I like mine. Does it work? Well the thing lights up and I haven't got sick so I presume that it is indeed killing bugs. Is it worth the money? That's a matter of taste really.

Some people really like to filter water. I'm not one. I had a bad experience in the Sierras back in the 90s. The filter got harder and harder to pump and by the end of the week I was boiling instead. I also tend to shy away from chemicals because I don't like the taste. That's why I prefer the steripen.

I have heard of people who got theirs and it didn't work right out of the box. Make sure you can return it if that's the case. But I haven't heard of people who had one that worked initially and then stopped working in the field. That hasn't happened to me either so I think if it works the first time it will probably work as long as the batteries are good. But YMMV

Heber