Lifesaver Cube | A robust and portable water filter

If you’re looking for a water filtration/storage system, Lifesaver offers a couple great options. In the past, I reviewed the Lifesaver Jerrycan which holds a little over 4 gallons of water. But as we move out of our Toyota Tundra and into the smaller FJ Cruiser, the Jerrycan proved too large to make the final packing list. Fortunately, Lifesaver recently released the Cube. The Cube offers the same water storage plus on demand filtration philosophy as the larger Jerrycan. But in a much more compact size. So we figured this might be just what we need for the FJ Cruiser.

The LifeSaver Cube holds up to 5 litres at any one time and is designed to support families whilst on the move

The beauty of both the Lifesaver Cube and Jerrycan is their ability to carry dirty, contaminated water and filter it on demand. This method allows easy collection from a body of water. Simply fill the Cube with pond water and store it in your vehicle. Once clean drinking water is required, place the Cube on its side and pump it to pressurize the vessel. Open the spigot and clean filtered water will flow out. Storing dirty water and filtering on demand is a bit different philosophy than filtering a large quantity and storing it while on the move. And the reason is simple.

Using a gravity or pump filter to clean several gallons of water while traveling sounds logical. But storing clean water presents its own challenges. Now you must prevent the stored water from becoming contaminated. Is the container you’re storing the water in sanitary? When was the last time it was sterilized? Opening and closing the lid to extract water with dirty hands is all it takes to contaminate a water supply. The Lifesaver Cube uses its built in filter to remove viruses, bacteria, cysts and parasites from contaminated water sources only when needed. Greatly reducing the risk of recontamination.

“A robust and portable water filter capable of delivering 5,000 litres of clean water for family use. The LifeSaver Cube holds up to 5 litres at any one time and is designed to support families whilst on the move, this includes families who are away from a mains water supply or for emergency response use by aid organizations and governments”. -iconlifesaver.com

Thoughts on the Cube

We’ve used Lifesaver products for years and it’s their commitment to quality that had us looking to them for a smaller solution. A few short trips in the FJ Cruiser have proven that the Cube is the right sized filter/storage solution for us moving forward. The only downside is the same minor complaint I have about many water filters. And that’s the flow rate. With a filter capable of removing all that the Lifesaver Cube claims to, the filter element has to be robust. And with that comes a pretty slow rate of water flow. However, my patience versus the peace of mind that the water I’m drinking is safe should never be challenged. Just allow for some extra time when demanding water and know that it isn’t going to come flushing out like your kitchen faucet.

Lifesaver Cube Specifications:

VIRUS REDUCTION*	> 99.99%        (Log 4)
BACTERIA REDUCTION*	> 99.9999%    (Log 6)
CYST REDUCTION*	> 99.9%          (Log 3)
FILTER MEDIA	Ultra Filtration (UF)
CHEMICAL REDUCTION	Activated carbon filter removes chlorine, taste and odour, improving the palatability of water
DRY WEIGHT	1.2 kg/42 oz
VOLUME OF WATER FILTERED**	5,000 litres/1,056 US gallons
INITIAL FLOW RATE**	1.25 litres/min @ 0.85 bar (g)
CUBE STORAGE CAPACITY	5 litres/168 oz
REPLACEABLE CARTRIDGE	YES
WARRANTY	2 YEARS

* Tested by BCS laboratories issued 18/02/16 based on an adaption of NSF/ANSI P231 Protocol. These units are tested with two different types of water to challenge the filtration capability beyond the standard use. All figures quoted are taken from the stressed challenge phase of the test imitating sewage contaminated water.

**Volume of water filtered by the product and flow rates dependent on the composition and turbidity of the feed water.