Venom Extractor

TLDR A compact, highly effective pump for quick relief and poison removal from insect, spider, and wasp stings/bites. It significantly reduces swelling and itching, a must-have for any first-aid kit. However, based on current medical consensus, DO NOT use this for venomous snake bites; seek immediate medical attention instead. Introduction I bought the Extractor Pump Kit primarily for our family's outdoor adventures, specifically to deal with the inevitable bee stings, wasp attacks, and persistent mosquito bites that ruin a good hike or camping trip. Its small, sturdy case and simple, one-handed operation were the main selling points. My initial thought was that it would be a useful, if minor, upgrade to the standard first-aid kit, and for insect stings, it exceeded expectations. Detailing the Experience and Analysis This pump has been a phenomenal addition for minor venomous incidents like bee stings and mosquito bites. It works by creating a powerful vacuum seal to pull out irritants and poisons near the skin’s surface. We've used it three times for yellow jacket stings, and each time, applying it immediately resulted in a noticeable reduction of pain and swelling—far better than just ice or topical creams. For mosquito and spider bites, applying the smallest cup for a minute draws out fluid and instantly stops the incessant itching, which is a huge quality-of-life improvement in the backcountry. The key is quick application, as venom/poison from small insects tends to stay closer to the surface. It is very easy to operate one-handed, which is a major benefit in a stressful situation. A Critical Public Safety Note: While marketed for snake bites, the medical community, including toxicologists and wilderness medicine experts, is unanimously against using suction extractors for venomous snake bites. Studies show they remove a negligible amount of venom and can actually cause more local tissue damage (necrosis) by collapsing tissue. If bitten by a venomous snake, do not use this device. Focus all efforts on getting to a hospital for antivenom immediately. Pros Significantly reduces swelling, pain, and itching from surface-level insect and spider bites/stings. Simple, effective, one-handed operation is ideal for a field emergency kit. Compact and lightweight, easy to carry on any outing. Reusable and comes with four cup sizes for various sting locations. Cons Ineffective and potentially harmful for venomous snake bites. Requires immediate use for best results on insect stings. The tight suction can be uncomfortable for a few seconds. Verdict This is a 5-star product for its actual utility: quick, effective first aid against common insect and spider stings. It’s an essential part of my family's outdoor first aid kit and provides instant relief that traditional methods often fail to deliver. It is absolutely worth the price for anyone who spends time outdoors and wants to reduce the misery of bug bites. Best For: Hikers, campers, gardeners, and anyone who wants instant relief from bee stings, wasp stings, and itchy insect bites. NOT a replacement for a hospital visit in case of a serious venomous bite.

Even though I have just ordered this venom extracting device and I'm not sure if I will have an opportunity to try this device at all, I still decided to give it five stars because of the ability of this device to extract venom from a bite is undeniable and I like the design of pressing down the plunger to create suction, which required one hand only, instead of pulling up the plunger, which requires two hands. I know some "reviewers" have given this device one star only by "citing" the very poor results from a study conducted by the Department of Emergency Medicine, University Medical Center, University of California, San Francisco, Fresno 93702, USA. However, I found the study cited to be very biased because in the study the Sawyer Extractor pump was applied AFTER A 3-MINUTE DELAY in all study samples. Because venom is carried by blood from the bite immediately to other parts of the body in case of snake bite, the slower a person starts to apply the extracting device, the further a large portion of the venom will be carried by blood away from the bite. Therefore, it is extremely important that the extracting device be applied as fast as possible. I found the 3-minute delay to be absurd and unreasonable if someone has the device handy when going on a trip with high risk of snake bite. In my opinion, sterilization of the bite wound is only for non-life-threatening insect bits. If I got bitten by a snake on a field trip, I would apply the extracting device as fast as I could without sterilization and shaving. Even for people with just some body hair, I would recommend no shaving because every second counts. Since there are two bite holes and one extractor only, I would let the extractor stay on each bite hole for no more than about 5 seconds initially, so that there would be no excessive delay on extracting venom from any of the two bite holes. If you let the extractor stay on one bite hole for 5 minutes before treating the other one, about half of the venom would be carried away from the bite already. I also find some people nitpicking to criticize the minor bruising which may be caused by the suction power after the device was applied. When someones life is at stake, it is foolish to worry about minor bruising caused by the treatment. When a doctor decides to cut off the fingers with gangrenes which start to spread on a patient's hands suffering from frost bite, I don't see the same fools criticize the treatment for causing harm to the patient. So stop nitpicking. To be fair, the study by the Department of Emergency Medicine, University of California should have first established the average time required by a person to take out a Sawyer Extractor Pump Kit from a knapsack, open the kit, fit a suction cup on and apply the extractor on the lower leg. Of course,all persons involved in the study must be familiar with how to apply the device before the study. I estimate the time to be within one minute or less instead of the absurd and arbitrarily long delay of 3-minutes used in the study conducted by the Department of Emergency Medicine. If the researchers were being scientific, they should have conducted several tests with different delay times that include, half a minute, one minute, two minutes and three minutes. I believe that the effectiveness of the extractor would be much greater if the delay time is reduced to a more reasonable one. The comment section on the biased report says "Snakebite suction devices don't remove venom: they just suck." I'm appalled by the unscientific and disrespectful attitude of those researcher in making the comment or allowed it to be made on such an official report. When some venom has been found to have been removed even though just a little because of the study not being done with commonsense,it's a lie for them to say that the snakebite suction devices "don't" remove venom. I think their wrong attitude sucks. It's their wrong attitude that caused them to be biased against a mechanical device that works. I think they wrongly considered the suction device, which is easily and cheaply available without doctors' prescription, as a competition against their profession and emergency medicine they were studying. We should bear in mind that the Sawyer Extractor Pump Kit should not be viewed as a kit for the cure of snake bites. This device is only for reducing the amount of venom in the body so as to reduce the damage caused by the venom to the body before a medical facility can be found that can give antivenin injection to the patient. Only the antivenin is the real cure. Therefore, the disrespect of those researchers in saying the snakebite suction devices "suck" is very inappropriate and it's a sign of their having prejudice against this great device for initial treatment of snake bites. Google: How a $10 Purchase Saved a Man's Life After He Was Bitten by a Rattlesnake The news article reported "the DOCTORS SAY his $10 purchase saved his life". Note that more than one doctor who treated the man came up with the same opinion, so prejudice of one doctor is not at issue. So never mind the biased study report by researchers in Department of Emergency Medicine cited above.The doctors who treated a man's rattlesnake bite have the final verdict. This device works and can help save someone's life. Use it as promptly as possible for best result. Update: I received the device yesterday. It is well-made and easy to use. However, I think the kid should include a narrow oval-shaped suction cup with length of suction opening about 2cm longer than the average distance between the bite holes of most snake bites so that venom can be extracted from both bite holes simultaneously if the cup fits. The oval-shaped cup should be available as spare part so that we don't have to buy another extractor pump to get one. However, I do understand that if the two bite holes are separated by a curved part of the body, then the oval-shaped suction cup may not be suitable. I did a test on how how long it took from the time of trying to get the extractor pump kid from a knapsack on my back by pretending I had just been bitten by a snake to the time of actually creating suction on my leg. It took only about half a minute. The test proves that the 3-minute delay in the biased study by the Department of Emergency Medicine, University of California, is very unreasonable. I believe the effectiveness of the device would have been found to be much greater if only half a minute delay was used. Update: Today I ordered two more Sawyer Extractor Pump kids. One for my family member as a gift. Another one for myself so that I have two of these extractors and in case I get bitten by a poisonous snake, I can extract poison from both bite holes almost simultaneously as soon as possible.

It is hard to rate this one if you haven't been bitten by a snake, but if you get bitten and it doesn't work, you won't live to rate it so I decided to go ahead and talk about my limited experience with it. I did get bitten by a scorpion and the sawyer did extract the venom, I could actually see it zipping out of the wound, first a little stream of a yellowish ooze and then a little of blood at the end. It worked, I just got a small inflammation, almost like a mosquito bite. I have also used it to extract bot fly larvae and works great for that. The worm pups up like magic. The suction power is strong, you can actually apply this to a pimple and see the pus come out. (disgusting). I have kept one of this in my first aid kit for the last 8 years because I do outdoor training. If a customer gets a bee sting, I apply this and helps. I have heard and read that it is the only one that will actually work on a snake bite please read Mr. Jordan Benjamin's review before you believe that. Just keep it near you to use it immediately after the insect incident or the likes and It should help. I will continue to use this great product for insect bites and the likes, but not rely my life on it for Snake Bites.

The Sawyer Extractor Pump Kit is king! Those old, outdated contraptions with the razor blade are terrible, and it surprises me that they're still manufactured today. Even more surprising is that stores carry them. Last summer I was bitten by a poisonous Hobo spider, and this pump saved me a trip to the ER. I was amazed at how powerful (yet painless) the pump is. I could clearly see the yellow venom being sucked out of the puncture wounds on my hand. Immediately afterwards, the skin discoloration and intense burning/itching from the bite were gone. The only evidence left was two small fang marks, which healed quickly. With the Extractor, you never cut the skin. You simply select one of four fittings (depending upon the size of the bite), plunk it onto the end of the syringe, pull the plunger all the way out, place it down over the bite, and PUSH the plunger in. At first it seems weird to be forcing all this air onto the bite. But once you've emptied the syringe, a powerful vacuum has been created which draws out the venom very effectively. It's so easy to use. TIP: While it's always ideal to extract venom immediately, sometimes a bite is discovered later, perhaps upon awaking in the morning. If the bite marks have scabbed over, scrape the tiny scabs OFF with your fingernail before extracting. The wound has to be open, not sealed, for the suction to work. After use, open the syringe all the way and allow to air out. Wash the removable tip thoroughly with soap and water, but do not submerge the syringe! (Experience speaking here... I fatally damaged one this way.) I've purchased and given several of these as gifts. The enclosed pamplet states that in addition to removing snake venom, this pump can also be used on bee stings and misquito bites. In a snake or spider bite situation, it's wise to seek medical attention. Sometimes, though, one may be in the backcountry where help is unavailable. At times like this, the Extractor could potentially save a life. ___________________ October 2013 UPDATE: I recently used my Extractor on another spider(?) bite, this time on my neck. It appears to have happened at home, though I never saw the arachnida. The bite was red, swollen larger than a quarter, and was burning and itchy. The Extractor sucked out the venom effortlessly, which took the swelling way down. By the following day, the redness was almost completely gone and the fang marks faded. Though this was in a sensitive place, it again healed very quickly. I've used the Extractor on many, many smaller bites over the past six years. Can't imagine life without it.

I see that most of the negative reviews are from "bite experts" with lots of theories...but have never tried the extractor. I've never used it for snake bite, but certainly have used it for stings lots of times. And it definitely does make a difference: I have serious systemic allergic reactions to yellow jacket and hornet stings. Within a couple minutes of a sting, I start getting a headache, weird taste in my mouth and then my throat starts swelling. I keep several extractors with me most of the time but especially if I'm working in wooded areas. It's pretty typical to get stung several times by yellow jackets when you tromp on their nest. I've had four of these pumps going on different body parts at once after getting stung. For me, it means the difference between tolerable anaphylaxis and a trip to the hospital. If you are seriously allergic to stings, you will still have the reaction...but much milder. I have really learned to trust the extractor. I'm not nearly as allergic to wasp stings but still bad enough to make the stung area swell ridiculously for 3 days. I have used the pump on several wasp stings and afterwards there is no swelling, period. My point here is that for all the theories about why the extractor won't work, I have 20 years of first hand evidence that it does! I haven't used it for snake bite yet, but I most definitely will if it happens. Snakebites aren't nearly as dangerous as stings, but if you are in a remote location when you get bit or stung, it would be stupid not to try the extractor for either. Call 911 all you want but if help is an hour or two away, you're going to need to take some sort of action on your own. Remember, it only works if you use it within a few minutes after the sting/bite, so keep one with you when you're outside.

I was satisfied with this product as it was able to remove pain i was having at the site of a spider bite on my arm. I rarely write amazon reviews, and i was skeptical about this product, but it positively surprised me. The suction is strong enough to pull visible poison from a bite so long as the bite is somewhat new and concentrated enough - it didn't work on smaller or older spider bites for me but that's ok to me because the bigger/newer bites were much more of a priority. Try not to let the vacuum pull on your skin for longer than necessary or it will leave some red marks that will go away in a few days - once the pump is engaged the majority of the available poison will visibly come out pretty quickly and then you can disengage it quickly to avoid red marks. Be careful when attaching the smaller cup in the opposite direction as it states you can in the manual, it can crack easily if you press it on firmly and i recommend just using it in the bigger position - however their customer service is great, i reached out to the company and they happily sent me out a replacement small cup for the one i had cracked accidentally! I also recommend using activated charcoal topically on any bite site to remove additional poison - moisten the bite first with water, apply activated (coconut) charcoal to area without rubbing it so it stays in one spot, then spray or drop a small amount of oil to seal over the charcoal and water and it will continue to adsorb poison for longer than if you didn't put the oil on. You could do a more elaborate setup for longer effectiveness but that is quick way to do it.

I have severe reaction to mosquito bites. I swell up immediately, scratch the bite until it is open and bleeding and have no relief. During the summer I am a mess on legs, face, arms, ears you name it. Have tried every concievable cream, repellant, with poor results. After seeing a movie about a snake bitten boy I wondered why dont they make a kit to do the same thing for other bites? Well they do. Sawyer is it, and it comes with a very, very good instruction sheet covering all types of stinger/biters. An excellent extractor pump. Variable size tips. Easy to use. When I get bitten the itch and swelling start immediately. As soon as I can, I apply the Sawyer pump and leave it in place for 90 seconds. After removal there is still a bump and sometimes discoloration, but the itch is gone. Within a few hours the bump is gone and I havn't torn at the bite. Some areas you have to take the pain, Ear lobes, finger tips, only because the suction tips wont fit.

Seems to have everything you need for a good kit for SCORPION, BEE, WASP stings. NONE of these kits work for snakebite no matter what you pay for them so don't count on them for that. Pit viper (rattlesnake/cottonmouth/copperhead) venom is injected by fangs in fairly large quantity and spreads way too rapidly for any SBK to do any good. Might....MIGHT be partially effective for Coral snake and Gilla monster IF you apply it quick enough, as they don't inject with fangs......but I'm no herpetologist. I'm just a guy who lives in snake/scorpion country so I keep it around for scorpion stings. Best advice? Learn the habits of venomous critters in your area and avoid them!

I have read pros and cons about this. I first saw when when a group of us was stung by bees, and since I was stung on the thoat, the guide took care of me right away as I was clutching my throat, out of pain, NOT beacuase I was allegic and my throat closing up. I tried to get him to assist the others first, but his training told him, holding your throat means you need help. It worked well, pain lessened. and I have bought several since then for scouts and other friends.

The product is the same as the picture

According to my expert physiotherapist it's very good in treating post-surgical adhesions.

Un producto muy necesario para los que salimos de excursión, me he topado con varias serpientes, asi que mas vale siempre traerlo.

We use it most for mosquito bites. It is very easy to use even my kids can use it without any assistance.