PUR 3-Stage Vertical Faucet Mount Chrome FM-3700B
by PUR
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Our Price: $27.97 Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Buy Used: from $25.17 (click here) Category: Tools See more product details |
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of PUR 3-Stage Vertical Faucet Mount Chrome FM-3700B
Customer Review: Quick, easy, and (with one exception) highly convenient.
Summary: 4 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
My wife has kept a large/rectangular Pur reservoir-type water filter in the refrigerator for a number of years, which has been a nice alternative to more expensive (and less environmentally-friendly) bottled water. While I absolutely enjoy an ice cold bottle of Fiji or Voss now and again, placing a luxury premium on something as fundamental as hydration does, at times, make a little less sense for us. While we knew going in the Pur faucet mount would mean a lack of refrigeration, the convenience of having an on-demand supply of filtered water made this too good to pass up when the opportunity presented itself. We had very recently installed a brand new high arc Delta faucet in our kitchen, I still had easy access to the little plastic 'key' that made it easy to remove the aerator from the same -- I figured this was all going to be a snap.
Sadly, it was not. While the Pur comes with 4 adapters (2 male, 2 female), each different sizes, none of those provided fit my new faucet. What should have been a very quick and easy install (just to test it I installed it in our master bathroom in about 2 minutes) was not, and I found myself on the 800 line provided in the documentation ordering (no charge) different sized adapters that, according to their recording, "should" fit my faucet. Why these aren't included as a matter of consumer convenience is a bit of a mystery (no it's not, it's a cost saving measure), but I imagine that I am in the minority when it comes to being able to install right out of the box. When I called the number provided, I was given the following information in case I wanted to just buy my own adapter from the local hardware:
"55/64, 27 threads per inch." I hope this saves someone else some time and energy.
Armed with that information, I was able to call the local box store where we bought our Delta faucet, and they were able to confirm that they had an appropriate adapter that I could have for less than a dollar. I declined, and I'll wait for the free alternatives from Pur instead (and will try to report my success or lack thereof here when they arrive).
In the meantime, the filter is installed and functional in our master bath, where it will serve faithfully filling water bowls (the hairy kids deserve filtered water too!) and the occasional late night water glass. While the filtered stream itself is a little underwhelming at first, it's still a dramatic improvement over the relative dribble one gets from the larger reservoirs. It's about 25% of the unfiltered flow from the tap, and (give or take) I suspect that would hold relatively true against your own water pressure given the fixed resistance from the filters.
Each filter is said to be good for roughly 100 gallons, there is a convenient green/yellow/red led indicator that flashes during use letting you know when a new one is (near) due.
We expect to get a lot of use out of this filter, that it didn't fit out faucet out of the box was unfortunate but entirely forgivable. If you don't mind waiting two weeks for a free adapter, we established that it's quick and inexpensive to pop out (if you're able and willing) and simply buy your own as an immediate solution.
--update--
The new adapters arrived a couple days ago, and none of them fit that new Delta faucet. Now I'm struggling with the star rating here a bit, insofar as it's a pretty big deal that we've had to go out and buy the proper adapter to make it work in the kitchen. In the end, I don't think I'm going to drop it from 4 to 3. They gave me 10 adapters; 4 included and 6 more upon my request. I have to figure (hope) that my experience was one-in-a-million in terms of not ending up with one that worked (though it may be well worth it for you, reader, to see if other reviews after mine report the same thing. I will say this, however:
If you have a brand new faucet (like my Delta), then buyer beware. Still seems unlikely you'll be obligated to find your own adapter as I was, but clearly it's possible, and that's enough of a headache that you might be turned away. I wasn't, I'm still a fan of this particular PUR, and so my rating (and its implied recommendation) stands.
Customer Review: A 4 for functionality, but the physics of it requires a little pampering
Summary: 4 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
I have a water filter on my refrigerator doors water dispenser. I use it all of the time. The junk that you find in water is unbelievable. I will never forget I saw a truck going down the street with 55 gallon drums with a skull and cross bones on them, and all kinds of federal requirement warnings of poisonous substance onboard. It was marked chlorine, and on the way to the municipal water supply to add to our drinking water. Of course they only add a little bit at a time, and it is necessary to destroy the bacteria and other nasty critters that get in our drinking water, but when it is done doing its job, I want it out of my water that makes it to the cup. In addition there is lead in the solder for the pipes, and God knows what kind of bug spray, fertilizers, and septic tank run off that makes it into our water supply, not to mention acid rain, and all kinds of pollutants that come out of the sky and land smack dab in the middle of our drinking water.
So filtering is important. How you achieve that filtering is another matter. I used to use the inexpensive Brita 42629 Slim Pitcher. It is an amazing what a carbon filter will get out, and like this PUR system it gets out high 90 some percent of it. So some kind of system is too inexpensive not to get. The disadvantage to the Brita system is that you have to remember to fill it all of the time, and then there is the lugging it around, opening the fridge and putting it back every time you want a drink of water. With the PUR system it is always at the ready right at the tap.
Now let's get into the problem that so many are speaking of with this PUR 3-Stage, and that is the mount leaking. I think that because of the nature of the physics of attaching a larger device to the end of a faucet and having all kinds of people in the house using it, and maybe some not caring that it is attached in only one spot making it easy to break can lead to early gasket or mounting failure. I have been using it for only two weeks and so far not a drop is wasted. I really don't plan on taking it on and off. It will just stay there. There isn't any need to even swivel it around either. It works just like a regular faucet, unless you flip the little black plastic flap/valve on the right side, and then directs the water to go through the filter like you see in the picture. That flap turns so easily it almost moves itself. So no torque is involved with changing the positions. I like to say that a good mechanic never forces anything. There is no need to exert force on this unit.
So essentially the mounting setup is quite easy and only takes a minute or two. You remove the little screen and round screw on threaded end on your faucet, and then install the plastic threaded adapter on the end of your faucet. Then the two buttons on the unit are squeezed to allow a spring loaded grasping mechanism to hold it onto the adapter. You let go and you are done. Oh yeah you have to install the filter first into the cartridge area, and screw that on first. Let the water run for 5 minutes in order to purge the system of carbon filter dust and you are ready to go.
I really like the idea of being able to get drinking water out of my bathroom faucet instead of having to go out to the kitchen all of the time, so this unit is really handy. I can definitely taste a difference in the filtered water and the non-filtered no matter what type of filtration system you use, and the water here in "Springfield" has always been the best. So far I think the PUR system is great. If I run into the leaking problem that others have experienced I will come back and edit this review, but for now, I have to highly recommend it. Check the date of this review, if you haven't heard from me back it is purring along. :-) (No pun intended)
Customer Review: No Problems
Summary: 4 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
I have used this new and improved version of the Pur Faucett Mount Water Filter for well over a month now. I have had absolutely zero problems with it leaking or cracking as the older version apparently did, and I have bumped it numerous times with pots and pans. The following are the pros and cons I have observed with this unit:
pros:
No Leaks
No Cracks
Good Tasting Filtered Water
Filter Housing Swivels From Side-To-Side
Cons:
Bulky (ok if you have a high arched faucett)
Too Easy to Accidently Turn Water Filter Lever On (Up-Down Lever)
Filter Life Too Short (100 Gallons)
I used up the filter in less than a month in a household of 5 adults and 3 children, but I am pretty certain this unit doesn't actually measure the amount of water being filtered. I think it is based more on how many times, in average, the unit gets activated. If this is so, then it still should have plenty of filter life left due to the bulky factor and the numerous times it accidently got turned on and then quickly turned off. The "unknown" filter life factor makes it nearly impossible to know when to replace it and I don't want to have to replace it before it's time due to the cost of replacement filters and I don't want to leave it in place too long because I don't want any contaminants to suddenly leak from it into what a person would normally assume was a clean glass of water.
The other major problem with this is the ease with which the filter lever can be turned on. I have been doing a lot of canning recently and so have been washing a tremendous amount of pots and pans by hand in hot water. The directions warn not to filter hot water as it could release contaminants from the filter. I can't tell you how many times I accidentally did this! The directions didn't say how to remedy this, so I just ran some cold water through the filter again before resuming using it to hopefully wash out any possible contaminants it may have released. The not knowing part is what bothers me the most...kind of defeats the purpose of filtering water if you're going to suddenly get a huge dose of contaminants all at once. For that reason I have decided that a countertop model might prove more beneficial than a faucett mount. Or even a Black Berkey R/O ($275), although I have read that they can produce acidic water instead of a more pH neutral. Will have to do some more research before deciding on what is best.
All-in-all it is better than no filtration for consuming water, but you must use this very carefully. If you have a high-arched faucett, this would be much easier to use as the lever would be out of the way more. I used to have one on my sink, but the internal parts broke and we couldn't find a replacement part for it, so bought another one with an arch that isn't as high. I am now regretting that, but can't currently justify spending another $300-400 for a new one. Just be aware.
Customer Review: Bad execution. Fails too soon.
Summary: 2 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
Initially, I found the PUR water purifier to work well. It was very easy to install, taking only a minute. Even with clean NYC water (some of the best in the nation), I could taste a slight improvement after it ran through the filter. However, after only a week of light use, significant problems developed, which caused me to stop using the filter completely.
First a few pros:
* Easy installation. You remove the current aerator from the faucet and replace it with one included with the purifier. Then the filtration unit snaps onto place. Install the new cartridge, run the water for 5 minuutes, and you're good to go.
* The filtration unit removes easily with the push of two buttons, in case it gets in the way of washing dishes, etc.
* The water tastes good. I already had good tasting water, but could still taste a slight improvement with the use of the filter.
* There a LED that light up a certain color to indicate how much life is left in the filter. Unfortunately, I stopped using the filter too soon to test how accurately it works.
Unfortunately, the following issues mar the usability of this filter:
* Significant leaks developed within a week of light use. This happened where the filter unit snaps onto the faucet. Water also came out of the extra hole in the back of the filter chamber - I'm not sure if this is normal, but it wasn't an issue in the beginning; if it is normal, it seems like a purposeful waste of water.
* PUR claims a flow rate of 2.5 liters per minute, however I measured only 1.5 liter per minute. The pressure from my faucet should be sufficient enough to allow for the max flow rate.
* There seems to be significant backpressure caused by the filter, which might explain the leaking. In fact, after a week of use, my faucet developed a leak from the base where it attaches to the sink (this is in addition to the leak from where the filter unit attaches). All the leaking and occasional spraying of water has made me stop using this unit.
* The unit is bulky and really gets in the way of washing dishes. It's nice that it's easy to remove the filter with the push of some buttons, but this seems to wear out the washer head. The washer head also doesn't have an adequate aerator attached to it, so when the faucet is used without the filter unit, the water flow is harsh. This makes it difficult to wash dishes without water splashing everywhere. PUR does include an aerator in the filter unit itself, so that the water flow is softened when the unit is attached and the filter bypassed - but they really should have included one on the washer head itself.
* The entire unit is made of plastic, despite looking like chrome. While it's nice to remove impurities from the local water supply, I'm not comfortable ingesting whatever might be leaching from the plastic as a replacement.
Customer Review: The more I use this, the more I like it
Summary: 4 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
UPDATE: I didn't think the snap-on/-off feature was that big of a deal until we moved to a new house that has a smaller sink than we're used to. The water is not good here, so having the PUR filter is essential; but when I'm doing a lot of dish-washing, it's a bit cumbersome. But it's SO EASY to just press the little white buttons and snap it off for a while, then click it back on when I want to filter water. Also, I was able to get DH in the habit of just always flipping the black filter on/off knob into the non-filtering position. (That was easier than trying to train him to remember to not use hot water with the filtering mechanism on.)
ORIGINAL REVIEW: Our whole town is on spring water, which normally tastes wonderful right out of the tap, but recently the town began a huge project to dig up and change out all the water pipes. We started noticing that the water was not tasting as good (hopefully a temporary situation until the work is completed and the pipes have all been flushed out), so I got one each of the new PUR 3-stage faucet-mount chrome filters, the "low-profile" horizontal one (FM-9400B) and the vertical one (FM-3700B). The directions for both are spare but adequate. If you follow them step by step, you should have no problems.
Comparing the two models, I'd say which style you choose is a matter of personal preference. We have standard faucets, not one of the newer designer kinds, so we had no trouble with installation or function with either type. I have a large farm-style sink and never need to rotate the filter to rest underneath my faucet, so either one works for me. For those who want the full 360-degree rotation capability, the horizontal mount would probably be the best for most faucets to ensure proper clearance. Personally, I like the look of the vertical-mount filter better, but the horizontal-mount one is a little easier to unscrew to change the filter. I speculate that the vertical one might be less likely to leak (if/when it starts leaking) due to gravity, but I haven't used these long enough to know if this would be the case.
Both models snap to and unsnap from the faucet easily, and both look good. If you don't look too closely, they look like they are made of stainless steel; they are not as heavy as stainless steel would be, however, and this is a good thing. Both horizontal and vertical models use the same style of filter and both have the green-yellow-red indicator light to alert you to the condition of the changeable filter. Both seem to work about the same. Like I said, which one you choose is largely a matter of personal preference.
One important point I'd like to make: Clearly, to keep from leaking, the filter enclosure cap must fit snugly, and it does on both models. But I have arthritis and found that I could not unscrew the hand-tightened cap by myself. Fortunately, somebody else in my household was able to do it for me.