtered some NASTY H2O. I did use this filter in the military and liked it. I even used it when the "water bladders" were availiable. Cant say enough about this filter. One word of caution, if you use it in freezing temps. make sure that you pull the filter and empty the water out of the housing, so that it doesnt freeze and crack the filter...."

"I have used this filter for 1 year now and think it is great filter. Our Scout troop camps at least once per month 12 months a year. The MSR MiniWorks is always reliable. Provided water for 9 scouts and 3 adults on a 6 day Hot Summer BackPacking trip to Cumberland Island Ga. Never failed . Can take abuse from not so careful young Scouts."

"I recently led a group of scouts on a weeklong trip on the Superior Trail. We had an MSR and my Sweetwater. The first day out, two boys were sent to get water and the one with the MSR had pumped three liters before the other had put the Sweetwater together. The Sweetwater never got used after that. Everyone on the trip, adults and scouts alike loved this filter. Very convenient to screw it onto a nalgene bottle or a bladder and not have to juggle hoses while pumping. Wish this was my filter!"

"This is an awesome filter and support from MSR (Cascade Design) is outstanding. Having lead a group of scouts along the Colorado Trail, we used two of these filters (14.6 oz each) to supply water for 16 boys and 6 adults. In under two hours time each person had 2 quart Nalgene bottles and 3 - 96 oz. bladders full. This includes the ceramic filters cleaned and pump put away.
On the last day, the bottom cover with the filter guage was lost. I contacted MSR support and they replaced the cover and guage free of charge.
Outstanding product and service. Would recommend this product to anyone looking for a pump filter."

"I've been using this filter for a couple years now. I've never experienced a problem nor have I ever been sick from any bacteria in the water. Thus, it seems to be money well spent. I am considering a bottle type purifier though for day hikes where only drinking water is needed."

"this sucks. we took two on weeklond trip and both of them cloged up. we spent more time fixing that problem that it was worth. not very versatile. only works with wide mouth bottles. slow pump rate. no pre-filter. buyers beware!!!"

"I have had this filter for about six years and it has seen a lot of use. I would recommend buying a prefilter if the water you are pumping has a lot of sediment. You can buy one from MSR or just use an all plastic gas filter for a car.

I have used mine in China, Thailand and all over the US. I have never had a problem and I am still using the first ceramic filter, but will probably have to replace it this year.

One of the things that I really like it that the pressure relief valve puts water back in the suction hose, not outside of the filter on your hands. This is an important feature when you are using it when it is cold.

I also recommend buying an adapter so you can pump directly into a CamelBak or similar hydration bag. This allows you to keep your hydration system in your pack while you fill it."

"best water filter i ever used water tased better than bottled water. and i can say i never have ever had it clog you do have to clean it, but thats normal... just dont use it in mud.. oh and i never got beaver fever...used extensively in the the white mountains of NH..."

"I have taken my MSR water filter with me on many trips into the mountains and the northwoods with 2-12 people. I have had a katadyn, sweetwater guardian, and a first need filter that all failed me in a time of need. These don't even compare to the reliability, ease of use, field maintenance, and water quality that comes with the MSR miniworks. Since investing in my MSR miniworks, I have saved many thirsty backpackers/outdoorsmen whose water filter has failed them while out in the backcountry. This is definitely a must have and you can't beat the price for the quality that you gain!!"

"I have used my Miniworks for about six years, and the only problem I experienced was in silty desert water.
Worth the money. I have never gotten sick on the water that has pumped through it."

"Excellent water filter. Used it on a 3 day trip in the Monogahela. I had absolutely no problems, and plenty of good water. Some reviews I've read say it clogs easily. Use common sense. Its that simple, any filter will clog. Just be smarter than filter. I very highly recomend this filter."

"Best water filter on the market. I've used this a thousand times and it hasn't changed a bit. Just a note though, if you're going out on a long trip, or anywhere you know the water is going to be exceptionally scummy, make sure you learn to disassemble and clean the ceramic filter BEFORE you leave. Harder to learn in the woods, at night, while holding a flashlight. Otherwise, best filter out there."

"This filter kicks ASS.It was with me while I was in the Marines,IT IS MARINE-PROOF just wrap it in a t-shirt. Never had a problem. Even with very poor quality water it keeps going strong.I love this filter so much I bought one for each brother and sister and a spare for me."