Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I bought the Aquasana Filter set that included the wand (not chrome set). For starters, I only purchased this filter six months ago and already the price has jumped $20. The replacement filter now costs the amount I paid for the whole set. I know manufacturing costs go up, Russian hackers scare Wall Street and threat of alien invasions all lead to higher prices, but that's a 40% spike in 6 months. Seems a little excessive to me, but maybe the CEO needed to pay for his new yacht, know knows? The unit is so easy to setup, it almost installs itself. The $104 installation charge is a total chicanery, please don't pay that, anyone... EVER. I'll come to your house and install it if you need me to. The only tool you will need is a wrench or plyers and you may not even need those. Unscrew your current shower head from the pipe and screw on the main section of the filter (minus the wand and head). I was able to finger tighten the filter collar screw onto the pipe without any seal leakage. Run the water through the filter until until the the water turns clear (it will be black at first as it cylces out the carbon). Next, tightened the wand collar onto the outlet spicket on the filter. And that's it, good to go. I was expecting the whole unit to be constructed out of cheap plastic, but in fact it seems to be pretty durable. Although the chrome ring on the head is not metal, but cheap "chrome" plastic. The clamp that holds the wand is tight and holds the wand securely. I've had other shower heads with wands that constantly bent forward, even after tightening the collar, which is why I was hesitant to purchase this version with the wand. But so far it works great. The head has a good pattern to it and is variably adjustable from "spray" to "massage". I've used some with preset patterns, so this is a welcome feature. The hose length is good enough to wash the dog in the bath, but not so cumbersome it gets in the way. One caveat with the hose is that it's somewhat stiff and won't relax after use. In the photo, you can see how it protrudes out some. One feature that benefits me is that the wand provides a few extra inches to the shower head height. Being 6'4", not being sprayed in the face by the shower head is a nice bonus, plus you don't have to worry about throwing out you back as you contort to wash your hair. The perils of height, sad indeed. I do not remove the wand often, so I cannot speak to the durability of the joint holding the wand, but it appears sturdy. Concerning the quality of the water, which is probably the main reason for purchase, I can only state my experience based on viewable and perceivable results. For starters, the taste of the water dramatically improved. It's city water that I use and before installing this shower head, it had a chocolatetly bitter start with metallic undertones and a chlorine finish. Now the water has a sweet, mild flavor. I'm no biologist, but I think that's an improvement. Granted, I suppose most people aren't bottleing water in the shower and selling it, but I think the taste should in some way speak to its quality. Another thing I noticed is that the white (and other color) build up that used to grace the shower walls is now gone. Also gone, is the black crud that grew on the bottom of the shower curtain. Here again, I haven't pulled out the micron microscope or fired up the spectrometer, but I think that means something has changed, for the good??? Maybe if you're trying to grow live cultures in your shower, you'd find this news disappointing. And for my final observance, The Female Test. Several women in the household have commented on their hair being being better in regards to "split ends", "more body" and several other words and phrases that are foreign to me. The consensus is that their hair feels better after the install of this water filter. My hair feels like... hair, honestly. Split ends sound painful, so I hope I never have to deal with that. Another feature that needs to be mentioned, is that if you purchase the wand, then do not like the function of it, you can mount a shower head directly onto the filter spicket. In fact, you could just use your old head, as it's the same thread pattern. Concerning the pricing and sets available, if I was currently buying one, I'd go with the chrome package. For a few dollars more, you get a metal hose that should last longer and "drape" better in the shower. Look at my photo to see how the rubber hose rests. So, I don't have any fancy chemistry sets to check the ratio of parasites to particles. I didn't break apart the filter to see what's inside, it could be sand for all I know. And I didn't consult the EPA for a side by side analysis of my water before and after. I just know that there's a difference from before and after. Was it worth $52 (my cost)? At the time, yes. Will I continue to shell out $100 a year to replace the filters, maybe. I plan to soon buy a house with well water and I'll see how that goes. One less star for the $20 price increase in less than 6 months. Happy showering.