First Need should be your last want
Written: Oct 14 '02 (Updated Oct 15 '02)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Easy to pump
Cons: Heavy, unreliable and expensive to run
The Bottom Line: I believe the First Need works out to be the most expensive filter on the market after you have purchased several replacement cartridges.
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| plilikoi's Full Review: First Need Deluxe |
The First Need was the first water filter I ever bought, about 20 years ago. Since nothing much has changed I do not recommend you buy this pump.
The First Need was attractive when I bought it because it was one of the very first backpacking pumps on the market. Not only is it a water filter, but it's also a water purifier. I assume there's an active charcoal matrix inside that big cannister, but I'm not positive.
There are many problems with the First Need filter. First is the cost. In addition to the $86 (REI price) upfront cost you have to consider that each replacement cartridge costs an additional $39. This can add up to costing many hundreds of dollars over the lifetime of the pump. After buying three cartridges I hung up the towel on this filter and bought a Katadyn. Even at $200 the Katadyn is cheap in comparison with the First Need.
The second problem with the First Need is reliability. It's almost impossible to predict when it's going to get clogged. The one significant improvement that has been made to this filter over the past two decades is that it now has a decent pre-filter. Nevertheless, by the time you can tell the cartridge is clogged it's too late; it will have to be changed very soon.
The third problem is that it's heavy at 1 lb 4 oz. Most of the weight is in the cartridge and if you really want to be sure you have a useful filter you have to carry a spare. This means you have to carry 2 lb of water filtration equipment.
If a filter isn't field-serviceable, the filter component at least ought to be light so you can carry a spare. Ideally too, these spares should be inexpensive. The First Need falls down on both counts.
There are so many other choices of water filters you should look elsewhere.
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
plilikoi
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 - Top 1000 |
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Location: San Diego, CA, USA
Reviews written: 76
Trusted by: 6 members
About Me:
Raised in Scotland, living in San Diego. Getting older and wiser daily, older for sure!
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