It's not a filter.

And no, I got that on the First Need website, which has the manual. The First Need website also says that as you use it the purifier loses some of its effectiveness against viruses. It works by some complicated electrostatic attraction in its structure - that doesn't work so well the longer you use it. And it has carbon in it (not charcoal, I misspoke) and the instructions additionally state the first time you use it it will put black particles in the outflow - just like any Hiker Pro will when you put water through the carbon in the filter.

Anyone who has questions about that can review the actual website.
For some reason, the US site has very little information, but the Canadians believe in sharing.
http://www.generalecologycanada.com/faq.html

It does not remove chemicals no matter the hype - the only way to remove chemicals is by more complex processes. I'm not going to believe that no matter who says it. Why bet my health on their electrostatic process working reliably? They say themselves you have to replace the filter because the reliability degrades. As with all water filtration devices we are left with faith that the makers are not lying to us - and I am going to continue choosing water sources carefully, because this claim is a bit much to swallow. It's unreasonable to expect that much out of a mechanical device you can pack. And why spend a zillion dollars replacing the unit every month (that's how often I'd have to, based on usage and their instructions) when a single fifty dollar Hiker Pro and proper source selection does the job?

Pretty sure OM has done her research, in the best interests of not having a reaction. Perhaps new models lack it but I'm also remembering reading about the iodine in the cartridge.