Review: Sawyer Zero PointTwo

The Sawyer Zero PointTwo water filter is one of the few that filters contaminants down to 0.02 microns. Most other filters filter down to 0.1 to 0.3 microns. While these “normal” filters are fine for most application they will NOT filter the ultra-small organisms that can live in extremely fouled water.

The Sawyer Zero PointTWO uses either gravity or a faucet adapter. The kit contains the filter, faucet adapter, and bucket fittings including a spade bit to drill the hole in the bucket. You need only a drill to assemble the bucket kit. The filter has a quick disconnect so that you can easily remove it for backflushing. The filter is sealed and you simply replace it when it wears out. It is rated at 100,000 gallons of water.

Normally you fill a bucket with water and the water flows downward through the filter and into a clean water container below. It normally takes about 20 minutes to filter about 3 gallon of water. The faucet adapter allows a greater volume of water to be filtered more quickly. This filter retails for about $140. You will also need to purchase a bucket and install the fittings yourself (easy to do).

Advantages

  • Affordable at $140 for 0.02 micron filtration
  • Filters up to 100,000 gallons
  • Cleaning is easy by backflushing
  • Simple design and very easy to use
  • Gravity feed or connect to faucet

Disdvantages

  • Gravity filtering is slower than pump filtering
  • The hook included with the filter never seems to stay attached
  • Requires frequent backflushing for dirty water

This is a very fine product that I use in my home. It is simple, affordable, and extremely effective. I believe that every home should have either the Sawyer Zero PointTWO or an MSR Guardian filter readily available. I use this filter routinely for filtering tap water to make it taste better.