I mainly bought this to filter water for making coffee and tea. The difference between water filtered by this pitcher and water straight from the tap is phenomenal. I admit it, I''m a coffee and tea geek. This is exactly what I needed. Friends and family have commented on how my coffee and tea taste much better than the one they make at home.I looked at all the competitors such as Brita, PUR and about a dozen other less known brands that have solid reviews. Unfortunately most only filter to make water taste a little better and don''t filter for other impurities. Those that do are either really expensive or not available to me, in Canada. Fortunately I found this at a major retail chain.
I drink a lot of water so my pitcher has to filter taste and impurities. On top of this, the filters better last more than just a couple of weeks. I refill this pitcher at least once a day and so far I''m still on my first filter after nearly two months of use. Great!
A few things you should know if you intend to buy this:
This pitcher connects via a hose attachment to your faucet. You will have to put a small adapter (several sizes included in the package) to your faucet. When the pitcher is connected, open the tap SLOWLY. Your pitcher is made of plastic, not high gauge steel. If you subject it to high pressure, it will most certainly leak. Still it only takes 30-60 seconds to fill which is lightning quick compared to a Brita.
The unit definitely fills faster than Brita or PUR pitchers do. However, it makes a terrible, loud, higher-pitched gear grinding sound as it does so. It''s not bad enough to wear ear protection, but you will have problems understanding someone in the room until you stop. Fortunately, it is less than a minute before it is filled.
Filtered water definitely tastes "cleaner." However, this taste is not as desirable as water filtered from the Brita pitcher would taste. Where the Brita might make water taste more like crude Dasani, Clear2O makes the water taste more like distilled water. I guess that is the price you pay for having 44+ contaminants removed (NSF verified) to 95+% efficiency (most are 99.9%+). The solid block carbon filter does a great job of making water taste plain. Unfortunately, this does highlight why an ion-exchange system such as Brita''s can make more poorly filtered water taste better. For us, we''ve finally adjusted to the "cleaner" taste.
As for function, our pitcher came with a permanent leak and small slits that cause water to go back into the pitcher after being filtered, in a way that can allow contamination from the area under the lid to drip into the reservoir. Basically, water comes in from the tap and is injected into the area to which one side of the carbon is exposed. The water passes through the solid carbon, then flows up the filter and out through the filter''s plastic canal, which meets with an open area with which the water then flows back down into the "cleaned" water area. However, the mating area where filtered water meets the pitcher (in the top handle of the filter itself) cannot fully seal. When we open the lid while filtering, visible water currents form at that area and this water drips down into clean water through small fissures. We''ve tested it with just pouring water into that general area, and the water quickly goes unfiltered into the pitcher, even with the filter seemingly blocking such access.
This was only something I tracked down once I started seeing occasional translucent floaters wafting around in the pitcher water when held up to the light. Whether the "floaters" are bacterial films, thin plastic or something else, I do not know. (I seem to guarantee their existence when refilling the pitcher when it is still half full, doing so for about a week, leaving the pitcher at room temperature.)
Clear2O appears to do a solid job of removing contaminants, but it appears to allow recontamination to a small extent. If this does not bother you for your application, this pitcher is for you.
UPDATE: The Clear2O website suggests cleaning the unit with vinegar, which would kill some bacteria. In my estimation, the floaters appear to be a harmless bacterial film that settles on the bottom of the pitcher after a while. Shaking the pitcher disturbs this film, creating the floaters noticed.
I''ve noticed cleaning the pitcher every so often with vinegar assures the floaters won''t appear.
Buy Clear2o CWS100AW Water Filtration Pitcher Now
The Clear2O pitcher offers one key advantage over the Brita pitches it''s fast! Rather than pour water into the pitcher and wait for it to pass through the filter, the Clear2O comes with a hose that you attach to your faucet that allows it to fill much quicker (I''d estimate about 30 seconds).Installation is straightforward. You have to remove the aerator from the faucet and replace it with an adapter that comes with the pitcher. The hose (which is attached to the pitcher) then clicks onto the adapter. They provide two different screw-in adapters so it will work with pretty much any faucet. Also include the washers so you have everything needed.
The hose clicks on tightly with a positive locking mechanism to prevent leaks or having the hose blow off from the water pressure. But, this introduces a problem since you have to remove the aerator, the faucet flow rate may increase, potentially increasing water use (many aeriators also function as a flow restrictor to conserve water). Now, the adapter includes an aeriator so there is some flow restriction but, on my faucet, the flow rate went up since my old aeriator had a lower flow rate.
Plus, the adapter is not what you''d call sleek-looking. It extends about 1.5 inches from the end of the faucet and is chrome colored. No, it''s not horrible looking, but if you''re particular about how your faucet looks you may not be happy with this.
A better approach would be to have a diverter valve that you screw into the faucet. But, that would raise the cost.
My other quibble is that the hose is rather short. Depending on your faucet and sink style, you may have to contort a bit to get everything hooked up.
The filters are rated for more gallons than the Brita filters. But, unlike the Brita filters which you can get faily cheap in bulk at warehouse clubs, these filters are not widly avaialble, which keeps the price up.
Bottom line if you get annoyed at the slow speed of filtering water in a Brita pitcher, this is well worth a look. There are some downsides, however, making this an average value (probably 3.5 stars is more accurate, but I''ll round down to 3).
Read Best Reviews of Clear2o CWS100AW Water Filtration Pitcher Here
I was interested in buying this product also because of the Consumer Reports recommendation, but thanks to other Amazon reviewers, I was concerned about the lack of NSF Certification. I called Applica/Clear 2O & was informed that they''re no longer producing filters for this product, so they didn''t renew their certification. In other words, when existing stock runs out, there will be no more replacement filters available.Want Clear2o CWS100AW Water Filtration Pitcher Discount?
First, If you happen to check some of my recent reviews you may see a bunch of 5 star reviews. Believe me I''m hyper critical of items I buy, BUT "I research these items to death" and luckily most of the time I get the best one...at least for me. So now to the review.I have been using Pur Filter Pitchers for years. Water always tasted great from Pur, BUT they ALWAYS clogged BADLY after minimal use. My latest Pur Pitcher after about 5 weeks of use would take almost 3 hours for the water to finally fully filter thru..that''s nuts! This time I checked Consumer Reports..and found this Clear2o rated #2 by a point or 2 next to a $100-ish pitcher. Pur and Brita were at least 30-40 points DOWN from THIS Clear2o. Turns out Consumer Reports seems to have gotten this one right. WOW, after about 60 seconds..you have great tasting water totally filtered and ready to use, I think NINE cups!. As the Clear2o uses pressure from your faucet..even at the end of the filter''s life span you can still expect a full pitcher of filtered water in 60 seconds or less. Compare THAT to 3 or more hours on a Pur. The filter has an indicator of green, orange, and red, so you will KNOW when it''s time to change the filer, no more guessing!
Consumer reports also says the Clear2o filters yearly cost are about 1/2 of Pur...not sure about Brita. The Clear2o most importantly supposedly is a BETTER filter than Pur and Brita as to what it will filter out. So you get super fast filtering that is superior to Brita and Pur and it will never slow down till you replace the filter.
My only criticism is the tube that attaches to he faucet is a bit short and not so soft as others mentioned. My first time attaching it, the pitcher tipped over, actually twice. But after a couple tries you get used to how to connect the tube...and I have to say it''s actually fun to fill this thing! :) One other thing that you may or may not like..the spout on the Clear2o is rather wide..so water comes out FAST. Once you know this, it''s fine..but you have to be a little more careful when pouring from this pitcher if you don''t want to overfill your glass..etc.
All in all I am REALLY impressed with this Filtering system. Worst part is trying to FIND it in stores. I finally found mine in a Walmart..was about $11 on sale..a 3 pac of filters were $25 there.
This company Applica? Seems to be involved with some huge companies such as Black and Decker so I feel rather confident they will be around a long time, and hopefully the filters, pitchers, will be easier to find locally..even on Amazon.
I think you are going to LOVE this thing!!
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