Best Water Filters

Filtering water pitchers

We found more reviews recommending water-filter pitchers than for any other type, but this is partly because this style is inexpensive enough to be reviewed a lot. Two brands dominate the market for water-filter pitchers, and as noted earlier, both say the plastic used doesn't contain bisphenol A (BPA). Both brands make two sizes: pitchers that hold eight or nine cups, plus larger dispensers with spigots that hold a little over a gallon. Both styles can be refrigerated.

The PUR CR-6000 2-Stage Pitcher (*Est. $17) is recommended in more reviews than any other water filter. It uses a carbon filter to reduce chlorine and sediment, and a second filtering agent helps reduce lead and copper. Blind taste tests give PUR water filters top marks for good-tasting water, and lab tests rank it at the top for removing more contaminants than Brita. The 21 contaminants even include methyl tertiary-butyl ether (MTBE), a gasoline additive that can pollute groundwater, and 2-4D, an herbicide. Tests also show that the PUR pitcher filters out cryptosporidium and giardia cysts. At the time of our report, no water filter is certified by the NSF to remove pharmaceuticals from tap water, but based on its own lab tests of 12 common medications, PUR claims that its two-stage filter removes them by 96 percent.

Two tradeoffs come with the superior PUR filtering: a slower flow rate and faster filter clogging. In water-filter pitchers and spigot dispensers it takes some time for the water to drip through the filter. Longer contact with the filter leads to more effective filtering, but this means it takes a few minutes longer before the water is ready to drink. Reviewers find the short filter life, because of clogging, a more serious problem since it increases the annual cost of replacement filters.

Brita pitchers get better scores for flow rate and filter life, so if your water test shows that its filtration is adequate, you can save money with this brand. The Brita Classic 35548 (*est. $22) is the most-recommended Brita pitcher. The NSF certifies the filters to remove chlorine, lead, copper, mercury and benzene, and to improve odor and taste. Unlike PUR pitcher filters, however, Brita pitchers are not certified to reduce cysts such as cryptosporidium and giardia (which can cause nasty stomach-flu-like symptoms). The filter cartridges can now be recycled, another plus. Independent lab tests done by a leading consumer organization, however, show that Brita water pitchers don't filter out lead as well as PUR filters.

The Clear2O Original Water Pitcher (*est. $25) boasts faster water filtering because you use pressure from the water faucet to push the water through a solid carbon filter. This model wins a Good Housekeeping Best Buy award and also gets an enthusiastic review from Sean Paajanen, the About.com guide to coffee and tea. He notes that the Clear2O is "the most complicated water filter jug I have ever used," but praises it for filling very fast. It's certified by the NSF to filter more contaminants than a Brita pitcher -- including MTBE and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) -- but fewer than the PUR. We didn't find any comparison tests that include it, but it earns mostly positive reviews at Amazon.com as long as the adapter fits your faucet.

ZeroWater claims superior filtering effectiveness for its five-stage Z-Water Pitcher (*est. $40), which builds a testing device into each pitcher. ZeroWater accepts filters for recycling, another plus. However, we didn't find any comparison tests of this brand, and the NSF and the Water Quality Association (WQA) list it for only seven contaminants.

Faucet-mounted water filters

Faucet-mounted water filters are easy to install -- simply screw one onto your faucet. While most water-filter pitchers use two-stage filters, you can get a three-stage filter on a faucet-mounted model. For example, the three-stage PUR faucet-mounted filters are certified to remove 30 different contaminants compared with 15 for the two-stage faucet-mounted filters. PUR's own tests also show the three-stage filters remove 99 percent of the 12 pharmaceuticals tested, while the two-stage filters remove 96 percent. Faucet-mounted water filters are also more convenient if you need a lot of filtered water every day. Most include a bypass valve that lets you choose whether or not to run the water through the filter. Flow rate through the filter is relatively slow. In general, however, we found a lot of complaints about faucet filters.

We found more professional reviews recommending PUR faucet-mount filters than any other brand. But quite a few owner-written reviews at Amazon.com complain about leaks from PUR faucet-mounted water filters, whether the model is the PUR FM-3700 3-Stage Vertical Chrome Faucet Mount (*est. $25) or the PUR FM-9400 3-Stage Horizontal Chrome Faucet Mount (*Est. $35). There's even a video published on YouTube showing the magnitude of a leak. Other recent Amazon.com reviewers say that their filter housings cracked. Some owners just keep replacing these filters despite the problem, while others give up and buy a Brita or Culligan even though the filtering isn't as effective.

Because of ongoing problems with PUR faucet-mount water filters, the informal comparison review at ApartmentTherapy.com recommends Brita faucet-mount filters instead. Owners reviewing water filters at Target.com like the Brita On Tap Chrome and Black faucet-mounted water filter (*est. $30). The Brita filters are NSF-certified to handle about the same number of contaminants as the PUR -- but the lists of contaminants are not identical. Unlike the Brita pitchers, the Brita faucet-mount filter does remove cryptosporidium and giardia, and reduces chlorine, lead and benzene, among other impurities.

Owners reviewing faucet-mounted water filters at Amazon.com give the highest ratings to the Culligan FM-15A Faucet Filter (*est. $15), partly because it's so inexpensive. We didn't find any comparison tests of this filter, but it's NSF-certified only for reducing lead, chlorine, atrazine, lindane, cysts and turbidity (fine particles). Owners say the main drawback is the lack of a filter-status indicator, so you have to rely on a calendar and reduced flow rate to know when to replace the filter.

Countertop water filters

We didn't find any consensus among reviews of countertop water filters. Like faucet-mount water filters, countertop filters attach to the regular faucet. The filter assembly can be much bigger, though, because it sits on the counter -- connected to the regular faucet by a small hose. This extra filtering effectiveness is a plus, but it also makes it more expensive. Countertop water filters also share some of the drawbacks of faucet-mounted filters.

Owners reviewing countertop water filters at Amazon.com like two Bestfilters models, the Bestfilters Countertop White WC001 (*est. $65) and the Bestfilters Chrome Countertop WC003 (*est. $95). The filter is rated for up to 2,500 gallons, so it's economical to use. However, it's only designed to filter out sediment, rust and chlorine, so protection is limited.

Staff at the Allergy Buyers Club recommend the Ecor Environmental CQ WP SCPL six-stage Countertop Stainless Steel Single Water Filter (*est. $150). You can also add additional filters. For example, you can choose a second filter to filter out fluoride and a third to filter out nitrates -- sometimes a problem with well water. You can also use a prefilter to keep sediment from clogging the main filters.