Countertop Superior Water Filter System - White - with 1 Micron Carbon Block Filter
by Crystal Clear Supply
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List Price: Our Price: $27.99 You Save: $61.01 (69%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Home See more product details |
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of Countertop Superior Water Filter System - White - with 1 Micron Carbon Block Filter
Customer Review: Another Best Bang per Buck!
Summary: 5 Stars
Just got mine in a few days ago, I had to wait until now because the adaptors didn't come with it and it took this long for me to get them--they came free from [...].
First, let me say, the Discription at the top of this page says to change filters anually, (that's every twelve months). Some of the reviewers said six months. The instructions say every three months. (maybe they are thinking you got some really 'bad' water?).
Second, The instructions were a little 'lite', so I e-mailed them and got all my questions answered within 12hrs. The instructions had easy to understand drawings (that looked incorrect to me--that's why I e-mailed them. Here is the information I got.
1. On the filter, unroll the foam wrap.
2. Open and remove the clear plastic wrap.
3. Set the filter onto the 'tube' at the bottom of the unit--screw the lid on.
4. You're done--it's ready to attach to the sink water supply.
So, why was oldtechno scratching his head about this? Well, the draws showed both 'end-caps' missing when installing the filter. It didn't make sense--but that's what the drawing showed. Futher, it showed the water seals missing and the plastic/string woven wrap missing--that really didn't make sense either. Sooo, all you got to do is follow my 1-4 instructions....no sweat!
Another good point about this great low-cost buy, the filter is not 1 micron--it's .5 microns (twice as good...maybe introductory sale?).
Microns--just how small is that? Well, years ago I was an amatuer astronomer--when the proffesionals couldn't get that little spider to weave its' silk web into a cross hair on their spotter scopes they would use Dental Floss.
Dental floss is a string. It is woven from many smaller 'strings'. If you take a piece of dental floss, unravel it to it's smallest-- almost microscopic--string you will find it is almost invisible. That smallest piece is 7 microns. The particles this filter can catch are more than 70X smaller.
Futher; as I remember my schooling in the military...most germs and almost all protozoids are bigger than .5 microns. (virus type bacteria are some times a lot smaller).
Finally; All in all, if you've got treated water or well water, I recommend this as an additional layer of defense against 'bad' water.
I like mine, sets up in a couple of minutes--no kidding. If you have the doe-ray-me I'd get a couple extra filters while they are cheap. I recommend you not unwrap them until you are going to use them. Try to keep them out of humid enviroments (kitchen). Don't run hot water through it. Easy to use.
Customer Review: The old cliché, you get what you pay for.
Summary: 2 Stars
I really wanted to like this unit. Bought it based on reviews here. I knew it was going to be an extremely simple, bare-bones product, but it ended up being less than that.
Received the unit a couple weeks after ordering. Opened, found one page of instructions that basically said to screw in the diverter valve - absolutely no maintenance or filter replacement instructions. Yeah, it's pretty basic, but these are things that should be explicitly written when you're dealing with filters and the water you're going to drink every day. It just takes a page or two. Unfortunately there is zero online info for this product, and e-mailing the company they said to call a phone number. Great, there goes my cell phone plan while I wait on hold.
Moving on, the first thing I did was try to open the unit to figure out how it works. It was screwed on so insanely tight it took me 20 minutes with the white wrench to get it undone.
After that, it took me a while to figure it out (not having one of these before), but my unit came with the wrong filter or some kind of grosser filter which was not carbon. I had already ordered the PB1 SBC replacements in advance, so at this point I figured "oh whatever" and waited until those came.
They came, and I put them in, and screwed the darned thing as hard as I could. Finally, here we go!
Turns out, no matter how tight you screw this thing, if the water level in the container comes too close to the top, the container leaks through the bottom screw part. Worst part is, I can't find any defects in it. The plastic is either just not strong enough to hold the water pressure, or they screwed it so tight in the first place that it weakened it permanently. This product just has a too simple design that's a pain to open/close, prone to damaging the screw mechanism, and thus prone to leaks.
The good:
- The diverter valve works quite well and seems sturdy, ALTHOUGH it's too easy to accidentally leave it in a "middle" position and accidentally get hot water in the unit.
- The water that I CAN get out of this DOES taste fairly neutral, which is what I was looking for, thanks entirely to the KX PB1 filter.
I'm going to use this for a couple weeks while I shop for a replacement. Too much of a pain, and doesn't seal properly. Either needs better materials or better design, or both. Even at this price, I feel cheated. At least I'll have filters ready for the next unit.
Customer Review: Great Filter
Summary: 5 Stars
I received this filter a little over a week ago and all I can say is wow. I have been using filters for many years now where ever I live. People use to say oh my well water is great. I say no. I can speak from personal experience.
Going back 35 years ago I grew up as a teenager in a home in which we had a well. For many years I was constantly sick to my stomach with abdominal pains and my mother brought me to an internist for a checkup, well to make a long story short, my parents had traced the problem to our water source. A business down the street had been dumping tricholethelene down the drain for years and it leached into 3 homes wells. The DEP came in and had to clean up the mess, and we all got a reverse osmosis water system that at the time cost my folks thousands. But the problem had been identified.
Second story, my husband worked with a fellow who told me that 3 families living in a row, each of the wives developed a particular kind of cancer, traced to the water which had uranium.
I feel in this day and age you just can't be safe drinking any kind of water. You just don't know what is down there in the ground that will over time leach into the well and cause severe health problems. People throw things down the drain that should not be put down there, basically contaminating the water and when you drink that you wonder why you are sick.
Do yourself a favor and get a filter. I do like this one in particular by [...], it has an excellent water flow and the cartridge they have in it is the PB1 which seems to do an excellent job at clarifing the water. I like this in particular because it is solid carbon block. Many of the other filters on the market are GAC, which is Granular Activated Carbon. The problem there is that there is channeling and bypass. With sold carbon it is able to absorb many of the impurities and color in the water. Those GAC filters are good for municipal water, not well water. We in particular have tannins in our water. My landlord has a $7000 water filter system in place, however, we still get the brownish water. But NOT with this filter. Nothing but crystal clear water.
I use it for cooking, drinking, coffee, ice cubes, brushing our teeth, etc. You won't go wrong with this unit. I hope this is helpful to those of you searching for a water filter. Take a step in the right direction by drinking good, clear water.
Customer Review: Good value countertop water filter
Summary: 4 Stars
I gave this product four stars only because (like most counter top models and even plumbed filters) it does not remove all chemicals (only expensive under-the-sink plumber-installed reverse osmosis -- I believe that's the name -- remove most, if not all, chemical contaminants).
That said, this model arrived intact and was very easy to install. Simply remove the cap (aerator) on your existing faucet and screw on the diverter valve. The diverter can be connected to a faucet with either inside or outside threads, and has a rotating collar to adjust the direction of the attached tube to the filter. The diverter has a "handle" which, when turned down, allows normal water flow. When turned half-way up, it diverts water through an approximately 2 foot tube to the filter. The back of my sink has a slight gap between it and the wall, so the approx. 3/8" tube tucked nicely behind, out of the way. The mini-faucet from the water filter extends far enough over the sink, and the system takes up little counter space. I have used the filter for drinking water and washing fruit and vegetables for over a month without any leaks or problems. The water filters quickly. I have to recheck, but the relatively inexpensive carbon filter can filter hundreds of gallons before needing replacing. The water is clear and tastes fine. The reason I bought the filter was that I thought that New York City water, coming from upstate mountain reservoirs was clean, although a check on ewg.com (Environmental Working Group), which has analyzed water supplies around the country, showed that there were pollutants. I was also concerned about what might be being added to the water as it travels through aging city pipes and those in my apt. building.
My only complaint was with the instruction sheet, typically very brief, although clear enough for the easy installation. A white plastic device was included which was not mentioned in the instructions and had me puzzled for awhile until I realized that it fit around the filter and is used to remove the plastic cover in order to replace the carbon filter. I have not had the filtered water tested, so I'm assuming it's removing what it's supposed to from the water. If so, it's a good value for the price.
Customer Review: Does the job nicely
Summary: 4 Stars
I purchased this for my parents a while back and have no complaints with it. I can definitely say that mine was entirely white whereas this one is has a cool clear plastic cover. I'd like to see the gunk so that it reminds me when to change the filter. Like an earlier reviewer said, it's definitely convenient to not have to deal with a proprietary filter when the company stops making it. (PUR CT-6000L countertop!) The only reason I knock a star off is why can't they make it a little more aesthetically pleasing? I point to the same aforementioned PUR CT-6000L as an example. I suppose then they would have to use a proprietary filter. What a bind. As far as the filter goes, I currently have no complaints and it's going strong so this is a good choice if you just want to keep things simple. Tap water in my area is not exactly bad but on those days when they dump in chlorine/chloramine to keep the system clean and healthy, this comes in quite handy to eliminate that chlorine taste. Of the vendors that sell this, I believe mine came from waterfiltersonline.com and I also purchased the http://www.amazon.com/Matrikx-Carbon-Filter-Replacement-Cartridge/dp/B000246SMS/ref=pd_bxgy_hi_text_b as part of the $50 package that amazon recommends. So technically, I guess the Matrikx is doing the actual job of taking out the chlorine taste. 5 stars for that!
On a side note, for those who are seduced by nice looking filters and don't mind some extra work and also have an extra sink hole, consider the Delta Simply PUR faucet. http://www.amazon.com/Filtration-Single-Handle-Traditional-Stainless-210-SS/dp/B000KQ5T0A . It also comes in shiny chrome. It's available at several other places even if it's discontinued on amazon. It uses a proprietary filter, sure, but at least that one is the same one used in all of their PUR faucet filters so it should be more prevalent and less risky of being discontinued. The filter media itself resides in a container that is mounted under the sink and you'll need to run some water lines so you'll need to consider that before purchasing.