Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

High quality and produces great-tasting water. Leaving behind substances I didn't expect! We have a whole-home water filtration system which removes minerals from our water source. I know that some stuff (like chlorine and fluoride) will get past it, so I bought the distiller in hopes of eliminating those from our drinking water. I have been pleasantly surprised to see there is a residue and odor left behind with each batch I distill. I have yet to learn what the substance is, but for now I'm satisfied it's being removed from our drinking water. There's a noticeable difference in the taste and clarity of the water between the distilled and tap. This was unexpected, too, as I thought I might have to convince myself that the water is better. But the first time I poured the distilled water I could see how much clearer it was and a frequent house guest volunteered the same commentary. The water also tastes really good, so my family is naturally drinking more of it. The combination of the distiller and carafe is bulky for the kitchen in our 1970s split-level home, so we moved it to a sun porch and close the door while it's running. While the distiller isn't obnoxiously loud while running it's similar to hearing a box fan on low power. This has the potential to get on your nerves, so I recommend following the manufacturer's advice and either running this during sleep or running it in a closed-off room. One bit of warning is this is an investment of time over taking water from the tap. You need to fill up the carafe, wait several hours for a gallon of water, and wipe down the distiller or clean it after use. It's taken us a few weeks to get into the flow of a manageable schedule. I was cleaning the distiller with soap and water or distilled white vinegar after each use, but that was starting to get to the point where the work to maintain the unit was outweighing the value of the water. So what I've landed on for now is I'll wipe down the inside of the unit after each use (takes 10 seconds) and I'll running a cleaning cycle and install a fresh activated carbon pod once per month. I think that should be manageable. We're also still sorting out water storage. It's not recommended (by me) that you spend time and electricity distilling water and then put it in a plastic container, where chemicals can leach into it. Even BPA-free units can have other chemicals which can make it into the water. We tried a 3-gallon stainless steel fusti with a tap in our fridge but the fusti took up a lot of space and leaked and finding any water dispenser which doesn't have leaking issues is actually a challenge. What we're doing for now is buying a second glass carafe. We'll have one in the fridge, for our drinking water needs, and another at the distiller, ready to collect distilled water. While the unit is not inexpensive and takes a little getting used to, to work into your life, I recommend keeping in mind this is an investment in your health. We're getting great value out of it in terms of removing junk from the water and encouraging our family members to drink more great-tasting water instead of packaged drinks. My parens regularly buy gallons of distilled water. We worked out that if they bought a distiller it would pay for itself - in the money saved over buying those gallons - in about six months. And the water from the distiller is not stored in plastic jugs, which can leach chemicals. I highly recommend this product. It's a great investment.