I'd like to transition to using a UV light water purifier. Both the SteriPEN and CamelBak All Clear use UV light and are made by reputable companies. And both products have great reviews.
I understand that you have to somehow agitate the water so that it mixes around allowing all of the water in the bottle to end up coming in close proximity to the UV lamp.
But, they're a little different in how they function. With the SteriPEN, you leave the lid off, stick the unit in your water bottle, and stir. With the CamelBAK All Clear, the UV light is built into the lid, so you screw the lid on, and simply shake/rotate the water bottle.
It seems like the CamelBAK would more easily and more fully mix the water around. With the SteriPEN, you're basically just stirring around the top half of the bottle. But, the SteriPEN obviously works, so maybe this doesn't really matter.
With the SteriPEN, I also wonder about drops of water inside the bottle, above the water line, inside the neck of the bottle. If the SteriPEN is only purifying the water that it's submersed in, will these water droplets remain contaminated, later mixing again with your water after you remove the SteriPEN and screw your lid back on? But again, I've not actually used a SteriPEN, so maybe in practice this somehow doesn't or can't happen.
A lot of people have already shared that each of these units, separately, work well. But, for making a purchase, how do you decide between the two? It would also be great to hear from people that have used both, to hear your experiences and preferences between the two.
I understand that you have to somehow agitate the water so that it mixes around allowing all of the water in the bottle to end up coming in close proximity to the UV lamp.
But, they're a little different in how they function. With the SteriPEN, you leave the lid off, stick the unit in your water bottle, and stir. With the CamelBAK All Clear, the UV light is built into the lid, so you screw the lid on, and simply shake/rotate the water bottle.
It seems like the CamelBAK would more easily and more fully mix the water around. With the SteriPEN, you're basically just stirring around the top half of the bottle. But, the SteriPEN obviously works, so maybe this doesn't really matter.
With the SteriPEN, I also wonder about drops of water inside the bottle, above the water line, inside the neck of the bottle. If the SteriPEN is only purifying the water that it's submersed in, will these water droplets remain contaminated, later mixing again with your water after you remove the SteriPEN and screw your lid back on? But again, I've not actually used a SteriPEN, so maybe in practice this somehow doesn't or can't happen.
A lot of people have already shared that each of these units, separately, work well. But, for making a purchase, how do you decide between the two? It would also be great to hear from people that have used both, to hear your experiences and preferences between the two.