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MSR MiniWorks EX Water Filter

$89.95

(177)

Item # 695265

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The compact MSR MiniWorks EX water filter with EX technology has been proven reliable by thousands and thousands of adventurers around the world.

Ceramic/carbon Marathon™ EX element effectively removes bacteria and protozoa including giardia and cryptosporidia
Also removes unpleasant tastes and odors caused by organic compounds, such as iodine, chlorine and pesticides
Filter can be cleaned over and over for maximum field life with no tools required
AirSpring Accumulator™ increases filtration speed up to 1 liter per min.
Bottom screws onto an MSR Dromedary® Bag or Nalgene® water bottle for easy operation (both sold separately)
Easy disassembly lets you troubleshoot and maintain the MSR MiniWorks EX filter in the field

Weight reported dry, without accessories.

Please note: MSR products can only be shipped to U.S. addresses.

Made in USA.

Item 695265

View all MSR products

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MSR MiniWorks EX Water Filter Customer Reviews

REVIEW SNAPSHOT®

by PowerReviews

MSR MiniWorks EX Filter

4.1

(based on 177 reviews)

82%

of respondents would recommend this to a friend.

Pros

Good filtration (150)
Easy to clean (143)
Easy to pump (115)
Maintenance (105)
Lightweight (75)

Cons

Hard to pump (42)
Heavy / bulky (38)
Poor filtration (9)
Hard to clean (6)
Heavy (6)

Best Uses

Backpacking (156)
Hiking (116)
Day trip (85)
Car camping (53)
Kayak / canoe / rafting (4)

- Reviewer Profile:
- Avid adventurer (108), Casual/ recreational (46), Casual adventurer (12), Outdoor professional (10), Professional guide (3)
- Was this a gift?:
- No (34)

Reviewed by 177 customers

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Displaying reviews 1-10

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Jul

2008

(88 of 91 customers found this review helpful)

4.0

If you're gentle, it'll treat you right

By authoritay

from Fresno, CA

About Me Casual/ Recreational

See all my reviews

Pros

Easy to clean
Easy to pump
Good filtration
Low maintenance

Cons

Best Uses

Backpacking
Car Camping
Hiking

Comments about MSR MiniWorks EX Filter:

I've owned this filter for about 4 years, used it on numerous trips, and learned that Sweetwater's aren't all that great after all. Everyone I backpack with owns the Sweetwater. I'm the lone Mini-works EX owner, and pretty proud of it. I set up faster, pump faster, and clean faster than my fellow packers. My only gripe is you have to be pretty careful when scrubbing the ceramic filter. I managed to crack mine when I got a little "frisky" with the scrubby pad and doing the old "indian burn" washing method to the filter. I would recommend scrubbing in an up-and-down motion, and you'll be fine.

Those members of my group who carry the Sweetwater inevitably use my Mini-Works EX because of the speed and convenience. And, if you find that it pumps too slow for your taste, then scrub the filter, you big dope! It'll work just fine for you! Geeze, some people....

Sep

2007

(44 of 44 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

Around the world four times

By outbasket

from Boise, ID

About Me World traveler

See all my reviews

Pros

Easy to clean
Easy to pump
Good filtration
Lightweight
Low maintenance

Cons

Best Uses

Backpacking
Car Camping
Day trip
Extended overseas travel
Hiking

Comments about MSR MiniWorks EX Filter:

I've used this pump on trips to China, Russia, India, SE Asia, South America and right here in the good ole USA. It works!!

We've found that for a 6 to 9-month trip, one filter could get two people through the trip, pumping tap water every day. We never got sick. We saved thousands of plastic bottles that would otherwise have littered the world's cities and country side.

The filter is easy to clean. (Don't scrub hard with the scrubby that comes with the pump. You only need to brush the discoloration off the filter. We've found an old toothbrush works perfectly without scratching the ceramic surface.) You know when it's time to clean the pump when pumping gets harder to do.

Overall, we can pump a liter of water in about 2 minutes. (And build up those pecks in the process).

Disadvantages we've seen with other smaller pumps are that it takes up to 5 minutes to pump a liter. The pull to just go buy bottled water is higher when your pumping time is so long.

The pump is sturdy. We've never had a part break and we have dropped it.

One note, if the pump gets odd smelling you can boil it (place it in the water as it's being brought to a boil), or pump water with a few drops of GSE through it to keep it fresh. This has only happened to us once when we had to pump pond water.

This is a winning pump!

Mar

2009

(39 of 40 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

Read the Instructions for hard to pump

By Koone

from South East Texas

About Me Outdoor Professional

See all my reviews

Pros

Easy to clean
Easy to pump
Good filtration
Low maintenance

Cons

Bulky

Best Uses

Backpacking
Day trip
Hiking

Comments about MSR MiniWorks EX Filter:

When I first used my filter I did not read the instructions and immediately found the pump to be extremely hard to operate. Go to instructions and read that pump will vapor lock and must be air primed before starting. Throw hose in water, pump till hard, pull hose out pump till easy, throw hose back in water.... Its all good. If the Marines choose this filter it must be good eh ?

Oct

2008

(29 of 29 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

Great Water Filer

By The Mad Scientist

from Nashville, TN

About Me Avid Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Easy to clean
Easy to pump
Good filtration
Lightweight
Low maintenance

Cons

Best Uses

Backpacking
Hiking

Comments about MSR MiniWorks EX Filter:

This filter is great, it pumps the water quick, and I really love the fact that you can just screw it onto a nalgene or right onto your MSR water bladder. Makes it spill proof and lets your use both hands for pumping. Ive watched my friends use their different filters and try to hold their nalgene in between their knees and then watched them dump out all their water on accident.

Oct

2008

(26 of 27 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

Great filter

By sief

from Fayetteville, AR

About Me Avid Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Easy to clean
Easy to pump
Fast filtration

Cons

Bulky
Heavy

Best Uses

Backpacking

Comments about MSR MiniWorks EX Filter:

This is yet another great product by MSR. Filters fast, water tastes great, and it can be maintained in the field which is possibly the greatest feature. It takes me longer to unpack the filter from my pack and screw my Nalgene on than it does to fill the bottle up. Only cons I would say it has is it is a little heavy, but it is well worth the weight. The stuff sack it comes with is a great way to keep everything organized. Great filter, I would buy it again.

Jul

2008

(25 of 25 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

Best Darn Filter I have ever had

By Yonaqua

from Napa, CA and Clayton Delaware

About Me Avid Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Easy to clean
Easy to pump
Good filtration
Lightweight
Low maintenance

Cons

Best Uses

Backpacking
Car Camping
Day trip
Hiking

Comments about MSR MiniWorks EX Filter:

I remember Back when filters pumped in a l;inear fasion and were not fitted to nalgene bottles. When I bought My first Mini works I loved these new features. It made pumping easier because I no longer had to blance my bottle while pumping my water. It takes me half the time to fill up a quart bottle than any katedyn I have ever owned. Since I adventure in locations with various naturally occuring pollutants it is nice to have a ceramic filter that sieves out all my concerns including heavy metals. I am an avid ultra light backpacker but I am OK with having a heavier filter. I would not buy any other product period.

May

2008

(14 of 15 customers found this review helpful)

4.0

Reliable, sturdy, and great tasting

By fatboybryan

from Seattle, WA

About Me Casual/ Recreational

See all my reviews

Pros

Easy to clean
Good filtration
Low maintenance

Cons

Hard to pump
Heavy

Best Uses

Backpacking
Hiking

Comments about MSR MiniWorks EX Filter:

This unit is heavy, but it filters great tasting water and is fairly compact. I am overly satisfied with this product. On my most recent trip to the Olympic Nat'l Forest it even filtered out the brown stain in the water created by the tannin in the tree bark. I was very impressed. I use it quite often and have had no problems with it yet, nor have I needed to replace the cartrige yet.

Nov

2008

(12 of 13 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

Great Water Filter used many times

By The Mad Scientist

from Nashville, TN

About Me Avid Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Easy to clean
Easy to pump
Good filtration
Low maintenance

Cons

Bulky

Best Uses

Backpacking
Hiking

Comments about MSR MiniWorks EX Filter:

This is a great little filter. I love the fact that the nalgene's and MSR camel back screw right to the filter do you don't have to worry about holding the bottle your are filtering into. Also it is very easy to clean, you just unscrew it and whipe it down and rinse it off and your good to go. I have had it clog up in some silty streams but a quick cleaning made it flow good again. I have used this for the last year on over 10 different trips and never gotten sick or had problems filtering water. Use in conjunction with the Sweet Water drops

Feb

2008

(12 of 18 customers found this review helpful)

3.0

Convenient, but bulky with low flow.

By n2y2

from Reno, NV

About Me Casual/ Recreational

See all my reviews

Pros

Easy to clean
Good filtration
Quick setup

Cons

Bulky
Hard to pump
Low flow

Best Uses

Backpacking
Hiking

Comments about MSR MiniWorks EX Filter:

The good:

Very fast setup. There is no output hose; attach your threaded water bottle or bag to the bottom of the filter and start pumping. When finished, the intake hose conveniently wraps around the filter and you are ready to go. It is easier to avoid water contamination because of this.

The less desirable:

Compared to my MSR Sweetwater filter: The ceramic filter wears out more quickly. The throughput is far lower. More goes wrong with the pump assembly and I have to dissemble and rebuild it all of the time. The handle requires more force and must be moved more slowly. It is much bigger and heavier; traits not enduring to backpackers.

Sep

2008

(9 of 39 customers found this review helpful)

1.0

Built to Break

By TruthTrekker

from Hesperia, CA

About Me Avid Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Cons

Bulky
Hard to Clean
Hard to pump
Poor filtration

Best Uses

Backpacking
Day trip
Hiking

Comments about MSR MiniWorks EX Filter:

I had this unit out on my first trip and it broke. It began spewing water from the connection to the nalgeen bottle and my MSR blader. The bladder is awesome I got a two litre but the filter is horrible. Almost everyone I've spoken to that has owned one for any decent period of time said that this filter has problems. My friend has constant issues with ceramic filter cracking. I am going to try out the Vario by katadyn.

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