Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)Great filter, great price, and a low cost of ownership...
Though I want to be forward with my biases. I am convinced water filters and bottled water for health reasons are unnecessary for cityfolk... what comes to your house if you get city water is very likely to be fine... in fact.. great; compared to what the rest of the world drinks, and especially compared to what people used to drink.
It may smell or taste funny, but not because its bad for you. Tests are conducted at the water treatment facility constantly, and they send you, and the powers that be, a water quality report regularly. Learn to read it. You will see that from the source, the municipal water standards are better than a) bottled water must be, and b) what most filters actually filter out.
That said... bottled water is usually just tap water... and filtered only for flavor, and maybe a little sodium added. Sometimes your really unlucky, and its well water (or gravity fed spring water) or artesian well water (lower water table under pressure.. less organic toxins, and more inorganic ones)... measured via the inferior FDA standards for water, and then only if its brought over state lines. Remember the FDA are the people that think less than 2% bug guts and rat poop in food is just fine.
I trust my unfiltered tap water over bottled water.
Most filters? They are one of two things... aesthetic filters that remove the most common substances that cause bad flavors, odor, and color (water pitchers, disposable filters, whole house filters, faucet mounts), possibly leaving all kinds of stuff you don't want in your mouth, or something like ultraviolet sterilization that leaves all the bad non-living substances but kills germs, or ceramics that are little better than aesthetic filters, or reverse osmosis filters that create a mineral free water which replaces those minerals with whatever it touches, like the container its in, or the carbon dioxide in the air... becoming acidic.. dissolving more potentially nasty stuff...
I trust my unfiltered tap over a bad filter.
Oh... long story short; You get this filter, and you live in the city, and you got this water thing licked. Its going to taste good, and that 1 micron filter will give you all the peace of mind you need. Even if your water was as scary as you fear, this filter would take care of it. Lead, chlorine, copper, cryptosporidium, volatile organic chemicals, plastic softeners, all out. You get a replacement filter every six months for $30 and you'll be just fine. You'll spend less on this superior housing and filter than you will on anything else out there now... even the junk that doesn't work is more expensive.
This filter is great. Its manufactured by Paragon and is often rebranded..
Look closely, and you'll see that this is the same model as the chrome filter that sells from Gaiam for $100, and the same as the chrome model that sells from Amazon from this store (Bestfilters) for $88... they both use the exact same filter cartridge inside.
The extra $30-50 is for chrome colored plastic and maybe a brand. My suggestion is to save your money. Go with the white plastic. If you don't, you are probably a sucker, and would better enjoy a $350 filter that does the same thing as this one. May I suggest Multipure, or any other filter from a multilevel marketing company?
Buy this and you are getting a good deal.
What about quality? Don't take my word for it... check the reviews on this model (the 2900) and the Chrome model (the 3200). On every site I could find the average review is 4.5 to 5 stars. I definitely give it that as well. It does what its supposed to.
Secondly, many companies put their reputations on the line when they rebrand and put their name on these filters. The quality is there. This filter isn't going to break in six months and flood your counter like... the Aquasana countertop filter reportedly does... constantly.
If you don't have municipal water... then you should be getting your well, or canteen, or cistern, or whatever the heck you have tested regularly. Consult a professional (not Amazon reviews) for your special needs... you probably don't have a countertop to set this filter on anyway... :)
One more bias... I am a bartender. I have nothing to do with the water filter industry, despite my glowing review of this one product. I've spent all this time learning about water because I was very nearly fooled by a waterfiltercomparisons web site that pretends to be unbiased, but is actually run by the president of a water filter company... complete with fake 'consumers digest" award... (I challenge you to subscribe to consumer's digest. go ahead. try.) It made me angry.
I spent a day on the national science foundation website reading about water filters and looking through their database of certifications (and picking the best of the best), and even went so far as to track down and interrogate a Paragon engineer about their filters. I actually read my municipal water report, and spent the time researching it long enough to understand what it said. I watched a half hour tv program about water, its bottling history (a scam 100 years ago), where it comes from, and how its treated. I read New York Times editorials about why we should be drinking tap water... and on and on...
I did all that so I wouldn't be scammed. I've written all of this so you won't be scammed either.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Countertop Superior Water Filter System - White - with 1 Micron Carbon Block Filter
This counter top unit sits on the counter and easily connects to most any kitchen faucet. A diverter valve replaces the aerator on your faucet. In the regular position, water exits straight through its own aerator. When filtered water is desired, turn on the cold water and pull out on the diverter valve knob - water is routed through the filter and out its own swivel spout. Uses a replaceable carbon block cartridge (included), in a single space-saving housing. This cartridge is manufactured using a patented process that yields a cartridge with a nominal 10 micron filtration rating, high dirt-holding capacity. A high porosity design helps prevent the cartridge from plugging before its adsorption capacity is exhausted, maximizing the utilization of the carbon while maintaining low pressure drop, 6,000 gallons chlorine taste & odor reduction. Flow rate is .75 to 1 gallon per minute. For cold water use only, includes two diverter adapters, spout, chrome diverter valve.Includes chlorine test strips to verify when it's time to replace cartridge.
