Culliganwith ZeroWater Technology 10-Cup Water Filter Pitcher – Includes 5-Stage Advanced Water Filter, IAPMO Certified to Reduce Lead, Total PFAS (Forever Chemicals), Mercury, Fluoride, and Chlorine

This is an improved version of the previous Zero Water filter. You don't get air bubbles and the filters lasts longer. We are really happy with this filter and prefer to buy this to and endless amount of water bottles. The water tastes great and you are truly drinking the cleanest water.

Let me just start by saying my household uses 1-2 cases of bottled water per week. We noticed a few years ago that the water tasted bad and smelled funny. We're not a fan of drinking whatever comes out of our faucet since we don't know what's in it. I even bought a TDS meter to measure the total dissolved solids. What I found was disturbing. In Oct 2024, the TDS read 789 ppm!! Is this even legal? Our water fluctuates constantly from bad to worse to acceptable.According to the EPA, normal, acceptable levels of Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) range between 300-500 ppm (Parts Per Million) with the limit for drinking water in the US being 500 ppm, and is listed by EPA as a Secondary Contaminant, which may affect how water tastes, & in some cases, cause disease.Today, it's 272 ppm. The day I ran my water through the Zero Water system, the number was 412 ppm. UNBELIEVABLY, the result was ZERO ppm!!! That's ZERO point ZERO!! I even used my own reader to test the integrity of Culligan's reader. Perfect match. I love that it has a built in TDS meter so I can know when the filter needs to be replaced.This is just fantastic! Not only do I have good tasting, safe water again, but I'm saving money and the environment by reducing our plastics footprint. And who knows what health concerns we should consider from the plastics of the water bottles! I love the pitcher size since it can sit on the counter or in the fridge. It does take a few minutes for water to cycle through, so the filtration is not instantaneous. The filter replacement is reasonably priced as well. I already purchased several for continued use.The water tastes fantastic now and no weird smells!! I love it!! Very highly recommend!!

For those who don't know, Culligan acquired ZeroWater in March 2020. I originally assumed it was just a co-branding relationship, but when I visit ZeroWater's Web site, I get redirected to Culligan. While it seems that you can still buy ZeroWater-branded pitchers and dispensers on Amazon, all that I see on the redirected site is "Culligan with ZeroWater Technology" products.It's a shame because I loved ZeroWater. I remember the first time I tried one I gave it 5 out of 5 stars. I'd give it 10 if I could. But I wonder if the writing is on the wall for it to be replaced by "Culligan with ZeroWater Technology"There are a few differences between this "Culligan with ZeroWater Technology" dispenser and a traditional ZeroWater dispenser.1) The filters are not compatible. You can see the subtle difference in my first photo. And I'm not convinced that the new one is an improvement. I loved how the old one securely screwed in from the bottom to form a watertight seal. The new one drops in from the top—a lot like Brita filters. Yes, you can "click" them into place, but there's something about it that just doesn't feel as secure as the old way.2) I don't really see many advantages to the new design over the old one. It's not any faster at filtering (in fact, it feels a bit slower). Both the old and the new get my TDS reader (both the one that's built in and one which I purchased separately) down to 0. That's good, but I really question what improvements they made with the new one, other than changing the design just so we have to buy new filters (which are anywhere from $1-5 more expensive than the old ones).3) They added some bells and whistles to the new variation. There's a plastic circle that you can slide back and forth to pour water in, unlike the old method of just taking the whole top off. While the circle seems slick enough, it's really not practical because it sits in the middle of the lid. If I'm pouring water into the unit, the most natural position would be for me to pour it in the front. This definitely seems like a case of form over function. I just end up sliding the cover off like I always did.A reminder that while ZeroWater eliminates bad stuff like lead, chromium, and mercury from your water, it also removes good stuff like calcium, magnesium, and potassium so you'll want to make sure you're getting your essential minerals from somewhere and/or rotating your water between ZeroWater and spring water, for example. I mainly use my ZeroWater water for things like humidifiers (distilled water may be cheaper, but ZeroWater is more convenient) and for things like putting in the coffee maker, making ice cubes, cooking, or mixing with drink mixes.Overall, I'd say it's a very good alternative to a traditional ZeroWater dispenser, but I wouldn't necessarily call it an upgrade. Still, like the original it did get the total dissolved solids to zero, so it definitely works.