Thursday, January 10, 2013
Equipment Reviews
When I read negative or positive reviews on a product I'm looking for details. Why does the reviewer consider the product good or bad? There may be very good personal reasons to disagree with the reviewer, even one with experience and a good track record.
For example, I was listening to “The Survival Podcast” archived shows. It's a pretty good resource for preppers. The host, Jack Spirco, had some very negative things to say about the product “waterbricks.”
Waterbricks are 3.5 gallon water containers that can be stacked a bit like Lego blocks. The funny thing is, I had bought 4 of them due to a recommendation on “Boat Bits.”
So who's right? They both are.
Jack Spirco was right. Waterbricks are an expensive way to store water. If you were going to store emergency water for your household, there are much cheaper ways to do it. 2 liter soda bottles can be reused and make good cheap storage. Even buying a 30 or 50 gallon water barrel is a lot cheaper than waterbricks.
However, “Boat Bits” is also right. They are rugged and store well on a boat. The 3.5 gallon size is much easier to carry than bigger water jugs. Because they transport well, it's not too big a deal to haul drinking water back to the boat.
For “The Survival Podcast,” it's an expensive water storage solution.
For “Boat Bits,” it's an inexpensive way to avoid buying a costly watermaker. (reverse osmosis filtrations system for removing salt out of water.)
Since I've been using mine on my sailboat, the are worth the expense. Rugged construction, stackability, and convenient size trump economy.
As always, it's all about the details.
-Sixbears
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...good logic, also remember the eight pound rule...gallon-o-liquid adds 8lbs weight...water is heavy,rigid stackables perfect for boat, non transportable storage of course cheaper...kinda apples and oranges(?)
ReplyDeleteApples and oranges -two different usages.
Deleteno mater how you store it
ReplyDeletefresh water can be a pain without
Wildflower
Water is life.
DeleteInteresting. I've been using 10 litre containers, which I think equates to about 2.5 gallons, both on my two sailboats and two housebuses over the last 22 years. They each have two handles, are robust, stack well, are easy to lift and carry and it's much easier to fill many small containers and store them than to have one large water tank. I have no main tank that can leak and spill all my water, it's easier to keep clean water and I can always tell how much water I have. You may call them 'water bricks', I call them wonderful and wouldn't use any other method in a house on wheels or on the water...
ReplyDeleteYou know exactly what I'm talking about. After a while, big water tanks on boats tend to get a bit foul. Nobody drinks the water from them.
DeleteWe're running out of room for the 2 liter water bottles around the house lol
ReplyDeleteThey do make cheap stationary water storage. Nothing wrong for that use.
DeleteI definitely want to know what the reviewer is using the thing for. I bought some woodworking tools recently, and pretty much ignored reviews from cabinet makers, because I'm not doing anything that fine.
ReplyDeleteThis does also point out a problem I have with the "prepper" mentality. What are they going to do when they run out of stored water? You'll want something that will be easier to transport water in. So many preppers are preparing for an emergency and a return to normal, which is far better than nothing, but whether collapse is fast or slow, it makes more sense to be preparing now for a lifestyle that consumes less resources.
Expecting things to return to normal might make sense for something like a major storm. However, I've noticed that even after a small hurricane, not everything gets rebuilt. Normal drops to a slightly lower level.
DeleteHaving to haul water might be the new normal. At that point having rugged water containers would be good to have.
Of course, having a good fresh water source on one's property can't be beat.
It's all about what works best for you.
ReplyDeleteI use a water brick in my teardrop for cooking and drinking very easy to handle.Wash water is in 3 liters.The smaller containers makes balancing a load a lot easier!IN a boat a list can be deadly.Side note ever notice beer drinkers always buy 2 12 pack or 2 cases of beer? Its so they walk stright other wise they stager left or right.Even a drunk understands load balance!
ReplyDeleteDrunks and sailors have a lot in common.
Delete