Best Water Purification Tablets
- Last Updated: October 20, 2022
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What do water purification tablets have to do with survival? Well…Everything! If you have ever heard the saying–”Water, water everywhere, and not a drop to drink?” Then you know where we are going with this.
When out in the wilderness you will notice there are lakes, streams, water sources everywhere. However, you wouldn’t dare drink this water because it is filled with pathogens, bacteria and other unhealthy stuff. This is when the water purification tablets come in handy.
It doesn’t matter whether you are off the grid, or in the big city following a natural disaster. If the water source has been contaminated, you are going to need water purifer tablets in order to drink the liquid stuff.
The following review is about the 5 best water purification tablets we found available on the market today.
In a Rush? The Winner after 19 hours of testing is:
- Works in 35 minutes
- Kills bacteria such as Giardia Lambdia
- Used by the military and worldwide emergency organizations
- Excellent for hiking, camping, international travel
- One bottle has 50 water treatments
Quick Comparison
- Works in 35 minutes
- Kills bacteria such as Giardia Lambdia
- Used by the military and worldwide emergency organizations
- Excellent for hiking, camping, international travel
- One bottle has 50 water treatments
Effectiveness: 99
Potency: 98.5
Product Purity: 98
Responsiveness: 97.5
Use: 98
Our Rating: 98
- Purifies water in 35 minutes
- Works against bacteria and Giardia Lamblia
- Excellent accessory to take camping/traveling
- One bottle has 50 PA Plus tablets
- Trusted by the military and emergency organizations
Effectiveness: 98
Potency: 97.5
Product Purity: 98
Responsiveness: 97
Use: 97
Our Rating: 97.5
- Trusted by emergency organizations for more than 20 years
- 3 billion gallons of water treated each year
- Taste is not unpleasant
- Water ready to drink 30 minutes after treatment
- 100 pack can treat 200 quarts of water
Effectiveness: 97
Potency: 96
Product Purity: 95.5
Responsiveness: 96
Use: 96
Our Rating: 96.1
- Simple to use
- Effective kills bacteria in water
- No after taste remaining in water
- 20 tablets can clean up to 20 quarts
- Excellent addition to your emergency kit
Effectiveness: 96
Potency: 95
Product Purity: 95.5
Responsiveness: 94.5
Use: 95
Our Rating: 95.2
- Works great at killing microorganisms
- A tablet treats up to 1 liter of water
- Portable and lightweight
- Easy to follow instructions
- Purifies water for drinking
Effectiveness: 95
Potency: 94
Product Purity: 93.5
Responsiveness: 93
Use: 94.5
Our Rating: 94
Our Reviews
1 Potable Aqua Germicidal Water Purification Tablets
These Potable Aqua Germicidal Water Purification Tablets are just what is required to ensure your drinking water is fresh. In just 30 minutes that water you are wondering if it is good enough to drink will be.
Ready to Drink in 30 Minutes
Place one of these tablets into any questionable water and within 30 minutes, it is ready for drinking! It is simply that easy. These tablets fight the bacteria that causes Giardia Lambdia, just ensure to use them as instructed.
Used by the Military
These portable water treatment tablets are trusted and used by the U.S.Military as well as other government agencies. They are portable and can be used to treat any water worldwide.
Cost and Value
The cost is minimal for a 50 tablet supply of water treatment tablets. You will find this has incredible value when you see how well they work. If you plan on taking an international trip, take these with you. They work wonders and have rapid results. This is why we have voted this top in our list of best water purification tablets.
- Works in 35 minutes
- Kills bacteria such as Giardia Lambdia
- Used by the military and worldwide emergency organizations
- Excellent for hiking, camping, international travel
- One bottle has 50 water treatments
- Awful aftertaste
- Does not remove odor of water
2 Potable Aqua Water Purification Tablets With PA Plus
This brand of purification tablets made by Potable Aqua comes in 2- 50 count bottles of tablets. In just 35 minutes what was once contaminated water will be ready for you to drink. These purification tablets are used and trusted by the U.S. Military and other groups for emergency situations.
Ideal for Camping Trips
These purification tablets come in a container that is portable and lightweight. They take up little to no space and are the perfect item to take with you when camping.
Improves the Clarity and Taste of Water
Not only do these tablets kill bacteria and giardia lamblia cysts, but they also give water a better taste and clarity. These disinfecting tablets include PA Plus which purifies the condition of water in any situation.
Cost & Value
The price of these tablets are minimal. What you get is a product that not only improves the quality but also the taste and appearance of water.
- Purifies water in 35 minutes
- Works against bacteria and Giardia Lamblia
- Excellent accessory to take camping/traveling
- One bottle has 50 PA Plus tablets
- Trusted by the military and emergency organizations
- Occasionally processes water slow
- Has a relatively short shelf life
3 Aquatabs AQT100 Water Purification Tablets
This is made by Aquatabs comes in a pack of 100. For over two decades this product has been used and trusted by emergency organizations.
Three Billion Gallons of Water Treated each Year
Aquatabs AQT100 Water Purification Tablets are used by NATO and other government agencies. Each year these tablets purify over 3 billion gallons of water.
Proven to Kill Many Disease Borne Microorganisms
These water purification tablets are capable of killing the following microorganisms to prevent cholera, typhoid, dysentery, and other diseases borne in water.
Cost & Value
The value of these tablets are proven true by the many decades they have been treating water. If the military and other government emergency organizations trust this product, there is no reason for you not to. The price of 100 tablets is affordable as well.
- Trusted by emergency organizations for more than 20 years
- 3 billion gallons of water treated each year
- Taste is not unpleasant
- Water ready to drink 30 minutes after treatment
- 100 pack can treat 200 quarts of water
- Expiration date was misleading
- The amount of tablets advertised wrong
4 Potable Aqua Chlorine Dioxide Water Purification Tablets
The Potable Aqua Chlorine purification tablets can disinfect water no matter what the situation is. These tablets are the ideal travel and camping accessory to win the fight against water borne bacteria and Giardia Lamblia.
Efficient Water Purification
These water purification tablets can effectively clean the water you need to drink using the power of oxidation. They leave behind no awful aftertaste.
Ideal Camping Tool
If you are going camping, traveling, or hiking, these are the perfect tools to take with you. In addition, they are what you need should you be in an emergency situation without fresh water.
Cost & Value
The value far outweighs the cost of this product. Individually wrapped tablets make them the perfect item for traveling–just place a few in your purse, backpack, or overnight luggage and you are good to go, No worries about not having fresh water, wherever your travels take you.
- Simple to use
- Effective kills bacteria in water
- No after taste remaining in water
- 20 tablets can clean up to 20 quarts
- Excellent addition to your emergency kit
- Beware of the shelf life
- May take a while to take effect
5 Katadyn Micropur MP1 Water Purification Tablets
The Katadyn Micropur MP1 water purification tablets are what you need to efficiently rid the water you drink from bacteria. These tables will rid the water of viruses such as giardia and cryptosporidium.
Safely Treats up to 1 Liter of Water
Each of these tablets can treat up to 1 liter of contaminated water. They are portable and easy to use–all you do is drop a tablet into the water, it does all the work.
Improves the taste and odor of Water
Takes about 4 hours to effectively remove all bacteria from the water you plan to drink. Just drop a tablet into the container of water and let the active ingredients do their job.
Cost & Value
The value of this product is that it meets all EPA regulations that have been set for microbiological purifiers of water. You will love how much better your drinking water tastes and smells. The cost is minimal as well for a 30 tablet container.
- Works great at killing microorganisms
- A tablet treats up to 1 liter of water
- Portable and lightweight
- Easy to follow instructions
- Purifies water for drinking
- Expiration date was less than 5 year shelf life
- Leaves a bad aftertaste
Buying Guide
Effectiveness
When it comes to the water we drink, we want it to be the purest possible. For this reason, when using water purification tablets we need them to be effective. One tablet is usually able to purify a maximum capacity of 2 liters of water. The effectiveness of a water purification tablet means the difference between drinking something pure or putting pathogens and other bacteria into our body which can harm us.
Potency
The potency of water purification tablets is much the same as the effectiveness. When we are out camping and get thirsty, we need something to quickly and efficiently purify the water we intend to drink.
Some outdoor enthusiasts bring their own purifying filters with them when venturing out into the wilderness to have clean water. However, these filters are only able to capture and eliminate debris, parasites, and certain bacteria. Some of the bacteria and viruses living in the water are too big for the filter to remove. This is when the potency of a water purification tablet is important. Which brings us to the next important criteria– product purity.
Product Purity
The purity of the water we drink is probably more important than the food we eat. It is a known fact that the human body can do without food for up to 21 days and survive. However, we cannot live without water for more than 100 hours. It is not only necessary to have water for hydration purposes, but it must also be free from toxins, bacteria, and pathogens.
Responsiveness
The water purification tablets we use for purifying our water must be able to react quickly. When out in the wild, or during a state of emergency, when we are thirsty we need pure water right away. We should be able to simply drop a tablet in some water and have it ready to drink instantly.
Use
This feature is important because of how and when we need to use water purification tablets is essential. The most common use is when out camping or hiking. We normally bring water in our canteen to drink, however, this can run out or even become contaminated due to exposure to the sun and other elements. For this reason, having water purification tablets at our use is very essential when trying to survive off the grid. We can gather some recently fallen rainwater, or the water in a creek or stream, place it in our canteen and drop a water purification tablet inside. Instantly, we have a potable drinking source! It is that simple and easy to do!
Expert Tips/Advice
There are two primary basic needs we need for survival, and that is oxygen and water. Since there appears to be plenty of fresh oxygen worldwide, you just need to ensure to find adequate water for hydration.
What to Consider When Buying Water Purification Tablets
The first question you may have when looking for a brand of tablet to purify your water, is are they all created equally? The main elements that makeup purification tablets are chlorine, chlorine dioxide, and iodine tablets. If you are trying to rid such parasites at the Giardia Lamblia, then chlorine and iodine will do just fine. However, it may not be enough to rid tougher viruses such as the Cryptosporidium. This is when you require the power of chlorine dioxide. Water purification tablets that contain chlorine dioxide work best to eliminate the toughest bacteria, viruses, cysts, and even cryptosporidium
Another positive attribute in regards to chlorine dioxide is that unlike chlorine and iodine it does not have any unpleasant odors. The reason for the lack of smell is probably due to the time it takes to purify the water. When you use chlorine dioxide it takes about four hours to treat water, this time for treating the water permits the odors to evaporate.
Why you should bring Purification Tablets along on Trips
The levels of contamination can vary depending on where you may travel. If you have purification tablets in your possession, you can kill any bacteria that may be in the water.
You will soon discover that water purification tablets are good for so much more than emergency situations. Water purification tablets will work great when you go camping, hiking, or any place that might take you off the grid. Water purification tablets are recommended for when the water is muddy and contaminated and particularly during an emergency situation.
Other Factors to Consider
Portability
This factor is very important when considering water purification tablets. The tablets you buy should be packaged in a manner that makes them easy to be transported. Some tablets are packaged individually, this allows you to store the tablets in a purse, backpack, or carry on luggage. Having easy access to the purifying tablets ensures you will always have a way to purify the water you are about to drink.
Devices used for treating and purifying water need to be as portable as possible. This ensures the easy transport of chemicals to the areas of contamination. It is imperative that water treatment units be portable in order to get to the areas where hikers, backpackers, military personnel or others in danger of ingesting contaminated water may be.
These are all the factors you should consider when looking to by the best water purification tablets for your trip or survival bag.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Are water purification tablets safe to use?
A: The water purification chemicals that are manufactured currently are completely safe for human consumption. These chemicals come in the form of powder, or liquid droplets. As long as you use them correctly, they pose no harm to you.
Q: What do water purification tablets contain?
A: The most common water purification tablets have iodine and chlorine contained in them. However, some also have chlorine dioxide included in their list of ingredients. The chlorine dioxide is the chemical which does the treating of the water source.
Q: How long can you use water purification tablets?
A: Most of the water purification tablets available today are safe to use for long term water treatment. As long as the product is stored in a cool, dry location within its original foil packaging their shelf life is about five years from the date of manufacturing.
Q: What are the best methods of water purification?
A: Some of the most popular ways to purify water is through the process of distillation, filtering, and sedimentation. These are the biological process of decreasing the sand filtering of the active carbons within the water. Chlorination and flocculation are the chemical processes use. The use of electromagnetic light uses radiation and ultraviolet light to also purify water.