Review Maunawai Kini – Portable Water Purification Solution
Over the years I’ve tested many different travel-friendly portable water filtration systems for individual use in my camper or to be able to cater to the crew on sailing trips. My go-to water filtration system at the moment is the Maunawai Kini water purifier. It's a simple, affordable, healthy, and ethical travel water filter. I've been testing this system now for half a year from my campervan in Spain and Portugal. I never have to buy a bottle of water again. Here’s a review of the Kini, a travel-friendly water filtration solution. It's a long one. So I start off with a little summary.
Table of Contents
- Summary of the review
- Introduction to portable water purification
- About the company Maunawai
- About the Maunawai Kini
- How does the Maunawai Kini purify the water?
- How long does the filter last?
- Where and how is Maunawai producing and sourcing?
- How is Maunawai contributing to a healthier ocean?
- What are the downsides of the Maunawai Kini?
- Why is the Maunwai Kini better than other Water Filtration systems?
- Does Maunawai also have solutions for at home or for bigger set ups?
- The verdict
- Where can you buy the Maunawai Kini?
- Where can you buy the replacement filters?
Summary of the review
Here’s a quick version of the Kini travel water filter. I can highly recommend the Maunwai Kini to fellow campervan nomads, sailors, and anyone who is looking for a better quality of water and eliminating their plastic consumption. The Maunawai Kini ticks all the boxes:
- It makes water from the tank and taps (and rain and rivers) potable. Not just purified, but mineralized!
- Travel-friendly (light and not too bulky)
- The water filtration system can cater to a couple of people.
- Not too time consuming to produce drinkable water
- Budget-friendly
- As local, ethical, and responsibly produced as possible by a little European-based family business.
The only con is that you have to make sure it doesn't fall when you start sailing or driving because you may break it.
The best part! Maunawai water is not merely purified, it’s alive with maximum superpowers for the human body. The Maunwai Kini is an easy to use, simple, tasty, and affordable travel water filtration solution created by a little family business that has caring for the environment in its soul. Read on for the details!
Buy it directly on the Maunwaii website 5 % Discount code: OP2020. 10% discount for Ocean Nomads. You can also find Maunawai on Amazon and Bol.
Introduction to portable water purification
Introduction to portable water purificationYou aim to make your negative travel footprint as little as possible. There are lots of aspects to that. One big one is your plastic footprint. How can you tackle the drinking water situation when travelling? The last thing you want to do for the environment, your wallet, and your health is buying bottled drinking water. But often also you cannot trust blindly on local tap water, on the quality of water tanks on boats and camper vans. You want safe drinking water, minimum pollution, an affordable portable water purification solution, and not too much hassle.
Not only for travelling. In everyday life, the quality of drinking water plays a vital element in our health. In an ideal world, we have unlimited access to coconut water ;), but for most of us, this is not the reality.
We know we have to stay hydrating, drink lots of water, but do you also pay attention to the quality of the water you’re consuming? Water is life! And water is supposed to be alive!
Read this blog to learn more about the impacts of plastic bottled water on the environment and your health, why bother travelling with a portable water filtration system at all, and which five travel water filter solutions I suggest for campervans and sailboat charter.
After researching far and beyond for a simple to use filtration solution that hasn’t been made and shipped from China (pretty much all of them), I’ve come across the Maunawai Kini. I reached out to the company and have talked to founder Daniel to make sure the company is aligned with my values and actually contributed to a healthier ocean.
About the company Maunawai
Maunawai is a family-owned business based in Germany. Daniel and his family originally started to investigate water filtration and optimization in 1996 because of the skin health issues of a family member. Maunawaii filtration systems are a result of twenty years of product development and investigation to deliver the most ethical, practical, and healthy water solutions.
What makes Maunawai stand out is their understanding that water is alive. Water is a circular design. Understanding how nature works and being able to replicate this into a water system in the most natural way is something I have not come across anywhere else. It takes a thorough understanding of how nature regenerates water. Water is a circular design. Nature is able to revive it again. As a result of decades of research Maunawai is able to replicate that. The brand name reflects that. The word “Maunawai” comes from Hawaii and means “moun- tain water” which reflects Maunawai’s mission: they turn water into mountain spring water.
After reading about Maunawai online and investigating their website, I’ve talked with Daniel on the phone for more than an hour learning about the company, filter options, techniques, and drive and values of the company.
Maunawai offers different kinds of water filtration systems, from simple travel-friendly units to advanced installations for in your home, camper or boat. This review focuses on the travel-friendly water filtration option: the Maunawai Kini. I've been testing the Kini for a year now and I love it. I haven't bought a single water bottle and I haven't had a single cold.
About the Maunawai Kini
The Maunawai Kini is a travel-friendly water pitcher that doesn’t only remove a high range of pollutants from the water, but it gives life back to water, adding minerals and goodness.
You simply add water on top (0.8 liters), wait a few minutes to let the filter do it's magic, and healthy tasty water is ready for you in the bottom part of the pitcher, with a capacity of two liters. The Kini + filter weighs about one kilo in total and comes in different colours. If you google ‘water filter jugs’ there are hundreds and hundreds of different kinds out there. Read on to learn why this one is so different and I have it as my go-to travel water filter.
How does the Maunawai Kini purify the water?
Maunawai minifies the natural process of purifying and regenerating water. Throughout different layers of different natural materials, the water gets filtered, purified, and enriched with minerals.
The first layer is a limescale pad that filters nitrate and lime and prevents little particles to enter the cartridge. The second part exists out of different layers with coral sand, all sorts of natural ceramic little balls (+200 different kinds!), bringing minerals into the water and giving the water a yummy taste. This filter doesn’t just filter. As opposed to removing pollutants and robbing water of its natural goodness, the Maunawai system restructures and recharges water to make it alive and pure. This technology is called PI®, based on harmony with nature.
How long does the filter last?
How long does the filter last? 
Generally, the filter lasts three months. It depends on how polluted the water is that you pass through. The filter has a liter limit in high numbers but you’d have to continuously filter a lot of water to reach that. It’s best for the filter to filter at least two liters per day. More even better. So don’t be shy about sharing it with your friends. The filter is easily replaceable. As far as I have found out, it’s the longest possible time a filter in portable water filtration lasts, before bacteria start to build up. Maunawai has researched far and beyond for the best sourcing material for the filter resulting in this durability.
Where and how is Maunawai producing and sourcing?
The mother of the family is the lead researcher and reviewer of the product development. The filter exists out of many different carefully researched and sourced particles. The black active carbon is sourced from a family business that specializes in high-quality active carbon from coconut shells. The quality of the active carbon makes a big difference in the filter durability before a germ problem creates itself.
The ceramics are sourced from a company in Korea specializing in high-grade ceramic production. The corals in the filtration are not taken from nature. They are grown in tanks in Japan. The manufacturing of the filter takes place in Germany.
The jug itself is from plastic, Styrene methyl methacrylate (SMMA) to be specific. It’s manufactured in Germany and is excelling because it’s a strong and clean type of plastic. It does not emit any measurable substances even under the greatest stress. Sunrays don’t leach chemicals into the water as bottled water does. Glass would have been a lovely material, but that’s not really travel friendly, is it? This kind of plastic is also one that is useful in the recycling system.
How is Maunawai contributing to a healthier ocean?
Maunawai helps in eliminating bottled water being bought. By having a Kini you don’t have to buy a water bottle ever again. This is huge.
Maunawai takes care of how they produce and package products.
All the raw materials of the filter can be put in the soil. The cartridge is not circular (yet). But they are also working on an exciting full recycling program for the filter cartridges. Maunawai also has a cooperation with climate partner to offset the remaining CO2 of our production.
They genuinely have a good heart for the environment and for health. CO-Founder Daniel is a father of three kids raising a vegan family and taking care of the environment and securing a healthy future on this amazing planet is his greatest focus.
What are the downsides of the Maunawai Kini?
The filter needs some time to sit to do its work. But because of this, the quality is great. I'm talking about just a few minutes here. You just need to anticipate. The filter lasts a limited time (3 months). Here you also need to anticipate having a replacement filter in storage. Maunawai provides yearly supplies for this. Its design has fairly wide water pouring flow which makes spilling easy when filling up water bottles. By simply lifting the outlet with your finger this can be prevented but this could be a point of improvement for future design. The jug system is not the smallest compared to the other water filtration solutions I compared which don’t make it ideal (though not impossible) for hand luggage travel. You can simply fill it with some socks or underwear to optimize space.
If you have a boat or o camper you'd have to make sure to secure the Kini before setting off, since you don't want to break it. Its material is robust and mine has fallen a few times and survived but you rather don't have that happen. If you have a powerful enough pump then you may want to consider a fixed installation under the sink. Maunawai has a system for this too, which I haven't tested (yet) but we will on an upcoming Ocean Nomads expedition on vessel Twister.
Why is the Maunwai Kini better than other Water Filtration systems?
Maunwai combines everything in a compact form. Its ease of use, advancedness, and quality of the filter, and soul of the company make it an ethical and healthy water filter choice. What makes Maunawai really stands out is the quality of the water. The water is alive and not stripped from its goodness, as opposed to many other water filtration solutions. It’s not only about drinking water, it’s about the quality of the water we’re drinking. I’ve been using this system now for a year and it’s just a pleasure to use, to drink, and to travel with it. Even if I wouldn't be travelling and just have tap water to my disposable, I'd now let it pass through the Kini. So much healthier!
Does Maunawai also have solutions for at home or for bigger set ups?
Yes! They also provide bigger systems, fountains, and under the sink set up.
The verdict
I can highly recommend the Maunwai Kini to fellow campervan nomads, sailors, and anyone who is looking for a better quality of water. The Maunawai Kini ticks all the boxes:
- It makes water from the tank and taps potable.
- Travel-friendly (light and not too bulky)
- Quickly installed
- The water filtration system can cater to a couple of people.
- Not too time consuming to produce drinkable water
- Budget-friendly
- As local, ethical, and responsibly produced as possible.
The best part! Maunawai water is not merely purified, it’s alive with maximum superpowers for the human body. So even when not travelling, it's a treasure to have in your house. The Maunwai Kini is an easy to use, simple, tasty, and affordable travel-friendly water filtration solution created by a little family business that has caring for the environment in its soul. This is only the first initial part of the review! Up next is a video review of the Maunawai Kini and properly testing the water and sending it to a lab so the data can speak for itself.
Where can you buy the Maunawai Kini?
Where can you You can buy the Maunawai Kini directly from Maunawai at their webshop www.maunawai.com As a reader of this blog you get a 5% discount with code OP2020 (If you’re an Ocean Nomads member claim your 10% discount. Details are on the member area). You can also find Maunawai on Amazon but you’ll support the family company (and me) way better by buying directly from Maunawai using the discount code.
Price: 88 Euro
Where can you buy the replacement filters?
On the Maunawai website here (5% discount with code OP202o), as well as on Amazon.
Do you have questions about the Maunawai water purification system? Leave a comment and I'll do my best to answer!
Disclaimer: As always, opinions are my own. What drives me is saving the ocean. If you’re looking to purchase Maunawai, huge thanks if you purchase it via this website Oceanpreneur.co. At no extra cost to you, orders and bookings through this website give me a tiny piece of the pie that helps me keep investigating, exploring, and creating content about on ocean action and solutions! Maunawai has sponsored me but only because I approached them and all opinions are 100%my own.
The information about the best travel water filtration presented here is not a substitute for specific training or experience. When going into the outdoors it is your responsibility to have the proper knowledge, experience, and equipment to travel safely. These are brief findings to simply get you started. I’m not an expert on water filtration (yet) and I can’t guarantee drinking water happiness with anything written here. I’m just doing the research, testing, and communicating the findings accordingly to make it easier for you to reduce your environmental footprint. Let me know how you go! I continue learning and exploring more about this topic. Also, the next project is properly testing the different water results and sending it to a laboratorium so really see the before and after of the different solutions.
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