Katadyn v. MSR

Hey all, I'm debating between buying this guy (Katadyn Hiker Pro) or the MSR MiniWorks filter. Any thoughts? I realize the output is about the same, but the lifetime manufacturer warranty from MSR is pretty appealing.

Any comments about how often the filter needs to be replaced in either product?

Thanks.

I've owned both The msr takes much longer,(stroke volume) also it is only set up for nalgene bottles (it has no hose for the clean end) the msr ceramic filter will too were out as it must be scrubbed down when it is dirty and checked for thickness. the hiker has a weak point, it is the nipple for the inlet hose I've had 2 break on me, however the filter is still operational just submerge the lower end of filter in the water and pump as usual. The MSR seems much more engineered more moving parts, more complex pump mechanism......i.e. more potential for failure. I did not have any failures with mine however using it I could see some issues. both models there is potential for the lever to break, if the hiker breaks it will still work fine just a smaller area to grab, if the lever for the msr breaks it will be very difficult to operate. If the pump mechanism breaks on the hiker one can just suck on the outlet like a straw because it has an outlet hose, the msr you will have to cut your inlet hose and attach to the outlet nipple to do the same.While a lifetime warranty is nice it a'int worth crap when your three days out with a busted filter. Just my $1.50

Matt, the manual says 750 liters, or when it becomes hard to pump. The filter for the Hiker Pro is glassfiber/carbon, not paper, as well. Here's the manual. http://katadynch.vs31.snowflakehosting.ch/fileadmin/user_upload/katadyn_products/Downloads/Manual_Katadyn_HikerProUSA.pdf

Any clue on how often the Katadyn filter needs replacing (time or liters filtered)? I don't want to be spending an extra $40 each year if I don't have to.

Actually Matt the output is not even close. The katadyn is far faster, but you have to look at the filters, katadyn uses a paper mesh type filter that is not cleanable, the MSR has a filter you can reuse just needs cleaning