Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Just to be clear, I purchased my Travel Berkey and fluoride filters from the Company and a glass view spigot & primer pump from Amazon because they were cheaper. I had just a horrible experience that I wanted to share for those considering this product. I'm very detail oriented and followed the instructions explicitly. I researched this product for 6 months before I purchased the Travel Berkey. I washed and assembled the container and parts, primed both the black filters and fluoride filters twice (instead of once) just to make sure, assembled the unit and I let it stand overnight in the sink to make sure there were no leaks. The next day I removed the fluoride filters and ran the 'red dye' test which was successful and reattached the fluoride filters and set the unit on a free-standing wood cabinet in my kitchen...it was the perfect spot for it. After it's first emptying, I refilled the top chamber being careful not to splash any water because I keep my purse and other kitchen items on that cabinet top also. About 2 hours later I noticed there was a small puddle of water only around the bottom of the unit on the cabinet and rubber rim. I couldn't imagine where it came from because there were no drips/water anywhere else on the chambers. I touched the spigot and it was dry also. I carried the unit to the sink and carefully emptied it and placed it upside down to rest vertically because I didn't want to lay it on it's side because of the weight of the filters. The only thing I could think of was that I might have been too cautious and didn't tighten the spigot enough or maybe didn't place the washer tight enough against the inside of the unit. I reassembled the spigot and carefully replaced everything, filled it w/water and left it overnight in the sink again. In the morning, everything was still dry and I placed it back on the cabinet and continued to use it throughout the day. Later in the afternoon, I noticed a white film floating on the top of my water I had just poured. I lifted the top chamber and saw a white film floating in the bottom unit also. In addition, I noticed that the left fluoride filter wasn't dripping, only the right one. So I researched the Company's site and even 'chatted' and learned that sometimes the fluoride filters can be stubborn to flush out (I must say, it is a lot of work to prime those filters...I remember thinking how glad I was that I didn't have arthritis...I can't imagine an older person being able to do this). Anyway, while my friend held up the upper chamber while I removed both fluoride filters to re-prime them, I noticed that the left black filter wasn't dripping as fast at the right black filter. (sigh) So, I re-primed all the filters again; (this was the 3rd time). The black filters were much easier to prime because of the Primer Pump I bought but to prime the fluoride filters is cumbersome and much more time-consuming. Again, I waited until the water ran clear with the fluoride filters, as I did the first 2 times. I replaced everything and set it in the sink overnight again. In the morning everything was dry so I placed it back on the cabinet without incident that day. Before I got into bed I realized I had forgotten my usual glass of water for my night table and went in the dark and filled a glass. Luckily I didn't drink any during the night; when I got up the next morning the glass was so cloudy I could barely see through it (see attached photo). I checked the bottom chamber and it was as cloudy as my glass of water! I was at my wits end and removed the fluoride filters and stored them in the fridge according to the instructions. I disassembled everything, washed the unit and rinsed the spigot and the filters, carefully replaced everything, checked the spigot washers, refilled the Berkey and set it back on the cabinet; both black filters were working properly. There wasn't a problem for the rest of the day. The next morning I went to get something out of my purse (leather) and it was soaked as was the side of the wood cabinet. I placed the Berkey in the sink and as I cleaned up the mess, the wood of the cabinet was already warped and the finish cracking. I never figured out where the water was coming from. I couldn't be more disappointed. I packed the unit up and returned it. In retrospect, this was an awful experience and an awful lot of money to pay for having to do so much work...the cost was certainly not worth my time or effort and to add salt to the wound, not only do I have a damaged purse and cabinet I had to pay return shipping charges ($32).