|
Compare Top 12 Water Filters for
Your
Drinking Water
Look for... the
Cleanest Water for the Least Money.
Highest Capacity. Highest Flow Rate. Chloramine
Reduction.
In major cities
like Miami, San Francisco, Atlanta, and 378 other cities in the U.S.
chloramine is used to disinfect water. The ammonia in chloramine
negatively impacts taste, turns stainless steel gray, and causes
coffee machines to corrode. Legacy reduces 99% of chloramine!
 |
Legacy 105
|
Multi-Pure
CBVOCSB |
Amway/
Quixtar
eSpring |
EverPure
H-300 |
American Plumber Pentek US-1500
|
American
Plumber
WLCS-
1000 |
Culligan
US-EZ3 |
Aquasana
AQ4500
|
Pūr
|
General
Ecology
Seagull IV X-1F |
Shaklee
MTS2000 |
Brita
35214 |
Filtration
Method |
Hollow Carbon
with
micro-structure |
Carbon Block |
Carbon Block
&
UV
light |
Carbon Block & Granules |
? |
? |
Carbon
Block |
Carbon Block |
? |
"Structured Matrix" |
Carbon Block |
Carbon Block |
|
Type of Filter |
Under
Sink |
Under
Sink |
Under
Sink |
Under
Sink |
Under
Sink |
Under
Sink |
Under
Sink |
Under
Sink |
Faucet
Mount |
Under
Sink |
Counter-
top |
Faucet Mount |
|
Tested to NSF
Standard* |
42 & 53 |
42 & 53 |
42
53
55B |
42 & 53 |
42 & 53 |
42 & 53 |
42 |
St. of CA
Dept. of
Health
Services
42 & 53 |
? |
42 & 53 |
? |
? |
|
Bad Tastes & Odors from: |
chlorine,
chloramine, ammonia, hydrogen sulfite, metallic tastes |
chlorine
chloramine |
chlorine
chloramine |
√ |
chlorine
only |
chlorine
only |
chlorine
only |
chlorine
only |
chlorine
only |
chlorine
only |
√ |
√ |
|
Chlorine |
√ |
√ |
√ |
√ |
√ |
√ |
√ |
√ |
√ |
√ |
√ |
√ |
|
*Chloramine |
to
4,000
gallons |
to 750
gallons |
to 1320 gallons |
to 300
gallons |
NO |
NO |
NO |
NO |
NO |
NO |
NO |
NO |
|
Organic Nitrogen |
√ to .5ppm |
no |
|
|
no |
no |
no |
no |
no |
? |
|
? |
|
Iron |
√ to 3ppm |
no |
|
√ |
no |
no |
no |
no |
√ |
√ |
|
? |
|
Trace Asbestos |
√ |
√ |
√ |
√ |
√ |
√ |
no |
no |
√ |
√ |
no |
no |
|
Trace Lead |
√ |
√ |
√ |
√ |
√ |
√ |
√ |
√ |
√ |
√ |
√ |
√ |
|
Cysts |
√ |
√ |
√ |
√ |
√ |
√ |
√ |
√ |
√ |
√ |
√ |
√ |
|
Viruses |
no |
no |
YES |
no |
no |
no |
no |
no |
no |
YES |
no |
no |
|
MTBE |
√ |
√ |
√ |
no |
to 500 gal. |
no |
no |
√ |
√ |
? |
no |
no |
|
Total Organic Compounds(TOC) |
√ |
√ |
√ |
√ |
√ |
no |
no |
no |
√ |
√ |
no |
? |
Particulate/ Sediment
See
St. 42 below |
Class I |
Class I |
Class I |
Class I |
Class I |
Class I |
Class I |
NO |
√
no claim for Class |
? |
√
no claim for Class |
? |
|
Tannins |
√ |
no |
√ |
no |
no |
no |
no |
no |
no |
√ |
no |
no |
|
Turbidity |
√ |
√ |
√ |
√ |
√ |
√ |
√ |
no |
√ |
√ |
no |
? |
|
VOCs**see
bottom of page |
√ |
√ |
√ |
√ |
√ |
√ |
some |
√ |
some |
√ |
√ |
no |
|
Quick Change
Cartridge (no tools required) |
YES |
NO |
NO |
NO |
NO |
NO |
Yes |
NO |
n/a |
NO |
n/a |
n/a |
|
Flow Rate: in Gal. Per Min. |
2.2 |
.75 |
.9 |
.5 |
.6 |
? |
.75 |
.5 |
? |
1 |
No claim |
? |
|
Requires giving up your sink sprayer |
NO |
YES |
YES |
YES |
YES |
YES |
YES |
YES |
n/a |
YES |
no ? |
n/a |
|
Max.Capacity
of
Filter Cartridge in Gallons |
8,000 Chlorine /
4,000 Chloramine |
750 |
1320 |
300 |
1000 |
1000 |
500 |
500 |
100 |
1000 |
799
3028
Liters |
100 |
|
Initial Cost |
$139 |
$340.00 |
$609.40 |
$164
Faucet:$99 |
$164.99 |
189.41 |
$74.99 |
$143.98 |
$33.45 |
$481.00 |
$351.05 |
$38.63 |
|
Filter Cartridge Replacement Cost |
$75
/ 8,000 gal. |
$59.95 |
$173.30
/
1320 gal. |
79.00
/300
gal. |
$33.49
/1000 gal. |
36.41
/1000 gal. |
$29.99
/ 500
gal. |
$48.00
/ 500
gal. |
$78.95/6
($13.16/ 100
gal.) |
$84 |
$137.15
/ 799 gal. |
$20.49
/ 100 gal. |
|
1st Year Cost |
$139 |
$519.85 |
$829.96 |
$974 |
$231.97 |
262.23 |
$224.94 |
$383.98 |
$415.09 |
$649.00 |
$728.21 |
$632.85 |
|
2nd Year Cost |
$75 |
$239.80 |
$393.86
(+ bulb & elec.) |
$790 |
$100.47 |
109.23 |
$179.94 |
$288.00 |
$394.80 |
$252.00 |
$514.31 |
$614.70 |
|
Total 2 year Cost @ 3000 gal. per year |
$214 |
$759.65 |
$1,223.82 |
$1764 |
$332.44 |
$371.46 |
$404.88 |
$671.98 |
$809.89 |
$901 |
$1,242.52 |
$1247.55 |
|
Per Gallon Costs |
2.6˘ -
3.5˘
for chloramine
1 1/3˘ - 3 1/2˘
for
Chlorine |
12.66˘ |
20.4˘+ |
29.4˘ |
5.5˘ |
6.2˘ |
6.7˘ |
11.2˘ |
13.5˘ |
15˘ |
20.7˘ |
20.8˘ |
|
|
 |
See our
Home Page for More Options |
|
|
|
Last
Pricing Update: 08/25/08 |
The average person uses 2
gallons of water per day for drinking and cooking. So we
can compare "Apples to Apples" we are using that standard for a
family of 4, meaning:
2 gallons x 4 people x 365 days = 2920 gallons of Pure Water Per
Year.
For simplicity, we
round that figure of 2920 gallons to 3000 to calculate the
purchase and cartridge replacement costs of each filter below.
*All filters will have a shorter life if your water is very high in
a particular contaminant; longer if you have fewer contaminants to
deal with. If your family is larger or smaller, simply adjust
our calculations accordingly for a good idea of what your actual
costs will be.
Always COMPARE GALLONS TO GALLONS.
Claims about the TIME
a filter will last vary greatly. Some are just silly, like "6
months" on a filter with only a 100 gallon capacity.
Pay attention to the Flow Rate of filters. For a simple
glass of water it may not matter, but when you're trying to fill
pitchers and cooking pots, those low flow rate filters can drive you
crazy!
*Note
From the NSF recommendations: "Systems certified for
the reduction of chlorine will not automatically be effective
for chloramines as well. Ensure the system you select is
certified specifically for reduction of chloramines."
60% of US Municipal
water systems are now using chloramine instead of chlorine.
When chlorine contacts organics it creates trihalomethanes (THMs
aka TTHMs) that can cause birth defects. For this
reason municipal systems are making the change.
We could only find 4
Kitchen water filters that reduce Chloramines - the 1st 4 listed.
Our links go to Actual
Sites to purchase those filters. We WANT
you to do real comparisons.
The safe use of filter
cartridges varies, depending on the filtration media used. Our
Legacy filters contain a media for killing bacteria.
This additional media allows you to use the filter for a full year
with no concern about bacterial growth inside the filter.
Though it is unlikely that you will use the Legacy's full
filtration capacity within one year, you will still need to
replace the cartridge yearly for this reason.
Our Filters are
manufactured by the Industry Leader in filtration technology!
They are not only a manufacturer; they are a laboratory, and have
been the innovators the others try to keep up with for a quarter
century, holding 24 patents. Our water filters are the choice
for companies like Coca~Cola® and Pepsi Co.® and 26,000
restaurants across the US. They can't afford to take chances
with their water quality. Can you?
As
you can see, Legacy can provide large families all the
pure drinking and cooking water they need for less money. Or for those of us who like to give
our pets and plants clean water too, choosing Legacy
means we can afford to be generous! Legacy
is simply the best water filtration system you can find!
Use in your kitchen under the sink; use with your
bottle-less water cooler, or use for ingredient water
for hobbies such as beer and wine making.
 Filter
Certification is for
each contaminant under the applicable Standard.
Certification
for one contaminant does not mean the others listed are also
certified.
•
Standard 42
for Chlorine, Taste, Odors, Sediments at 2.5 gallons per minute.
Chemical reduction for taste improvement: Chlorine,
chloramine, ammonia, hydrogen sulfite, metallic tastes.
Class I Particulate reduction: to >.5 microns;
Class II:
1 to <5 microns;
Class III: 5 to <15 microns;
Class IV: 15 to <30
microns;
Class V: 30 to <50 microns;
Class VI: >50 microns.
(One
Micron = 39 millionths of an inch.
A grain of salt is about 60 microns.)
•
Tested by
Selecto Scientific Laboratory for
Standard 53
(health effects) for the reduction of specific
health-related contaminants, such as Cryptosporidium,
Giardia, lead, volatile
organic chemicals (VOCs)**, MTBE (methyl tertiary-butyl
ether), that may be present in public or private drinking
water.
•
Certifies for capacity.
• Certifies the filter housing will hold up to the
temperature and pressure claimed.
|
**About
VOCs:
From the NSF:
The category of VOC (Volatile Organic Chemical) includes
a number of chemicals that are both man-made and
naturally occurring. Water from wells and utilities may
contain some of these contaminants. Some VOCs are
pesticides, herbicides, or insecticides that seep
into the ground water after application. Other VOCs
enter the water supply through industrial or other waste
disposal. This category also includes total
trihalomethanes, which are a by-product of chlorination.
|
**
Products certified for reduction of VOCs under
Standard 53 will be effective for all of the
following contaminants. |
alachlor
atrazine
benzene
carbofuran
carbon tetrachloride
chlorobenzene
chloropicrin
2,4-D
dibromochloropropane (DBCP)
o-dichlorobenzene
p-dichlorobenzene
1,2-dichloroethane
1,1-dichloroethylene
cis-1,2-dichloroethylene
trans-1,2-dichloroethylene
1,2-dichloropropane
cis-1,3-dichloropropylene
dinoseb |
endrin
ethylbenzene
ethylene dibromide (EDB)
haloacetonitriles
bromochloroacetonitrile
dibromoacetonitrile
dichloroacetonitrile
trichloroacetonitrile
haloketones
1,1-dichloro-2-propanone
1,1,1-trichloro-2-propanone
heptachlor epoxide
hexachlorobutadiene
hexachlorocyclopentadiene
lindane
methoxychlor
pentachlorophenol |
simazine
styrene
1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane
tetrachloroethylene
toluene
2,4,5-TP(silvex)
tribromoacetic acid
1,2,4-trichlorobenzene
1,1,1-trichloroethane
1,1,2-trichloroethane
trichloroethylene
trihalomethanes (TTHM)
**bromodichloromethane
**bromoform
**chlorodibromomethane
**chloroform
xylenes |
Our
note:
Many web sites divide VOCs into lots of extra
"categories" like:
Pesticides, Herbicides, insecticides, Haloacetonitriles
(HAN), Haloketones (HK), Trihalomethanes (THMs).
Don't let this confuse you - they are all VOCs. |
|
