MSR MIOX Purifier Review

"I initially liked my Miox pen. I used it in the mountains where the water really doesn’t need filtered for floaters. But after awhile I found that I needed to carry extra batteries because it was running them down. Then it just quit working. I have not used it all that much. Maybe 15 weekend outings. Anyone else had this problem? Kind of expensive for the amount of use I got out of it. I’m back to my old stand by PUR Hiker filter. "

"The MIOX Purifier is very light, compact, and simple to use, after a little practice at home. I almost felt guilty not having to work for my bottle of water by pumping the filter. There is a little planning ahead needed because the wait time is four hours to deactivate crytosporidium. It is, however, one of the few chemical treatments that will get crytosporidium. As for the taste and smell of the treated water, it's a lot like swimming pool water. I made a pot of coffee with the treated water, not that you would have to treat boiled water, and shared it with my fellow backpackers and asked them if there was any impacted taste from the MIOX treated water. Everyone agreed that there was no after taste. Powered mixes also work to mask the taste if so desired. So, if your traveling fast and light, this may be the system for you."

"This product is touted by MSR as having "no unpleasant iodine taste". While this is true, the MIOX pen produces a far more objectionable chlorine taste. As the other reviewer said, it tastes very much like swimming pool water. Actually, I'd say that it's more like NYC tap water. For me, that is unacceptable outside of a dire survival situation.
On the other hand, if you are an ultralight gear geek with no tastebuds, this is clearly the purifier for you. But if you like drinking chlorine, why not just bring a dropper of bleach and save your money for chemotherapy?"

"I actually own an MSR Miox pen, and have found it to be an excellent, reliable water purifier (it has been battle-tested in Afghanistan by the U.S. Army). The Miox Pen takes up very little space and will produce many gallons of purified water on one change of batteries and a little salt. In 10-15 minutes you can have a whole gallon of fresh, purified water. The Miox Pen works best on water that isn't silty or full of debris, so it helps to have a cloth or coffee filter along to strain out large particles before adding the chemical.

One thing to remember is that the Miox Pen does not produce simple chlorine as some people seem to believe, but rather a potent mixed oxidant purifier, chlorine dioxide, such as found in Micropur tabs or Aquamira. Chlorine dioxide has no side effects on the body, unlike iodine. Also, chlorine dioxide WILL kill parasites that neither iodine nor chlorine will touch, such as cryptosporidia.

As far as taste goes, chlorine dioxide has no taste or odor when used in the proper dosages and wait times. What often happens is that uninformed testers try out their MSR pen on already-chlorinated tap water, which intensifies the chlorine taste. Purify a backcountry water source, as the Miox was designed for, use a correct dose and wait time, and there should be no unpleasant taste. I highly recommend the Miox Pen."

"If you are trying the disinfect large volumes of water for an African village or a military platoon this technology has some application (it's original intended purpose as a matter of fact). For backpacking use this device has almost no utility (I think MSR saw a market and tried to creat a need!).

I work as a water quality professional for a large utility in California and I am familiar with the steps needed to render water safe to drink. Filtration is the first step, and this removes large contaminants (such as the cysts of giardia that cause beaver fever). This product does not filter. It relies on a mix of disinfectants that, if given enough contact time, will kill pathogenic organisms. The downside is you need a fair amount of contact time (read: carrying undrinkable water for several hours) and its ability to disinfect plummets as the water becomes more turbid (the soil particles act as little safe havens for the viruses and bacteria).

In order to decrease turbidity you need to filter the water and/or add alum or other chemical floculants (this product does not do this).

What does this product do? It makes you dependent on batteries, table salt and an expensive, breakable, heavy gadget to do exactly what a cheap vial of iodine or a few tablets of chlorine dioxide will do (for a heck of a lot less weight).

The only compelling reason to buy this product is for the gee whiz factor. All practical arguments are against it."

"I agree on some points with Mitch Allen, but disagree on other points.
This thing is for most people a gadget. A filtering bottle cap or the regular pump with iodine is much more usable for a backpacker. On the other hand: if you use a millbank filter in combination with this little gem, it is unbeatable at providing lots and lots of water at basecamp. the millbank filter takes care of most of the turbid and the MIOX helps the germs to an end. The oter big thing is that this is a very light solution.
One battery should last several weeks at least but if you are a Surefire addept, the batteries aren't a problem.
And last but not least: it is made sturdy and well designed.
A big drawback is the lack of filtering for chemicals and heavy metals. but most filters don't filter that out. (Even the filters with a active carbon element don't do that unless you change the acitve carbon element very often, which would make it very expensive).
Short:
pro's are the small packsize, works long on a single battery, one load of salt will take you a long way, sturdy design, easy use and large amounts of water can be treated.
con's are the use of batteries and therefore the need for a spare battery, need to take extra salt (which you usually have with you) and if it breaks in the field, you don't have anyting left (just like other means of purification)."

"I am always fascinated by those who write reviews on a product they don't like but have never used. I've backpacking off and on for nearly forty years. I've used purifiers, filters, iodine and other chemicals. I didn't buy the MIOX, I got it as gift. Initially, I was not impressed, just like the other reviewers who have never actually used it. Then I took the next step and did some real research on how it works. Finally, I actually used it in the field. Not once, but dozens of times.

The bottom line is that the MIOX works and works well. After two years of hard use in a lot of places it has never failed me and I have never gotten sick. I am gone a lot and have only switched batteries.

I am at a loss to figure out all the hoopla about water taste. There is a slight smell to the water after you add the chemicals from the MIOX and a very slight taste to the water that I don't even notice anymore.

This is a good product. Do the research on its capabilities and then borrow one and use it. It takes just a little bit of time to figure it out."

"I relly like to MIOX purifier! I carry a camel pac when I go backpacking. Since most of my hiking is done in the mountains the water is crystal clear anyway. I fill my 3 liter camel pack at a stream evening after getting out my cooking water. A click of a button and I pour the oxidizer into my pack. Then next morning when I get up my water is ready with almost no taste. A second advantage is cleaning my clothes! I make a high concentration batch and pour it in a bag then wash out my shirts and socks. A few shakes later and I have nice fresh smelling clothes. No soap!

If you don't have on get one and take it with you on you next trip. Its cheaper than buying a number of replacement filters too.."

"A gift. Used last weekend per instructions. Our three testers could not detect any aftertaste. A little frustrated that 'low salt' light came on several times..this was easily solved by a little more shaking than the 10x per instructions (there was correct amount of salt in reservoir).
PRO: no taste, small, non toxic
Negatives: reliability (batteries, salt concentration, how long to process, pre-filtering),
the wait for processing

Great since my wife is alergic to iodine, but for simplicity I prefer Polarpure. I hate carrying bulky filters"

"POSITIVES:
This is a great, light-weight solution for your water purfication purposes in the field. It does not make the water taste horrible (like tablets do), and it can purify many, many gallons at a time. This is very nice if you have opportunity to purify an entire camp's water needs at the same time.

NEGATIVE:
A little bit too much like a science experiment. Add this, mix well, zap X amount of times, pour solution into untreated water and wait. How long? Depends on what bugs you are trying to kill could be upwards of 4 hours). The solution will not kill some bugs no matter what concentration you use. This a BIG drawback. You have to do a bit of research about the area you are trekking before using this product as your only water purifier.

OVERALL:
Not terrible unit to use in the field, though I would recommend praticing the mixture first before you are in the field with it for the first time. If you are paranoid about bugs in your water, then I highly recommend using MIOX after you filter with a hand-pump. Of course, this is more gear and defeats the purpose of a hands-free water purification unit. I would recommned this product to others, but keep in mind for the price (approx. $130), it might not be for everybody."

"I own this item, I got it as a Lightweight Solution for my trips. I used it last summer for a 7 day High Sierra trip in Yosemite and I wish I had my pump by the end of the trip. It made me guess a lot if the water was good to drink. I took all the strips and salt but I would get mixed results depending on when I would test the water. Example: after 20 mins the strips indicated that the water was safe to drink, but after 4 hours not safe. Very confusing. Also I did not care for the floaters in the water. I used it to supply 4 adults with water for 7 days and on day 5 the batteries started to go. I am sure that I over treated the water at times due to false positive readings of the strips which may have taxed the batteries. While no one got sick, I was always questioning the quality of the water. I ended up boiling some of it. I look at the unit now with a bit regret nothing beats pumping the water for immediate use, not worrying about floaters and batteries. I do not recommend this unit as solution for multi-day trips as the primary means of water treatment."

"I am an ultralight backpacker who regularly packes less than <12 lb for 3 day 2 night trips. I have great tastbuds and a healthy respect for my "Health". My system is very simple. 3 L platypus bag into which I pour "Dirty" stream water an a full dose of MIOX. I also use an inline corbon microfilter to post filter the floaters and improve the taste of the WATER. Never yet tasted the MIOX. The inline filter is very light. This system lets us recharge our hydrations systems "quickly". When we are walking up to a stream we press the buttons and by the time we have the water in the bags the MIOX is ready. We also like the idea of the redundant filters in the event that the MIOX pen failed. Not likly since we carry more than one per group since they are so light. Battery life using lithium batteries has never been an issue. Our at home test showed that we could get more than 50 2L treatments from a single battery... We always carry two! which also serve as the backup for our lights.

In short I dont know of any other system that weighs less or is any where close to the convienience of reffiling on the fly.

Before MIOX I used Clorine DIOXIDE crystals or other tablets in the same dual protection configuration.

I always carry these tablets as a backup in the emergency kit on my belt so that gives us an additional backup as well.

Have fun, pack light, leave the mule or the sore back at home...

P.S. you should expect the strips to read low the next morning or next day as the MIOX concentration eventually disapates. Best to test 1hr afterwards. The 4hr rule for Crypt is "Full Exposure" e.g. until there is no longer a usable MIOX concentartion. Safety Safety Safety..."

"Use common sense. There is more in the water than bacteria and viruses. This product doesnt filter any particulate matter, chemicals, heavy metals, etc...Always let your water stand, filter (carbon/0.2 um or ceramic type) and bleach after."

"I agree with Mitch Allen entirely- I have had my miox for 3 years now, took it on dozens of trips (just got back from 2 weeks in the high sierras) and it is basically a overcomplicated gadget. The batteries, not only expensive (about $10...each- and it needs 2!), but also rare (I've had trouble finding them at all) battely life is also relatively low- I did less than 30 liters with a set of batteries. The testing strips are of questionable accuracy, and when you run out (if you didn't just stop using them altogether as I did- too much trouble, and NO other systems use such a thing) where do you get more? The salt in the miox pen will crystalize into the threads on the cap and create leakage and grind down the threads. And after all this expense and trouble- you can't even drink the water immedately, it has to sit several hours before use! what advantage does this have over a $12 bottle of aquamira (which is ebough for 30 gallons, or 40 cents per gallon)? If the miox performed as advertised (200 qts with 1 $20 set of batteries) that's also 40 cents per gallon- for just the batteries alone! include the excessive cost for the device ($120) and the strips, and if you eventually do 400 gallons, its $1.30 per gallon- Three times that of chemicals, and it is more than twice the weight of a chemical bottle!

The noveltey of the trinket is neat, breaking down sodium chloride into aqueous chlorine, but ultimately, this toy just produces small ammounts of bleach at a really expensive price. Want light? use chemicals. want cheap? use bleach (2 drops per quart) want water now? get a filter"

"I, like many it seems here, got the MIOX as a gift. My initial disbelief that some batteries and salt would kill bacteria caused me to do some research on the item. Essentially, it creates a chlorine solution which (in a while) kills all of the bacteria and viruses). By the way those test strips only test for chlorine content (parts per million). So in a few hours (charge wears off) the content will be less, but if it is after 4 hours everything is dead anyway. Also, those testing strips can be bought at any pool store just make sure you test the right pad on the strip. Otherwise, it does feel like a chemestry set. For my purposes or purifying clean (looking) mountain water, I have no problems with this product"

"Many people believe that this product is only a gadget which performs the same function as iodine tablets or water filters. However this is not the case. Iodine tablets do not kill cryptosporidium and water filters, even ceramics of .2 micrometers, do not eliminate viruses. The miox is able to kill both of these. There are two drawbacks to this product. The first is dealing with the "floaties" found in common stream water. A simple solution to this is to bring along a couple of coffee filters, problem solved. The second is relying on electronics. Always bring a back up battery. Overall, for its function and weight, it can't be beat"

"MIOX is a horrendous and frankly irresponsible product. It is a sad example of laboratory over-engineering: for small time backpacking use it has almost no merit at all.
Firstly as pointed out earlier in this thread, it has no ability to filter the water, and in any but the clearest mountain streams chlorine very quickly turns into chloramines (in the presence of organic matter) which is not effective at killing bacteria. If you are using it in a clear mountain stream, chances are that it will be cold, glacial run-off. Chlorine is very much less effective at low temperatures; meaning you should effectively double the contact time. When you consider that the manufacturers recommend a 4 HOUR (!) contact time in some cases, this is just logistically unmanageable. Finally you will have to carry spare, expensive lithium batteries (not easily available anywhere but in the first world), rock salt, and indicator paper. If you run out of any of these, kiss goodbye to MIOX and clean water. Be aware also that chlorine and iodine are both susceptible to IV degradation - if you don\'t purify in a black bottle, then like as not, you are not purifying at all.
Alternatively you could carry a small bottle of tincture of iodine which will cost you less than $5, will purify many mnay litres of water, is more effective in the presence of organic matter (though still needs filtration), more effective in cold temperatures, and weights virtually nothing. And if you don\'t like the taste of iodine - take some vitamin C (ascobic acid) tablets to neutralise the taste after the contact time. Better still a purification system like the pre-mac iodine impregnated bead system.
WISE UP PEOPLE. MIOX is not a system to trust when your health and the health of your family is at risk."

"I think this product is great. It is the smallest purifier I have found and lasts forever. It can kill everything including viruses. Even though the batteries are expensive and somewhat rare they last thousands of uses. If you are worried that it will go out of batteries then just bring a set with you, problem solved. Also any dirt or particles in the wear can be removed with a simple coffee filter. The test strips are easy and not rare at all, besides they just insure your safety and who doesn't want that? Just purify your water before making camp and you've got safe water to drink fr tomorrow."