Lifestraw vs Sawyer: Which Is Better For Safe Drinking Water?
When it comes to preparing for survival situations, having a reliable water filter is essential for your safety and well-being. Two popular filtration systems that have gained the attention of campers, hikers, and survivalists are the LifeStraw and Sawyer water filters.
The LifeStraw, known for its simplicity and affordability, offers an easy-to-use straw design for on-the-go water filtration.
The Sawyer Mini rivals LifeStraw with its versatility and advanced filtration technology. Although both filters help you access clean and safe drinking water, the features and capabilities of each differ significantly.
LifeStraw and Sawyer: An Overview
Both LifeStraw and Sawyer are popular brands known for their portable water filtration solutions. They aim to provide safe drinking water for outdoor enthusiasts, travelers, and those in survival situations.
Lifestraw
LifeStraw products are simple and affordable, making them a popular choice among backpackers, hikers, and campers. Their flagship product, the LifeStraw Personal Water Filter, is a straw-type filter that removes bacteria, protozoa, cysts, and microplastics from water sources. It’s lightweight, under two ounces, and has a lifespan of up to 1,000 gallons.
Some features of LifeStraw filters include:
- Straw-type design for direct drinking from the source.
- Easy-to-use and maintain.
- Small filter for removing small contaminants
- Bacteria, protozoa, cysts, and microplastic removal.
- 1,000 gallon lifespan
Sawyer Filters
Sawyer filters are known for their advanced filtration technology, versatility, and longevity. The Sawyer Mini is a popular product that functions as a straw, squeeze, or inline water filter. The filter size is even smaller than the LifeStraw, which helps to remove even more contaminants. Like the Lifestraw, the Sawyer Mini is lightweight, coming in around 2 ounces, and has a filter lifespan of 100,000 gallons.
Some features of Sawyer filters include:
- Multiple uses: Straw, squeeze, inline filter.
- Versatile and easy-to-use.
- Smaller filter size.
- Bacteria, protozoa, cysts, microplastics, some chemicals removal.
- 100,000 gallon (approximately 378,000 liters) lifespan.
Size and Weight Comparison
LifeStraw Dimensions
When it comes to size and weight, the LifeStraw is fairly lightweight and portable. The LifeStraw measures around 9 inches in length and 1 inch in diameter, making it convenient to carry around on your outdoor adventures. Its weight is approximately 2 ounces, making it an easy addition to your backpack without adding much burden.
Sawyer Mini Dimensions
The Sawyer Mini is also small in size and fairly lightweight, though slightly heavier than the LifeStraw. The dimensions of the Sawyer Mini are about 5 inches in length and 1 inch in diameter, with the weight coming in closer to 3 ounces. So, while it’s a bit heavier than the LifeStraw, it’s still light enough for backpackers to carry without much trouble.
Filtration Capabilities
LifeStraw Filtration
LifeStraw uses a hollow fiber membrane which is designed to effectively filter out contaminants up to 0.2 microns in size. This ensures that you have clean and safe water even from sources that appear murky. The LifeStraw is proven to remove 99.999% of protozoan parasites like cryptosporidium, as well as bacteria like salmonella and cholera. The Lifestraw cannot, however, filter out viruses.
Sawyer Mini Filtration
The Sawyer Mini utilizes 0.1-micron absolute filtration, thanks to its hollow-fiber membrane and U-shaped micro-tubes. This means it can filter out even smaller contaminants and more effectively removes harmful bacteria, protozoa, and cysts. With its finer pore size of 0.1 microns, it provides better filtration than the LifeStraw, but, like the LifeStraw, cannot filter viruses.
LifeStraw Flow Rate
The LifeStraw’s filtration capabilities offer a decent flow rate, which means you can quench your thirst quickly. Keep in mind that flow rate, like lifespan, depends on the cleanliness of the water source. Choose clean, natural water sources whenever possible and avoid drinking contaminated water.
Sawyer Mini Flow Rate
Despite its better filtration, the Sawyer Mini has a slightly slower flow rate than the LifeStraw. You won’t be able to hydrate as quickly, but you’ll get cleaner water as a result.
That said, it’s worth nothing both of these filters perform exceptionally well in providing clean drinking water from most natural sources.
Contaminant Removal
When it comes to removing contaminants from water, both the LifeStraw and Sawyer filters are highly effective. Both brands utilize advanced technologies to make water sources safer for consumption.
Lifestraw
LifeStraw uses hollow fiber membrane technology to effectively remove bacteria, protozoa, and even microplastics from water sources. It can filter up to 1,000 gallons of water without requiring any batteries or additional parts. This advanced technology ensures that you’re protected against waterborne bacteria, dangerous pathogens, and protozoan parasites commonly found in untreated water sources.
Sawyer Filter
Sawyer filters use a 0.1-micron absolute filtration technology which is highly effective in removing bacteria, protozoa, cysts, and sediment from water sources. The Sawyer Mini and Sawyer Squeeze filters can also protect you against waterborne bacteria, dangerous pathogens, and protozoan parasites.
While both LifeStraw and Sawyer filters are excellent at removing most contaminants commonly found in untreated water sources, neither can effectively remove viruses. To ensure complete safety from viruses, you might need additional methods, like water treatment tablets or boiling water before consumption.
Filter Lifespan
When comparing LifeStraw and Sawyer water filters, it’s important to consider the lifespan. Lifespan refers to the amount of water each filter can process before it needs to be replaced.
The Sawyer water filter outshines the LifeStraw in this aspect by quite a large margin. With the capability to filter an impressive 100,000 gallons of water, this filter has a significantly longer lifespan than LifeStraw’s 1,000 gallons. This difference in lifespan can be huge, especially in survival situations.
- Sawyer: 100,000 gallons (100x the LifeStraw)
- LifeStraw: 1,000 gallons
Maintenance and Durability
Cleaning and Backflushing
When it comes to maintenance, both LifeStraw and Sawyer Mini water filters require cleaning and backflushing to ensure proper functioning and longevity.
With the LifeStraw, you’ll need to blow air through the mouthpiece after filtering water to clear out any debris.
The Sawyer Mini, on the other hand, comes with a cleaning plunger to help you easily backflush and clean the filter.
Temperature Tolerance
The maintenance of both filters also includes paying attention to temperature exposure. Avoid exposing either filter to freezing temperatures, as it may damage the internal components and compromise their effectiveness.
If your LifeStraw or Sawyer Mini does get exposed to freezing conditions, it’s best to replace the filter to ensure proper filtration and safety. Always store your water filters in a location that will remain above freezing temperatures. While these filters are designed for outdoor adventures, it’s crucial to take care of them to maintain their durability and functionality.
Pricing and Value for Money
When it comes to the cost of LifeStraw and Sawyer, you have to weigh price against value. LifeStraw is cheaper, but the Sawyer Mini may prove a much better value.
Lifestraw Price
Priced at around $20, LifeStraw is the cheaper water filtration option of the two. A single filter has a lifespan of up to 1,000 gallons, making it a great choice for emergency situations.
Sawyer Mini Price
Priced at around $25, the Sawyer Mini is slightly more expensive than the LifeStraw, but it packs far more punch when it comes to the value it offers. Not only does the Sawyer Mini remove more contaminants than LifeStraw, it filters up to 100,000 gallons of water, 10x that of the LifeStraw.
The Sawyer Mini also has more versatility in its design, giving it more utility in the field. For as long as it lasts.
LifeStraw vs Sawyer Mini Reputation
One last important point of note is that LifeStraw tends to have a better reputation and better reviews than the Sawyer Mini amongst hikers, campers, and other outdoor enthusiasts.
So, when weighing value to price, while the Sawyer Mini certainly appares to shine, it’s a good idea to dig a little deeper and find out why LifeStraw is still such a big name in the portable water filtration game even when their straws don’t last nearly as long.
