Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I've been using Brita and Pur filters since the big bang 13.7 billion years ago. They are OK too, and their filters are a lot cheaper than zero water. I've been tempted by zero water sales pitch at homedepot, and decided to give it a try. Since I already own the pitchers from brita and pur, I bought this space saving pitcher. The build and quality of this pitcher looks fine, and the filter itself is massive(compared with other brands). Filtration takes a little bit of time but the water that comes out of the filter tastes great. No Chlorine taste at all. I'm a Chemistry major so let me elaborate a little on how this filter works and how it's different from the others. All other desktop filter pitchers, such as Brita and Pur, have activated carbon as the main component, along with a tiny bit of ion exchange resins. The activated carbon is good at removing odor causing chemicals, such as Chlorine. It does its job by absorbing these odor molecules like a sponge. If you worries about the heavy metal(such as lead) and other inorganic pollutant, activated carbon isn't going to do much. Now comes the ion exchange resin. Any charged particle, such as metal ions or negatively charged chlorine molecule, can bind to ion exchange resin. So, ion exchange resin is the main workhorse for removing the harmful chemicals in water. Unfortunately, Brita and Pur filters have a very thin layer of ion exchange resin(due to the cost) and it won't be sufficient to remove all impurities. If you read Zero water's publications, it seems most of their filter is made of ion exchange resins, with a layer of activated carbon on top and some particulate filters on top and bottom. This setup can effectively remove almost all of the dissolved inorganic matter, heavy metal salt etc. That's why when you put the tester (which measures the resistance of water), it reads 000. If you want to get rid of all the inorganic impurities, this is the ultimate filter for you. If, however, you want to remove organic impurities, I don't see how this filter can be of much use, since most organic material are not charged. Let's say benzene, very toxic and harmful, but this filter is unlikely to remove much of it. If you live in an area that the water is "hard", meaning it has a lot of dissolved calcium and magnesium salts, the filter's resin will be saturated pretty quickly. The tester will tell you to replace the filter much more often. So, if you do live in those areas this filter is not for you. The cost of constantly replacing the filter will be prohibitive. I have yet to replace my filter but I believe it should last reasonably long, since I know my water is "soft". In the end, it's all up to you. Do you really want to remove Calcium and Magnesium from your water? Go to a local pharmacy and see how many different kind of Calcium and magnesium supplement pills they sell. Those minerals are micronutrients that we actually need. Zero water wants you to believe pure water is better but in fact NASA has to add some minerals to the astronauts daily drinking water. If you want to get the purest taste then get this filter. If you want to get rid of heavy metal contaminants get this filter. Otherwise, I don't see why you need it. Plus, it does not remove any bacteria, virus or spores. So if you want safest water to drink, boil it.