MAGACEA Replaceable Pre-Filter(0.1 Micron) for Portable Filtered Water Purifier - Emergency Water Filter Pump with Multilayer Filtration for Camping Hiking Backpacking

Most definitely is something you want to make sure that you are replacing when necessary. It works great, is made of very rugged material, is easy to use and maintain.

The MAGACEA Pump Water Filter can be equipped with either a Reverse Osmosis or a Particle Membrane filter cartridge in the main body. For filtering potentially “dirty” water (i.e., water found in the outdoors such as streams, rivers, lakes, etc.) one should also use a particle pre-filter on the input line of the pump unit which will trap larger particles. This pre-filter cartridge also includes an activated carbon block to help remove bad taste/smells and some volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The filtering elements are two compressed cotton disks (inner and outer) which MAGACEA claims to remove contaminants down to 0.1 micron in size (which I do NOT believe – more on that later). The outer disk is about as thick as a Quarter ($0.25 coin).I must note that this is ONLY a PRE-filter, meant to remove large contaminants. Virtually ALL COMPLETE microfiber filters on the market are third-party certified to a National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) standard of 0.2 or, at best, 0.1 microns (e.g., LifeStraw). No pre-filter with two small cotton disks is going to filter down to 0.1 microns. NONE! I contend this is grossly false advertising.I should also note that MAGACLAE does NOT provide (or claim) a third party certification against the NSF/ANSI 53 potable water filter standards.The pre-filter cartridge comes fully assembled and includes two extra thin outer cotton disks. This pre-filter could be used on virtually ANY type of emergency water filter that uses a hose to reach the source water.The advertisements (in three separate photos) show three (3) spare cotton filter disks, but my unit only came with (2); that is either false advertising, like the 0.1 micron rating, or a packaging error. The cost ($17 at time of this review) for just a pre-filter seems rather high compared to other COMPLETE filter units such as Life Straw. For these reasons, I rate this 1-star.

I’ve been an owner and satisfied user of the Magacea Portable Water Filtration System for a few months now, and have never had a problem with any of the water I’ve filtered through it. We live in So. Cal. and use the Magacea system when we holiday in Mexico, which we do several times a year. Drinking unfiltered water from an unknown source in Mexico is asking for very unpleasant trouble.One of the unique features of the Magacea system is the replaceability of the filters; if you’re not familiar with the system, it’s basically a hand pump used to suck water in through the pre-filter, then push it out through an RO filter element. The filter offered here is, as is stated, a replacement pre-filter; it goes on the end of the intake hose, and is basically used to filter sediment, although it does include activated carbon, which removes, according to Magacea, VOC’s, heavy metals and odors. It sounds comparable in filter efficacy to an NSF/ANSI 42 rating. That’s a lot of efficiency for a “pre-filter.” From there, suspect water is then pushed through an RO membrane, and then into a container for consumption. As a component of the filtering system, the pre-filter represents the first and second stages of filtration, the RO membrane the third and final.I’m assuming that the 0.1-micron filtering efficiency, as well as the claim that it “Removes up to 99.999% of impurities from water,” stated by Magacea on the pre-filters PoP page, does not refer to the pre-filter alone, but to the final result of the water expelled for drinking, after the three stages of filtration.I will grant that Magacea does not provide the results of any third-party testing or even their own testing; it would provide confidence to buyers if they did. Drinking unsafe water is dangerous, as is making assumptions. They also seem to use a variety of numbers throughout their description of this product and others.My 4-Star rating is based on my satisfaction that the Magacea Portable Filtering System has adequately protected me from drinking fouled water, and that I expect it to continue doing so. In addition, that this is a genuine Magacea replacement part. I reduced the rating by 1-star from 5, because I feel they need to be clearer about what exactly their referring to in their description.