Steripen issues & warranty

[worx53]

My buddy and I both had steripen failures on a hunt last fall. Both pens worked fine previously. So these things are not cheap and unless you crush them should last a long time( longer than a season when you use them on 1-3 hunts per season)
I had the original box and looked at the paperwork and of course like everything these days they want you to register these things for warranty. What I found is there is no time limit to register the pen. So I registered it and called and sent the thing in about two weeks later. They tested it and found it failed to no fault of mine, and sent a replacement with no questions asked about receipts etc. which I think is phenominal. I don't look to buck the system - I don't look for a warranty or free replacement unless I absolutely think the product should not have failed- I'll pay for my mistakes and I can break anything made for sure.
So if you had a steripen failure which I know lots of guys had --AND you didn't crush or abuse it-- see what steripen may do for you. They are a standup company out of Maine, USA.

 

[FlyGuy]

Good info, thanks. I just went to the steripen after the colder than expected temps last September ruined my Sawyer squeeze.

Which model of steripen were you using?

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[worx53]

Good info, thanks. I just went to the steripen after the colder than expected temps last September ruined my Sawyer squeeze.

Which model of steripen were you using?

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These were Adventurer models

 

[530Chukar]

Can you explain how they failed?

Flyguy, steripens can be picky in the cold. They work fine if you keep them warm but if it is below freezing and the batteries get cold it will throw an error.


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[worx53]

When you go through the sequence of treating water a green light telsd you the process was successful, a red means it failed. I was getting immediate red after submerging the pen. Warm , cold, new batteries....it just failed every attempt.

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[Jordan Budd]

When you go through the sequence of treating water a green light telsd you the process was successful, a red means it failed. I was getting immediate red after submerging the pen. Warm , cold, new batteries....it just failed every attempt.

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Mine just did the exact same thing on my overnight trip. I need to put new batteries in mine before I say much more about it though. Gave me a flashing red light as soon as it hit the water. Frustration but I suppose that's why we carry a backup.

 

[Brendan]

Anyone having issues with the classic?

I remember Aron doing a steripen review and he'd said that was the reliable one for him but had seen issues with some of the others. Nice that it uses AA batteries too - interchangeable with my other spares.

 

[AKDoc]

I really appreciate you sharing your experience and specifically describing the failure to operate details. I've gotten to the point the past four or five years that I have come to rely on my Adventurer Steripen...always with a back-up. No operational failures yet for me...knock on wood.

Thanks again for your post. At least your unit didn't malfunction by telling you that the water was successfully treated when in fact it wasn't! I had giardia many years ago...no fun.

 

[ndbuck09]

My steripen has been going strong since 2011 with pretty frequent use throughout the summer and fall, knock on wood.

 

[ljalberta]

I lost my cap down a river. Obviously my fault. They sent out a replacement no charge the day after I called them. I've also had no failures in two years of using the Opti. Love it.

 

[Rawmeat]

I recently had a bad experience with a steripen, but I was within the return window.
Having good customer service is great, but isn't the reliability issue a problem? I had totally bought into the idea of a steripen, but now it seems unreliable at best.