Best Water Filter? Brita, ZeroWater, PUR, Berkey, Aquaphor, AquaTrue

BRANDS TESTED: ZeroWater, PUR, Brita, Aquaphor, AquaTrue, Lifestraw, Survivor Filter Pro, Frizzlife, Sawyer, RV Filter and a homemade filter. Filters tested for removing total dissolved solids, removing red food coloring and removing iron. Several filters cut open after the testing to compare the filter media. I purchased all of the filters and supplies used for testing the filters. So, thanks for supporting the channel!
➡ Thank you very much for supporting the channel: / projectfarm
➡ An easy way to find past videos along with products tested: bit.ly/2FCrBpk A big thanks to Jim for putting this together.
➡ Merch: www.Project-Farm.com
➡ Click here if you'd like to subscribe: / @projectfarm
➡ As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
➡ Products Tested In This Video (in no particular order):
ZeroWater: amzn.to/3yPXTmF
AquaTrue: amzn.to/3n0cDxf
Brita: amzn.to/3th7ulw
Lifestraw: amzn.to/3zNMB3F
Aquaphor: amzn.to/3jIG8Bt
PUR: amzn.to/2WPcEcg
Survivor Filter Pro: amzn.to/3jMtP7a
RV Filter: amzn.to/3h4jRMW
Berkey: amzn.to/2WPd6Hu
Sawyer: amzn.to/3BLlvL5
Frizzlife: amzn.to/3BLlxmb
Water test strips: amzn.to/2YkkT0E
TDS Tester: amzn.to/3yQoD6G
Videography Equipment:
Sony DSC-RX10 III Cyber-shot Digital Still Camera: amzn.to/2YdXvPw
Canon 70D Camera: amzn.to/31b5Gy0
Azden Microphone: amzn.to/34d3DLE
Go Pro Bundle: amzn.to/3Ca0ZVN
This video is only for entertainment purposes. If you rely on the information portrayed in this video, you assume the responsibility for the results. Project Farm LLC

[@dimitar4y]

I like the balls on the company that included a TDS meter with their product. Now that's a power game I need to use.

[@TTime685]

Do you suffer from TDS?

[@TheThingNG]

I always figured that was marketing junk. "Our filter scores great on this system we included with our product! Dont worry about other stuff" I'm pleasantly surprised that ZeroWater is actually good

[@jamesrobinson9176]

@@TheThingNG me too!

[@tkoz7856]

we've been using zero water filter for 6 months or so. Its phenomenal. It does go through filters kinda fast, we probably filter a gallon and a half of water a day. We probably change the filters once a month. Still cant beat it for the price.

[@LTdesign13]

I have/used to use the Zero pitcher. It's great, but the filters go fast here where I live - we have pretty hard water - and they're not exactly cheap. It's very obvious when they are going bad, as they tend to get a really odd, fishy smell/taste.

[@BYOTools]

Zero Water and AuquaTru stock just went up in my book that’s for sure. Another amazing video for sure.

[@ProjectFarm]

Thanks!

[@great__success]

yeah, but drinking water with zero minerals which is almost distilled water is maybe not a good idea in the long term, you definitely need to add some minerals after treatment

[@gblargg]

My best price on ZeroWater filters is when Bed, Bath, and Beyond has the 4-pack in store on sale for $40, then use their $20 off $80 coupon to get two packs for $60. Comes to $7.50 per filter before tax.

[@diji5071]

The thing about zero water is it reacts very differently to different kinds of tap water. It can last 3-4weels with some waters and less than a week with others

[@jankyj2269]

For sure.

[@skylerstevens8887]

Pro tip Zero Water filters are still better than most other filters even when they go bad. Also you can use the old filter to do a first run for water and put it through a fresh zero water filter and that will improve the lifespan of the new filter.

[@ProjectFarm]

Thanks for the feedback.

[@1fitster]

Benn doing just that for years, really cuts the cost.

[@T..C..M]

@@1fitster who’s Ben?

[@Brownkilla]

How long does zero water filter last

[@Driz19]

@@ProjectFarmdo you know anything about the Sentry system? Thanks!

[@abot4694]

I actually bought the Zerowater based off amazon reviews and wanted to see how good it was and man am I happy that I got it over anything else after seeing how it compares from your tests. As always, exceptional testing and you are doing us a huge service with your content. On behalf of all your viewers, we thank you.

[@ProjectFarm]

Thanks so much!

[@floflorian6085]

I read in reviews that the filter doesn't last that much, a matter of weeks at most. Did you find the same issue ?

[@abot4694]

@@floflorian6085 that may be the case for some but that really depends on the location and how much water you're filtering. For me I've been filtering about 3-5L a day and using it for the past month and the TDS is still at 0. Mostly because the tap water I have seems to be very clean since it's measuring 110-130 TDS. Like with many things in life, your mileage may vary, hope this helps.

[@lz898]

TDS number alone can't really show the water quality.

[@philindeblanc]

If the test is not taking out Fluoride, fluorosilicic oxide, then its really pointless. Fluoride is a neuro toxin known for decades, yet the US and 8 other countries add this toxin at the claim of gain for tooth enamel.

[@electronicsNmore]

Great work as usual! ZeroWater's results are impressive considering the low cost. Don't be surprised if you see a black tinted SUV parked in front of your house after a few of the water filtration companies see this video. LOL

[@rafakordaczek3275]

I would be worried about excessive demineralization of the water. It is actually dangerous to drink distilled water. EDIT: Thanks for the update from everyone. Maybe I'm not fully convinced, but maybe in the future I will believe, that it isn't dangerous at all.

[@ProjectFarm]

Thank you very much! I'll be watching for the Black SUV, lol

[@electronicsNmore]

@@rafakordaczek3275 Not true, you can get minerals from the food you eat.

[@AUSSIEGARAGE_YT]

@@rafakordaczek3275 a low significance of minerals are obtained from drinking water, if the owner of the zerowater is conscious of the lack of minerals it can be made up for with supplements or food selection

[@johnturner4400]

Next week. Which make of black suv is best? We’re going to test that!

[@chrluc]

When Sawyer said they filter 100,000 gallons, I expected you to say “we’re going to test that!”

[@Ryz414]

I was also excepting him to say that.

[@acebrockton1828]

Lol

[@turgsh01]

It's difficult and possibly wasteful to test that much water. That 100 000 gallons is probably based on already really clean water.

[@ThatGuyGregHD]

Same here! Speaking of filters, this seems to be how you filter out loyal subscribers LOL 😂

[@nospam3409]

We're going to fill this swimming pool!

[@carlm.m.5470]

That was one of the best test ideas. The way you went about testing them is something none of them would ever have allowed their company to perform publicly, except for Zero Water and Aqua True. Great job putting up relevant content.

[@ProjectFarm]

Thanks!

[@heythave]

Beyond great job. I was thinking the other day if getting a Brita was worthwhile. This really helps when I do decide to get a filter.

[@judyakajude3370]

​@@heythaveI have a Brita pitcher. It took some getting use to the "taste" since I bought bottled water for years IMO the bottled water varied in taste! Since I live alone the pitcher works great for me (I buy the 3 package filters since it saves money over buying one).

[@heythave]

@@judyakajude3370 Brita might be good for chlorine and things, but if your water is polluted, that doesn’t stand a chance.

[@SomeRandomMario]

I ended up buying a zerowater because of this video a while back. I used to be just a Brita user before. I definitely liked the quality of the water with zerowater more. I ended up switching back to Brita due to costs. Zerowater filters lasted me about 2-3 weeks each before developing a sour taste, I soon realized that it was going to be a cost prohibitive filter system where I live so I ended switching back to Brita. Sure not nearly as good but does that job.

[@ProjectFarm]

Thanks for sharing.

[@chefgav1]

Unfortunately you bought wrong. Modern castle did a similar test but used actual Arizona town water to a laboratory. Water had lots of nasties including uranium. Zero did very average with chemical reduction which was one of the worst filters tested. Brita did much better

[@audreywy1743]

Well, I bet that by the end of the week ZeroWater is going to wondering why their sales are booming! Great job, I've always wondered which filter was the best at filtering.

[@ProjectFarm]

Thanks!

[@anchopanchorancho]

@Lamborghini Car Wash That was ion exchange resin

[@DeeMoback]

@Audrey Wy ...... LOL ....yup.... I be shoppin now

[@CraneRyan88]

It does a good job but the filters go bad after about 3-4 weeks of use and your water starts to smell like fish. Got tired of it and switch to a Berkey and it's a game changer.

[@ygtcbee23]

@@CraneRyan88 they go bad in proportion to the amount of junk run through them.

[@joshrogne1574]

Water filter companies didn't even know they were at risk of being exposed by Project Farm. No manufacturer of any product is safe now. Awesome work man. Congrats on 2M subs. 🤘🏻

[@ProjectFarm]

Thanks!

[@JobFarming]

It's our duty to give him list of products...

[@lockergr]

Devil horns? Are you a luciferian or what here?

[@moxee33]

@@lockergr The American Sign Language gesture for "love you" or “I love you,” showing a hand with a raised index finger and pinky (little) finger and an extended thumb. 🤣

[@nahnotsomuch2292]

@@lockergr It's also the sign for 'Rock on'.

[@pgc2012]

My 40 cup zero water dispenser is awesome. I even water my plants with the water and they’ve never been healthier and NO residue in the pots. Of course we drink it and cook with it. Not sure why folks say the filters are expensive because I only have to change my filters every 3-4 months with heavy use. I test every week so I know it’s working. I appreciate you breaking down the science for us. Thank you 😊

[@ProjectFarm]

Thanks and you are welcome!

[@michaelblosser5277]

My ZW filters lasts 28-35 days. Close 35-40 gallons approximately. I have also tried the 3rd party filters for ZW and they are ok but do not last as long. It comes down to the same average cost per day.

[@lz898]

My zero-water filtered water tasted sour after using it for 12 days, and I didn't even use tap water but pre-filtered water from my fridge filter.

[@danejr7896]

damn really? could you have gotten a defective filter? or just really bad water to begin with? i was planning on buying a zw filter after wathcing this and adding salts for electrolytes@@lz898

[@orionarielle]

The amount of value provided in the video was phenomenal, thank you.

[@GodKing804]

You should pour the 0 water into the other filters to see what the filter adds

[@charleyweinhardt]

That's an idea

[@SayAhh]

LOL!

[@charleyweinhardt]

bump!

[@Verethill18]

Great idea

[@koffing2073]

filters bleed when they are too old

[@darthbubba866]

As an RVer I've been waiting for this test. I'm sure I'll have to wait for the Zerowater to be restocked at the store now... You may be saving people's health with this video - Thank You!

[@0_1_2]

Actually this whole test depends upon the accuracy of that plastic meter. I would like to see them ranked with another tool.

[@ProjectFarm]

You are welcome!

[@BIGGMONEYMIKE63]

@@ProjectFarm is there any way you could run a part 2 later on with a different measurement tool to see if the results stay consistent? Amazing work overall!

[@Theregoesfame]

Remember, 0 tds is not drinking water. There's a reason distilled water is labeled not drinking water. You need dissolved minerals or else your body just removes it as excess fluid. If you knew this already, sorry, lol.

[@jfolck1886]

Read the reviews of the zerowater. You may want to get a different one!

[@stevedeleon8775]

PF you are the BEST Tester of products ..thank you for helping us make good decisions on products out there

[@Andrew_Georghiou]

Man I’m moving out on my own for the first time in my life and that comes with a lot of added stress. I drink a LOT of water so I knew I needed a convenient and good water filtration system. I can’t thank you enough for taking one of the added stresses away from me with this video. I would always watch your tools testing videos and knew the quality you put out. so you can understand my excitement when I saw this video pop up on my search. Keep up the awesome work!!

[@matthewbond4150]

Could certainly include a microbial test condition! Survival filters, ie Sawyer and life straw are more designed for microbes than contaminates. I'm a microbiologist, if you want some ideas for tests feel free to let me know! Great vid as always!

[@SergeyPRKL]

I agree fully. here in Finland this kind of products are completelly useless because regular tapwater is way less than 100ppm, in Helsinki averaging 61ppm (3.4dH), but camping kits are nice to have. Except i have just taken water from a stream as is.

[@m4rvinmartian]

I'm a microbiologist too. Straws are scams. And as you know most microbes are ok or at least not harmful. Chlorine pills are the best option if you are concerned about bacteriological pathogens.

[@johna7075]

@@m4rvinmartian I wouldn't go as far as saying that the straw type filters are a scam, they often have a smaller pore size that the syringe filters used in the lab and are considerably better than chlorine tabs, and somewhat better that chlorine dioxide tabs, at removing cysts and flukes. How strictly you choose to treat your water really depends on the source, if there are farm animals around I wouldn't drink untreated water. You could say that most microbes are not a risk but it only takes a few pathogens to put you in a whole world of trouble.

[@mrtonyvillagomez]

Would microbes still be in the zero water or aquatru since it's close to 0 ppm?

[@m4rvinmartian]

@@mrtonyvillagomez Yes. In fact, your question is why we have so much COVID BS about masks "floating" around. I'm sorry, but you civilians did NOT PAY ATTENTION IN SCHOOL! THINGS HAVE RELATIVE SIZE BRO. Also, the 100% filters use resin catalysts, not filtration to achieve those numbers. So, yes, there will still be microbes.

[@Bloodbain88]

"Filters up to 100,000 gallons!" *standing under water tower* "We're gonna test that!"

[@matthewriggenbach8000]

The statement that it can filter 100,000 gallons is absolutely ridiculous. That's roughly 4x more water than someone drinks in their lifetime.

[@Boobashoob]

Lmao!

[@cicijewelry1185]

@@matthewriggenbach8000 I work for a residential home water filtration company and our carbon coconut filters will filter around 3 million gallons before they need swapped. so id believe that this smaller filter could easily filter 100,000 gallons easily unless ur pissing into the damn thing.

[@dndon4172]

@@matthewriggenbach8000 But it's true for the Sawyer.

[@gicollett2918]

THANK YOU SO MUCH... for all your testing videos. I really appreciate how extensive ways you test the products tested. I REALLY appreciate your open approach to the different brands no matter what outcome/results. I always make sure I check with your reviews when considering buying any product. Rare to find honest/unbiased reviews and your detailed process video...THANK YOU>>>THANK YOU

[@robertdoell4321]

I have been watching other Videos testing water filtration and YOU Project Farm are so far ahead of all the others BY a COUNTRY MILE. You are doing great work and providing valuable information. Great Job.

[@ProjectFarm]

Thanks!

[@John_Ridley]

The LifeStraw, Survivor and Sawyer really aren't intended to take dissolved solids out of water, and as you mention, dissolved solids are actually not generally harmful. They're backpacking/survival tools and are intended for taking out pathogens - bacteria and parasites. I don't know how you'd test for that, unless you have a source of water that contains giardia or something similar and can have a lab analyze the output.

[@ProjectFarm]

Thanks for the feedback.

[@AtlasReburdened]

I'm sure some simple smears on agar growth medium could be used for judging their performance with bacterial pathogens, but that would require a bit of a set up and study in aseptic procedure.

[@justinwbohner]

You'd use a microscope

[@otov100]

@@justinwbohner Nah you need to grow it. Water can have enough bacteria to make you sick without having enough in one drop to see on a slide. Plus many bacteria are quite small and hard to see with a basic microscope. Like 1000x smaller than the onion cell from science class. Best case they look like a tiny dot. Labs that test it, grow it in a petri dish then use special dyes and UV light that lights up the pathogen like a neon sign.

[@pawesomepal7827]

@@justinwbohner That would be like finding a needle in a haystack, and good luck finding viruses.

[@Fang.]

Would love to see surge protectors on this channel sometime assuming it can be done safely. Love the content

[@ProjectFarm]

Thank you for the video idea!

[@galaxyallie]

I'd love to see that too since I suspect none of them do anything meaningful.

[@THEMIGHTYQBAG]

Hope Furman is on the list!

[@Voyajer.]

@@galaxyallie They can help stop your afci breakers from nuisance tripping

[@kylegohawks8604]

That's a great idea. I have personally spent way to much money on them

[@Gerenocidiac]

Subbed after this one video. If all your videos have this type of straight to the point style, no bs filler, that's amazing and unique. Also it values the watchers' time. Thanks for the clarity and detail provided. I hate to say it, but I actually bought a ZeroWater today after seeing this and then doing some of my own research. My tap water has Arsenic, and we don't drink it unless I run out of my spring water that I get from a local source which is filtered by the town. Now I can use this ZeroFilter as an in-between if I don't want to take a trip to the spring.

[@ProjectFarm]

Thanks for sharing! Thanks for watching and subscribing!

[@leggyReid4c]

This is why your channel is one of my favorites. Thank you so much for sharing this.

[@ProjectFarm]

Thanks and you are welcome!

[@yoshyoka]

This is my field of expertise, so I might be able to clear things up a little. - TDS should not to be considered a measure to determine filter performance, unless the filter is designed only to do that specifically (as the RO or Zero filter). TDS only states how much ionic compounds are dissolved in water, some of which (e.g. Calcium and Magnesium) are actually desirable for taste. - Life straws (either UF membranes or ceramic NF elements) will not withhold dissolved solids, but will retain bacteria, something the other filters will be hopeless at. - The technology of the zero filter is called "mixed bed ion exchange", and a active carbon fleece in as retaining net and chlorine reduction. It will remove all dissolved solids, but has the downside of having a terrible capacity (lifetime is very short). - You can have very good heavy metal reduction and scale protection with cation ion exchange, but you will not reduce TDS. Water will taste slightly saltier. - You can have scale protection and good taste with a little more complex anion decarbonization resins (TDS will still remain the same). - Both a Zero filter and an RO should not be used for bacterial removal: use the life straw for that (or just boil it!). - Gravity fed filters are unfortunately generally a growing ground for bacteria. - Not all activated carbon is born equal; It generally has little influence on TDS, but is great at removing chlorine and complex organic or inorganic molecules. some are specifically cationic active and can remove heavy metals very well. Indeed to test filters properly you are going to need several thousand $ in equipment, the important thing is to select the correct filter for the correct application.

[@Esteb86]

Thank you for the rundown on the filters for the layman. I did feel that the testing done here was too surface-level, and didn't get into what was actually happening. Unfortunately, some people are going to watch this and think the zero will filter out bacteria as well.

[@yoshyoka]

@@Esteb86 I agree. Unfortunately water treatment is a complex subject and just giving the basics would require a whole video series. To all people who ask me "which one is the best filter", I can only answer "the best filter.. for what?" as every application will have different requirements. The Zero filter would be the best for your steamer and iron (no residues), yet i would never brew my coffee with it as the taste will be blunt and flat. Similarly there is no reason to use a life straw when you have access to chlorinated municipal water, where a simple AC filter will significantly improve taste ad, if specifically designed for it, take out some heavy metals and chloramines as well.

[@ExZero16]

This is the correct response. Last thing to note is 0 PPM water is not desirable for drinking water. 0 PPM is great for hydroponics but there is a reason there is distilled water and drinking water.

[@ExZero16]

@@yoshyoka Unfortunately, activated carbon will not remove chloramine and most water supplies are using that now as it takes less to have the same effect and does not evaporate out of the water. Depending on the level of chlorine in the water, you can let the water sit for a few days and all the chlorine will evaporate out. Chloramine will stay in the water until directly filtered out or the water is distilled. The science says chloramine in low quality is fine but I know from experience (city water): 1. Kill fish and/or make them very sick. 2. Even using a reverse osmosis system (not designed to remove chloramine), have a huge effect on plant growth in hydroponics. Saw lost of baby plant and slow growth and since filtering out chloramine, I have never lost a plant and massive difference in plant growth and overall quality of the health of the plant (less dead or fading leaves). I only learned about chloramine after posting on reddit about what looked like nutrition deficiencies in my plants and I have a high system that controls the ppm and PH of my hydroponics water. Someone suggested chloramine poisoning as the issue and after getting a filter to remove chloramine, I can say they were 100% correct.

[@yoshyoka]

@@ExZero16 I think there is a bit of confusion here: what you write is correct for Monochloramine; however i was referring to trichloramines, which are responsible for the classic "pool smell" and taste. These can be removed with AC varieties activated at higher temperatures and which achieve higher iodine numbers.

[@Moonlit_Monsters]

This type of unbiased testing and information is, in my opinion, what the internet was made for. These videos are always excellent and informative. Coupled with listening to feedback from the community makes this channel a real gem. Thank you for your work Project Farm!

[@ProjectFarm]

Thanks very much!

[@drippingwax]

You have a point, but what about cat pictures and arguing with strangers? :)

[@ellisargamer9248]

Porn, but this is good.

[@fpsawesom123]

I was looking around for a water filter and was unsure of what to get. Having seen a multitude of other videos on your channel, I knew you were a reliable source of information. You've saved me a ton of time and money and for that I thank you. 😁

[@ProjectFarm]

You are welcome!

[@Guardian7770]

I very much appreciate that you did this for those of us that are unable. Thank you for your time comparing these and making it easy to choose a good water filter system. ❤

[@ProjectFarm]

Thanks so much!

[@Todd66]

Never a disappointment EVER. I freaken love this channel. Also...the videos are just getting better and better. Perfectly executed

[@ProjectFarm]

I appreciate that!

[@gokartbuyer]

@@ProjectFarm We appreciate you!!

[@Closertoofree]

"Filters up to 100,000 gallons" , I'm glad that wasn't followed by "we're going to test that" One of my favorite KZbin channels.

[@simasimson5798]

he could've easily tested it in a couple of months. Just connect it to watering pump and check the results every now and then

[@MAGAMAN]

I wish he would have tested it.

[@MAGAMAN]

@@simasimson5798 He would have to have some way to measure how much water was being filtered.

[@LGBFJB46]

Hello peasants 😎

[@matsv201]

I have installed a filter on the main pipe to my house.....with the toalett, bath and watering... it probobly filters several thousnads of gallon a month

[@MiloAzar]

I know this is an older video but thank you for this! I was actually shopping for one of these and had the PUR in my Amazon cart. This sold me on the ZeroWater, and it was less expensive! Long time viewer, and always enjoy your videos! Thank you!

[@ProjectFarm]

Thanks and you are welcome!

[@nylesgregory2120]

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You. Plz never stop posting these. I Sooooo trust your approach. Can't tell you how mucy I value the results of your efforts. Outstanding work to help me make my decisions.

[@ProjectFarm]

Thanks and you are welcome!

[@jialixx]

Zerowater did an amazing work, especially considering it's price. However, I read some reviews complain about the lifetime of the filter is very short, which make sense considering it removes all the solid in the water. Another amazing review!!

[@ProjectFarm]

Thanks so much!

[@computerguy6264]

It is also VERY slow.

[@computerguy6264]

@teflontelefon English a second language for you?

[@93ndani]

@@computerguy6264 I bet he's Hungarian

[@EBikeBuilder_]

@@computerguy6264 ive used slower; in the grand scheme of things zerowater filters fairly quick. Berkey is a drop at a time. Zerowater filters at a speed where its a small stream of water

[@zheil9152]

I’d love to see air purifiers put to the test. Several smart ones like the Sensibo pure have high claims but I want to see them tested

[@dennispope8160]

I second this, wall mounted and floor models would be welcomed here

[@ProjectFarm]

Thanks for the suggestion.

[@charlestwoo]

I have a large Sharp brand one and would love to see it tested!

[@KParks]

@@ProjectFarm throw the Alen breathsmart 45-75i in the mix lol

[@peterc3619]

@@ProjectFarm please do one for air purifiers. I have a cheaper one but would love to buy one that works well even if it costs a pretty penny

[@Miguel-ng5wm]

Free advertisement for ZeroWater. I was about to get a Britta at walmart, but I was looking at some videos and I am glad I saw this one. thank you!

[@ProjectFarm]

You are welcome!

[@The_Lonely_Texas_Pagan]

I was looking to buy a filtering water pitcher and I saw the Zero and was hesitant on picking it up as I did not know the brand. This video came in clutch for me, thank you.

[@pesmergareaper]

Thanks for cutting the filters apart at the end. I was curious how the Zero Water was doing so well compared to the more expensive options. Once you cut it open it was clear- the Zero Water uses DI resins to filter the water. This will do a great job at removing just about any impurity from the water, but it will probably deplete itself pretty quickly. DI resins are also more expensive than carbon blocks (generally) so it would be interesting to see the gallons treated per $ spent on the filter. This would be a longer term project which probably wouldnt make for good KZbin though...Entertaining video!

[@ProjectFarm]

You are welcome!

[@joeshmoe6969]

Zero water usually last 20 gallons for me then they start to taste real nasty and turn water more acidic. Zero has charts to determine how long they last with different water supplies. New filters reduce the ph by ~2 from my tap(from a high 7 to almost 5) ive seen replacements anywhere from $2-$8 depending where i bought them.

[@MrLuigi-oi7gm]

They recommend you replace the filter on the Zero Water units when the ppm exceeds 6. We get about 3 months of use per filter but only use it for making coffee (10 cups per day). So I would estimate about 45 gallons of treated water per filter for our use case (which is well water). The longevity of any filter is going to depend on the quality of the water from your tap. So how long they last will vary widely.

[@danieljacobs6921]

Our water at the tap is usually around 60-75 ppm. Our zero filter is lasting over six months with heavy usage(our tap water taste like bad chlorine).

[@gasholio1]

@@ProjectFarm Is it possible you add some DI resin to the home made filter and make an addendum to the video. I bet you will get some interesting results.

[@sarahf1600]

So glad you did a water purifier test. I would love to see an air purifier test soon. I'm especially curious about which ones are best at filtering allergens and mold spores! :)

[@MsZoolis]

I would like to see that also. Have an old Electrolux eap150 att the moment.

[@jdlech]

And there's so many different types out there. And just as many claims about each.

[@zeroelus]

This would be great. Last year I bought a few germ guardian units for the bedrooms, and the filters have been replaced after getting quite dirty, so they're doing something, but I'd love it for them to be run through PF's thorough testing.

[@ProjectFarm]

Thanks! Thanks for the suggestion.

[@SirPhilMcCrackinVonBeggington]

Project Farm did a furnace filter test, I would watch that. If you have central heating or air, the filter you have on that thing is more important than your small air purifier.

[@DesertILI]

Glad to see the Aquatru do so well. I've been looking at picking up the carafe version of it to remove the plastic pitcher from the equation.

[@cybermousey]

I can't thank you enough for this and many other videos you have made that puts brands against each other to the test. I've used you several times before making purchases.

[@ProjectFarm]

You are welcome! Thanks for sharing.

[@kbsanders]

It would be nice to have seen a breakdown of the cost per gallon of filtered water over the declared life of the filters. I believe the Berkey claims 3,000 gallons per each filter and ZeroWater claims 30 to 50 gallons per filter. There is a big cost difference there for price per gallon.

[@ProjectFarm]

Thank you for the feedback.

[@SargeOrona]

I used to buy ZeroWater ones but they only lasted for about 8 days before making the water taste bitter...

[@CdotPoppy]

@@SargeOrona I know, don't last very long and found hot drinks don't taste as nice without a mineral background. Back to Brita

[@thereissomecoolstuff]

So you are saying zero water filters last 8 days. How much water are you filtering and where do you live. Is your water heavy in contaminates? Please fill in the blanks. For $28 I don't see how you can beat it?

[@chorpelo]

@@thereissomecoolstuff I have a Zerowater filter and it lasts two weeks at best. They’re about $15 for a filter. I live in Santa Barbara

[@WarpedPerception]

No Company is safe anymore! ... LOL

[@ProjectFarm]

lol. Thank you!

[@leetmanny]

seriously!!!

[@zhechen1342]

Let the manhunt begin!

[@entertainme7523]

Looks like they're all just carbon filled cylinders

[@m4rvinmartian]

@@ProjectFarm Hey Project, love your videos. You must have ESP because you're always reviewing stuff that I am thinking of buying. HOWEVER, your ESP has missed one. Mosquitos! Please do a SERIES of mosquito videos, covering bug zappers, and mosquito repellents. Outside time is almost here. I'm thinking of getting a DynaTrap for mosquitos, and potentially a bug swatting "racket".

[@VaclavVlcek-OK2VVV]

I use a Brita kettle and I also noticed that the TDS does not change. This is the best review ever. Thanks a lot for the beautiful display of all the filters. Perfect test.

[@ProjectFarm]

Thanks! Thanks for supporting the channel! I really appreciate it!

[@TheTarrMan]

I can't imagine how much work goes into these videos but this one seems especially tedious. I really appreciate the fact that somebody is doing these types of videos. Thank you for your efforts.

[@ProjectFarm]

I appreciate that!

[@thestork2210]

@@ProjectFarm How about a countertop water filter ( tall cone with a tube hooked to the faucet ), can you recommend any?

[@thewatermillscotland]

We live on a small island with no mains water supply, so every house has it's own well or spring. The place we're renting while renovating a 250 year old watermill has an unlined bore and the water quality can be very poor - we can only drink bottled water. Britta filters did nothing for us, removed a tiny bit of smell but thats it. That being said, TDS isnt a very good measure for testing in my opinion, since you need some dissolved minerals to survive - many filters will have media in them to add those essential elements back in, after the carbon and other filter media has stripped them out. Having 0TDS is not good for your health, if that is your only source of water. I really liked the test strips, and have ordered some to play with, it will be interesting to compare our unlined bore hole here with the fully lined modern bore hole over at the mill, while we're waiting for government testing of the water. Overall a great video, but I don't think the test methodology was as robust as your typical tests (which i'm fine with, you be an expert at everything!) I still learned some new stuff, and had fun watching!

[@ProjectFarm]

Thanks for sharing.

[@SandySez]

I had to go peek! Fascinating, wonderful endeavor. All the best of luck with it and thank you for saving that beautiful, forgotten treasure!

[@bdxhsc]

I think the primary goal of the testing was to have clean, safe drinking water. It's a pretty straightforward task of adding back minerals to the water if you so desire.

[@slo232000]

water that hard would strongly recommend you install a whole house filtration system. i have extremely hard water installed an Aquasana Rhino 1,000,000 gallon whole house filtration and it immediately took hardness scale off the chart (above 15 on hardness scale) down to around 2-3. Water softener took care of the rest bringing it to 0. You would never want to use that hard water through faucets, appliances, or other items using water in the house. This will significantly improve water quality throughout the house. It's scary to see what crap the pre-filters pull out before even reaching the resin tank for further filtration. ALL people should be installing these types of systems even if they have slightly hard water.

[@dimesonhiseyes9134]

You are correct that TDS is not a great indication of water quality. It is one of several criteria that is used for water quality.

[@calvinist_cody]

I remember seeing TV ads about the Zero Water filter. I can’t believe that filter works better than the insanely expensive reverse osmosis filter. Thank you Project Farm for being the unbiased tester to find out if the claims hold up!

[@jort93z]

Wouldn't say better. If you check the water test strips you can see that they both removed everything harmful(like iron, or lead) from the water nearly perfectly. The more expensive one leaves some dissolved solids, which is not a problem for drinking water. You don't need it to be distilled water, many people drink mineral water with tons of dissolved solids. You just don't wannt harmful solids. TDS is not a measure of water quality. You don't need to drink 100% pure H20.

[@peterscott2662]

@@jort93z Sure if cost is no object you can get the Reverse osmosis unit. But for the price though, nothing beats Zero Water. I researched and bought one years ago. It's the real deal compared to a bunch of charcoal filters.

[@ACoustaDC]

@@jort93z which filter company do you work for.... be honest.

[@chspyderr]

Been using zero water for years now, the cost of filters are high this wasn't totally covered but it does add up. I have about the same water as PF and I can totally vouch for the clean taste of the water it's really worth it for the zerowater I have one at home and on boat and in my RV!

[@TheInfinityzeN]

Having grown up drinking well water, the water filtered by a Zero Water taste bland and lifeless. It actually makes me not want to drink water. Many of the dissolved solids in water are completely harmless and improve the flavor. Several are actually healthy for you.

[@elizabethwinsor5140]

You are my go to site for testing products....you earn your money,thank you for being so good !

[@ProjectFarm]

Thanks!

[@mikefarrell6766]

Yesssss every time I need to make a decision, this guy already has a video out there to help me feel like I got a good deal! From weed eaters to water filters, my man!

[@ProjectFarm]

Thanks!

[@HamiltonvilleFarm]

Congratulations on 2M ! Well deserved

[@ProjectFarm]

Thanks!

[@jjbassing9044]

@@ProjectFarm literally no one else goes as far as you do to test just the most menial thing. At least not posting publicly.

[@ikannunaplays]

@@jjbassing9044 The best part is that 99% of these video are great references and will be relevant for decades

[@jollytosty]

I remember when this was like a tool channel, i love how far these tests have come. Keep it up farmer

[@ProjectFarm]

Thank you!

[@entertainme7523]

It's what plants crave

[@GeorgeBurgers-xt5hr]

Already have a small Lifestraw. Will now buy a Zerowater for the camper. Thank you.

[@xpkareem]

Always love these evaluations. Fast and effective comparisons.

[@ProjectFarm]

Thanks!

[@vandalov777]

Best zero water commercial i ever seen..i m buying it, lol

[@vandalov777]

people in the comments saying that filter lasts for a week, so not worth it i guess

[@ReapingTheHarvest]

Mine last between 1-2 months. It is only me using it though.

[@ReapingTheHarvest]

I make sure to buy the brand name filters after ordering some cheaper ones from Amazon which didn't last long.

[@animetodamaximum]

@@vandalov777 No it lasts longer than a week, it lasts a couple months with my use.

[@dogwalk3]

just as a heads up, you don't always want to be drinking 0ppm water, because it can end up leeching vital nutrients out of your body. it's the same reason it's not healthy to only drink distilled water.

[@mdbassin9120]

One thing important to keep in mind, some of the brands are only designed to remove contaminates that make you sick. Sawyer for example is a backpacking filter designed to filter lakes, rivers, and stream viruses and protozoa. True water works great if you want essentially distilled water.

[@TravisHFitzgerald]

YES! I love these videos but I don't think this was as comprehensive as his batteries/pumps/etc. I think this was a well intended but really needed a proper lab with spectrum analysis and petri dishes to adequately judge.

[@phantom240]

@@TravisHFitzgerald That's fair, for sure.

[@AB-jk7tw]

Love the objective, detailed and comprehensive tests that this guy runs!

[@ProjectFarm]

Thanks!

[@ithaspockets4391]

This was my first projecfarm video. Very impressed!

[@ProjectFarm]

Welcome! Thanks!

[@JeremyHolovacs]

I watched this video, then went and bought a ZeroWater off Amazon. It was amazing. After living in southern FL for the better part of a decade I'd given up on getting good tasting water out of the tap. This product is amazing. I really appreciate your scientific method and standardized testing plans. Thumbs up and you've got my subscription.

[@ProjectFarm]

Fantastic! Thanks for watching and subscribing!

[@raymondclark1785]

I camp in Florida a lot and another camper was complaining about the taste thinking the town filtered it :( I gave her an RV filter and she tasted the difference:) We have switched from the blue filter which has loose charcoal to an 02 Clear which has a solid block of charcoal, the downside of that is it drops your water pressure. Inside the drinking water then goes thru a Zero

[@Bialy_1]

@@raymondclark1785 The whole point of filtering is to get rid of the nasty stuff that are unhealthy... Drinking water that have no minerals in it is not as healthy as people here want to believe->we need that minerals to be healthy->that is why mineral water is often conected with health recovery centers->nice views+fresh air+mineral water=win. Ofc if the choice betwen water full of heavy metals and water that have nothing in it then the choice is easy.

[@warbyothermeans6732]

@@Bialy_1 false. Minerals are taken from food. Minerals from water are damn near miniscule. Look at the amount of minerals in a liter of spring water and compare to the RDA of those minerals. Silly goose. One point someone might instead make is that water is Earth's natural solvent. So pure water may work as a solvent in the body. It can rid the body of inorganic crap chemicals like synthetic vitamins. You'll notice a flush probably of these nutrients. You just solve it by throwing in some pure Celtic sea salt or buy mineral drops. Make your own pure water and turn it in to mineral water. You buy from the market, you're most likely drinking fluoride too. Don't believe major companies.

[@charleshorseman55]

@@raymondclark1785 Most people associate a sulfurous taste as bad in FL. I consider the "dirt" taste as less than palatable, but the ultimate quality of water in most of FL is quite good. It SHOULD have more mag/calcium (hardness) but it is usually not the case. If you were to buy European water from say France, the labels will tell you exactly what minerals are in it. And boy do they love minerals in water.

[@StringerNews1]

The problem with that "TDS" meter is that it's just an ohmmeter with a different scale. The "dissolved solids" means salts, the kind of things that people pay big money to have dissolved in water when they're called "electrolytes" (they're what plants crave, you know). Other non-ionic compounds affect conductivity a lot less, and that simple "TDS" meter can't tell the difference between beneficial salts and molecules, detrimental salts and molecules and biological material. So we're really in the dark about what each filter does. Offhand I'd say that zero conductivity is _not_ a good sign because you want to have at least some mineral salts in drinking water. But it's more a question of what kind than how much.

[@carlantaya175]

I'd rather the filter clean the water and add my own electrolytes than trust a filter to only filter out bad shit.

[@ProjectFarm]

Thanks for the feedback.

[@StringerNews1]

@@carlantaya175 there's no evidence that "bad shit" is being removed at all. That's my point. Hard water can't hurt you, but microorganisms can.

[@MegaCookieCrafter]

My thought too, 0 ppm is basically distilled water witch can actually make you sick.

[@StringerNews1]

@@MegaCookieCrafter distilled water has to be boiled, and that would kill at least some of the microorganisms. But none of these filters use distillation. In case you haven't figured it out already, the "PPM meter" that comes included with that one brand of filter is designed only to make that product look good. It's not certified by NIST or any other standards organization. I suspect if you ran a _real_ water test including pH, dH and a bioassay, you'll find that there's still a lot of stuff in the water when the meter reads 0.

[@TheMSUnet]

So much research and work went into this! Respect sir!

[@ProjectFarm]

Thank you!

[@TacticoolNinja]

Great content as always! Would be great to see Best Camping/Survival water filters. A comparison of portable filters that fit in a backpack or vehicle. Thanks!

[@rjaj3276]

Interesting Sunday morning I got here, my wife's water broke this morning so I'm chilling watching this while we wait. Also happy labor day y'all.

[@ProjectFarm]

Congratulations in advance!!

[@michaelcorvin4330]

Happy Labor Day to your wife!

[@rjaj3276]

@@michaelcorvin4330 gonna be a whole new meaning to labor day lmao

[@rjaj3276]

@@ProjectFarm thanks!

[@marsrover001]

I bet you could filter that.

[@saka-hyenabro7773]

I feel like ZeroWater is about to get a huge sales surge after this video lol, great video as always. In a similar note, i wonder how the sink faucet attachment filters compare to these pitcher ones?

[@domainjester]

I wondered the same about the sink ones, both faucet mounted and counter ones

[@BinarySpike]

I'm wondering about refrigerator filters too!

[@ProjectFarm]

Thanks for the suggestion.

[@THESLlCK]

AND the permanently installed house filters

[@THESLlCK]

@@BinarySpike that's gonna be pretty pricy, but so is my suggestion I guess

[@hungpham-vk4zx]

Thank you so much Project Farm! I just bought a Zero Water filter, and really enjoying the water so much.

[@ProjectFarm]

You are welcome!

[@mirzaalam9844]

Man you are a total lifesaver thanks for doing this thorough test

[@ProjectFarm]

You are welcome!

[@KM-fl5jq]

ZeroWater:"We remove everything!" Me:"Pff... Sure.." ZeroWater: *removes everything* Me: *Surprised Pikachu face*

[@dominichomm1078]

I didn‘t think it would be THAT good. But the Water from the 427$ machine still looks way nicer

[@Kyrazlan]

@@dominichomm1078 it's also like 20x the price. I do agree though.

[@reiserx]

@@Kyrazlan Add up the cost of the filters you have to replace on the Zero and you are almost there in one year.

[@piotrrajmundkoprowski4732]

I was surprised too but after opening all was clear. Zero has ion exchange resin. The rest just activated carbon.

[@chrisandrus2735]

I know right??They designed it right!!

[@devilwearsprada2100]

Been here since the beginning still can't believe how thorough you are with your videos. Keep up the amazing work my friend

[@ProjectFarm]

Thanks so much and thanks for being a dedicated viewer!

[@nobody8717]

Since you didn't mention Berkey in the description, I was going to recommend it, but while watching you actually did test it. Thanks!

[@ProjectFarm]

You are welcome!

[@elbybrook9466]

Anytime I have a question about the best anything the first person I think of is your channel. Thanks. ❤

[@ProjectFarm]

You are welcome!

[@enricofermi3471]

Basically, if you want pure distilled water - use ZeroWater; if you want just the nasty stuff gone but leave the mineral content - Aquafor; AquaTru is like ZeroWater for rich kids, and it also holds higher volumes if you need to have more purified water at the ready; everything else is either a compromise for the sake of portability (survival-style kits) or just not as good.

[@yordanpopov]

What about clearly filtered?

[@jamesdeclan7538]

The Zero water IMHO could be deadly. Removing all TDS, which includes all the salts and minerals your body needs, causes osmosis in your cells, removing all electrolytes from your blood. Then your heart will go into fibrillation and you die.

[@WarHawk-]

The problem with 'AquaTru' is that it needs an electrical connection which may not be available during times when filtering water is a requirement.

[@cupidok2768]

Im confuse which one do i buy

[@cupidok2768]

tds is just the stuff in the water. but you don't know what stuff is there. you should have sent the water into a lab

[@rmeraa]

I like this channel a lot, and most of the conclusions of this video still are likely to be useful, but I see important problems: - The Sawyer and Lifestraw are meant to filter bacteria, not minerals or other impurities. The type of filtration is completely different, and their inclusion in the comparison doesn't make sense. This is my main issue with the video. - The TDS measure doesn't seem too relevant to me either, as several filters use ion-exchange resins, so they will purify your water, without necessarily affecting the ionic strength (they substitute an 'undesirable' ion for a "desirable" or "neutral" one). (edited for clarity)

[@frostriver8686]

So true. I’ve used all of these and the survivor filter while trekking. Never got sick using any of them. That’s all the results I need.

[@gabriele476]

i was thinking the same, i used the sawer mini to filter dirty water from puddles duiring trekkings and it come out basically clean, it just filters all solid particles exception made for some viruses that are smaller than the pores, there is a version made to filter soluble things and even all viruses too.

[@gregors1422]

Good point. For hiking/backpacking Lifestraw and Sawyer are fine; they'll filter out bacteria and even viruses, but not chemicals (you're not too likely to have toxic chemicals unless you're hiking near old mining activity). Carbon filters will clean up the chemicals, but not the bacteria. You need a combo filter if you expect both types of contamination. I also LOVE project farm, and this is the first time I've ever noticed a test that did not unequivocally prove his conclusion. I hope he catches it and re-edits this one, or at the very least mentions this.

[@derek068]

Thank you for showing actual results. Berkey fans might hate this, but most independent testing shows that berkey's do very little and after a month you might as well just drink right from a well. I'm content with my Zero Water, just wish they made a big canister like some of the berkey ones.

[@ProjectFarm]

Thanks for the feedback.

[@JediOfTheRepublic]

Berkey Filters also filter pathogens which the zero water will not do. 0 TDS means it's just as good as distilled water which i don't really believe.

[@oldyellerschannel4676]

@@JediOfTheRepublic I agree. PPM means nothing if you are drinking Pathogenic Bacteria and Arsenic.

[@oldyellerschannel4676]

You are supposed the clean the filters.

[@amariyah12]

They now sell a canister. It's about 70.00 last time I checked Amazon. ;-)

[@supabiscuit]

Coming back to this as reference before purchase. Thanks for what you do 💯

[@ProjectFarm]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@AlyxGlide]

I like how he put sand & charcoal in a bottle & it performed similar to the general market 😂 Thanks! ZeroWater deserves all of the market!

[@rdizzy1]

The only issue with zero water whatsoever is the filter replacement cost, and the relatively short lifespan of said filter, on average it will get a fishy smell at around a month or 2 of use.

[@mastixencounter]

ZeroWater is disgusting. I've tried it multiple times and it tastes like I'm getting prisoned. After it it goes through the filter it doesn't even taste like water anymore, it tastes like I'm drinking metal

[@chucklebutt4470]

@@mastixencounter do you leave the filter in the pitcher and put it in the fridge? The activated carbon and ion-exchange resin will easily trap smells from your fridge.

[@Mattv25]

I would like to see a paint sprayer comparison, there are so many options for DIY paint sprayers. Excellent job, as always!

[@woodcrafter7361]

Grayco VSP is my favorite so far

[@Fusako8]

Seconded!

[@johnmrbartlett]

Third!

[@twistersolutions8931]

YES! Excellent Idea!

[@ScatPackin]

We need this!

[@philc.9280]

This was one of your best comparisons for me as I was still looking for a water filter for my RV. Thanks for the information.

[@ProjectFarm]

You are welcome!

[@diidiirving]

I'm SO impressed with Zerowater holy cow! Thank you for such a thorough review!

[@ProjectFarm]

My pleasure!

[@Sirtoastsalot]

I remember requesting this video months ago and you actually made it! Thank you so much!

[@ProjectFarm]

Sorry it's taken me so long to get to this one. Thank you!

[@hawk458]

💧

[@spectre600rr]

I love my zero water filter, but the filter are expensive, and produce an off flavor when the filter starts to be used up

[@ProjectFarm]

Great feedback! Thank you

[@DavidSmith-dm8ew]

after 2 months I'm noticing the same, but the brita did it also.

[@Squat5000]

It depends heavily on your area. My well water is only about 25ppm TDS and very low iron so the filters last ages. It's not uncommon to go over a year before it even hits 1ppm with no off taste. Chloramine is the biggest culprit for that flavor.

[@RooftopKorean-gc4ig]

There’s a 3 pack of zero filters available for $18.98 with subscribe and save (just cancel subscription after the order) as of 9/5/21.

[@swisstraeng]

It's possible your filters get saturated very fast.

[@aaronenglish7522]

Always enjoy watching your videos! Very thorough and helpful 👌

[@ProjectFarm]

Thanks so much!

[@apocraphontripp4728]

Brother we all spend time watching useless vids on you tube, yet your channel has some of the best usable info. You have a new subscriber. Much continued success.

[@ProjectFarm]

Thanks so much! Thanks for watching and subscribing!

[@stevensonholt234]

Maybe add a longevity test and the degradation of effectiveness vs gallons filtered? would be interesting!

[@ProjectFarm]

Thanks for the suggestion.

[@Jungle-Boogie]

Yep, just ordered a ZeroWater on Amazon after this one. Have to chunk the Brita in the trash. This is one of my favorite videos you have done. My suggested product testing: CPU Thermal Paste Potting Soil Portable Air Conditioners Laundry Detergents

[@VMTDesign]

Great ideas

[@tylerblakey1472]

Portable air conditioners is perfect

[@OrionRoen]

Yup. Zero water is coming home soon.

[@sonar610]

Thermal paste is settled, though. No need to tread that ground.

[@tcp8946]

Had a ZeroWater for 4 years but the larger version. It is amazing, 6 pack of filters run about $30 at Walmart and they last 8ish weeks for us. Our tap water isn't that bad, so yours might not last that long.

[@truehope287]

Wow! What a fantastic video! Loved when you cut the filters in half! Bravo!!

[@ProjectFarm]

Thank you very much!

[@thatswhatshesaid8153]

Thank you. You were very informative. I loved that you gave us all the details right down to the nitty-gritty.

[@ProjectFarm]

You are so welcome!

[@ginnipig]

The zero water was really impressive! Would have been nice to include a test for chlorine.

[@jcwoods2311]

Most US municipal water treatment systems no longer use straight up chlorine, use a long lasting chloramine compound instead. Used to be able to leave water in an open pitcher allowing the chlorine to evaporate (in the sun worked faster), chloramine survives this. Cheaper as they use less chlorine in total, but more stays in the end.

[@pandamator]

But 0ppm are unhealthy

[@gg-gn3re]

@@jcwoods2311 smells the same, so to the end user is the same

[@Jin-Ro]

Put your water in the fridge for 30mins, and it clears the chlorine smell out. Water board engineer told me that when he was checking our water, and I mentioned it smells chloriney.

[@daddybdpearson1]

Also I wonder how well they do at removing lead.

[@micahroe388]

"Filters up to 100,000 gallons"...was hoping to hear "we're gonna test that!" 🤣 I love Sawyer filter systems especially camping or mountain biking in the wild. Ran out of water once on the east side of Mt. St. Helen's. All I had was a puddle of stagnant, disgusting water, an empty soda bottle, and a Sawyer filter. Worked like a charm. Also, not a big deal, but at 2:37, the RV filter says it's Made in China on the label.

[@MrTespro]

Agree with your first point. Obviously, clean source water will allow a filter to last longer. So perhaps a longevity test would be very difficult to do. But we viewers need some estimate of filter cost/gallon. A flow rate comparison would be easy and that's important, I'd think.

[@russgould707]

@@timan206 What did the water taste like after it was filtered?

[@JDMsolstice]

Yeah ok, but you're never a mile away from a creek, river or stream on the east side of Mt. St Helens..

[@micahroe388]

@@JDMsolstice I didn't think I would be either. However it was 95 degrees and every stream I had counted on using to replenish was dried up. I was mtb'ing on the Ape Canyon/Plains of Abraham trail about 7 years ago. There wasn't anything out there...just miles of lava rock.

[@ProjectFarm]

Thanks for sharing.

[@najruqwi7008]

Great video! Love the fact that you you present the fact only and allow us to make our own decisions. Great idea cutting the filter open and le us see what is in side 👍.

[@ProjectFarm]

Thanks for the suggestion.

[@justinsmith623]

I’ve been using the ZeroWater for years. They won me over with the tester. Shows you how bad your water is and when you need to replace the filter. Best company out there. My ferrets love it too.

[@ProblemFactory]

It is very strange that a normal nonRO filter system (ZeroWater) could outperform an RO system (AquaTru) in terms of removing ions, so I did some research online. It seems that ZeroWater is built to remove ions from water using "Ion-exchange resin", which is dedicated for removing ions and usually used as a post processing step for RO system to further refine the purity. ZeroWater does not have RO filter and apply the ion-exchange resin directly. This indeed could result in better TDS values comparing with RO system without ion-exchange resin, however, doing so will drastically reduce the life-span of the filter as the resin is designed for water already has low ion level. Also, because ion-exchange resin does not filter water through physical pores in the filter like RO filter, it could not remove non-ion contaminations from water, such as microbe or organic (carbon-based) contaminants. This makes the "0 TDS" claim more like a marketing strategy as TDS only indicates a portion of possible contaminants in water ignoring many things that are also important like chlorine level, bacterial level, and even added sugar or alcohol in water. For zerowater, combination of different filter components like active carbon could remove many common contaminants and odors but I doubt whether it could achieve the same level of effectiveness over time comparing with an RO system. As its name indicate, while ion-exchange resin removes ions from water, it exchanges the stored H+ and OH- ions (components of water) in the resin with the to be removed ions (so H+ OH- being released to water, bad ions trapped on resin). The H+ OH- storage could be depleted fairly quickly if there are a lot of ions to be removed from water. In fact, on zerowater's website, it claims that each filter can only filter 15-25 gallons of 200-300 TDS water (the tap water used in this video). As comparison, RO systems use tiny pores (1000nm), and virus(>10nm), to allow only water and very low amount of ions to pass through. According to aquatru's website, their RO filter could last two years or 1200 gallons water, which is 30x longer than the zerowater's filter (40 gallons at best). If you are filtering water a lot and try to get as much contaminants removed as possible, I believe the RO system should be both more effectiveness and even cheaper considering the filter cost. If you really want to get the most purified water in home, probably an RO system with ion-exchange resin is the best option. Even distill water is not that pure considering some evaporative contaminants like chlorine are difficult to remove by the distillation process. For this video, I suggest a follow-up video on the measurement of Total Organic Carbon (TOC) for each water sample to get a better idea on the amount of organic contaminants in water.

[@supertom8552]

Very good detective work! Thanks , 👏🏼

[@unaffiliated_x9279]

All things considered, RO is the best imo

[@Lukerr22]

Yeah all that was Greek to me also. I will say that i bought a zero water filter pitcher over 10 years ago and i am still using it. From the user perspective i think that thing is amazing.

[@andyrit2]

@Will Reese the RO filter in aquatru lasts about 1.5-2 years in my experience

[@kunibeasley1210]

Bought 2 Zero filters. Both went bad after a few weeks. Water tasted nasty. Went back to Brita.

[@narlycharley]

Berkey owner here (since 2015). THE best investment I’ve ever made. All my family members also own one and love them.

[@spark20]

Agreed. Daily user here. One of the best investments I've ever made. I upgraded to the carbon from the stock ceramic filters back in late 2018. This thing has and still saving me so much money, especially during the height of the pandemic when people were panic-buying bottled water.

[@carolinapatino7143]

Do you guys still love your filters after watching the video? I just ordered a Berkey and I am thinking I should return it as it doesn’t seem to perform as well comparte to a zero water system. I wonder what is what make you feel that Berkey is still the best choice ? I am asking as I am deciding whether to keep mine or. Not. Thanks

[@newlevelgraphicsdavidframe2870]

I love my zero water pitcher. I am also buying a Berkey. Thanks for the awesome test it made me feel better knowing how well it performs.

[@ProjectFarm]

You are welcome!

[@miriamhoward6300]

Thanks 😊 I needed to know what to buy this week. Keep up the good work 🌺

[@ProjectFarm]

Thanks, will do!

[@camerongunn7906]

The purchaser has to take into account what those filters are being used for. The Sawyers and the LifeStraw are meant to be survival filters. They're mainly going to reduce bacteria, viruses, protozoa and cysts. Notice I said reduce and not remove. Making water drinkable is actually quite a hard thing to do on a mass scale. Another great video!

[@thomasneal9291]

Exactly. This is not a very useful comparison.

[@MrNickelbrille]

Boiling the water will reduce bad stuff heavily.I allways do when I'm outside

[@garethbaus5471]

They don't stop viruses pretty much at all, so they are adaquate but it might still be a good idea to treat your water after the fact in some regions.

[@thefinalroman]

@@thomasneal9291 Yeah a farmer has a test lab and can inject bacteria and find if they have been filtered out in....

[@olstar18]

@@thefinalroman Why inject when you can take a before and after sample.

[@sc5015]

I'll agree that TDS is a small factor of water quality, but actual impurities are huge. The filters designed for raw water will save your life compared to filling a Brita pitcher from a river, which will allow pathogens pass and seriously make you sick. The filters you tested that had high TDS but designed for raw water would allow you to safely drink your agriculture well water without consequence, and I don't expect you could reasonably test pathogens without a lot of additional money and lab tests. Great video as always! I have a catalytic carbon water filter for our drinking, baby formula, and what not water. I chose a catalytic carbon filter as it removes the chloramine from our drinking water, and many other things like PFAS which is rising in a lot of communities tap water. It's connected to our sink with a little bypass valve, and it has been great!! The Home MAster Mini 1CCB is what we have, order it up and test it in the future!!

[@nunyabusiness863]

Thanks so much for this test. It's concise but I know it took a lot of your time. Much appreciated.

[@ProjectFarm]

Thanks and you are welcome!

[@BrianHeimbuecher]

I've been using ZeroWater for years. The water tastes great! And when Newark NJ had their water crisis four years ago, the company stepped up with free filters. Nice touch.

[@ProjectFarm]

Thanks for sharing.

[@stephanier5220]

how do you know its not filtering necessary minerals

[@BrianHeimbuecher]

@@stephanier5220 As long as the lead is out (that's a BIG problem in NJ) I could personally care less about any minerals.

[@lovotcore6946]

The ion exchange beads for the ZeroWater will get used up really fast when used this way, the beads change color when they are spent, a few more tests and it looks like you would need a new filter. Ion exchange is typically used after going through a reverse osmosis filter, which typically want a carbon filter before that, and probably a particle filter before the carbon filter, normal people can stop at the reverse osmosis stage, the ion exchange step is usually for lab grade water, NurdRage has a pretty good video on setting up a lab grade water supply, as well as a video on regenerating ion exchange beads.

[@InfernosReaper]

So, sounds like someone might want to do a prefilter through one of the cheap, but decent ones for best results on a budget.

[@bt5252]

You want to deionize before RO. The fewer the minerals the more concentrated you can make the RO wastewater thereby increasing its efficiency.

[@ProjectFarm]

Thanks for the feedback.

[@ajaehall7695]

@@bt5252 No. DI water is always better than DO, you use RO to extend the life of the DI resin as noted above. No commercial DI water system uses RO as the final step, it is always the first. Note that DI water is not really that great for people. It will be more corrosive than tap water, lots of lab equipment says explicitly don't use DI water. The water will come to equilibrium with the metals around it, so you will end up adding Al, Fe,Cr etc when cooking in metal. If you just use borosilicate glass you should be fine, but aside from fancy coffee makers, what cooking is done exclusively in glass?

[@Dozav7]

@@ajaehall7695 when I had a saltwater fish tank, I’d use RO/DI water for the salt water mix. Despite the warnings, I sampled a bit of the pure water. It was like the water wasn’t there- absolutely zero flavor.

[@joecmarques]

This is a great video at illustrating the differences in types of filters, however in terns of determining "the best water filter" it really depends on the goals you are trying to achieve. With that said if you are trying to take pond water or some sort of non-potable water source and make it safe to drink, there are only a few filters in your group that are actually designed to do that (hollow fiber membrane based filters), like the Sawyer, the lifestraw, or survivor filter pro, which will remove all biological contaminates such bacteria and protozoa (but not inclusive of most viruses) which are smaller than the smallest pore size of the filter, although this is not much of a concern in North America. So although you can safely drink scummy pond water and be perfectly safe doing so with the sawyer, it offers ZERO chemical filtration which does absolutely nothing to help with taste or smell. The Zero water filter on the other hand is an ion exchange filter which is designed as a chemical and particulate filter. In other words it uses ion exchange resin to pull dissolved solids out of the water, while also using charcoal to help polish ans improve taste and smell. The end result is that you get zero dissolved solids after filtering which is means it removes most chemicals like chlorine and fluoride and heavy metals and minerals from the water which is great if that's your goal. But can it make pond water safe to drink? Absolutely not, and it's not designed for that either and would be completely inappropriate for that use, just as a Sawyer would be completely inappropriate for use in polishing already potable water. The other filters like Brita and the like that use some form of charcoal filtration are designed merely to polish ans improve taste and smell of water, whilst perhaps removing a tiny amount of dissolved solids and minerals, but are certainly not designed for that. So getting back to the title of this video, "which is the best filter"? It really depends on what you're actually trying to remove from the water, and what you are trying to achieve, and thus would require the proper tool for the job. A killer "all-in-one" filter would combine elements of all these filters and would essentially look something like a Sawyer for initial filtration to take any water you find (like pond water) and make it potable and biologically safe to drink, then you may want to put it through some sort of a charcoal based filter to improve taste and smell, and finally you may want to polish it off by removing any remaining dissolved solids or chemicals from the water by putting it through ion exchange resin based filter like the zero water or alternatively a reverse osmosis system. At the end of all that what you should have is biologically safe water that is chemically pure water, and if you really wanted to you could even run it through a filter that is designed to add back in some dissolved salts and minerals to "improve taste" to something you may be more used to and familiar with. But at the end of the day you can see what we are talking about are vastly different tools that all deal with water in some way, but perform very different jobs. So essentially unless you compare like tools like a bunch of ion exchange filters to one another, or a bunch of hollow fiber membrane filters to one another, what you are really doing is comparing apples to oranges and selecting plums as the "best" tool of then all.

[@Noswalas74]

Thank you for the above information. "Best" is relative to intended application. Some excel in one aspect but fail in others and vice versa. I guess using a hammer as a screwdriver it can be done however the end results probably not going to be what you expected.

[@atk9989]

so what your saying is if you need to use pond water to drink first filter it with the Survivor filter into the zero filter so then you have 100% clean water.

[@JoachimVampire]

wait what? so the zero water filter gets rid of ions, right? doesn't that make it to be distilled water? which is quite bad for human consumption. (great for cleaning tho)

[@streetwind.]

Thank you! I came to this video to inform myself about water filters, and while seeing the results was interesting, your writeup taught me what I was really after :)

[@andrewh1113]

You are making a pretty big assumption. Particulate Filters prevent pathogens from getting into the water. The aqua straw is a basic filter that may be effective against some larger parasites.

[@desmondehoppie4758]

Great Review. Well Done. Very Thorough and Informative. Thank You for taking the time to make this video.

[@ProjectFarm]

Thanks and you are welcome!

[@GregRband]

thank you so much! This is the best review I've ever seen with important info and tests against leading brands. Very helpful and technically informative.

[@ProjectFarm]

Thanks and you are welcome!