Can One Water Filter Solve All Your Problems?

In areas that are badly affected by a low-quality water supply, it is very important to make sure that you have clean drinking water that still contains essential minerals we need from water, but is free from nasty contaminants and odors.

At Survivor Filter, we take great care to ensure that our filters clean out as many heavy metals and chemicals as possible, up to 99.999%. But that number only applies to the areas we’ve tested for, and our filters haven’t been tested to remove all waterborne viruses.

What to look for in a water filter

When you’re looking to buy a water filter for your home or outdoor adventures, it is important to know what you need, in order to protect yourself and your family. For example, we know that Montreal, QC and Flint, MI have had an issue with lead contamination in their water for many years. For locals buying a home water filtration system, they know what they need the filter for.

In other areas, common issues may be Cryptosporidiosis, Cyclosporiasis or E.Coli.
Especially in areas with bad plumbing or with public water spaces- such as public pools or water parks. This information isn’t always available to us, but it can be assumed that when you’re traveling or going somewhere new, the water probably won’t be of the same quality that you’re used to. So it is always best to be prepared.

What you, as a customer, need to know, is that there isn't a filter that will solve everything, but there are better filters for different use cases.

First off, the Survivor Filter PRO is a water filter that can remove most viruses but has not been tested as a purifier to remove all waterborne viruses. If you are looking for a good virus filter, we highly recommend the MSR Guardian as they have developed a purifier according to purification standards and lab testing. 

That being said, the Guardian will not block chemicals, pesticides or heavy metals, which is where the difference between the Survivor Filter PRO and Guardian is.

We have a Log 5 (99.999%) reduction for the tested Virus, Protozoa, Staph and Bacteria for the Survivor Filter PRO. We also have a Carbon Filter element which allows our filters to remove most chemicals and metals from the water. Whereas the Survivor Filter Pure 10K is a Log 3 (99.9%) reduction of municipal tap water contaminants such as lead, chlorine and mercury. 

However, as mentioned above, the filter has not been tested for all viruses. You can take a look at our testing reports in detail here.

If you are looking for a device which you can use in North America to remove bacteria, Protozoa, cholera, staph and reduce most metals and chemicals then go with our Survivor Filter Pro Pump. It will work perfectly for your needs as we have tested it to filter down to viruses such as the Phi X 174, which is an average virus size. 

Moreover, there is almost no chance of viral contamination in North America. When in doubt, with all devices, we recommend using chlorine dioxide tablets to pre-treat the water first before running it through the filter, especially if traveling to developing countries and if you're worried about waterborne viruses in the water.

Written by Caryn Mackenzie on behalf of Survivor Filter