Lifesaver Liberty Review

Reviewed by Jane Warwick

I was intrigued by the idea of reviewing this item as I have lived and worked in remote parts of Africa and I would boil water for 20 minutes and then filter using a filtering system based on candles. That worked if you were staying in one place but when travelling I would use a few drops of iodine into the water I was about to drink or just buy bottles of Coke or Fanta! Drinking iodine is not ideal, so to be able to have a portable water purification system when travelling seems a marvellous idea.

This bottle is made in the UK and the package around the bottle states that Lifesaver Liberty makes dirty microbiologically contaminated water safe to drink. It can purify up to 2000 litres which is a lot of water.

The bottle is a good simple smart design which is stylish in black but there are also a large range of colours to choose from blue, orange, metallic rose gold, or silver so it is easy to find a colour which you or someone else would like. The bottle arrived carefully packaged in bubble wrap and stored in its cardboard package with the actual bottle on display. As well as the logo Lifesaver, on the front of the box; essential for survival was written twice, once in smaller case lettering below lifesaver and then in a very large font size taking up most of the front of the box. The other words I have not mentioned that are on the front are water purification system, so it is clear what you are buying. The back of the box has a life size coloured picture of the bottle which is nicely labelled with a small description for each label in English and French. The back of the box highlights the fact it is the world’s first water purifier bottle with integrated in line pump. It also states this water filter bottle removes a minimum of 99.99% of viruses, bacteria, and cysts so an essential addition for a person’s survival gear as well as being perfect for camping and hiking. It really made me want to fly out to a remote area of the world to use it.

On the unopened side of the box, it states in pictures how easy it is to use when you want a drink and also when you want to do a refill. I looked at these pictures initially but decided I needed the small quick start guide which I found inside the box as I did not want to ruin a piece of valuable kit. In the quick start guide is a diagram of the bottle labelled with letters and next to it are the instructions for priming which is the essential step that must be done before you can even start to use the bottle. These instructions are written in four languages. Once priming was completed and these instructions were very easy to follow, the next instructions were on how to use the bottle and finally how to use the bottle in line pump mode. The Scavenger hose needed for this comes in a waterproof pouch and fits easily onto the bottle and I found it the pump very easy to use to obtain drinkable water. I tried this at a local stream and the water tasted fresh and even a few days later no stomach pain etc. The important thing to note is that there are clear instructions that once the bottle is primed; no matter if you are not going away, it is essential to always keep at least 1cm of water in the bottle. They recommend you keep the bottle sealed with the pump tightened and the water flow valve in the closed position. If this is not done, then the membranes will not be hydrated and can become blocked which results in no water passing through. This damage is not covered under the warranty so you would have to buy a replacement cartridge.

I think this bottle is an excellent idea and it actually good value for money for peace of mind when travelling in areas where the water is not portable. I only have two minor gripes and one is that the machine which cuts the card for the cardboard package needs to be aligned more carefully so that the bottom and edges of some of the letters in “Essential for survival” are not clipped off as this shows a lack of attention to detail which can be off putting when you are trusting the device to give you portable water. The other minor grip is that it would be good to have the quick start guide laminated as I took these instructions with me on a walk and then needed to read them when obtaining the water from a stream, so the instructions got a little damp. This would make an ideal Christmas gift for anyone who works in a remote part of the world or enjoying travelling or long distance hikes.

Rating: 5/5

RRP: £129.99

This product can be purchased from icon lifesaver here.