Real Talk

Grayl Water Bottle Purifier vs. LifeStraw Filter

Both water bottles are highly rated top notch products. But both cover you for different purposes. The key thing to note is that one is a Filter and one is a Purifier.

I actually originally purchased my first LifeStraw bottles as a two pack on Amazon with the purpose of keeping them in my Emergency Preparedness Kit. But let’s face it, these bottles are amazing for just general use. Even though living in North America, most tap water (at least in Canada) is safe to drink. I only specify ‘at least in Canada’ because I am Canadian and know this to be true. I am sure that most tap water in the United States is also safe, but I don’t know this to be true.

Whether you are out hiking, on a boat fishing, camping, travelling, etc…a water filter bottle is a brilliant sidekick but a water purifying bottle is even better. You don’t need to buy water, you don’t need to waste water bottles, it’s stress free. Just walk over to the water source, fill up your bottle and you are good to go.

Know the Difference

Purifier vs. Filter

The Grayl is called a “water purifier” because it removes more substances than a “water filter”, including chemicals such as chlorine and iodine, and heavy metals including lead and arsenic. It also removes viruses, making it an excellent solution for international travel, as well.

The LifeStraw is a ‘filter’ which means that it does not remove chemicals or viruses.

This is where is gets complicated and technical, there are three major categories of contaminants worth discussing: Chemical, Bacterial & Viral.

• Chemical: Lead, arsenic, chlorine, and iodine, etc. Mostly found in tap water vs natural water sources, so if you’re traveling or filtering tap water at home, you’d want something that can filter chemicals. I don’t know if anything can filter out all chemicals, but carbon filtration is the most common method.
• Bacterial: The biological contaminants are important to filter. If you’re traveling to other countries or hiking in your own country. There are other microorganisms out there that can cause illnesses (such as protozoan cysts, like giardia and cryptosporidium), but they’re similarly sized, so if a filter can handle bacteria, they can handle the other ones too.
• Viral: Viruses, the smallest organisms on earth. These suckers will bypass most filters. Viruses are pretty rare, and generally only found in rural environments in developing countries. You  will probably need viral filtration/purifier if you’re hiking through Central and South America or on the African continent (which is part of the reason why filters that remove viruses are so rare), but…well, if it can do it, great.

Ideally, you’d want something that can handle all three.  Be cautious of the cheaper options, they don’t work as well.

Grayl Purification

The filter mechanism works like a French press; you fill up the outer sleeve, and press the inner sleeve unit down into it. It takes about 15 seconds, after which you can drink just like you would from a regular bottle. It also means you can pour out purified water into a cup or fill up extra bottles for a long day or the extra for the fridge.

The Grayl has multiple filter unit options which can be swapped out, a tap water filter, or the top-of-the-line Purifier cartridge, which can handle viruses (removing 99.9999% of them), and 99.9999% of bacteria, along with other microorganisms and chemicals, with a 150 liter lifespan. From what I have seen, its filtration quality is the best of anything on the market.

I have the large 24 oz. bottle and if I was just using it for drinking water the capacity is perfect. Plus the mouth is big enough to put ice cubes in the bottle. Make sure you use the water from the bottle to make your ice cubes.

The Downfall:  Because I am using it for multiple purposes and filter water for my coffee, I find that I refill it 3 times before I sit down to drink my coffee. The problem isn’t with the capacity, but rather because of my habits I didn’t realize that I would refill it at least 5 times a day. This means that my filter will reach its expiry date in 60 days and I didn’t pack any extras, so think ahead and buy an extra filter while you are at it, I promise it will be worth it. It’s a little pricier than the alternative but be cautious with the cheaper options as they are not as good. It is also a bulkier bottle, but its durability is no joke and well worth the compromise.

The Upside: It treats chemicals, bacteria and viruses…the triple threat. It has a wide mouth for ice cubes and because it filters the water into a chamber, you can actually use the water to make the ice cubes, or a cup of coffee or pour into a glass to share instead of everyone drinking from the same straw. This is the clear winner.

Buy on Grayl.com
Buy on Amazon