Review (1/5): Big disappointment (two reviews written a month apart)
I bought the Alkatraveler stick when my home water ionizer went on the fritz and had to send it to Chanson for repair. I was planning a short trip as well, so I thought this would be a great opportunity to try out the travel ionizer.
I like the size of the device. It's very small, light and easy to transport. You simply drop it in a filtered water bottle or glass and allow it to alkanize the water (15 min or so). Supposedly it raises the pH level by 2 points, but I have not tested this yet. The stick comes with a cheap piece of plastic tubing for storage. I opted to use a paper towel and zip lock bag. I shake out the ionizer and wrap it in the paper towel to absorb any excess water.
The main reason I gave this product only 3 starts is that it is difficult to retrieve from the water. You have to use an implement, like a spoon or tongs to get it out, or else you have to stick your fingers in the glass to get it. You want to submerge the stick so that requires at least 8 oz of water. While traveling, I used a wide mouth plastic bottle to ionize the water, and then poured it into another bottle to drink. It would have been much easier if the device had a chain like a tea infuser ball or something to help remove the stick from the water. I sent feedback to the company and received this reply: "We see your point, and will forward your recommendation. The way the Alka Traveler stick is designed now will not allow a chain to fit in the bottle cap carry case. Thank you for your suggestion."
So, although I was glad to have the device, it is not as convenient as it could be.
8/10/13 Update: I've been using this alkaline stick for almost a month now and I am pretty disappointed with it. I had to resort to keeping the stick immersed in water while I drank since there was no easy way to get it out of the container. Also, I started testing the water for alkalinity. The product description claims the stick raises the water alkalinity by 2 points. I tested my filtered water first, which resulted in 7.0 every time. During three separate tests I left the stick in for 10 min, then 15 min, then 20 min. Every time the water tested at barely 8.0. It never reached 9.0 as I expected. So this product barely raises the alkalinity level. Big waste of money on my part.