Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Sorry, for the super long review. Here is a short summary and if you want to read the entire life story of my water filter you are welcome to it below: Pros: High quality filters that work really, really well The pitcher design is well thought out Only change filters about once every 6 months Cons: Expensive filters Have to change the filter immediately after the meter reads 006 (about every 6 months) Rough edges on pitcher The “push to dispense” spout is a joke This filter is pretty darn good. Before I purchased it I found several independent studies on the internet, including one done by my alma mater, that all agreed that Zerowater is the best pitcher water filter out there. Now that doesn’t mean this is a super filter or anything like that. It is designed to take clean, potable water and remove any remaining impurities. It is not designed to filter dirty or contaminated water, you will clog your filter. There are other, very good, filtration systems out there designed for applications like that. One of the things I really like about the design of this filter is that the filter actually screws into the top of the pitcher and there is a rubber O-ring that makes sure you have a tight seal. The O-ring is part of the filter assembly, a new one comes with each filter, so you don’t even need to worry about the O-ring wearing out over time. This design ensures that all the water from the top reservoir has to go through the filter before going into the main body of the pitcher (bottom reservoir) where you can pour it out. This is one of the main reasons why I switched from Britta to Zerowater. I took a look at how my Britta filter was working and I noticed that only about half of the water was going through the filter. The other half was actually going around it into the bottom reservoir. Since the filter on a Britta is a drop in design, the size of the filter has to match the size of the hole in the pitcher exactly. If not, water will flow around the filter and not much will go through. I threw away that filter and tried a new one, same problem. So, I started looking for a better designed water pitcher. I have owned and used this Zerowater pitcher for two years, and I definitely think it is the best. Yes, the filters are expensive, especially compared to Brita filters, but with my tap water and usage level, I only need to change filters about once every 6 months. For the performance, and the fact that Britta filters are supposed to be changed every 2 months, I find that pretty reasonable. Your mileage may vary depending on how bad your tap water is and how much water your family uses. The one bad thing about this filter, when the reading reaches 006 on the included meter, change the filter as soon as possible. Not because that level of minerals in the water is suddenly dangerous, but because, in my experience, it is the first sign that the filter is starting to go bad. And when the filter goes bad, it does so quickly. Taking regular readings, it is my experience that the meter reads 000 for the first 3-4 months, climbs to 003 in month 5, and 006 in month 6. After it reaches 006, I only have maybe two weeks to change the filter before the water starts to smell fishy. And I mean that literally, like fish. It starts off very subtle at first, but it will get stronger and stronger. I don’t know if it comes from some chemical from the filter leaching into the water or if it is from some sort of bacterial contamination in the filter but to avoid it, change the filter immediately when the meter reads 006. On fit and finish, when I first got the pitcher there were a lot of rough edges in the plastic, especially on the handle. That was weird and slightly annoying, you would think that for a premium water pitcher they would pay more attention to something like that. Also, the “push to dispense” spout at the bottom of the handle is a joke. You only get a trickle of water out of it. You’ll be standing there for 5 minutes waiting for your cup to fill up or you can just pick up the pitcher and pour the water in 5 seconds. Needless to say, I have always just used the pour spout