1. Design and quality

• PUR ultimate horizontal water filter designed to look like stainless steel is overall slick and robust
• TAPP 2 Scandinavian design is white with beautiful rounded lines making it look good on almost any faucet

2. Filtering capabilities

• BRITA complete faucet system removes 60 contaminants including 99% of Lead
• PUR Ultimate Horizontal Water Filer removes 70 contaminants including 99% of lead
• Culligan FM-15A reduces cryptosporidium, giardia cysts, lead, chlorine, atrazine and other items that produce bad tastes and odors
• Zerowater water pitchers claim to reduce total dissolved substances (TDS) to zero including chlorine and lead. This means that it removes all minerals including a the healthy ones from the water.
• TAPP 2 removes 80+ contaminants including microplastics, chlorine, chloramine and 99% of lead

3. Water flow water filter comparison

• Brita, PUR and ZeroWater pitchers –
• PUR Ultimate Horizontal Water Filter – 0.5 gallon / min
• Brita Complete Faucet System – 0.5 gallon / min
• Culligan FM-15A – 0.5 gallon / min
• TAPP 2 – 1 gallon / min

4. Ease to install and faucet fit

The advantage of water pitchers and faucet filters is generally that they can be installed and used without any tools or need for a plumber. Here the water pitchers clearly win the test as all you need to do is to rinse the filter before using it the first time. In our water filter comparison we therefore only put the faucet filters through the test.
• PUR Ultimate Horizontal Water Filter – clear manual and easy to install on standard faucets with an extra adapter kit that can be ordered by paying for the shipping cost. Our experience was that it leaked on most faucets due to the plastic faucet attachment.
• Brita Complete Faucet System – easy to install on standard faucets but our experience was that the filter leaked almost every time due to the plastic faucet attachment.
• Culligan FM-15A – easy to install on all standard faucets with a robust stainless steel faucet attachment adapter causing minimal leakage
• TAPP 2 – easy to install on all standard faucets and many others thanks to a large set of extra adapters. We experienced no leakage thanks to the stainless steel faucet connector.
One of the conclusions is that if you choose a faucet water filter then make sure the faucet connector is not made of plastic.

5. Cartridge material and disposal

All the filters in the water filter comparison except one used cartridges made of ABS plastic and activated carbon. In addition to this here’s what stood out from the test:
• Brita pitchers as they use activated carbon and ion exchange as well as have a filter recycling program
• Zerowater pitchers that also include ion exchange
• TAPP 2 that uses cartridges made of biodegradable materials and organic coconut activated carbon resulting in zero plastic residue and no plastic in the water
Note: The disadvantage of the ion exchange filters is typically that they don’t last as long and therefore need to be replaced monthly.

6. Filter cartridge / refill replacement

How often does the filter cartridges need to be replaced and how do you know that it’s the right time? This is really important as you want to know when the filter is really due to be changed based on your consumption.
In our comparison we found 4 types:
• PUR, Brita and Zerowater pitchers – All of these had a LED light measuring the time from the last replacement with a light indicating that it needs to be replaced. The replacement time is 1 month no matter how much or little you use it.
• PUR and Brita Faucet Filters with light indicators measuring time with a replacement rate every 2-4 months independent of usage
• Culligan faucet filter has no light indicator. Instead the cartridges are recommended to be replaced every 100 gallons of use.
• TAPP 2 offers two alternatives including a smart monitoring solution based on usage and time and a manual calendar to set the replacement date. It’s recommended to change the cartridges at least every 3 months even though the capacity is 250 gallons.

7. Yearly cost Water Filter Comparison

PUR pitcher: $7.99 per filter lasting 1-2 months = $96 per year
PUR faucet filter: $18.99 per filter lasting 2-3 months or 100 gallons = $114 per year
Brita pitcher: $7,99 per filter lasting 1-2 months = $96 per year
Brita faucet filter: $18.99 per filter lasting 4 months = $76 per year
Culligan: $15 per filter lasting 2 months = $90 per year
Zerowater: $15 per filter lasting 1 month = $180 per year
TAPP 2: $60 per year for subscribers
Note: The prices are list prices on each companies website for single units or 2-packs as of 20 November 2018. 
Read more about TAPP vs Brita Water Filters.

Summary Water Filter Comparison

To simplify the summary we’ve only included the faucet filters from PUR and Brita.

Criteria	PUR Faucet Filter	Brita Faucet Filter	Culligan Faucet Filter	ZeroWater Pitcher	TAPP 2 Faucet Filter
1. Design	Stainless Steel Look	Plastic	Plastic	Plastic	White Scandinavian Design
2. Filtering capability	70+ Contaminants incl Lead	60+ Contaminants including lead	Cryptosporidium, giardia cysts, lead, chlorine, atrazine and other bad tastes and odors	Reduce total dissolved substances (TDS) to zero	70+ contaminants incl microplastics and lead
3. Water flow	0.5 gallon/min	0.5 gallon/min	0.5 gallon/min	0.25 gallon/min	1 gallon/min
4. Ease to install	Easy for standard faucets	Easy for standard faucets	Easy for standard faucets	No installation	Easy for standard faucets with free adapeters
5. Cartridge material	ABS plastic	ABS plastic	ABS plastic	ABS plastic	Biodegradable plastics
6. Filter replacement	Every 2-3 months LED indicator	Every 2-3 months LED indicator	Every 2 months	Every month	Every 2-3 months with MyTAPP monitoring and notifications
7. Annual cost estimate	$114 per year	$76 per year	$90 per year	$180 per year	$60 per year

Also check out Best Water Filters 2018.

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