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Saturday, June 27, 2015

Independent laboratory testing results of popular gravity water filters


Water pitcher lab testing results. I feel this information should be made freely accessible, not having to subscribe or pay or anything else. It benefits everyone to know which ones work the best and information that helps someone to lead a better life, should be free, in my own opinion. I apologize to anyone that has taken offense to my doing this but, life shouldn't be about money or making a profit in any other form. Life should simply be about people helping people to live a better life.


Big Berkey -


Big Berkey was by far the best-performing gravity water filter  tested, achieving near-total removal of all toxic elements when used with the attached arsenic / fluoride filters (which attach underneath the black ceramic filters).


Product assembly was straightforward and simple, and all the parts in the unit worked reliably.

Reduction of elements by Big Berkey:

Aluminum: 86.6%
Copper: 100.0%
Arsenic: 100.0%
Strontium: 100.0%
Cadmium: 100.0%
Cesium: 98.6%
Mercury: 99.8%
Lead: 100.0%
Uranium: 100.0%


Zen Water Systems Filter -


The Zen Water Systems filter performed extremely well, removing 99% or better of most toxic elements.

The Zen Water System uses a 5-stage see-through filter element that also alkalizes the water by adding trace minerals after filtration.

The unit was easy to assemble and worked reliably. Two drawbacks to the unit: 1) The see-through construction allows light to provide photosynthesis energy to algae, so if water is left in the unit for a long period of time, algae may begin to grow. (It's not harmful, but might be unsightly.) 2) The unit is made primarily of resins, not stainless steel, so the long-term durability of the unit is likely not be as good as a stainless steel unit. On the positive side, however, the Zen Water Systems filter looks more visually appealing and less like a piece of survival hardware, making it a potentially better choice for offices, kitchens or healing practices.

Reduction of elements by Zen Water Systems:

Aluminum: 89.6%
Copper: 99.9%
Arsenic: 99.5%
Strontium: 90.9%
Cadmium: 99.1%
Cesium: 94.2%
Mercury: 99.4%
Lead: 99.9%
Uranium: 99.8%


ZeroWater Water Filter -


The ZeroWater water filter out-performed all other water filters tested, easily earning the top spot in terms of performance. 

Astonishingly, ZeroWater removed 100% of several elements (Aluminum, Strontium and Cesium) while removing over 99% of everything else, including lead and arsenic.

This performance is virtually unheard of in water filtration technologies, regardless of the manufacturer.
The only drawback of ZeroWater filters is that they can quickly be "used up" if you try to filter high mineral content water through them such as well water. Because the ZeroWater ion exchange element binds with virtually ALL elements, its life will be reduced if you run high TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) water through it on a regular basis.

Nevertheless, because of its impressive performance, ZeroWater earns our choice as the single best countertop water filter to own for emergency use. It very effectively removes toxic heavy metals as well as elements with radioactive isotopes.

Actual results for the ZeroWater water filter:

Aluminum reduction: 100%
Copper reduction: 99.1%
Arsenic reduction: 99.3%
Strontium reduction: 100%
Cadmium reduction: 99.2%
Cesium reduction: 100%
Mercury reduction: 99.4%
Lead reduction: 99.2%
Uranium reduction: 99.1%


WaterMan Mini water filter -


Despite its small size, the WaterMan Mini water filter performed extremely well, easily out-performing nearly every other water filter tested.

The increase of strontium in the filtered water (+179%) is actually not a concern. This was a non-radioactive strontium which is typically used as an effective ion exchange medium in filtration technologies. Stronium in its stable isotope is actually a positive mineral for bone health.

Actual results for the WaterMan Mini water filter:

Aluminum reduction: 62.4%
Copper reduction: 89.2%
Arsenic reduction: 54.0%
Strontium reduction: INCREASE of 179%
Cadmium reduction: 49.1%
Cesium reduction: 25.7%
Mercury reduction: 99.7%
Lead reduction: 93.7%
Uranium reduction: 72.4%


Mavea Water Filter -


The Mavea water filter test performed relatively poorly, but unlike many other filters, it did not release additional aluminum into the water. For this reason, it's rated as superior to Pur, Brita and Culligan.
The overall ability of the Mavea water filter to removal elements was relatively poor. Based on the laboratory results, it is not recommended to buy Mavea as a water filter for the removal of heavy metals and radioactive isotopes.

Actual results for the Mavea water filter:

Aluminum reduction: 8.1%
Copper reduction: 18.8%
Arsenic reduction: 18.6%
Strontium reduction: 2.4%
Cadmium reduction: 9.2%
Cesium reduction: 15.3%
Mercury reduction: 85.0%
Lead reduction: 23.4%
Uranium reduction: 22.7%


Seychelle Water Filter - 


The Seychelle water filter test performed better than most. Lead removal at 72% was respectable, and the filter removed more cesium (38.7%) than nearly all the filters tested.

Seychelle also did an outstanding job removing arsenic. For this reason, Seychelle is recommended as a reliable filter for the removal of heavy metals and radioactive isotopes.

Actual results for the Seychelle water filter:

Aluminum reduction: INCREASE of 27.9%
Copper reduction: 39.9%
Arsenic reduction: 78.4%
Strontium reduction: 30.2%
Cadmium reduction: 27.8%
Cesium reduction: 38.7%
Mercury reduction: 99.6%
Lead reduction: 72.0%
Uranium reduction: 43.2%


Culligan Water Filter -


The Culligan water filter test performed poorly, near the bottom of the performance list. (Only Brita was worse.)

Culligan only removed about 16% of arsenic, 30% of lead and 30% of cesium.
It is not recommended to use Culligan as a water filter for the removal of heavy metals and radioactive isotopes.

Actual results of the Culligan countertop water filter:

Aluminum reduction: INCREASE of 52.4%
Copper reduction: 30.8%
Arsenic reduction: 16.0%
Strontium reduction: 27.8%
Cadmium reduction: 22.6%
Cesium reduction: 30.4%
Mercury reduction: 62.4%
Lead reduction: 30.2%
Uranium reduction: 28.6%



Pur Water Filter -  


The Pur water filter test performed poorly, removing relatively small amounts of most heavy metals and elements while actually increasing the concentration of aluminum in the filtered water.

Based on these results, it is not recommended that Pur water filters be used in the removal of heavy metals or radioactive isotopes.

Actual results for the Pur water filter:

Aluminum reduction: INCREASE of 46.8%
Copper reduction: 27.6%
Arsenic reduction: 19.8%
Strontium reduction: 15.4%
Cadmium reduction: 17.4%
Cesium reduction: 27.8%
Mercury reduction: 98.9%
Lead reduction: 34.9%
Uranium reduction: 31.5%


Brita Water Filter - 



The Brita water filter test was the worst-performing water filter of all those tested. This was surprising, given the high popularity of the Brita water filter at retail.


Shockingly, the Brita only removed 14% of lead and about 12% of arsenic. At the same time, it actually increased the amount of aluminum in the water by almost 34%.

Based on these results, it is not recommended that Brita water filters be used in the removal of heavy metals or radioactive isotopes.

Actual results of the Brita water filter:

Aluminum reduction: INCREASE of 33.9%
Copper reduction: 8.6%
Arsenic reduction: 12.1%
Strontium reduction: 3.6%
Cadmium reduction: 6.6%
Cesium reduction: 9.5%
Mercury reduction: 74.6%
Lead reduction: 14.1%
Uranium reduction: 10.0%



Cyrstal Drop Water Filter -


The Crystal Drop water filter performed quite poorly compared to the other water filters in this testing. Its ability to remove toxic elements from water was shown to be significantly low enough that the unit should not be considered a reliable tool for the removal of toxic elements from water.

Reduction of elements by the Crystal Drop Water Filter:

Aluminum: -1165.5% (large increase in Aluminum)
Copper: 41.2%
Arsenic: 22.7%
Strontium: -51.8%
Cadmium: 29.2%
Cesium: 21.7%
Mercury: 85.3%
Lead: 62.3%
Uranium: 41.1%


ProPur Water Filter -


The ProPur Water Filter showed several problems. From the start, the assembly could not be completed because the attachment screw in the lid knob was too short to attach the knob to the lid.
The first flush of the ProPur system using the standard filters produced a heightened lead level of 5405 ppb in the flush water. This was very surprising and was not observed in any other water filter. The ProPur unit was flushed a total of five times, monitoring the lead levels in the resulting water for each flush. Lead steadily reduced to 140 ppb by the 5th flush, indicating the importance of exhaustively flushing the filters many times before using them.

The test results of the ProPur with its original filters was quite poor, indicating relatively little ability for its standard filters to remove toxic elements. In addition, the standard filters also released Aluminum into the water, nearly doubling the Aluminum concentration in the filtered water.

The ProPur unit also introduced additional lead into the water, possibly from the metal alloy used in the spigot that dispenses the water.

Reduction of elements by the ProPur Water Filter (standard filters):

Aluminum: -91.8% (meaning Aluminum was increased rather than reduced)
Copper: 18.8%
Arsenic: 21.4%
Strontium: -33.9%
Cadmium: 13.7%
Cesium: 17.6%
Mercury: 99.8%
Lead: -26.5% (meaning Lead was increased rather than decreased)
Uranium: 21.5%


Doulton Water Filter -


The Doulton water filter performed the poorest of the filters we tested, removing surprisingly little of the toxic elements tested.

Although the unit might be perfectly capable of removing bacteria, parasites and amoeba from water, it has proven itself quite incapable of removing toxic elements and heavy metals.

Reduction of elements by the Doulton Water Filter:

Aluminum: -248.0% (increase in Aluminum)
Copper: 21.3%
Arsenic: 19.3%
Strontium: 4.2%
Cadmium: 8.2%
Cesium: 11.9%
Mercury: 95.0%
Lead: 20.9%
Uranium: 35.0%


Clearly Filtered Water Pitcher Lab Results

According to their laboratory test results, 99.99% of chlorine and 90% of fluoride are removed by their products; these fluoride removal numbers are particularly high compared to some of the other results.

The filter was independently tested and certified by EPA protocols and NSF standards (42 and 53) and results can be found on the company’s website here.

You can purchase the Clearly Filtered water pitcher by clicking here.

P.S. You can see some of the results of the filtration test below, which were given to the Clearly Filtered company by the Los Angeles County’s Environmental Toxicology Bureau.

Lab results from the Clearly Filtered water pitcher.
- See more at: http://althealthworks.com/2188/fluoride-removing-lab-test-results-for-the-clearly-filtered-water-pitcher/#sthash.daHyAMzk.dpuf



Brand & ModelPriceRatings and Test Results
Carafe water filters
Price
info
overall score
info
overall score
Lead removal
info
Chloroform removal
info
Flow rate
info
Clogging
info
CU Best BuyBody Glove 1 gallon pitcher see here$55
20
CU Best BuyClear2O CWS100A see here$30
93
CU Best BuyCrystal Quest CQE-PI-00600 see here$25
39
CU Best BuyPur CR-6000C see here$20
57
CU Best BuyShaklee Get Clean Water Pitcher see here$68
41
CU RecommendedZeroWater ZD-013 8-cup Pitcher see here
Similar to tested model: ZeroWater ZP-010 10-cup Pitcher
$35
70
NA
CU RecommendedZeroWater ZP-010 10-cup Pitcher see here$38
70
NA
Faucet-mounted water filtersoverall score
CU Best BuyBrita Base On Tap OPFF-100 see here$19
75
CU Best BuyBrita FF100 see here$30
71
CU Best BuyCrystal Quest CQE-FM-00501 see here$28
23
CU Best BuyCulligan FM-15A see here$20
80
CU RecommendedCulligan FM-25 see here
Similar to tested model: Culligan FM-15A
$25
80
CU Best BuyPur FM-3333B see here$20
73
CU RecommendedPur FM-3700B see here$30
77
Countertop water filtersoverall score
CU RecommendedAmway eSpring 10-0188 see here$1000
94
CU Best BuyAquasana AQ-4000 see here$100
75
CU Best BuyCrystal Quest CQE-CT-00109 see here$129
76
CU Best BuyShaklee BestWater MTS2000 #82300 see here$260
87
CU Best BuyZuvo Water Purolator ZPS130 see here$180
64
NA
Undersink water filtersoverall score
CU RecommendedAmerican Plumber WLCS-1000 see here$200
82
CU Best BuyAqua-Pure AP Easy Complete see here$140
78
CU RecommendedAqua-Pure by Cuno AP-DWS1000 see here$300
88
CU Best BuyCulligan US-EZ-4 see here$70
79
CU RecommendedEcowater EPS 1000 see here$390
87
CU Best BuyEverpure H-1200 EV9282-00 see here$450
65
CU Best BuyEverpure H-300 EV9270-76 see here$250
71
CU Best BuyGE GX1S50R (Home Depot) see here$78
77
CU Best BuyGE GXSL55R (Home Depot) see here$100
73
CU Best BuyGE SmartWater GXSV65F (Home Depot) see here
Discontinued
$127
76
CU Best BuyGE SmartWater GXSV65R (Home Depot) see here
Similar to tested model: GE SmartWater GXSV65F (Home Depot)
$133
76
CU Best BuyKenmore 38501 see here$120
72
CU Best BuyKohler Aquifer K200/202 see here$250
80
NA
CU RecommendedMulti-Pure MP750SB see here$430
90
CU Best BuyOmni CBF-3 see here$115
80
CU Best BuyWhirlpool WHED20 see here$125
80
Reverse osmosis water filtersoverall score
CU RecommendedCoway P-07QL see here$640
91
CU RecommendedCulligan Aqua-Cleer see here$1000
86
CU Best BuyCulligan Good Water Machine AC30 see here$900
81
CU RecommendedEcowater ERO-375 see here$675
91
CU Best BuyGE GXRM10RBL see here$155
82
CU Best BuyKenmore 38156 see here
Similar to tested model: Kenmore Elite 38556
$170
85
CU Best BuyKenmore Elite 38556 see here$255
85
CU RecommendedKinetico K5 Drinking Water Station see here$1800
95
CU Best BuyPentek RO-3500 see here$260
80
CU Best BuyWhirlpool WHER25 see here$200
86


Berkey Water Purifiers vs Popular Aquasana and Brita Filters

Berkey vs Aquasana – Berkey vs Brita – Aquasana vs Brita
This table compares the Big Berkey water purification system to Aquasana and Brita.  You will see in this water filter comparison that Berkey water purifiers are the ultimate winner.  They are the most powerful at removing contaminants and the best value for your money.

ModelBig Berkey with 2 Black Berkey ElementsAquasana Countertop
AQ-4000 
Brita On Tap Filtration System
OPFF-100
Brita Classic Water Pitcher
35548
Retail Price (CAD)325.00$124.99$18.99$21.60
Replacement Filter Cost / Filter Life in Liters$107.00 /
22,700 liters
$59.99 /
1,892 Liters
$18.99 /
356 Liters
$7.99 /
151 Liters
Capable of Purifying Untreated Rain, Lake, River, or Stagnant Pond WaterYesNoNoNo
Cost / Liter$0.005 / liter$0.032 / liter$0.053 / liter$0.053 / liter
Replacement Filter Cost / Year
(based on filtering 70 liters per week,
3640 liters a year)
$17 / year$115 / year$194 / year$193 / year
1st Year Cost
(includes price of initial product)
$279.00$154.99$194.00$206.61
2nd Year Cost$0.00$115.39$194.00$193.00
3rd Year Cost$0.00$115.39$194.00$193.00
4th Year Cost$0.00$115.39$194.00$193.00
5th Year Cost$0.00$115.39$194.00$193.00
5 Year Total Investment$279.00$616.55$970.00$978.61
Operates Without Water PressureYesNoNoYes
Pathogenic Bacteria, Cysts and Parasites:
E. Coli - Klebsiella - Pseudomonas Aeruginosa - Giardia -
Cryptosporidium - Raoultella Terrigena
Exceeds purification standards:
>99.9999%
Pathogenic Bacteria: No
Cysts: >99.99%
Parasites: No
Pathogenic Bacteria: No
Cysts: >99.99%
Parasites: No
No
Viruses: (MS2 - Fr Coliphage)>99.999%NoNoNo
Pesticidesremoved to below detectable limitsNoNoNo
Herbicidesremoved to below detectable limitsNoNoNo
Chlorineremoved to below detectable limits>97.4%>97.5%>97%
Aluminum>75%NoNoNo
Copper>95%NoNo>95%
Iron<95%NoNoNo
Lead>97.5%>99.3%>99.3%No
Mercury>98%>96.6%No>95%
Cadmium>99.5%NoNo>97%
Chromium>95%NoNoNo
Volatile Organic Compounds:
Ex. Atrazine, Benzine, Carbon, Chloroform,
Ethylene Dibromide, Lindane,
Tetrachloroethylene, Tetrachloride
removed to below detectable limits>99%>99%No
Radiologicals:
Radon 222
removed to below detectable limitsNoNoNo
Fluoride, Arsenic and Other Residual Heavy Metal Ionsup to 99.75% reduction with additional Berkey PF-2 filterNoNoNo


Sources:

http://www.waterfiltercomparisons.com/pitcher-water-filters-reviews/#start_compare






Big Berkey Water Purifiers ~ The Clear Choice

Shop around for the best prices


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