Water pitchers are an economical replacement of bottled water. Most pitchers have a capacity to filter between 0.5 gallons to 1 gallon at a time.
After digging through hundreds of customer reviews and doing lots of research on the best water filter pitcher between Aquasana vs Aquagear vs Clearly vs ZeroWater, here are my recommendations.
Contents
Clearly Water Filter Pitcher Review
Unlike Aquagear which is independently tested to NSF standard 42 and 53, clearly is NSF Standards 42, 53, 244, 401 and 473.
Unlike Zerowater filter which removes all minerals including healthy minerals such as calcium and magnesium, Clearly Filter preserves the healthy minerals.
You can be able to get the replacement filters cheaply when you join the Clearly Filtered VIP Filter program where you save 15% plus free shipping.
The Bad: like most pitchers, you have to wait for water seeps through the filters, and the process can be a bit slow.
Aquagear Water filter pitcher Review
This USA made pitcher is easily one of the most effective pitchers in removing lots of contaminants. It uses a five-stage filtration process to produces water that tastes phenomenal.
Despite what you may have come across be assured Aquagear is one of the best filters in its category, and you can be guaranteed that you are getting value for your money.
Not surprisingly, it has lots of great reviews. In addition, it’s made 100% with FDA approved food grade material, so you can be confident that it will not introduce dangerous contaminants in your drinking water.
The Bad: One negative thing that keeps on coming out is the complaint “The Filtration Process is Slow.” However, taking into consideration that this pitcher has a capacity of 8 cups which are processed in 5 minutes, I would still recommend It. Who cares if it will take you two minutes more when you are getting water of the highest quality with undetectable levels of contaminants.
Aquasana Water filter Pitcher Review
As you probably know, most pitchers work through the gravitation force. This is where water is poured on an upper chamber and flow to the lower chamber through the filters which capture the contaminant. Because of the reliance on gravitation force, the process can be very slow. On the other hand, the Aquasana filter pitcher uses electrical power; therefore, offering fast filtration.
While it may not be the cheapest, Aquasana is certainly one of the fastest filter pitchers in the market, and so you will never have to wait to get quality water in the house.
It’s super easy to install because it does not require any plumbing. Most importantly, it meets NSF Standard 42 and 53; therefore, it removes fluoride and lead to a large extent. On buying this unit, it comes with a powered base and two buckets one acts like an internal reservoir and the other external.
The Bad: Because it’s powered, it tends to be a bit noisy. In addition, there are quite a few customers who complained that their units leaked badly. In addition, compared to other pitchers, it is pricier.
Zero Water Filter Pitcher Review
Well, it’s simple. It’s different because it uses a 5 stage filtration process to remove every dissolved substance in water. With Zero-Water, you are left with pure water (H2O).
While other pitchers remove the most common contaminants such as chlorine and fluoride, Zerowater removes everything including the healthy minerals such as calcium and magnesium. Its water will have a TDS reading of “000”.
The five stages of filtration processes are
- Stage 1: Activated carbon infused micro cloth
- Stage 2: Multi-layer system using carbon and oxidation reduces alloy
- Stage 3: Distributor that maximizes contact time
- Stage 4: Comprehensive ION Exchange array
- Stage 5: Non-woven membrane to remove fine particles
Zero water is tested and certified by the Water Quality Association and NSF for removal of any type of contaminants that can be found in the water.
The Bad: Although the initial cost of buying a Zerowater filter pitcher is low, the cost of buying replacement filters is quite high. Because these filters are so effective, they tend to clog up quickly. Therefore, you should take the cost of replacing filters into consideration when buying a pitcher.
Aquagear vs Zerowater vs Aquasana vs Clearly
To do a full in-depth comparison lets look at the following features for each of the models.
- Capacity
- Removes what?
- BPA free
- Trustworthy Customer feedback
- Gravity fed
- NSF international certification requirements
- Water Quality Association
1. Capacity
Aquagear filter pitcher- uses a triple capacity filter that is able to filter 150 gallons of water per cartridge. The pitcher can process 0.5 gallons at a time.
Aquasana AQ filter pitcher- The filter uses Claryn filter which can filter 320 gallons per cartridge. It has an 8 cup capacity which is about 0.5 Gallon. Having said that, unlike other pitchers that are gravity fed this is powered filter making it super fast in processing 0.5 gallons of water.
Zerowater filter pitcher- One cartridge is able to filter 50 gallons of water. Zerowater is able to filter 0.625 gallons at a time.
Aquasana is the clear winner on this feature with 320 Gallons per filter. Zerowater has the least capacity when it come s to cartridges capacity , so you will have to be buying the 10$ filters regularly.
2. Which filter removes the most contaminants?
Aquagear – It uses a five-stage filtration process and has a two-micron filter. The important contaminants that it removes include Fluoride, Lead, chloramines, chlorine, and mercury.
Aquasana AQ-PWFS is a powered water filter that is able to remove contaminants such as chlorine, chloramines, mercury and lead and volatile organic compounds and asbestos.
Zerowater r- It uses a 5 stage filtration process to remove 99.6% of all the dissolved materials in water making it the most effective water filter. Instead of focusing on contaminants zero water removes all the dissolved minerals including the essential minerals found in the water.
If removing all the dissolved substances in the water is what you are looking for, Zero water should be your selection. However, the water is flat and doess not have the benefitail meinerals found need by the body.
3. BPA Free
Aquagear – it is manufactured in the States and it is made using 100% BPA free plastic. In addition, it is approved by FDA and the materials are 100% recyclable.
Aquasana AQ – It is an eco-friendly product that is made with BPA free plastic and which is reusable.
Zerowater – BPA Free
All the three water pitcher filter are made with BPA free plastic.
4. NSF Certification
Aquagear – It’s NSF 53 which means it meets the minimum requirement for removing contaminants such as lead, volatile organic materials, Cryptosporidium, and Guardia.
Aquasana AQ- NSF 53 meaning it meets the minimum requirements.
Zerowater – It is certified as being the most reliable filter to remove lead and other heavy metals. In fact, FDA describes zero water as being the only one meeting the definition of purified bottled water.
Although all the pitcher are certified by NSF as meeting the requirements for removal of harmful chemicals. Zerowater has the highest rating of purified water.
Pros and cons
Aquagear filter pitcher |
Aquasana AQ filter pitcher |
Zero water pitchers |
|---|---|---|
Conclusion
Whereas Zerowater filters out almost all contaminants found in water, it also gets rid of all minerals that are essential in drinking water. In addition, people who bought it complained that the water tested flat. Aquasana has a higher capacity per cartridge because it is a powered water filter pitcher. However, the product is prone to leakage.
Finally, from our testing and analysis, Aquagear is a superior product. This conclusion is backed by the over role positive review the product has by verified buyers of the product and the aquagear replacement filter are readily available at a fair price.
ABOUT LEON SMITH
Leon is a 27-year-old blogger from Mauritius who is currently studying for a Masters degree in chemical and processing Engineering at the University of Eldoret in Kenya. Read more about him.