Katadyn Pocket Review
Summary
The Katadyn Pocket Water Microfilter
The bottom line is that the Katadyn Pocket Microfilter is a product you can rely on for clean drinking water, whether you are in a travel, humanitarian or wilderness environment.
Product Snapshot
Amazon Price $275.00
Amazon Ranking 
Sample Customer Reviews
Typical quotes from among the 35+ customer reviews on Amazon include:
“The BEST water filter ever made”
“Incredible Deal”
“The Classic, Reliable Water Filter You Can Trust to Drink From”
Read all the reviews on Amazon.com
Features
The Katadyn Pocket Water Microfilter is a portable device for turning virtually any source of water into clean drinking water.
A single Katadyn Pocket is intended to support 1 to 4 users at a time. It filters water at about 1 quart per minute.
The Katadyn Pocket filters water with a silver-impregnated ceramic filter, which protects against bacteria and protozea. It filters out micro-organisms greater than 0.2 microns in size (0.0002 millimetres).
Note that the Katadyn Pocket is not a water purifier, and it will not filter out viruses smaller than 0.2 microns. In areas of high human density where water-borne viruses are more common, the Katadyn Pocket can be used in conjunction with iodine or other water purification tablets, such as those listed on our Accessories page.
The Pocket can filter 13,000 gallons — that’s about 50,000 litres — before its ceramic filter needs to be changed. That is pretty much a lifetime’s supply for a single user. Conveniently, the Microfilter does come with a gauge to tell you when it is time to change the filter. If you do need to change the filter, you can purchase a replacement filter for $139, as listed on our Accessories page.
The filter has a hand pump on the top, and comes with two water tubes — one for water intake and one for output.
The Katadyn Pocket Water Microfilter is designed to be portable and easily stored in a backpack. It is 2.4″ by 10″ in size, and weighs about 20 ounces.
The filter comes with a 20 year warranty.
Tips for Using the Katadyn Pocket
You will get best results from your Katadyn Pocket if you use running water as your source of intake water. You can use still water, but if there is sediment or any other visible particles in the water you should pre-filter the water before it goes into the Katadyn. You can run the water through a coffee filter, or even something as simple as a shirt. The less sediment you are passing through the Katadyn Pocket the better off you will be.
After you are finished filtering, unscrew the filter and drain/shake out any excess water. You can wipe the filter with a scotch bright pad to take away scum or contaminants on the ceramic filter. You will want to get the unit as dry as possible. Remove the intake and outakes hoses. You will want to keep these in individual zip-loc bags to protect against any risk of contamination.
Pricing
Amazon Best: $275.00
Katadyn Direct: $319.95
Assessment
Pros
Most importantly, the Katadyn Pocket Water Microfilter is rugged, robust and reliable. Its superior craftsmanship delivers outstanding quality in a product where the consequences of failure can be high. You can get very sick from drinking dirty water, and the Katadyn Pocket is one of the most effective tools you have to protect against that risk when exploring, travelling or working in the wilderness or in many parts of the developing world.
This water filter packs an exceptional amount of advanced technology into such a small package. It is unmatched in its abilities by other water filters of its size. It is one of the few options available for reliable and truly portable water filtration.
The water produced by the Katadyn Pocket is generally good tasting. It usually avoids the chemical taste that you get with other water filters or purification tablets. If you do find the taste to be off-putting, you can pass your clean water through a carbon cartridge to remove any residual taste. You can find more information on this $12 carbon cartridge on our Accessories page.
The Katadyn Pocket Water Microfilter is easy to clean. All you need to do is simply wash out the filter with clean water.
Cons
The biggest drawback of the Katadyn Pocket is that its 0.2 micron ceramic filter will not protect you against all water-borne viruses. If you are travelling in Asia or other areas where these viruses tend to be more prevalent, you may need to use the Katadyn Pocket in conjunction with sterilization tablets.
The Katadyn is expensive. Cheaper water filters are available, but these are not as rugged or as well built. Other filters are more likely to break down on you when you most need them to work flawlessly. If you are a heavy user of personal water filtration, the Katadyn may work out to be more cost effective in the long-term. The Katadyn Pocket will filter 13,000 quarts of water on a single ceramic filter. In comparison, most portable systems can filter about 500 quarts before they need replacing.
The casing of the Katadyn Pocket is made from plastic, and not aluminium as used elsewhere. This gives an impression that the product could be vulnerable if dropped. Likewise, the carrying case offers no cushioning or other protection. You may want to replace the provided case with something else that give a little extra padding.
The Katadyn Pocket can be a little busy to put away once you have finished filtering your water. The hoses need to be detached and stored in separately. The unit needs to be drained and dried as thoroughly as possible.
Alternatives
The Katadyn Pocket is, in many ways, in a league of its own. It is hard to find anything else that can do what the Katadyn does in such a small package.
The Lifesaver Bottle 6000 Ultra Filtration Water Bottle
Another alternative worth looking at is the MSR MiniWorks EX Microfilter
Conclusion
The Katadyn Pocket Water Microfilter