Some reviewers are complaining about the timer not working properly. If you read the description for the pitcher you''ll have an answer to your question. I didn''t and ended up contacting Mavea who explained why the timer on my pitcher ticked down to 0% after only 3 weeks of use. The timer is not simply a clock like you get with the Brita filter. Theirs is a dummy clock that ticks down 2 months regardless of how often you fill it. Mavea claims their timer is more sophisticated than that. It also factors in the hardness of the water and the amount of water you put into the pitcher. My city water is hard (14) and we refill the pitcher quite a bit...even though there''s only 2 of us plus a dog in this household. I''m home all day and I drink a lot of water. The dog gets filtered water too in his bowl. :)
So that explains why the timer is not giving all of us the same information. I''d rather know my filter is nearing its usefulness than to not know and keep drinking water from it.
The extra filter keeps those nasty charcoal bits out of my water. I was constantly emptying the Brita pitcher to remove charcoal that had sunk to the bottom of the pitcher. Brita says that''s Ok, you can drink the charcoal. No thank you, I''d rather my water pitcher not look like someone has been panning for gold.
The company that makes this Mavea pitcher used to own Brita. After they sold it to Clorox they proceeded to design a better product which turned out to be this water filtration pitcher. Another improvement was to make it out of BPA-free plastic.
Even though I''ll have to buy more filters (3-packs) I''m still happy I switched to this brand.
With our use, refilling our Mavea Elemaris XL pitcher (full on top = about 2/3 full on bottom*), about 7 times per day, almost every day, we average about a filter per month, having bought and used 18 in the last 18 months. I do wish they came in a 6-pack, or more.
Our drinking water (unfiltered) tastes pretty bad. It''s quite delicious now that we use this filter. No scientific tests yet (ordering a test kit soon), just a very picky palette and infamously sensitive nose. We''re not quite sure how the "meter" measures hardness, volume, and length in use, but it lasts a reasonable amount of time for us (about a month), and we can taste the difference a few days after it gets to the 25% "line", so replacing the filter seems to come at an appropriate time. Since the meter uses three factors to determine filter "usedness", your mileage may vary.
*For more info about the Elemaris XL pitcher, please see my review posted under that product. (included because of the inherent "partnership" between the two products)
We like these filters because I have read:
they are NSF-certified (yay!)
they remove more contaminants than a Brita or PUR
they have silver-infusion to help prevent bacterial growth (we keep ours on the countertop, so this is more needed than if we kept it in the fridge)
and, they do NOT release little black carbon particles (ick!)
and, we''re happy they are recyclable. For further eco-savings, buy the three-pack (reduces carbon footprint of transportation in shipping); and, when they''re used up, keep a stock of spent filters, to reduce the carbon footprint of sending just one back at a time. Or, better yet, find a store in your area (walking distance is best, of course) that will take yours and send them to be recycled along with others'' filters.
With how great this pitcher/filter combination performs for us, it''s difficult to drink tap water without it. So, I also wish they made a travel-sized version.
I rely on reviews here at Amazon to help me make informed buying choices. I hope this review has helped you in the same manner. If you voted this as helpful, I Thank You! :)
Buy Mavea Maxtra Replacement Filter for Mavea Water Filtration Pitcher Now
I bought this filter for my Brita Maxtra pitcher (NOT the classic cylinder Brita filter) that I purcahsed in Italy and used for one year there. Apon returning to the states, I was surprised to find out that Brita doesn''t sell the Maxtra in North America. The Mavea Maxtra filter is clearly the exact same filter. It works perfectly in the Brita Maxtra pitcher and I couldn''t be happier with the quality.
Read Best Reviews of Mavea Maxtra Replacement Filter for Mavea Water Filtration Pitcher Here
Great price and service. This model fits the Tassimo beverage system, and is much cheaper than the #106832 model.
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Many people seemed to be concerned about the life expectancy of the filter. This filter really does respond to the water it is filtering. For the most part I am the sole user of my Mavea & having used it for awhile I''ve learned just about how much life each filter has, even by the .25% as shown on the display. Its just something you absorb. Anyway, I took my pitcher on an extended trip to the mountains & WOW! What a difference the water made. I did not need to use the spare, which I should have needed and still had mileage on my original filter to use once I was back in the city. Once back home the filter was quickly eaten up as per usual. On a second occasion I noticed that my filter was being eaten up. I was barely using it and the life was going,going,gone. I thought, like many perhaps it was the gauge until I realized that for the past several nights, thanks to my insomnia, that I was filling up my pitcher when the water plant must have been treating the water and was getting a particularly strong stream of chlorinated/chemically treated water. We''ve all had that, when you open the tap & smell the chlorine & most of us at one time or another have taken a sip of that water before our brains register the smell & bad taste. I am happy to say that once I paid attention & stopped filling the pitcher when the water appeared to be treated that my filter went back to the life expectancy that I am used to. These two incidents make me believe that the filter is doing its job and doing it well. I think treating the each unique water source is more valuable than an overall specified length of time or volume of water filtered. My suggestion is spend some time using your pitcher, get to know the average life expectancy of your filter & then IF it seems to be getting eaten up start questioning the efficacy of the gauge (might also want to see if something has changed in your water source as well).
Just an FYI to all the people that are unaware of it... Mavea, as well as most brands of filters recommend that you do not filter more than 2 pitchers a day or within a certain amount of time between fill ups for maximum filtering. Also, the Mavea filter filters the water much faster than the different types of PUR filters that I have used (sorry, haven''t had a Brita), but according to statistics given by both manufacturers Mavea filters out less things than the PUR triple action filter or whatever their strongest pitcher filter is. Hopefully Mavea will come up with an even better & stronger filter soon. That is the reason for only 4* otherwise Mavea rocks!
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This filter did not fit in my Tassimo machine. I have an older model, probably 5 years old, and I can''t find any water filters that fit in it. The only reason I gave it 1 star is because it says it fits Tassimo coffee makers, but aparently only the newer models.
