Katadyn Activated Carbon Filter cartridge overall 4 stars. Something should be done about that bottle and hose in the photo. They are not included!!!!
Simply put, it works to improve the taste of the water when used with the Katadyn Pocket Katadyn Pocket Water Microfilter or most any other water filter and from what I''ve read can also remove certain other chemicals. DO NOT rely on this filter alone as a means to make water safe to drink.
In testing with neutral water, the Katadyn Pocket Microfilter would impart an off taste to the water, presumably from the ceramic filter. In some cases, you can get a mossy or fishy taste from some water sources. This activated carbon filter removed those off tastes! 5 stars! I recommend an extra length of the same type of tubing and spring clip supplied with the Katadyn Pocket Microfilter if the cartridge won''t seat well on your container.
The cartridge is supplied with two packets of activated carbon. I couldn''t get the cartridge to hold the entire contents of a whole packet and there didn''t seem to be enough in 2 packets for 3 refills. Instructions were vague and left me with some questions on recharging the filter cartridge, so you do just what seems to make sense. Filling and reassembling the cartridge is not something you want to do in the wind! Avoid getting the carbon on the threads of the cartridge. It makes for gritty reassembly. After a day''s use, I try to blow as much water out of the cartridge as possible to aid in drying and prevention of pathogen growth. I blow into the input port while tapping the opening of the output port for staccato bursts to evacuate water. You might want to keep it above freezing to avoid it breaking.
The cartridge is designed to fit stably on certain types of containers, perhaps Nalgene, but neither my 22 oz Smart Source stainless steel water bottles or my canteen are in that population. However, the funnel for the SteriPEN FitsAll Filter can be removed and is a perfect fit on the bottom of this cartridge and allows the carbon cartridge to fit stably on my stainless steel bottles. You might need to support an empty narrow base receptacle because things could get little top heavy when filling. The carbon cartridge is also a really nice fit over the mouth of a standard 1 gallon milk jug. These jugs are light somewhat collapsible when empty, impart no off taste to the filtered water and are very stable when filling. Just be mindful that they can be a little difficult to sanitize because of protein and fat residues that could lead to pathogen growth and unpleasant odors.
I like this cartridge because of its ability to be recharged, but in my opinion, $10-$12 for 2 packets to treat 120 gallons it too pricey. It might be possible to reduce recurring costs for recharging by buying activated carbon in l lb containers. So far, I have only been able to find activated carbon granules at reasonable prices at Wal Mart that is used for fish tanks. There are also NSF (food grade) sources available for bulk purchases online. The consistency of activated carbon used in this cartridge is powdery. When recharging, I would recommend inserting a cotton ball ahead of any powdered carbon to minimize carbon being pumped into your water containers. My cartridge was supplied with a disc filter to be inserted prior to charging and I didn''t need the cotton. With each use, allow some water to pass to the side before filling containers otherwise you might get a very small dose of carbon. I am going to test this filter with granules, but expect that ultimately I will be looking at some way to grind them....a mortar and pestle, perhaps?
Before buying this, I looked at making my own from parts at Lowe''s. Now that I see how this is constructed, a homemade one is still on the table. I knocked this down to 4 stars because of packet situation and the cost of the packets to recharge. Hope to update this later if I find other acceptable sources for activated carbon.
Used this in conjunction with the Katadyn Pocket Water Microfilter on a recent backpacking trip in the Desert Southwest. It adds nominal weight and what i really like about it was that it efficently hooked up to my Camelback system as well as my partners Nalgene system. It works extremely well. Output, as expected, is luscious cool tasty clean water.
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The Katadyn Carbon Cartridge is not what it looks like in Amazon''s web page. In fairness, the Amazon portrayal is the same as what is shown on Katadyn''s web page, as well as on the box it comes in. What is in the box is simply the cartridge cap that is shown on the bottle, There is no bottle and no hose, even though the box is big enough to contain them. And there is no disclaimer on the box that they are not there, either. The only way to know what you are getting is to carefully read Amazon''s written product description and make no assumptions.
What you do get, will function as needed. It is worth its'' cost. Just don''t expect the extras.
Amazon stands behind their sale. At considerable loss to themselves, they replaced the original shipment (which had a torn box) with a second one in a sealed box. Only the cartridge and carbon was in either box. Their merchandising integrity is exemplary!
If you need carbon filtration buy this cartridge. Amazon offers another cartridge for over two dollars more that looks exactly like what you actually receive when you buy this one. Katadyn Carbon Cartridge
Read Best Reviews of Katadyn Carbon Cartridge Here
This little baby comes in handy, especially when you have a ceramic filter without an inner carbon core. One great feature about this filter is that you can add carbon and remove it whenever you desire. Of course you can buy the carbon refill packets directly from Katadyn, but that would cost a bunch of money if you use this filter frequently. I found a great website online that sells high quality Activated Carbon that is suitable to refill this filter. Twenty or thirty dollars can buy you enough activated carbon to use this filter for a long time. If you look closely at this filter you will see a beveled lip. This is used to rest the filter housing as it sits directly on top of your water bottle. This filter fits absolutely perfectly inside of my 64 ounce Kleen Kanteen. I hook this filter directly up to the output hose of my Katadyn Pocket Filter so the water passes through the ceramic before it hits the carbon. One piece of advice would be to slowly pump the water through the filter so that it has a long "contact time" with the activated carbon medium inside the filter. An ideal situation would be to slowly drip the water through this filter, but of course that would be extremely difficult. Another option would be to do what I did and buy two of them and hook them up in series (one after the other), that way the water passes through two carbon filters. Remember, ceramic filter remove particles and some bacteria/viruses, but they do nothing to improve the taste of the water or remove chemicals. Activated carbon filters on the other hand work great at removing chemicals and chlorine and subsequently improving the taste of the water. I highly recommend this filter. Just remember though, this filter does you no good unless you already have another filter to hook it up to. This filter does not come with any hoses and is impossible to drip water into the tiny holes. This is precisely why it must be used in conjunction with another filter.
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This is a excellent accessory for any water filter ! Solid plastic construction, to use just unscrew (two pieces), fill up the narrower side with the carbon, screw together, attach hose to wider side (outlet hose), flush carbon with a few pumps of water till clear, and there it is ! awesome fresh water !
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