In our testing, it was fairly clear which water filter pitcher removed the most contaminants. The Zero Water pitcher, while significantly bigger and more expensive than the other pitchers, removed all of the dissolved materials we were testing for. The Brita filter pitchers came in second place and also removed a substantial amount of contaminants.
The Brita Standard and Pur Standard filters come standard with the Brita Everyday 10-cup pitcher and the Pur Classic 11-cup pitcher, respectively. A reverse-osmosis system will also remove everything, with a bigger up-front cost and some wasted water, but a long-term cost savings over ion-exchange filters. Distillation gives similar results, though it’s slow and has high energy costs. Deionized water, as you get with a ZeroWater filter pitcher, is one option.
The PUR pitcher is available with the lead-removing filters in a smaller pitcher, but Brita only sells the better filters with a 10-cup pitcher like the round-base Monterey. This kind of performance makes the 3- and 4-minute times for Brita and PUR lead-removing brita water filter faucet filters seems speedy by comparison. It’s not a hindrance to an occasional glass of water throughout the day, but if you find yourself filling three or four extra-large water bottles before a family outing it could be a major headache.
But if clogging is an issue or a concern with your water filtering, those minor shortcomings pale in comparison. Many water filter pitchers are not dishwasher-safe, so you need to wash them by hand, which is one of the reasons our experts liked this Pur water filter pitcher. When we tested this at home, we found it was easy to fill and pour from, thanks to a flip top that stays in place when pouring water.
This small water pitcher comes with one water filter, which should be changed every 40 gallons or about two months for best results. Ideal for use in offices, schools, daycare centers, restaurants, hotels and other commercial facilities. Drink healthier, great tasting tap water with this BPA free Brita 6 cup water pitcher. It is ergonomically designed with a flip top lid that makes refilling a breeze and an electronic filter indicator that lets you know when it is time to change the Brita replacement filter. This small water pitcher comes with 1 water filter, which should be changed every 40 gallons or about 2 months for best results.
To see how well the LifeStraw dealt with sediment, Tim used hydrogen peroxide to rapidly convert a piece of #0000 steel wool to fine particles of rust. After 40 cups (2.5 gallons) of this enticing brew went through it, the rust was all used up, but the filter was still working, albeit slightly more slowly than at the start of the test. Its modern design is easy on the eyes and looks just like a glass water filtration pitcher but it’s actually made of BPA-free, shatter-proof plastic. The filter uses a combo of activated coconut shell and charcoal to nix the taste of chlorine, while also reducing your exposure to mercury, copper and zinc.
Also, the Pur has a transparent fill tank, so you can see at a glance when it’s time for a refill; the Brita has an opaque tank, so you have to open it to look inside. We recommend Pur’s Pur Plus Pitcher Replacement Filter or the Pur Pitcher Filter because both have excellent ANSI/NSF certifications, and we found them to be less prone to clogging than the Brita Longlast+. For larger households going through lots of water, we recommend the Pur Plus 30 Cup Dispenser.
Less ergonomic pitchers included the LifeStraw Home 10-Cup, which was tall and had a pleasing curve to the pitcher. However, its thin handle was hard to grip, most likely due to its small size and slick, plastic surface. Our favorite water pitcher was the Brita Longlast Everyday Water Filter Pitcher. For a more budget-friendly water pitcher, we liked the PUR Water Pitcher Filtration System, 7-Cup. While it was a tad smaller than the Brita, it filtered incredibly fast and poured nicely. Below, in alphabetical order, we’ve listed five of the best pitchers from our water filter pitcher ratings (along with two more to avoid).
We experienced some slowing of filtration over the Pur Lead Reduction filter’s 40-gallon lifespan, but not outright clogging. In eight years of researching and testing pitcher-type water filters, we’ve found that Pur’s are the simplest to use. Most brands offer only plastic pitchers, but LifeStraw has a glass and a plastic option. Our pros appreciated that the AquaTru App tells you when the filter needs changing as well as other stats like how many gallons of water you’ve filtered or the amount of total dissolved solids in the tap and filtered water.