A few friends have been messaging me on facebook about this new video that just got released by TED:
My first reaction was “gee, that looks familiar”. In fact, 8 months prior to this TED talk I had done the exact same thing – but in a far less controlled situation in rural Kenya:
A ton of friends have been pushing me to apply for TED but I always told them no because I didn’t think I had anything “TED worthy”. If I knew something I already did 12 months ago would be the centerpiece of a TED global talk, I would have applied ages ago!
As someone who done this first hand, here’s what I wish Michael Pritchard could have done and/or created to set his product apart:
- Why not add salt? During a cyclone or flood, salt often mixes into drinking water. However, the LifeSaver does not filter salt.
- Why not add chemicals? Sometimes water gets contaminated from industrial run-off, but the LifeSaver doesn’t filter chemicals.
- Why not show a working family version? A large black jerry can was held up but, according to the official website, the LifeSaver doesn’t come in a family scale version.
- [see update below for more]
If it sounds like I’m bashing the LifeSaver in favor of the LifeStraw Family – please keep in mind that I have never been paid to endorse the LifeStraw Family. But it’s a moot point because, the LifeStraw Family has the exact same limitations as the LifeSaver. Both use nano-technology and both have the same limitations of a nanopore-based filter. The only difference is price.
The LifeStraw Family costs $35 and filters 18,000 litres of water. The LifeSaver costs well over $100 and only filters 6,000 litres of water. While it might be possible that one day in the future the LifeSaver could come down in cost, the LifeStraw Family is already at this price point and is already saving lives (also note the photos Michael Pritchard displayed are stock photos – none showed his product in action in the field).
For someone whose TED talk is (to a large extent) a replay of an old YouTube video of mine, this product brings nothing new to the table except a price tag 100 times more than existing (and technologically identical) solutions.
[UPDATE: I forgot to add this to the list, but the LifeSaver also doesn't show how it can handle highly turbid water. Turbid water basically means how much junk and how "liquidly" the water is. As you can see in "Cow Sh*t to Clean Water", I stressed tested the LifeStraw Family by using so much cow feces the water was more like a thick slop (i.e. extremely turbid water). But the LifeStraw Family handled it because it has a nano-tech hydrophobic surface that flushes the dirt away. The LifeSaver product, from what I can tell, uses a carbon pre-filter. Basically, technobabble aside, it seems like the LifeSaver can clog whereas the LifeStraw Family doesn't. You can replace the carbon pre-filter if it gets clogged - but the replacement filter alone costs about 1/3rd of what a brand new LifeStraw Family costs.]
Wow, that is rather ridiculous. It makes me wonder, is Pritchard in it mostly for the money?
Mike your comment reminded me to check the prices of replacement parts of the LifeSaver. Forgot to talk about clog-potential of the LifeSaver. I just updated the post!
This is not a revolutionary product, the shortfalls of this water filter have already been solved years ago by a company called Berkey Filters. These things are actually classified as water Purifiers, meaning they remove bacteria, viruses and chemicals. The filters last thousands of gallons. They offer many different sizes, ranging from a personal water bottle to a unit that will provide drinking water for hundreds. Dont take my word, check it out.
Shawn,
I am truly inspired by your decision to pull out of ND and head to the developing world for what you’re doing. I couldn’t find a contact email, so I’m putting it all in this comment here.
I’m from Pakistan and am trying to get drinking water out to the floodzones as quickly as possible. We are already using Lifestraw, and plan to use Lifesaver systems as well. I am not on either product’s side- I’m on the side of the people in the floodzones.
Since you’re talking about the product not been tested in the field, I figured I’d share this with you; it’s the products in action:
http://lifesaverrelief.org/index.php/gallery
That said- here’s a question for both products- how do we actually filter salt from the water? Keep in mind I’m only running this with the intention of emergency water relief; not normal village use, so it’s ok to use any technology that meets the WHO minimum spec.
Hi Khurram – neither the LifeStraw nor the LifeSaver removes salt from the water. You can try desalination through boiling and steam capture – but if you have access to that you don’t need either the LifeSaver or the LifeStraw.
I’ve read some reach that aluminum sulfate tablets (or another chemical compound) can help to desalinate water in emergency conditions. But don’t take my word on that – please do research and check with NGOs first before using any chemicals in water treatment.