Tired of spending your hard earned money on Brita Filter 5-packs? For 5 to 10 more dollars, you can get an under sink unit by Culligan that is easy to install, comes with a 3-month filter in the package (level 1 filter), and is easy to upgrade to more advanced filtration (up to level 4).
Summary:I am thoroughly impressed with this unit.I will update the review as time goes by if it breaks, or anything leaks, but it is well built and looks solid, and delivers water that I would say tastes better than Brita water.
I live in Upstate New York, where the water quality is OK, but there is often a lot of chlorine in the water.My main concern was reducing the chlorine taste, and this unit certainly does deliver.
I am breaking my review down into 5 parts, with each part getting 1 star weighting:0 means poor, 1/2 means OK, and 1 means excellent
Ease of Installation:1 star
I have been known to be a clutz around the house but I was able to do it without having any leaks or having to install any extra fittings.Everything is snug and tight out of the box.The fittings that come with the filter have a plastic inset that you can remove to fit directly on 3/8" OD pipe or feed line.They are not gimpy fittings, despite what you might think of a press together fitting.All of the fittings were snug and secure upon install.Water pressure tends to hold them together even more tightly when the system is pressurized.
Installation tip:(This applies if you have 3/8"OD plastic feed line going to your faucet)Instead of cutting the feed line you already have installed, buy a $3 feed line at a hardware store and cut it in half using tin snips or a sharp knife.Then you can turn the water off, remove the old feed line, and install the new feed line connected to the Culligan. This way, if something goes wrong, you can connect the old feed line back up and be back with running water in only 10 minutes or so.
The entire install takes only 30-45 minutes and if you have the right tools, you may not even need a trip to the hardware store.
Don't forget the silicone (waterproof) grease on the o-rings!
Water Flow: 1 star
I admit I was surprised by the voracity of the water flow.I haven't measured it in GPM, but it is nearly the same rate as when there was no filter installed.
Taste:1 star
Water tastes fresh and clean and there is no aftertaste.
Ease of Use:1 star
Turn on the tap, it works.No waiting for a pitcher to filter or worrying about if you'll have enough water to boil pasta without waiting 10 minutes, etc.
Upgradability:1 star
You can buy a level 4 filter (the D40), which reduces lead and other nasties in the water, for about the same price as you pay for this unit, and it lasts for 6 months.Or, there is the Level 3 filter (the D30), which does almost as much as the D40, lasts for a year, and costs half as much. In terms of cost, it is really hard to beat the value of the D30.
Included Filter: 0.5 stars
If you want a higher degree of filtration you can always buy a level 2, 3, or 4 filter separately.However, the Level 1 filter makes your water taste nice, and for the price of the filter unit, is a nice addition.Some stores advertise units that do not include a filter, but not this particular seller.
The correct filter to buy for this unit is the D10, D20, D30, or the D40.
I am rounding up my 4.5 star review to 5 stars on Amazon, giving an extra 0.5 stars for the good feeling I got after installing the filter (and because you can only do 4 or 5 stars, not 4.5)!
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Under Sink Water FilterProduct Description: Designed to fit conveniently under most kitchen sinks. Installs quickly and easily on 3/8" cold water line to provide cleaner, fresher-tasting drinking and cooking water by reducing sediment, unpleasant tastes, odors, chlorine, and other impurities (5 nominal micron rating). Includes quick-connect fittings and installation hardware, filter housing, and No.D-20 granular activated carbon filter cartridge with 5 nominal micron rating and up to 3-month/250-gallon life. Uses Nos.D-10, D-20, D-30, or D-40 filter cartridges, No.OR233 replacement o-ring, No.FT-10 lead-free faucet, and No.SW-5 filter housing wrench, all sold separately. NSF International tested and certified.
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I recently changed locations for my job from a building that had free access to delivered filtered water to one without and I decided that I really didn't want to pay $1 every time I was thirsty. So, when I heard about this bottle, I was already in the process of trying to find a filtered water bottle to take with me every day. The perfect timing of the release of this bottle seemed like fate. And I loved many of the other Fit & Fresh items (except for the original salad shaker, which was round instead of the new square one and whose ice pack would fall into the salad and squish all the lettuce every day..). Obviously the bottle and I were meant to be - or were we? When I finally received this bottle, it actually made me excited to go to work the next day so I could try it out. That's when I found the flaws in this. While the idea behind this bottle is genius, the execution is.. not. The idea is that you fill up your bottle, open the pop-top, tip the bottle upside down, squeeze, and shoot the water into your mouth. OK, sounds easy enough. However, the filter takes up nearly the top half of the bottle, so it's awkward having to hold it near the bottom and squeeze. Also, because of the length of the filter, you're squeezing a bunch of air into your mouth for the first few seconds before any water even starts to come out. By that time, your hand gets a little tired of squeezing. I'm pretty bummed about my new bottle and I think I may end up returning it and just getting a filtering pitcher and a regular water bottle...
