Water Filter Buying Guide

Why is a Water Filter Important?  

According to the Environmental Working Group, there are over 300 pollutants in US tap water. Among these pollutants are a variety of chemicals with the potential to compromise fertility.  With a good-quality water filter you can remove the vast majority of these contaminants and instead drink clean, healthy water.

Is It Necessary to Avoid Plastic in Water Filters ?

Ideally, it is best to find a filter where the water is not in contact with plastic for long periods of time. The best choices in this regard are faucet filters and filters made from stainless-steel or glass (all of the filters recommended below).

But sometimes these options are simply not practical and a compromise has to be made. If you are renting a small apartment or on a tight budget, a plastic water filter pitcher is still an acceptable choice. As long as you choose a filter pitcher made from a safer type of plastic (HDPE #2, LDPE#4, or PP #5)  and never wash in hot water or the dishwasher, the filtered water is probably going to be cleaner and healthier than tap water or bottled water (which may have been sitting in plastic for months or years and possibly exposed to heat). Sometimes it is necessary to compromise for the sake of practicality, and using a plastic filter is an acceptable choice.

That said, if you are in the market for a new water filter, there are now several good choices for water filters with minimal contact with plastic.

My Top Recommendations for Water Filters

1. Low-cost Countertop Glass Filter Pitchers

pH Restore Glass Alkaline Water Pitcher  $60

Pros: Made from glass. Large capacity compared to other pitcher filters. Best low-cost option.   Removes chlorine and heavy metals.

Cons:  Takes up counterspace.  Some reports of mold on bamboo lid, so you may need to find an alternative plastic tupperware lid of a similar size.

pH restore also make smaller glass and stainless steel filter pitchers (which might be particularly good for office use), and a larger glass countertop unit.

LifeStraw Home Water Filter Pitcher    $55

Pros: Storage component of carafe Made from glass. Relatively inexpensive.  Better at removing bacteria and chemical contaminants than many other filter pitchers due to smaller pore size in the filter.

Cons: smaller capacity.  Filling reservoir made from plastic, so water will be in contact with plastic for some period of time.

Zero Water Glass Dispenser Water Filter. $70

Pros: Made from glass. Reduces pesticides, herbicides, chlorine, lead, and fluoride.

Cons: Takes up some counterspace. Amazon reviewers report having to replace the cheap chrome-painted spigot with a stainless steel spigot (for $12). Not as thorough filtration as more expensive options.

Dafi Alkaline UP Crystal Glass Water Pitcher 8 cups $60

Another relatively affordable filter pitcher with a glass water storage component.  The manufacturer provides very little data on contaminant removal, but likely produces water much cleaner than tap water.

2. Best Faucet filter

PUR Advanced Water Faucet Filter $40

Reduces over 70 contaminants, including lead & chlorine, by using activated carbon & ion exchange. This is the filter I used for many years when renting an apartment.

Pros: Low cost. Does not take up counter space, require manual filling, or professional installation. Water is not in contact with plastic for long periods of time. NSF certified for removal of many contaminants.

Cons: filter cartridge must be replaced every couple of months or flow rate will slow dramatically and unit will leak or crack. I have not seen data on removal of fluoride or endocrine disruptors.  Only suitable for certain faucet/tap designs.

3. Best Premium Under Counter Filter

Doulton Undersink Water Filter IS200UC+.($499)

Pros: Unique among under the counter options in having both a stainless steel housing and a fluoride-removal cartridge. This is what I chose when we bought our first home, because it is one of the only filters that removes fluoride and doesn’t take up any counterspace. It also removes more than 85% of a wide range of chemicals (insecticides, herbicides etc) and 99% of lead. Also available as a compact stainless steel countertop filter, but without the fluoride-removal cartridge. (fluoride removal is not always a high priority, see end of this page).

Cons: I have not seen data confirming that it removes endocrine disruptors. Relatively expensive upfront.

4. Premium Countertop Filter

The Big Berkey Countertop Filter is a popular stainless steel gravity filtration system that can also remove fluoride. Available in various sizes, the cost is typically $300-400 for one of the two smaller sizes (which are sufficient for most families).

Pros: The manufacturer claims it can remove more than 99% of BPA and phthalates from water.

Cons: high upfront cost, requires counterspace and manual filling. Some reports of bacterial growth on filters if unit is not used continuously.

5. UK/EU Premium countertop filter

AcalaQuell SMART Water Filter System with Glass Tank £350

Compact countertop filter system that uses activated charcoal and activated carbon to remove heavy metals, nitrates, hormones, drug residues and other contaminants. After the four-step filtration process, mineral stones enrich the water with essential minerals.

Pros: filtered water stored in glass. Extensive filtration removes more than 99% of chemicals such as pesticides.

Cons: High upfront cost.

6. Built-in Refrigerator Water Filters

Yes, the filter built in to your refrigerator water dispenser has plastic parts, but the water flows through these systems relatively quickly and will not be in contact with the plastic for long periods of time.  Many are very effective at removing lead, other heavy metals, pharmaceuticals, and even endocrine disruptors such as BPA (e.g. GE filters).  So if you already have a fridge with a built-in filter, you can rest assured that your water is probably quite clean and there may be no need to buy a separate filtration system unless you would like more serious filtering to remove fluoride.

7.   Filtered Water Bottles

When you are away from home, a convenient option is to use a stainless steel water bottle with a filter cartridge built in, so you can refill the bottle throughout the day with standard tap water.  I recommend the Clearly Filtered Insulated Stainless Steel Filtered Water Bottle. It very effectively removes fluoride, lead, and pesticides, along with many other contaminants.

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Is it  necessary to choose a water filter that can remove fluoride?

This is open to debate, but is likely only worthwhile if you will one day be using powdered baby formula. The CDC recommends using fluoride-free water for making baby formula. My babies were born through surrogacy, so I knew they would be formula-fed and chose a filter capable of removing fluoride for this reason (since I was in the market for a new water filter anyway). If you are planning to breastfeed your future baby, this may be a lower priority. (Note that deciding to get a filter that removes fluoride will narrow your choices dramatically, but there are several good options- including Doulton and Berkey).

The lowest cost filter that removes fluoride is the Clearly Filtered Filter Pitcher. The container is made from Tritan plastic, which is inferior to glass or stainless steel, but still an acceptable option if you avoid washing with hot water.