Review: ZeroWater 12 Cup 2.8L Ready-Read Jug

 

I received this water dispenser (it can be a jug but I feel it's primarily a dispenser unlike the other ZeroWater jug I reviewed which was more, well, jug-like) in exchange for an honest review, so that's what I'm doing. The appeal of ZeroWater is that it reduces not so nice particles in water down to zero. As someone who lives in a hard water area and has both two beautiful guinea pigs and two handsome zebra finches who need as little rubbish in their water as possible, as well as trying to keep my trusty kettle low on limescale, a water filter system is a necessity. I currently use a Brita Maxtra Plus slim line jug for my purified water needs.

In the box for this ZeroWater Jug is the jug itself, instructions, 1 filter plus the handy device that tells you how much gunk is in your water (dissolved solids). You can find out all the technical details on the ZeroWater UK site. Basically it filters out all the rubbish leaving you with super pure water. I know it may sound unbelievable but it really does work! 

 The dispenser is easy to put together once you work out how to take it apart to get at the filter parts. Unlike Brita it doesn't need a zillion rinse throughs (ok 2 or 3) to get it to work properly. Just remove the top and pop in (I don't think there was another step). First I tested the tap water. 

As you can see the reading for gunk was 303 which sounds quite high. Next up I tested my mid-cycle faithful Brita jug (which I bought myself so not sponsored). 

With a reading of 152 it's better than tap water for sure, which is good to know. Finally I tried the water that I put in the ZeroWater 12 Cup Dispenser. 

Yes it really read Zero. It's not a trick, it comes out exactly as advertised.Now I do like the dispenser as although the tap mechanism sometimes feels a bit flimsy it is easy to use, and can be used as a jug if preferred. I did have to adjust my fridge shelves to fit it in (love cold water), obviously it can be left on the counter if preferred. It looks really nice but I do need the extra shelf that I had to remove so for me I won't use this dispenser regularly. 

Time to talk cost of filters. Somehow I'd misread the cost so thought it was more expensive than I thought. I'm not sure how long one filter will last me: a Brita Maxtra Plus filter lasts me 2 months or more. I can get 6 BMP for around £22 on Amazon. ZeroWater filters are £19.99 direct from the site or £18.99 on Amazon. They may be cheaper elsewhere. It does get cheaper the more you buy with the 2 pack costing around £29, and the 3 pack costing around £43.

If I had a bigger fridge I might seriously consider using my ZeroWater Dispenser full time as it is conveniant, and lets face it, having zero solids in the water sounds much more appealing than the current one hundred and something floating about in my Brita filter. It all depends on how long a ZeroWater filter would last me, which I don't know and due to space issues I probably won't. I do recommend it for those who care about what's in their water. I do care but I have weak hands my slimline Brita filter is easier for me to manage on a daily basis. 

I do feel ZeroWater is the superior filter on the market, I'd be interested to see how long it stays zero. I feel that unfortunately those in the USA get a better deal as if they input their ZeroWater readings they can get further discount on new filters. I am thankful to try another item in the ZeroWater range and will be recommending them to friends and family (Let's not go into why I really like the US style coupon system which seems kinder to consumer than some non-existant UK systems)

Read my review on the ZeroWater 12 Cup water Jug here.