Gizmodo
If you don't mind looking like you're smoking on some kind of high-tech water pipe, the iStraw can filter all kinds of creepy-crawlies out of whatever that is you're drinking. This little magic wand can keep away even the tiniest microbes, including that dreaded cryptosporidium bug. Its maker says it "reduces up to 99.99999% of all waterborne bacteria," but what about that other millionth of a percent? Anyway, the thing lasts a long time, filtering 500 liters of water before you need to replace its cartridge. Best of all, you can easily take it with you wherever you may roam.
This might be a good little item for world travelers, whipping this baby out at a moment's notice instead of dropping tablets in every glass of water that invariably results in some mighty weird-tasting H2O. You might even use this iStraw at home if you find yourself out of bottled water, instead of going to great pains to attach elaborate filtering systems to the water supply.
Why use this at home, though? Fear of our generally safe water supply is mostly unfounded, but the multi-billion-dollar water sales industry is more than happy to perpetuate it. If you buy into all that and are shaking in your boots every time you take a sip of tap water, maybe this $40 iStraw is for you. [iStraw, via CrunchGear]
Comments
New age Magic Water Flute FTW
on another note, now I can finally drink out of puddles in the street.
All I see is a woman...ummm...sucking
Hoover:My straw is bigger.
Wormer:What?
Hoover:My straw. . . it's bigger than yours.
Wormer:I see.
Hoover:Straws can be very sensual, don't you think?
Wormer:No.
Hoover:What?
Wormer:People are sensual--objects are sensuous.
etc. etc.
Maks your water taste like Hot Blonde spit though.
These are pretty cool for simple travelling. But if you're living anywhere, and need to cook food, you'll want to invest in a pump variety, that can fill pots and such.
wherever i may roam?
rover, wanderer, nomad, vagabond
call me what you will...
I'd let her suck on my iStraw...if she asked nicely and I wasn't using it, of course. ;)
should be iSuck
So like... I could just go up to any creek, pond or other natural water source while camping or hiking and stick this thing in and go to town? I wonder how reliable these types of devices are. While it would be cool to be able to drink from any water source anywhere, it would still seem a bit risky.
I wish i could sell them on airplane rides to Mexico.
@LyriCa1z: They're pretty reliable. The technology has been around for five years or so, but the materials have finally caught up to the original design vision. Think of it this way -- is this device more or less risky than not using one? You still have the same pump-filter options, even if you're skeptical of the straw-type device.
1. Horrible, horrible name. iThink uWill need 2Rename it Bfore iWill buy1.
2. Is there some indicator of how close to 500 liters I've used it for? Or a couple of years down the road [after I've gotten accustomed to sipping from every puddle] will I be supping from some giardia-infested stream when I am suddenly overcome..?
3. The "why should I use this" page could not be found on their website.
Conclusion: I should not use this.
How far can you go with this? Does it do anything to chemicals in the water? Like, can you drink from a chlorinated pool? Your toilet? Is it safe to drink Mexican water with it?
@rcarydon: You can drink from a chlorinated pool now. It just tastes chlorinated.
The answer is usually "no". Aside from activated charcoal, most filters don't have any sort of chem. treatment component. It's mostly just osmotic filters which remove the tiniest, undissolved particles from water. But dissolved particles are tricky bastards. Filters all come with specific warnings as to what they do NOT filter out.
Amazingly, if you drink a pint of Coors Light with the iStraw, it tastes exactly the same.
iEnough iWith iAll iThe iNamed iCrap iAlready... iIt iLooks iLike iA iKnockoff iOf iPig iLatin... iOnly iWith iFanbois
Wow rebranded lifestraw with a 3000+% markup.
"Reduces up to 99.99999% of all waterborne bacteria"
That's brilliantly worded. First off, "up to" means it could work on that much, but probably not. Second, this could (and probably should) be interpreted to mean it's effective on 99.99999% types of waterborne bacteria, so it could filter out 1% of the bacteria in your water and still live up to its claim of "reduction". BTW, that last 9 is in the hundred thousandths place, not millionths.
What you don't realize is it's actually a trick. It is really a re-named Sharpie.
Perfect for when you're offered a glass of sludge. Remember? And you couldn't drink it without filtering out the worst of it with your teeth......
might this have implications in countries where contamination renders the water too dangerous for consumption?
(i know what they really need is water purification systems on a grand scale) but might this work in a pinch?
If this thing really works as advertised, it would be great in the event of a disaster where fresh water is hard to come by. You could happily drink out of the toilets, lakes, puddles... whatever. I could get rid of the jugs and bottled water and park my car in my garage again.
Devices like these are excellent for reducing the amount of particles in water, for example various types of bacteria as is advertised as well as sad/dirt/mud, things you probably arn't looking to ingest with your water. However they don't work on heavy amounts of contamination from chemicals or particles small enough to squeeze through the (most likely carbon) filter. Conclusion, great if you run out of water somewhere and are in emergency need of water, but you shouldn't go around every dirty water supply and try to drink from it just for kicks.
I WONT BUY IT UNTIL THAT 00.00001% GETS FIXED!
I wonder where they found that poor unfortunate third world citizen to pose for this real world pic. Ha! I bet the only way you could get a woman like that to suck on the thing would be if it said prada on the side and paris hilton had been seen with one!
also, nothing about viruses which are too small to be filtered effectively. They would be a bigger issue for the clean water needing third world.
LifeStraw® ("Best Invention of 2005" by TIME) on the other hand only cost £1.5. iStraw sells at £19.99 a piece.
Whereas iStraw filters up to 500 litres of water. LifeStraw® filters 700 litres.
The only worth of £18 more from LifeStraw® is iStraw claims it can filters Giardia and Cryptosporidium (which can cause Diarrhoea and Upset tummies) while the present version of LifeStraw® does not filter any parasites...yet "effectively removes all bacteria and viruses"?
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