The design behind the pen is based on the massive ( Mixed Oxidants aka MIOX) generators in large urban water treatment plants. Electricity is passed thru thousands of gallons of salt water, which in turn creates the MIOX (Hypochlorite) on demand. The MIOX is then added in very specified dosage levels to the drinking water, rendering viruses, bacteria, Gardia & Cryptosporidium INACTIVE.
The MSR MIOX PURIFIER pen is a pocket sized version of the municipal MIOX generators. SPECS can be found here: LINK
To use the MSR MIOX PURIFIER PEN, one simply fills a bottle, canteen, water bladder etc with up to 4 liters of water. Its best to filter the floaties out with a bandanna so your not swilling mud crud & insects when you drink. Next, you unscrew the very top cap of the MIOX and fill it with the included rock salt chunks. Next you fill it with water, replace the cap and shake the whole unit for about a minute to make a brine solution. This solution then automatically fill the reaction chamber. Unscrew the entire top cap this time and you will see a metal disc, surrounded by the brine solution. On the side of the unit is a button and 4 levels of dosage quantity : 1/2L, 1L, 2L & 4L < these indicate the quantity of water you plan to treat. Click the button the appropriate number of times depending on your quantity of water. The green light will come on, indicating that the MIOX process is starting. Back at the reaction chamber, you will notice it bubbling and a chlorine odor emanating from the chamber. Keep it level, or it will spill out. Once the process has completed the green light will flash, then go out. You are now ready to add the MIOX solution to your water. Shake the bottle, flask whatever to mix it and let it stand. Its best to let it stand for 30 minutes for maximum effectiveness against Cryptosporidium, HOWEVER if you need immediate hydration have at er.....there is included testing strips that you dunk in your treated water to check the effectiveness of the solution. There is a slight chlorine taste to the water but it dissipates quickly. You can also toss in a Vitamin C tablet to neutralize this taste, or use drink mixes.
My testing grounds included several local urban duck ponds, puddles, slow and fast moving creeks/rivers, lakes, and water trapped in tree hollows and bowl shaped rocks, as well as ground seeps. All suspect sources of water......I treated well over 190 liters of water before the first set of batteries died out. On the second set of batteries I made multiple doses for a 55 gallon HDPE water drum at my buddies cabin. It was time consuming making all the doses but the water did come out his goat pond.....deadly water to drink untreated. We prefiltered it thru a bucket filled with folded towels to remove gunk and sediment. There was a carbon filter at the spigot to remove nasty tastes.
My testing grounds included several local urban duck ponds, puddles, slow and fast moving creeks/rivers, lakes, and water trapped in tree hollows and bowl shaped rocks, as well as ground seeps. All suspect sources of water......I treated well over 190 liters of water before the first set of batteries died out. On the second set of batteries I made multiple doses for a 55 gallon HDPE water drum at my buddies cabin. It was time consuming making all the doses but the water did come out his goat pond.....deadly water to drink untreated. We prefiltered it thru a bucket filled with folded towels to remove gunk and sediment. There was a carbon filter at the spigot to remove nasty tastes.
PHOTOS HERE: MSR MIOX PURIFIER PEN
POSITIVES: - Tiny, ultralight design, easy to use, works when used as directed, can be used by anyone (children should be trained though), batteries last a long time and work in ANY temps due to their Lithium construction, inexpensive to buy, maintain and use. Treats both clear & murky water, any temp. A lifesaver in a Survival Vest or pocket survival kit, truck, care, plane, tank, backpack, etc. Ideal for primary or secondary treatment (after say filtering thru a sediment/carbon filter). SUREFIRE CR123 lithium batts came stock (and you should always use the Surefire brand batteries, they are the best for reliability). O-ring sealed unit, waterproof. Portable on demand supply of MIOX, no need to carry chlorine that can weaken with age or damage your pack/gear if it spills.
NEGATIVES: - my ONE beef with the MSR MIOX PURIFIER PEN is the battery compartment......the battery NEG contact strip is printed foil circuit strip........when replacing the batteries you have to move this flimsy strip aside to eject the spent CR123 batteries......the strip, IMHO, is too flimsy for extended field use, HOWEVER i have seen no issues on the web regarding this. I think it may be a problem for a user that is constantly treating water and going thru a ton of CR123 batteries.
overall, the MSR MIOX PURIFIER PEN gets a BUSH LAB rating of 9/10. I would have given it a full 10 except for the above mentioned battery strip issue.
